First time in Utrecht
Our first day in Utrecht. Me and my boyfriend, Igroglaz, moved to the Netherlands — to live and study for a PhD program at Wageningen University. Wageningen is a student town, home to an agricultural university, with people from all over the world living here. The Rhine river flows nearby. Even though Wageningen is a small city, we didn’t get bored at first — between finding a place to live, sorting out a bank card, and buying two second-hand bikes.
Once we settled in a bit, we felt like visiting every city and village around. And this is a story about how we took a train to Utrecht. Just to see the city — and ended up with boats, ducks, a priest on the train, and deep talks about moving through the universe. Everything went off-script by accident.
Utrecht: the old town and canals
Utrecht has been standing here since Roman times. The canals have two levels: they used to be warehouses, now they’re cafes and little shops. The Dom Tower — 112 meters tall, the tallest church tower in the Netherlands. The city feels laid-back but full of history — you can sense it on every street.
Later, we came back here with Igroglaz’s academic advisor — Venya. Utrecht is his favorite city. Venya lived in Africa for many years and took us to an African restaurant right by the canal (we thought we’d try some Dutch national dishes, but ended up with spicy beans).
Boats floated past, close enough to touch. We sat there, eating something African, and Venya stared at the water and suddenly said, “People are still crawling so slowly through the universe. Where’s the breakthrough in speed?” Science moves forward, but somehow it feels stuck for centuries. Food, water, philosophy.
First time: when nothing went as planned
The first time we went to Utrecht, it was just the two of us. Freshly arrived in the country, still figuring things out.
It started off rough: buying tickets, and the cashier lady went off on us. Loud, annoyed, as if we were supposed to know everything in advance. If we were tourists, we’d think — Dutch people are loud. But actually, we just ran into a rare grumpy lady. Our mood took a hit, but we took a deep breath — and kept going.
On the train — poker. A quick game to lighten the mood. And then — a priest. For real. Sat down with us, calm as anything. Started playing. Cracking jokes, laying down cards. We were stunned at first, then laughed till we cried. The day was clearly going to be unusual.
Catamaran, canals, and a rescue mission
In Utrecht, we rented a catamaran. Canals, bridges — pure bliss. Cruising along, until we got lost. Missed a turn and sailed into the unknown. The canals are long and winding, and we got a bit turned around.
Utrecht canals
On the way — a couple on a boat, their motor dead. Waving us down for help. We hooked them up and towed them to shore. Because of that, the rental guy forgave us for going forty minutes over — said we did a great job. We kept cruising, turned on some music — felt like explorers. The city from the water — confusing, but awesome.
Festival and fries in a cone
A souvenir T-shirt
On the way back, we stumbled into a subculture festival. Music, costumes, energy. There’s always something going on in the Netherlands — food festivals, bands playing on squares, book fairs, themed events. This time, we just heard the music and followed it.
People in bright, funky outfits, colored hair, piercings, tattoos. Several stages with live music, and a market with unique clothes and accessories. We bought some souvenirs — I grabbed a pink tank top with a duck and the words “What the duck”.
Spent the change on fries in a cone — crispy, heavenly! That’s classic Dutch street food. Perfectly fried, salted, and topped with mayo “with a hat”. Not exactly healthy, sure. But sometimes you gotta treat yourself, especially on such an amazing day!
Yogurt, ducks, and a bodyguard drake
We wandered around Utrecht without a plan, just following wherever our feet took us. Turned into tiny streets, sat on wooden benches, listened to birds and the music drifting from cafes. Utrecht feels like stepping into the Middle Ages. And yet, it’s calm, balanced.
By evening, we got hungry again, but were low on cash. Went into McDonald’s — we always try a burger and fries in every country. And then Igroglaz found a ten-euro bill in his pocket. Jackpot! We grabbed some food to-go.
Sat down on the grass by the water, pulled out a backup 0% yogurt. It felt so good, munching fries and watching little Dutch boats float by. Some ducks swam up, begging for snacks. We offered them some prunes from the yogurt — and one drake, super pushy, tried to scare us off and steal the whole meal. Took some negotiation to work that out.
Casino and heading home
We’d walked enough for one day. Sometimes a day is so packed that your head spins from all the impressions. Checked when the last train was — we had about an hour left. Grabbed a drink and chips at a canal-side cafe, just chilled. Then — casino.
I’d never been in a casino before. Neither had Igroglaz. We were curious to peek inside. Went in — it looked just like in American movies about Vegas, only smaller. Maybe 5-6 people playing. One woman immediately caught our eye — messy hair, wild eyes, honestly a bit scary.
She was playing roulette, betting on black and red. Igroglaz wanted to try too, placed a bet. I wasn’t worried — we barely had any money. He bet one euro — and won! Can you believe it?! We laughed, grabbed the winnings, and headed to find the station. That woman, though — I bet she’s still playing there.
On the train back — I’m staring out the window, munching the last chips. We sat in the “quiet car” on the upper deck, where you can’t talk or use your phone. Dutch trains are super cozy, though all the stops are announced in Dutch. But we already memorized ours — “Ede-Wageningen”.
In the Netherlands, we get around our town by bike. So, off the train, straight onto our two-wheeled buddies, riding home with the breeze. It was already dark, but everything felt safe. There’s a stop in the grove near Bennekom (a neighboring village on the way to Wageningen).
We actually lived in that village for a bit when we first moved to the Netherlands. So now, every time we pass by, we stop to look at our old house, the square, the ice cream stand, and remember our neighbors — the Turkish guy from the pizzeria who was always smoking, and the tall guy who lived above us.
A day when nothing went according to plan — and that made it even better.
Utrecht — it’s canals, ancient fortresses, wandering with Venya and that little victory buzz, music, ducks, and cafes on the water. I’d love to visit again someday!