Hello there peeps,
So I thought it was time to write about one of my spontaneous Sundays. It made a nice change up against recent emotional events to do something like this again.
I woke up Sunday feeling rather out of it, a restless feel was combined with a tiredness I had not felt in a while. So I started writing and then a friend texted me as it happens sometimes. He asked me if I wanted to go to Utrecht a bit later that very same day and suddenly I felt my tired face fold out in a smile. Come to think of it the weather was kind of awesome and Utrecht is very beautiful dressed in Christmas lights. This was exactly what I needed! So I quickly splashed some water in my face, exchanged my much beloved comfy PJ´s with some decent clothes and turned my nose in the direction of Utrecht central. As per usual I was a bit late as I have been since I arrived in the Netherlands 5 years ago (God it has been long!)
I jumped on the train to Amsterdam Central and continued my journey from there to Utrecht. When I arrived in the new station I felt a slight disorientation and not to mention I was overwhelmed by the masses of people. Strangely, I had forgotten how busy it gets around Christmas. Memories of when I first moved here came flowing and it felt like yesterday that I first arrived there with my ex 5 years ago. Since then so much has happened and now and then I wonder what would have happened if we never would have met. I certainly would not have been in the Netherlands, who knows if I would have stayed in the UK or not? Nostalgia sometimes gets the better of me when I go back to Utrecht. I think of the friends I made there and the friends I lost when shit hit the fan.
After a bit of orientation in the masses I found my friend and we headed for ¨de Binnenstad¨ (the centre) where we found the canals and the trees covered with lights. It felt very special to be there again and people were in a good mood. The atmosphere around Oudegracht was relaxed compared to the station and I could feel my chest slowly letting go of the built up tension I had felt the last few months. Though the nostalgia did distract me at times I still utterly enjoyed strolling through the streets looking at my friend getting excited about the lights and snapping pictures of it. As I was watching him do so it just felt like deja vu from 5 years before. Just swap out the photographer with a taller and more slender model and it would have had looked a bit like the young and naive couple who arrived in Utrecht 5 years ago without any clue how they would end up.
After a bit of picture snapping we headed for some wine and coffee. Cafe de Zaak is a nice place where they serve quite ok wine and coffee is good too. As my friend was babbling about his new job I was quiet, letting the atmosphere of the city just take me back in time and for the first time since I left I let it be ok to do so. Knowing this might be my last year in NL is making me soft I think and certain things are easier to accept than others. As I was looking at the local rebel kids dancing to hip hop music and getting high outside the county council house and registering the older drug addict asking for 50cent my mind was travelling back to moments cherished in this city years ago with friends and close ones I had back then.
After some wines we were getting funny and hungry so decided to go to El Mundo for some tapas after another city stroll and Instagram moments. It was a giggle to see the face of my friend who is a Spanish Enthusiast when we stopped outside the tapas bar. Some people have this natural way of getting so happy for these little things, it makes me smile every time. As we walked into El Mundo another memory flashed through my mind making me smile. I remember my ex getting hit on by one of the male bartenders on our first date in Utrecht over here. I chuckled into thin air as the scent of Spanish food started invading my nostrils and I heard the door close behind me. Just like 5 years ago the bar is full and very warm, it almost feels like a bee hive but with people. There is a buzzing as people are talking enthusiastically over their wine and food and they are relaxing because it is almost Christmas and if everything is not sorted yet then ¨fuck it!¨...was the general feel of the crowd. My face is one big smile and I realize somehow I feel like the old lady who is watching other people do the same that she did years ago.
Of course we have to wait at the bar until there are seats free, then we order some very tasty tapas and more wine. From there the nostalgia fades and I paid more attention to the present as is the polite thing to do. I would not like to be rude after all, because it is not everyday a Dutch person invites me to be spontaneous! ;)
After the food it was already late and time to head home and considering I had not had a good night sleep in weeks and I was finally relaxed enough to get some it was back to Haarlem for me.
Utrecht will always hold a special place for me, maybe one day I move back though I am not sure....heck I am not even sure if I can stay in NL, but one thing I do know is that life will happen no matter where I am. And sometimes the unexpected turn will change your life so much and make you end up in places with people you might not have met otherwise. So let´s see what the new year will bring, I hope I can stay and if not then I will just have to take it as it comes.
Utrecht a few years back.
Until next time peeps,
XViking
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