“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are for,” the wise American Author John A. Shedd once said. Keeping that sentence in mind, I took my ship – well in my case a bike, cause yeah that’s what they do there in the Netherlands –jumped inside the car and...
Read more »
An old city, founded by the Romans and with a city center which dates back from medieval times, it would be easy to choose a favorite place in Utrecht near the Oudegracht or somewhere around the Dom Church. However, there is one place that makes me feel more at home in this city than...
Read more »
The room is a cozy one. There’s a small desk in the corner with a couple of books and a laptop on top of it, there is a black lounge chair you can just sink in to and there are some small posters on the wall. It’s hard to believe that 23-year old French...
Read more »
There are many things that have stuck out about the Netherlands and Utrecht imparticular. Number one) The people, mainly their mannerisms. In England, mannerisms are unheard of. For a while, I thought being polite was either illegal of frowned upon, it took me until I was 18 to find out that I could indeed,...
Read more »
By Peter Sharples and Jesper Ernlund Lassen In Utrecht you will discover a city with a southern atmosphere and here you also have the option of drinking a supreme cup of coffee for a reasonable price. This comes in handy for all the students. If you step out of the railway station...
Read more »
It’s difficult to listen to advice, especially to good advice, it seems. By Jesper Ernlund Lassen I was heading towards the Hogeschool Utrecht riding a clumsy hired yellow bike. The all too friendly seeming receptionist at the youth hostel had given me the advice not to look at any map while going...
Read more »
In the future you might see 22-year-old Peter Sharples as an author or maybe moving into a very famous street. By Jesper Ernlund Lassen Peter, or Pete as he likes to be called, is a Preston boy who now made it to Utrecht. Preston, you might say, where the f… is that?...
Read more »
Travelling from one country to another, one always has expectations, especially if it is a place you have heard of, or longed to be. Your first impression of the place will either make you love or hate it. In addition, questions arise like: Do I want to come back here? Yes, I would love to. No,...
Read more »
Utrecht is the Dutch-style city I had imagined it to be before arriving in Holland. I have previously visited Amsterdam, so I thought that Utrecht would look pretty similar and I was right. It is a small city compared to my hometown, Madrid, which is a very good thing when you want to move...
Read more »
A tall, slim, twenty-something blonde softly leans against the handle bars of her utility bicycle, and takes a swig from a cigarette. An Aztec eternity scarf is draped around her porcelain neck, her blonde hair perched on the top of her head in a loose bun. As she crosses one leg over the other,...
Read more »
When arriving in a country for the first time, I usually head for the supermarket. Not just to ease my jet-lag with a snack or some ice tea, but to learn. Just as the local media will tell you a lot about its readers, the grocers’ is a great place for getting to know...
Read more »
Axel Kronholm is only 22 and yet has led a life more interesting than many people double his age. If you think of having jobs which couldn’t be more different to each other , a decent amount of traveling and vegetable growing -then you have a good idea of what Axel is all about....
Read more »
One of the negative effects of more students wanting to study abroad, is the fact that it is getting harder to find a place to stay in popular cities. The lack of cheap rooms and apartments requires students to become even more ingenious than before. 26-year-old Evelina Bergström is used to looking for apartments....
Read more »
I have enjoyed my first few days here in Utrecht. I like the city’s atmosphere, the people here seem very relaxed, and though some of the bike riders are racing at a speed, that make them pass driving cars, most of the Dutch don’t seem to be in a hurry. That’s maybe why the...
Read more »
With the exception of the spicy offerings on the menu, going to one of the coffeshops of Utrecht is very similar to having a ‘fika’ in Gothenburg. It is a place for casually dressed people who meet up to enjoy the good life while its raining cats and dogs. I knew there would not...
Read more »
Even though Annica has only been living in her small student room for two days she looks well settled. Sitting on the bed with her legs crossed, she tells me the change in moving to Utrecht from Helsinki was not that big of a change. Home is though a somewhat wedged feeling for her....
Read more »
By Enora Regnier and Tim Hersevoort 09:00 a.m. The annoying sound of your alarm clock wakes you up. It means that another long day of studying is ahead. But of course being a Dutchman you can’t study on an empty stomach. So you head down to the kitchen to make breakfast, in the meantime...
Read more »
Used to getting wet every time you step outside, we could think of no better way than spending the first sunny day in a week getting soaked. With clear blue sky and late summer heat we decided to spend our day wake-boarding at Down Under, an artificial lake for sunbathing, swimming and water-sport activities....
Read more »
When I’m on my bike, I pretty feel like a Dutch person. I pedal as fast as possible (which however means slower than Dutch people), ringing my bell, trying to avoid the cars and to not hit someone when I’m braking. But when I take a look around me, it reminds me that I...
Read more »
Curly hair, light blue eyes and freckles. Except for his height you could take him for a Dutch guy. But when you hear him speak you’r sure that’s not the case. The American accent could be taken from an old western movie. Wyatt MCcall has escaped San Francisco to see something totally different. Raised...
Read more »