Utrecht recently won the Dutch award for innovative city marketing thanks to the Utrecht Hospitality (Gastvrij Utrecht) project initiated by Toerisme Utrecht. They won for their “significant contribution to the social and economic vitality of the city.”
The emphasis on drawing tourists to the city has manifest itself in not one but two shops selling souvenirs. There’s the “big” one right on the Oudegracht, just around the corner from the Domtoren (and right next to a “coffee shop”), where you can find all sorts of specifically Utrecht and generally Dutch souvenirs to take home with you. (It’s the shop on the right)
But now there’s also the corner news/tobacco/lottery ticket shop on Nobelstraat that has recently added a few classic souvenirs, as well. We’ve obviously hit the big time.
This post brought to you with gentle, tongue-in-cheek snark.
Remember the other week when I mentioned that Manneken Pis was going to start offering a wietsaus (weed sauce) as one of the various dipping options? Well, now is your chance to try it for yourself. Tomorrow (21 April, although I’m guessing it would have been even more appropriate today if you go with the American way of telling the date, 4/20) they will be giving away free fries and your choice of wietsaus or regular frietsaus.
Running from 12-18:00, they’ll be giving away 10,000 Schanulleke-size portions at the shops located on Steenweg, Vredenburgplein, and Bakkerstraat. The owner is taking this opportunity to introduce the new (non-THC) weed sauce and celebrate winning the Frietopia Awards.
So whether you’re doing some shopping, attending the literary festival, or just taking in the city, you can satisfy any munchies you may have.
In just over a week, The Phoenix Foundation will be kicking off their European Tour at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. You can still buy tickets to the show, and I really think you should. They’re from New Zealand after all, so they don’t get out and about quite as much as some of us would like. You should make the most of this opportunity now, while you can, even if you’re not as familiar with their music. If it sounds like something you might like, go ahead and seize the day! You’ll be kicking yourself otherwise! Really!
If you can’t make it to the show in Amsterdam, or more likely if you want to go to multiple shows, here’s more info on their current tour dates and locations.
25/01/11: Instore @ Rough Trade East, London info
27/01/11: Paradiso, Amsterdam – Buy Tix
28/01/11: Botanique, Brussels – Buy Tix
03/02/11: Oran Mor, Glasgow (w/The Go!Team) – Buy Tix
04/02/11: Liquid Room, Edinburgh (w/The Go!Team) – Buy Tix
05/02/11: Lemon Tree, Aberdeen (w/The Go!Team) – Buy Tix
06/02/11: The Cluny, Newcastle (w/The Go!Team) – Buy Tix
09/02/11 – The Hope – Brighton, UK – Buy Tix
10/02/11 – The Louisiana – Bristol, UK – Buy Tix
16/02/11: La Fleche d’Or, Paris – Buy Tix
17/02/11: Le Bleu Lezard, Lausanne – Buy Tix
18/02/11: Komplex, Zurich – Buy Tix
22/02/11: Comet, Berlin – Buy Tix
23/02/11: Studio 672, Cologne – Buy Tix
24/02/11: Beatlemania, Hamburg – Buy Tix
26/02/11: The Borderline, London – SOLD OUT… stay tuned!
(more info and links on their website)
Their latest album, Buffalo, has been getting some rave, five-star reviews in the British music press, which is saying something! They’ve also been getting some play on various UK radio shows, including Jarvis Cocker and Guy Garvey (Elbow frontman)! And hey! Buffalo is going to be released in the UK/Europe on Monday, 24 January! You can pre-order through sites like Amazon and such. You could also probably pick up a copy at the show. *nudge nudge*
In the meantime, here’s a cool video for their song Pot:
A Flamingo in Utrecht 