I’ve got a couple of blog post ideas, but they require a bit of research and I’m not in the mood after the editing I’ve been doing. Maybe this weekend I’ll be feeling more inclined. Instead, today, you get a few follow-up comments on some of the stuff I’ve mentioned recently.
For example, here’s a photo of one of the first Pyke Koche lamps to be renovated in the Domplein. The glass is now clear, instead of the frosted yellow it used to be, and yes, the red and white Utrecht shields are in full colour!
More embarrassingly, when I posted about the missing nave and the trompe l’oeil painting of the nave, I should have looked more closely at my recent photos. I might have noticed that the painting isn’t there anymore.
Talk about taking something for granted! I started going through my old photos to try to figure out when it was removed, but I can only narrow it down to sometime between January and October 2011. Yeah, last year. As I said, embarrassing! I’m hoping someone else can help me out and let me know when it came down, just for curiosity’s sake. I think they should put it back up, though.
Finally, hartelijk gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag, Nijntje! (Happy Birthday, Nijntje/Miffy!) The little rabbit, who was the creation of local artist Dick Bruna, is celebrating her 57th birthday this weekend. She’s become famous around the world since then, and has her own square (Nijntje Pleintje) here in Utrecht. If you’re in town, I’m sure there are festivities at the Dick Bruna Huis across from the Centraal Museum.
Check out the Utrecht Events Calendar for some of the events going on this weekend. I’m about to update it with tips for architectural events, the 200th anniversary of a street, and a human peace sign.
A Flamingo in Utrecht 
Nijntje isn’t looking bad for 57
She really does age well!
I took it the trompe l’oeil was a projection (didn’t question how) so was ok with the was/wasn’t of the photos.
The things we take for granted!
It was a huge canvas that hung there for a few years, so I got used to it, I guess. A good reminder not to take things for granted!
Yes, I remember wondering if that painting was still there, as I was there a few weeks ago and I noticed it was missing. I think it wasn’t a painting btw, but a canvas stretched over the side of the nave. If it was a mural I’m sure they would have left it on, but the canvas was perhaps never meant to be there indefinitely. It looked good though, shame they removed it.
At one point, during the 750th anniversary of the cathedral, they rebuilt the missing part with modern iron scaffolding and covered it with huge canvasses with paintings of the exterior on it to make it look like the original nave was still intact. That looked amazing, you really got a sense of what an awesome sight the whole cathedral must have been in medieval times, towering over the city.
I’d looked at it often enough to realize it was a canvas, but hoped it was sturdy enough to last. Obviously not. I wish they would turn it into a mural if it would last longer!
I’ve heard about the scaffolding and seen a few photos. I really wish I could have seen that in person. It must have been fantastic!