Utrecht Carnival

Carnival is mainly celebrated “below the big rivers” as there are the Rhine, the Maas and the Waal, so in short the south part of the Netherlands. But it doesn’t keep other parts of the Netherlands from celebrating it too, although it doesn’t really lives under the population as in the south. So also in Utrecht are a lot of closed societies were carnival is a festival to look forward too.
The towns and villages, in which carnival is celebrated, get another name during the carnival days. Utrecht is called Leemput ( verbatim: clay well).

Today the festival started at the statue of Trijn van Leemput (+/- 1530-1607), a female Utrecht resistance fighter at the beginning of the Eighty Years' War against the Spanish Empire.
She got a garland (bloemenkrans) around her neck.

One hour later, the procession with Prince Carnaval and his retinue (gevolg) went to the townhall. At 12:08 PM Mayor Aleid Wolfsen handed the “Key of the City” to Prince Martijn XXXIV.

You see the Prince with the “Golden Key” on an cord on his chest. The Mayor -in the middle -applauds, happy ( when I know him well) that this ceremony has almost come to an end :).

Utrecht Walk Of Fame

In Utrecht the Netherlands Film Festival will take place (in 2009) from September 23 up to October 2. One of the official events is the disclosure (onthulling) of the gilt bronze tile in the Walk of Fame in the Vinkenburgstraat.

For that a red carpet is rolled out. On the place where the tile is situated, a square is cut out and later placed back with double sided adhesive tape. The intention is that the “star” takes the square piece of carpet away and….tararaaaa!!! sees the tile, glittering in the sun.

Unfortunately it sometimes happens that the piece of carpet is taken away but..... the adhesive tapes still stick on the tiles so that, at the moment suprême, someone quickly has to remove the tape in order to save the embarrassing situation.
The tile above is the tile of Carice van Houten who played a magnificent role in the film Zwartboek (Black book), released in September 2006.

Utrecht Statue of Resistance

On the Domplein in Utrecht you find the Resistance Monument (a version of the Statue of Liberty) made by the Dutch sculptor Cornelia C.J.M (Corinne) Franzén-Heslenfeld (1903-1989).
The statue, erected on May 4 1949, is made of limestone (kalk-).

It is 6 meters high and placed on a 4 meters high white column of (natural) stone. The statue is a symbol of the resistance in World War II. Since the resistance in Utrecht was mainly organized by the woman the statue is a woman.
In her hand the torch of light and life.

In the history of Utrecht women play a big role . More about that in following blogs.
In the column you can find a text of the poet Jan Engelman:
'GEDENK UW DOODEN DIE DEN GOEDEN STRIJD. GESTREDEN HEBBEN IN GERECHTIGHEID. DRAAGT VOORT HUN VLAM, ZIJ ZIJN GEBLEVEN. MAAR IN DIEN GLOED WORDT ONS NIEUW LEVEN'. (Remember your death persons who fought the good battle in justice. Go on carrying their flame. They left behind, but in that glow our new life will rise).

thanks to botofogo for the permission to publish his beautiful picture on my blog

Utrecht San Valentino

You can not overlook it. It’s Valen- tine’s day. A day for lovers but also the anniversary of the martyrs of Terni and Rome.


Maybe they are the same person. There are a lot of versions about the Valentines so I don’t write them down :).
Valentine is buried in Rome on the Via Flaminia . He died in 269 AD by order of the Roman Emperor Claudius II Gothicus in person.
In the jail Valentine kissed the blind jailor’s daughter who could see after that. Before he died he wrote a love letter to the jailer’s daughter: ”From your Valentine”. On February 14 of course. Pope Gelasius I proclaimed, in the year 496, February 14 as Saint Valentine’s (of Terni) Day.

What has it to do with love?
That’s an other story.
The pagans of Rome celebrated the days of Lupercus from February 13-15. The custom was that the names of the men and woman, who were present, were put into an um (urn). The lot appointed the couples.
True or not true, the tales are nice.

On the picture: the shop window of book shop Selexyz Broese on the Stadhuisbrug

Utrecht Rain In The City

Rain In The City

Oh well
I'm walking on the street just for a walk
rain is pouring, have no one to talk

the rain fills the streets and all this town

I listen to its restful sound that’s is breaking me down

(author unknown)

Utrecht Ambition

Monday, 2nd February, the Rabo Bank and the Algemeen Dagblad had organized the last of the four debates about the future of Utrecht.

The question was: What is the ambition of Utrecht (at the moment) and what should it be.

Top representatives from the culture, sport, science and education fields debated with 3 aldermen (wethouders), the audience and last but not least with the sympathetic mayor of Utrecht. Alas the representatives merely talked for their own field of interest.

In general everybody agreed that Utrecht has a lot to offer, but is not able to show it to the world, among others since the nature of the Utrechters is: “Act normal, that is crazy enough", ... ( This proves that I am not really a 100% Utrechter :).
After the debate we short talked with the mayor who recognizes us little by little and some other interesting people.

By the way, these debates are important, for in 2013 Utrecht celebrates the anniversary of the signing of The Peace of Utrecht (Vrede van Utrecht) of 1713.

In 2018 Utrecht is nominated for the European Cultural Capital of the year 2018...
More about it in one of the blogs that will follow.

Utrecht Colourful Pavement Bricks

This morning I looked out of my window and saw what a colourful pavement bricks we do have in our small street.
Usually I don’t pay attention to it but now the rain had washed the dust away and the bricks looked like reborn.
In others streets are also this kind of pavement bricks in fish bone pattern but not with this attractive colour combination.