Walking Tour of Utrecht...

The walking tour began with a walk through the gardens of Dom Church, which I’d also never visited.

Again, we were told a lot of interesting stories about the construction, including why there appears to be ropes here. Afraid I’ve since forgotten their importance, but do remember that they were actually made of stone and integral to the design.

Thought this was a cool view of the church and its waterspouts.

Nearby was the Pope House. It was built in 1517 for Pope Adrian VI, the only Dutch pope, who never actually lived in the house. This statue of the pope is quite unusual as it rests on an uneven wooden platform.

While this building looks abandoned, it is actually part of City Hall as remodeled in 1997 in the deconstructivism style.

Thought this street art in front of City Hall was pretty cool.

All-in-all, a great tour of a great city.

Tour of Dom Tower...

In mid-May, I went to Utrecht for a tour of Dom Tower (which can only be accessed on a guided tour) and a walking tour of the city with other moms from the BSN.

I arrived a bit early, so popped into the cathedral across the way. Construction started in 1254 and continued until 1517 when the funds ran out. Built as a Catholic cathedral, it switched to being a Protestant church after the reformation of 1580, during which this artwork was defaced. Originally the 367-foot (112-meter) Dom Tower, completed in 1382, was attached to the church as you’d expect. However, it became detached in 1674 after a massive storm destroyed the poorly constructed nave (apparently those flying buttresses should not have been considered optional).

The tour of the tower included walking up 465 steps. Luckily there were several stops along the way. On this floor, we learned about how materials were brought up using ropes and pulleys through holes in the floors.

I’ve walked through the underpass of this tower many times and never bothered to look up. After the tour, I looked up to see the passages through which materials would have been pulled up into the tower. The two outer holes are bricked up with only the middle one still accessible.

The bells were humongous. I don’t remember all the facts about them, but I do remember that they escaped being melted down by the Nazis because they were marked as historic artifacts.

Ariel Views of Utrecht...

The views from the two top floors of Dom Tower were incredible! Definitely worth the long walk up.

Off to Lilac Mountain...

The following day, Jimmy was finally able to join us for one of our Coast-2-Coast training walks. We decided to stay a bit closer to home by walking to De Horsten, a park between Voorschoten and Wassenaar. Unfortunately, soon after we entered the park, we had to stop because Jimmy felt very ill. It quickly became evident that he had a fever and couldn’t continue. Carlin and Kent left immediately to walk home and come back with a car.

Along the way to the parking lot to be picked up, we passed by Lilac Mountain that is in bloom for just two weeks every spring. Luckily, Jimmy’s fever lasted just one day.

Walking to Delft...

After lunch in Nootdorp, we headed into the Delftse Hout, the Delft woods. The weather was perfect!

Eventually we finished our 13.5-mile (22K) walk as we made our way into the city center where we stopped for a drink and an ice cream before heading to the train station.

Windmills in Leidschendam...

The following day, Carlin, Kent and I set off for yet another long walk as part of our Coast-2-Coast training. En route to our destination of Delft, we walked along the Vliet through Leidschendam. Along the way we saw an unusual amount of geese and goslings.

It was sweet seeing the families travelling together with both mom and dad along.

We also saw some Dutch lawnmowers along the way (be assured, sheep would be a common theme during the actual Coast-2-Coast).

I led the way along the route that I use when I cycle to Delft. On the way to Leidschenveen, we passed by the Molendriegang (three mill gang). Built in 1672 as polder mills to pump out the water, one burnt down after being struck by lightning in 1902 but was replaced the following year.

Liberation Day...

Every May 4, the Dutch observe two minutes of silence for all those who have died, in war and in peace operations, during and since the outbreak of World War II. Whereas May 4 is a day of sadness and commemoration, May 5 is the Day of Liberation with celebrations marking the end of Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. When Carlin, Kent and I were walking to Wassenaar Beach for one of our 13-mile (21K) training walks, we heard a loud racket and then found ourselves passed by a large convoy of World War II military vehicles.

I couldn’t help but smile when we were passed by numerous vehicles flying American, Canadian and UK flags.

From what we could figure out when we saw all the vehicles displayed together in Wassenaar, they are all individually owned and kept in pristine condition for use in various Liberation Day parades.