We met with Ronald early Friday morning and discussed the advantages of bicycles in the city of Utrecht. This was absolutely one of the more engaging conversations the group has had and I learned a lot in the few hours we had on the 21st floor in the Utrecht city offices. First off, I never knew that Holland made up just 2 of the 12 provinces of the Netherlands. North Holland contains Amsterdam, while South Holland contains Rotterdam and The Hague. Utrecht is in a Dutch province (also named Utrecht), but it is not technically in Holland. I also learned that Utrecht has double the inhabitants per square mile compared to Portland, but it is about half the size in population. This speaks to the density of urban European environments and the privatization of life in American cities.
There was a short discussion about Utrecht’s global initiatives and how they are affecting city decisions which sparked an idea for me even if it was not a part of the conversation. There are many terms for the future of cities that involve sustainability or something of the like. These include “sustainable development,” “sustainable mobility,” or “renewable energy.” We are far from this concept as a society, but when the time comes, the word sustainable or renewable should not exist. We should be thinking of all development, mobility, and energy as sustainable or renewable. Life cannot continue to exist on a planet that does not plan for its own future and we are currently feeling the wrath with climate change.
After the talk, we walked around the city center with Ronald and looked at an underground bike parking garage that had spaces for 4,200 bikes. Another underground garage that was under construction will soon be able to hold 12,000. There are more bicycles than people here in Utrecht and it is quite visible with bikes parked and being ridden at every turn. We walked around the central train station, which is the busiest station in The Netherlands, and ended in the central plaza for lunch.
Eric, Mikah and I found a laundromat in the afternoon and the first vintage shop we had seen in Europe. The laundromat was awesome, but the vintage selection was sadly not very good. Later, we were treated to the best hot dogs I have ever had at a place called Dogma. We met back up with most of the group at De Kromme Haring Brewery for drinks and games. It was a fun rest of the night and we discovered the late night snack of Turkish pizzas for 3 euros.
If you’re looking for the best place to satisfy your sweet cravings, be sure to check out sugarrushed.uk. From exotic candies to artisan cakes, Sugarrushed.uk offers a delightful selection that won’t disappoint!