Blog Profile / A Flamingo In Utrecht
| URL : | http://oranjeflamingo.wordpress.com/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Society & Culture / Expats | |
| Posts on Regator: | 523 | |
| Posts / Week: | 4 | |
| Archived Since: | November 17, 2010 | |
Blog Post Archive
Making Peace Photo Exhibition
Although the 300th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht was in April, the celebrations continue. Recently, an outdoor photo exhibition was installed along the pathways of the Maliebaan. Titled “Making Peace”, it is an exhibit that shows the horrors of war, but gives hope through also focusing on the people and organizations […]
Wordless Wednesday: Always the Domtoren
Tagged: domtoren, park lepelenburg, photography, Utrecht parks, wordless wednesday
Pleasant Bicycle Parking
Sunday was a magical day, as the sun returned for a brief visit, and when I saw the sign in the photo, I suddenly started to feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland. We had been out for a walk along the canals, enjoying the sunshine and scenery. On the way back, we passed the […]
The Genteel Beauty of Lievendaal
There’s a charming villa on the eastern edge of town near Lepelenburg Park. It’s called Lievendaal and was built in 1862. I’ve been meaning to write about it for ages, or at least, I’ve been meaning to do the research on the building, since I’ve been taking photos of it for years. This first photo […]
Nijntje and Miffy
The weather is still cold and grey, although the rain has held off for most of the day. Small blessings. However, I did notice this colourful window near the Stadhuis this afternoon, featuring Nijntje (AKA Miffy), the little rabbit created by Utrechter Dick Bruna. The weather may not be smile-inducing, but this window display above […]
Amsterdamned and Utrecht Blessed
At various points over the years, I’ve seen and heard references to the film Amsterdamned, a 1988 Dutch horror film focused on the canals of Amsterdam. The reason why I’ve heard about the film is because of a famous boat chase. Two speed boats — one with the masked killer and the other with the […]
Wordless Wednesday: Utrecht in the Sun
Tagged: #inutrecht, photography, utrecht auction house, utrecht in de zon, vendhuis utrecht, wordless wednesday
The Ghost of Spring
We had about a week of good weather — sunshine, trees and flowers in full bloom, warmer temperatures — and then on Saturday we went back to cold, wet weather. I hope that wasn’t the extent of our spring/summer! Fortunately, I was able to get out and take some photos during the brief golden spell. […]
Beer and Bravery
For some people, alcohol takes away their inhibitions, not to mention their sense of self preservation. To look at some cats, you’d think they were raging alcoholics, doing whatever they want, when they want, and going wherever they want. I spotted this gorgeous Siamese cat enjoying the view from a sign for a local brewery […]
The Sound of Utrecht’s Domtoren
Today is Hemelvaart (Ascension Day) and a holiday here in the Netherlands. One of traditions (although I’m not sure how widespread/popular) is to head out early in the morning for a walk or bike ride. I woke up relatively early this morning and decided to follow the tradition and go for a walk around town. […]
Unexpected Fanfare
Because I seem to be incapable of going out without passing through the Domplein, we were lucky enough to come across a performance by the Fanfarekorps Der Genie (Engineers Regiment Fanfare Corps) on Sunday afternoon. We had just begun to approach Achter De Dom when we suddenly heard the sound of drums. There, behind the [...]
Time Travel: Utrecht’s Liberation
It was on this date — 7 May 1945 — that Canadian and British forces arrived to officially liberate Utrecht from Nazi control. Although the main liberation of the country was 5 May, it took time for all cities to be fully liberated. Some transitioned relatively smoothly, while other cities, such as Arnhem, suffered under [...]
Flamingos Are Flocking to Utrecht
My regular readers know I’m always trying to encourage people to visit Utrecht, whether they live in the Netherlands or are just visiting. After all, it’s a gorgeous city with nearly 2000 years of history and a constant stream of cultural events. So it makes sense that Toerisme (Tourism) Utrecht and I should work together [...]
Feeling Free
It’s been a week of important dates here in the Netherlands. First the last Queen’s Day, and now this weekend — May 4-5 — we’ve had Remembrance Day (Dodenherdenkingdag) and Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag). Remembrance Day (May 4) started as a day of remembrance for those killed during World War II, although now it’s generally a [...]
Queen’s Day(s) Later
Although there was a great deal of celebrating this week for the last Queen’s Day, my silence hasn’t been the result of the world’s largest hangover. With a break in work for a few days, I decided to take a bit of an impromptu vacation, even it there was no travel. Since I write for [...]
Wordless Wednesday: Queen’s Night Groove
Tagged: damien molony lookalike, Koninginnedag, koninginnenacht, music, orange, oranje, photography, Queen's Day, Stampede ska band, trombone, Utrecht, wordless wednesday
A Queen’s Day Pause
Every year — for as we’ve been here, anyway — this historic building/store on the Oudegracht hangs a photo of Queen Beatrix every Koninginnedag (Queen’s Day). Somehow, I’ve always missed getting a photo of the picture until this year. It’s a good thing I got it this year, since it’s the last year Beatrix’s photo [...]
Expat Shopping
I’ve been here long enough that day-to-day life feels pretty normal and I don’t notice most of the differences. Yet occasionally I’m reminded of my multi-culture lifestyle. Today was one of those days. The weather was nice, after a day of rain yesterday, and I wanted to get out and enjoy it. We decided to [...]
Wordless Wednesday: The Art of Making Peace
Tagged: heart sword sculpture on stadhuisbrug, photography, swords, treaty of utrecht, vrede van Utrecht, wordless wednesday
The Highest Mailbox in the Land
No, I don’t mean the mailbox had too much wietsaus over the weekend … Yesterday saw the opening of the highest mailbox in the Netherlands, located on the top of the Domtoren. Poor postal worker, having to climb all those stairs! That might make me want to go a bit postal, as well! But seriously, [...]