A Week at a Time: July 30- Aug 5, 2011

Last week started with the baseball game in Leidsche Rijn and the balloon of doom. I took this picture on the way to the game. The city has installed sensors in the "ribbon" around the park, which track times for runners. Pretty high tech!

July 30 - Sensor

On Sunday, we took it pretty easy, but did venture out for a short walk. I snapped this picture of a bicycle overgrown by a vine. If we stored our bikes in our garden, I'm sure they would have succumbed to this fate long ago. 

July 31 - Overgrown

Monday, I headed over to Kanaleneiland to pick up some clothes storage bags at IKEA. On the way back, I took some pictures of a familiar construction site. In a few years, this will be home to the new Vredenburg concert hall, if I have my info correct.

Aug. 1 - Concert Hall

On Tuesday, I ventured into Gouda. I had read about the beautiful stained glass in the Sint Janskerk and finally made time to see it for myself. The age, amount, and quality of the stained glass was amazing, and I'm glad I squeezed in this touristy trip. The church did not permit photography inside, but you can see some photos of the glass on the church's website (linked above). Here is a peek of the church from a few blocks away.

Aug. 2 - Framed

Wednesday, I finally started to make some preparations for our flight home. I marked the date on the calendar and began the process of packing our clothes.

Aug. 3 - Almost Home

Thursday, I spent some time walking around and taking pictures of some of our favorite local stores. I also snapped quite a few shots of vacation signs. I liked this broodjes sign as it is a reminder of typical Dutch food.

Aug. 4 - Broodjes

On Friday, we wrapped up the week with a trip to Sunshine, an Ethiopian restaurant. I wish we had tried the restaurant earlier, because it was really good. In the picture below, you can see a shot of the coconut beer I tried. Unfortunately, I was so enthusiastic about the food, I forgot to take any pictures of our actual meal.

Aug. 5 - Ethiopian Coconut Beer

A Week at a Time: July 23-29, 2011

Last week started with our weekend trip to Maastricht, which you can read about here.

July 23 - Maastricht

On Sunday, I took this picture, before heading back to Utrecht.

July 24 - Grasshopper

Monday, I didn't venture out too far, but I did go for a jog and made homemade enchiladas for dinner.

July 25 - Enchiladas

Tuesday, I felt super lazy, but I forced myself to venture downtown in the afternoon. On the way, I took a slightly different route than normal and passed by Sint Willibrordkerk. I'd been wanting to go in the church for a while after hearing how beautiful it was inside, but I'd never caught it open. I ducked in for an unplanned visit.

July 26 - Sint Willibrordkerk

Wednesday, I baked a cake for Mr. Traveler to take to work for his birthday. Later in the day, I headed over to Leidsche Rijn and squeezed in a bit of disc golf. I took this picture of the ducks on my way to the disc golf course.

July 27 - In a Row

On Thursday, I wondered around town trying to pick a gift for Mr. Traveler's birthday. I ended up with some silly books and stickers. It probably wasn't the most exciting gift, but it was at least something to open. While I was out, I took this picture of a woman I've seen several times around Utrecht (now that I'm writing that, I realize it sounds a little creepy... I promise I'm not a stalker).

July 28 - Kinki

Finally, we ended the week with Mr. Traveler's birthday. He worked from home during the day, and we walked over to the wine shop so he could pick out a special birthday wine. I made reservations for the restaurant in Wilhelmina Park, and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with wonderful service. Later in the evening, Mr. Traveler opened his cards and presents while we enjoyed his birthday wine. I hung these balloons up as a birthday decoration.

July 29 - Hoera!

A Week at a Time: July 9-15, 2011

Mr. Traveler had to work a little from home on Saturday, so I pretty much spent the day lazing around the house. In the middle of the day, I snapped the following photo of one of the damp chairs outside, thinking I'd probably take another photo later in the day. I never got around to it, however, so I was left with a not-so-exciting Saturday photo.

July 9 - Damp

Sunday, Mr. Traveler spent the majority of the day traveling to/from and playing in a baseball game, so I had the house to myself. I took advantage of the time to clean the house and get ready for our company. I was feeling a little cooped up, so I stretched my trip to the recycling bins into a longer walk, wandering through Wilhelmina Park. I brought along my camera and took a few pictures, including the one below of a bicycle path sign.

July 10 - Path

By Monday the place was completely ready for company, and I made mental plans to head over to the Maluku museum in the afternoon. Luckily I checked the hours before leaving because I had forgotten most of the museums are not open on Mondays. I have yet to visit the museum, but will probably try again later this week.

Instead, I spent much of the day reading and took a few pictures of our clean-ish house since I still need to finish the Inside Our Dutch House series I started in January. With less than a month before we return home, I should be wrapping up the series soon.

July 11 - Simple Living

Tuesday, as I've already mentioned, I went to pick up my friends E and B from Eindhoven Airport. On our walk through Utrecht, I took the following picture in the Domkerk courtyard.

July 12 - Summer in the Courtyard

Wednesday, I snapped a picture of our waffle lunch, as E, B, and I explored Amsterdam.

July 13 - Delicious

Thursday brought a second straight day of non-stop rain. After dropping off E and B at the train station, I returned home for a nap. I didn't wake up until around 11, which left me a little groggy for the rest of the day. Besides taking a picture of my rain boots, I did venture out to grab ingredients to make a Zuppa Toscana copycat recipe. Yum.

July 14 - Rainy Day Attire

On Friday, the sun was shining and I took advantage by walking down to the Maliebaanfestival, a carnival happening just around the corner from our place. (We could actually hear the music from the bands from our house.) I snapped the picture below using a fish eye lens, which I thought gave a nice carnival atmosphere to the shot. Afterward, I walked back through the park, sitting on a park bench for a while to watch the dogs pass by.

July 15 - Maliebaan Festival

A Week at a Time: July 2-8, 2011

Last week was pretty uneventful. We did make it into Amsterdam for the Sunday Market, but other than that I stuck around Utrecht.

Saturday, I spotted this unusual flower on a walk. If you know what type it is, feel free to let me know.

July 2 - Funny Flowers

Sunday, we made the trip into Amsterdam to check out the Sunday Market. I'd been the previous month, but this time I dragged Mr. Traveler along. We enjoyed trying to fresh squeezed orange and apple juice (squeezed right in front of us), tasting the almost-authentic barbecue (I had the pulled pork), and ended up taking home some cherries.

On the way to the market, we passed through Westerpark, where I took the following picture of a dog cooling off in a puddle.

July 3 - Dog in a Puddle on a Path

While our friends back in the States enjoyed cookouts, pool parties, and fireworks in honor of Independence Day, we spent the 4th walking around Utrecht and snapping photos. I took the picture below at the Rosarium across from Wilhelmina Park.

July 4 - Overarching

Tuesday, I can't really remember what I did, so I'm assuming my day consisted mostly of reading and updating photos and blog entries (catching up from our vacation seemed to take forever). I took the following picture in our garden, where our vines have decided to focus their growth upwards. It looks like they are almost ready for another trim.

July 5 - Growing Up

Wednesday, I spent the majority of the day on the computer, but did venture out to buy some ingredients to put together the ratatouille dish below. I thought it turned out pretty nice, both visually and taste wise. I even jotted down my recipe (inspired by various recipes for the same dish) so I can make it again.

July 6 - Ratatouille Knockoff

On Thursday, Mr. Traveler and I took a walk to buy bread at the bakery and pick up a few groceries. I knew I needed to take a photo, so I snapped one of a bin of sale shoes on the sidewalk. Even though the prices on the sales tickets below aren't really an indication, the store carries ridiculously high priced designer shoes for babies and kids.

July 7 - Shoes for Sale

Friday, I spotted the following sight on the edge of Wilhelmina Park. Seeing bikes at the bottom of canals is actually pretty common, as unlocked bikes are frequently thrown into the water by unruly teenagers or other miscreants. It's a good reminder to lock up your bike anytime you leave it unattended, unless of course, you are looking for a convenient way to dispose of the bike. Then, you can leave it unlocked and see what happens.

July 8 - In the Canals