July 08 - Utrecht

 July 08 - Utrecht

As todays weather started off bright and sunny we took off for a further exploration around town. It’s interesting the things you discover while just having a wander and we soon came across one of the canal locks here in town. We stayed and watched a few boats manoeuvre their way through for a bit, however, what we hadn’t noticed at first was Utrecht’s version of Tower Bridge!.  Once the boats were through the lock this bridge needed raising so they could all sail through. It was quite interesting watching the whole process and it kept us entertained for a while.

A little later on our travels we discovered an old water tower and a windmill.  Neither of these are still being used for for their original purpose but have now been fitted out as apartments. 

Later in the day we visited the city’s cathedral, St Martin’s Church. This Gothic building was originally the Catholic cathedral of the Diocese of Utrecht, however, since the reformation it’s been Protestant.   I must admit that, although having a lovely garden in the cloisters, the whole interior was a little bit plain and ho-hum for me. I know I don’t often go into bat for the Roman Catholic Church but they did know how to decorate the insides of their cathedrals!

While on a religious theme we later visited the museum of St Catharine. Housed in a former convent this is a museum of religious art from the medieval period to the present. The exhibits, especially those in the ‘treasury’, are certainly impressive but there’s also a number of video and slide presentations, from Luther to recent Catholic missionary practices, which were interesting and informative as well.