Lauwerhof Water Tower apartments; Utrecht, Netherlands
Today I will make good on my promise from Monday — less talk and more photos. And today’s pictorial offerings will concentrate on the historic city center and canals.
Voorstraat, Utrecht, Netherlands
Large swathes for these 900-year-old canals were paved over back in 1979 for a highway, but in 2019 Utrecht tore up that section and restored the canal system. The result, I’m sure, is much more photogenic than looking at multiple lanes of concrete and vehicles:
Utrecht, Netherlands canals
So, let’s spend the rest of today’s article just enjoying a relaxing stroll around the city center and canals. In the photo gallery and slide show below, you’ll find views at both canal-level and looking down at the canals from above:
I‘m going to try something a bit different over the next four weeks. I’m going to let my photos of Utrecht carry the burden while keep text to a minimum. I’m doing this for the following reasons:
There’s not much needed to describe this charming destination. The sights are centered around the canals, which is near where we stayed, and the photos speak for themselves.
As I write this, I’m pressed to pre-post a bunch of articles before we head to our next adventure, this time in the South Pacific.
Y’all are probably sick of reading my writings anyway. I’m giving you a break!
But don’t fret. I will give you at least some information.
As you may recall, Ursula and I began this journey in late April of last year, starting with a flight to Fort Lauderdale followed by a transatlantic crossing aboard Royal Caribbean’s Vision of the Seas. I began the series on this journey on 1 August 2022 with Transatlantic 2022 — Vision of the Seas to La Palma, Canary Islands. That transatlantic was followed by a back-to-back aboard Vision to uncommon destinations in Spain and France. After that we took a side journey to Germany and a visit to Limburg, which I finished up a couple of weeks ago. Next stop is the destination you see today, Utrecht, Netherlands, to which we arrived on 26 May 2022.
Our stay in Utrecht would last two nights because we had yet another ship to catch in nearby Amsterdam. This would be another in Royal Caribbean’s fleet, this time Jewel of the Seas, on which we would do three back-to-backs to various destinations. That series will begin after this four-week look at Utrecht.
Utrecht, Netherlands
So, if we have a ship to catch in Amsterdam, why are we in Utrecht? Well, Ursula and I wanted to try something different for a change, and Amsterdam is a short train hop away. Besides, we would hit Amsterdam four times — before the first cruise, between cruises one and two, between cruises two and three, and after disembarking for the flight home. But… I’ll tell you right now that given the choice between Utrecht and Amsterdam, I may never again set foot in the latter. I definitely will go to great lengths to avoid flying again out of Schipol. We were so disappointed in this once great city that I interrupted a series I was doing on the Caribbean and posted a special article on that disgusting visit and flight out the very next day upon returning to the U.S. See: Trashy Amsterdam and the Hellhole of Schipol
Utrecht, Netherlands
As charming as Amsterdam once was, Utrecht definitely makes up for what Amsterdam has become:
Lauwerhof Water Tower from 1895; now an apartment building
And, yes, Utrecht has that ubiquitous European fixture, the Gothic church. This one is called St. Martin’s Cathedral and Domkerk (Dom Church). Domkerk began life as a Catholic cathedral, but in 1580 the Utrecht city counsel transferred the church to the Calvinists. It’s been in Protestant hands ever since.
St. Martin’s Cathedral/Domkerk
See you Wednesday for the next Utrecht installment.
After a busy morning of sightseeing, it was time for the three of us to stop for lunch. We’d seen several possibilities along the, but this rustic place had convinced us to come back and give it a try. So, trekking back into Old Town to where Domstrasse T-bones into Fischmarkt, we found our way back to Gasthaus Burgkeller. The actual address is Fischmarkt 10, in case you’re wondering… or wandering, as the case may be. Whichever it is, we can highly recommend this establishment for refueling the legs and lubricating the joints.
As you can see below, you have a choice of seating options. You can sit either outside or in:
Streetside dining at Gasthaus Burgkeller
Gasthaus Burgkeller’s inside dining option
We opted to dine inside, as the establishment is just so charming:
Ursula and our daughter perusing the menu options
Oh, and there’s the third seating option, which is sitting at the bar:
Gasthaus Burgkeller bar
I started off my joint lubrication with a German wheat beer — a tasty Allgäuer Büble Weissbier:
Allgäuer Büble Weissbier
We then all three opted for variants of the schnitzel, which I will show momentarily. But first, here’s a sample of the salad that arrived with our main meal:
Gasthaus Burgkeller house salad
Now for the schnitzels, which were accompanied by pomme frites (what we call French fries). All three schnitzels were excellently prepared, and the pricing was well within what I consider reasonable by European standards. Here is what we each had, beginning with our daughter’s choice, the Schnitzel mit Pfefferrahmsoße (schnitzel with peppercorn sauce):
Schnitzel mit Pefferrahmsoße (schnitzel with peppercorn sauce)
Ursula opted for Schnitzel nach jägerart, or Jägerschnitzel (schnitzel with creamy mushroom sauce):
Schnitzel nach Jägerart (Jägerschnitzel)
I, of course, went plain with the Schnitzel nach Wiener Art, or Wienerschnitzel — a plain breaded schnitzel accompanied with a quarter of lemon.
Traditional Wienerschnitzel
All three started with a base breaded beef cutlet that was pan fried to near perfection. The sauces were superb, with my favorite being the peppercorn. Ursula preferred the cream mushroom sauce. In retrospect, I would probably go with one of the sauce choices rather than the Wienerschnitzel-style I chose, but even mine was delectible. Those sauces made a great dipping option for the accompanying fries, by the way.
The week after next I will continue this journey with our next destination — Utrecht in the Netherlands. But next is reserved for other non-travel related stuff including a review of a wonderful book by one of my favorite authors. Until then….
Decisions — Murder in Paradise
The Globe — Murder in Luxury
R. Doug Wicker — Author 