It seems a bit late to start a blog, as I've now been living in Utrecht for over six weeks... better late than never! The building I'm living in is called Cambridgelaan, which is student accommodation in De Uithof, the Utrecht University campus on the east of Utrecht. It's surrounded by sheep, fields and forests, and its a 20 minute cycle into town. The building that we live in is funny, here's a picture (I live in one of the bridges, suspended 14 floors above nothing). I'm ok with the height now, but it is still quite disconcerting when the whole flat wobbles in the wind.
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| The view of Anna and Catriona's flat from my bridge to theirs! |
The first six weeks have whizzed by. I've met some great people from all over the world, explored the city and got lost many times. Anna (school and Leeds buddy) is living in the flat next door and provides me with much needed Leeds chat, as well as general entertainment and baking. People have been travelling quite a bit to various European cities, but I've generally stayed around here apart from making a trip to Gouda with Anna a few weekends ago. I'd like to visit some other cities but haven't felt the urge to rush around just yet.
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| Anna on the train to Gouda |
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| Cheese! |
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| Beautiful canals in Gouda |
Apart from getting acquainted with the local area, we were thrown straight into uni at the beginning of September. The pace is very different from Leeds; there is a much more consistent workload. So far I think I've written about 7 or 8 essays, two more to go plus an exam before the end of October! We've then got a week break before the next block of courses - I'm making a cheeky trip back to Leeds to catch up with friends and hopefully walk up a few hills.
My parents paid me a quick visit the weekend before last, before they went on their cycling trip in other parts of the Netherlands. We had a great time climbing the famous Dom tower in the centre of town, where you can see Amsterdam and Rotterdam on a clear day! I had a little rendezvous with James when he passed through on his way from Prague to Rotterdam, and was also visited by the lovely Alex for a few days. Overall I'm having a great time, despite missing mountainous terrain, Cadbury's chocolate and cheddar cheese!
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| JK in Utrecht! |
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| A lovely walk close to Cambridgelaan |
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| Alex + hot choc + cream |
