Utrecht

The city of Utrecht is home to about 250,000 people, of which around 20% are college students.  The great attraction here is the Dom Toren (Tower) which is the largest church tower in The Netherlands. Next to it is the Dom Kerk (Church.)  Here are some views (picture 1 picture 2 picture 3 picture 4) from near the top of the tower, which is around 330 feet in the air.  You have to climb over 400 stairs to get to the top, many of which are quite small.  This is a picture of a show in between the church and the tower.  I though it was odd seeing people on stilts wlaking down the street.

Bicycles are the primary mode of transportation here.  This is a picture of a bicycle parking lot at 10:30 AM on a weekday.  There is no car parking available.  Most people schlep everything home on their person. This is another place for bikes on a random corner.  Utrecht also has canals, though not nearly as many as Amsterdam.  A lot of shops and restaurants are open in this area.  Some houses also overlook the canals.  Beer is very available here, and many are advertised.  Common is to have the signs outside the bar/restaurant.

For those optometrists out there, you won't recognize this person, but you'll know the name.  In the center of town, there is a statue of your favorite accommodative expert--Donders!  Most of you know that I worked for Pearle Vision before I left.  Well there are two Pearles in Utrecht.  Here are some shots (picture 1 picture 2 picture 3 picture 4) of one of them.  It's amazing how similar they are.

For those who inquired about my living quarters, here are a couple of shots (picture 1 picture 2) of my room.  Outside is still unfinished, and unfortunately they don't seem to be in any hurry.  I'm staying at a school called University College Utrecht, which is an American style university, and where everything is taught in English.  There are students here from all over the world.  The campus used to be a military installation until recently.