Follow me to Italy

I’ve noticed a number of new followers here on my Flamingo in Utrecht blog recently, and while I appreciate it, it’s kind of pointless. I don’t update here any more as I’ve been preparing for my big move to Italy and going back and forth. I’ve been starting on aflamingoinitaly.wordpress.com, where I write about similar stuff, but focused on Italy (and Bologna in particular) instead of Utrecht. Still lots of pictures and architecture and history and some of the quirks of trying to live la dolce vita. So please, head over to my new blog and follow me there. I’d love to see you!

Domtorenen

One of the things about moving is that now I want lots of the touristy things as keepsakes. So this weekend, after meeting up one last time with some friends, I stopped in at the VVV (tourist office) at the Domplein and picked up a few things I knew I couldn’t leave without. I could have gotten each item in different shops or online, but the tourist office was a convenient one-stop shop!

One thing I have wanted and would have eventually bought, even if we hadn’t moved, was the Domtoren cake pan. How cool is that?! They’ve been out for a few years now and I absolutely love it. I knew I couldn’t leave Utrecht without one.

Next on my list was one of the wooden Domtoren ornaments from Noest. They make a variety of items, from decorations to cutting boards, using wood from Utrecht trees (trees that had to be cut down anyway). I had originally tried to get this decoration at the Zelfgemaakte Markt the weekend before, but they didn’t have this particular one. The only ones left that I wanted at the VVV were actually on a display, but fortunately I was able to purchase one of those. Still, the other one is pretty nice. It’s a silhouette of famous buildings around the city.

Finally, I couldn’t resist a Domtoren figurine. Maybe I’ll get my own bell-jar display for it like Utca’s Finest has in their front window. Regardless, I can make sure I still see the Domtoren every day, just as I do now. I’m going to miss that toren.

Please Help Find This Couple

In the Expats Utrecht group on Facebook, Pilar Pereira posted this happy photo of a proposal taken at Park Lepelenburg yesterday with the following caption:

Today (29.10.2016) I spontaneously and secretly took this photo. I would like to thank them for the pic and apologise for being an intruder in their intimacy! But maybe the couple would like to have it as well. Congrats to both of them!

It’s such a lovely photo so I offered to post it here to try and spread the word and see if anyone knows — or is — the couple and can pass the photo along to them.

So to everyone in and Utrecht, whether local or expat, will you please share this post everywhere you can think of, such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. and ask others to share it, as well? Let’s find and congratulate the happy couple!

Happy International Peace Day

Today is International Peace Day. A few years ago, Utrecht held some special events, which included a bunch of balloons with a Dick Bruna-designed peace logo.

World Peace Is Possible. I certainly hope so! Be kind to everyone today (and always)!

Abstraction

We visited the Centraal Museum last weekend to see all of the renovations finally complete. It’s still a stunning and highly creative museum. Even the shadows are works of art.

This is my contribution to the Weekly Photo Challenge, whose theme this week is abstract.

One Last Nijntje

On the Jaarbeurs side of the train station there was yet another Nijntje on parade last summer. She had a view of the recently completed new town hall building. This splatter version of Nijntje (called Nijntje!) was by Jurriaan van Hall. His approach was like that of a toddler, tossing colorful plaster to create something between painting and sculpture, all the while paying homage to her playful character.

Oma Nijn

I never finished posting some of the Nijntje statues that were dotted around the city last summer as part of the celebration of Nijntje’s (Miffy’s) 60th birthday. Seeing as today is Easter, I thought today might be a good day to post one of the image-heavy Nijntjes. This one is Oma Nijn (Grandma Rabbit) by artist Charlotte Dematons. Her version has Nijntje in a cozy cardigan featuring typical scenes of Dutch culture with Nijntje scattered throughout. I like the one where she and her friends are cycling through the tulip fields in both sunshine and rain. A bit like today! Which is your favorite?

Kloek Caturday

I couldn’t resist a quick snap of the Kloek restaurant cat’s reaction to seeing Charlie walk past.

Charlie and the Black Cat

Charlie is a smart dog. Too smart sometimes. He can open doors with ease, give you a high five, jump through hoops, and much more. But he does have his less than brilliant moments. Such as today. We were walking around the northern part of town, following the ring canal when I stopped to take a photo of this little bit of black cat wall art. I’ve seen this cat pop up in various spots around town, so I thought I’d get a photo of it.

What you see in the photo is the exact moment that Charlie spotted the cat. He’d been looking elsewhere until then. Being a good boy, he didn’t move until I started to walk. At that point he zoomed over to the (fake) cat. Poor thing can’t be blamed, as he does live with two black cats. But it amused me that he was taken in by the shape. It also amused the three girls who were walking past at that moment and saw him go straight for the painted flat cat. I wasn’t the only one laughing. Bless his heart.

Wordless Wednesday: Low-hanging Fruit