Utrecht, the center of the Netherlands

Utrecht is the center of The Netherlands. Ask any Dutch person and they will confirm it. Utrecht is where you meet up when you’re from different parts of the country; for family gatherings, reunions and blind dates. It’s also the city with the highest number of students, so there are far worse places to meet up than somewhere in those hip and happening venues on the canals.

Utrecht’s canals are different from canals in other Dutch cities. That is because of the wharfs running along them. They were once used to have direct access to the storage facilities. Streets were built on top of those store rooms, creating a city with two separate levels, connected by wooden stairs.

Many of the old store rooms have been transformed into restaurants and bars, with attractive outdoor space at the waterside. Some have been converted into tourist apartments with a private wharf terrace, worth looking into if you want to experience Utrecht to the fullest. You may want to rent a kayak or canoe for your sight seeing tours though the relatively quiet canals and the remaining part of the moat that once surrounded the city.

Utrecht played a crucial role in the history of both The Netherlands and Western Europe. The Roman emperor Claudius decided in the year 50 that it was as far North as he wanted the his empire to go. A fortified town was built to defend the border. By 275 the Romans were chased out by German tribes. History became less well documented after that. In the 7th century, Utrecht reappeared in the annals as the center of Christianity in the Netherlands.

The Utrecht Union of 1579 was the first step towards independence from the Spanish rule. In 1713 the Treaty of Utrecht ended the Spanish Succession war.

As the Dutch fleet gained importance, landlocked Utrecht lost its key position in the Netherlands to cities with easier access for the merchant fleet like Amsterdam.

These days it takes 25 minutes to travel from Amsterdam to Utrecht so Utrecht really offers a less crowded and more affordable stay, while still close enough to Amsterdam for a visit.

There are interesting landmarks and museums in Utrecht but on a beautiful spring day nothing beats just wandering along the canals and through alleyways. We barely even stop on our way from the Central Station at the impressively large and classy shopping centre Hoog Catharijne; the perfect destination for a rainy day.

Just outside of Utrecht, in the small village of Haarzuilen, Castle de Haar is waiting for our next visit.

Comments, questions or suggestions are more than welcome. You can contact Mickey Welsh at mewelsh@gannett.com. You can follow "Wish I Was There" on Facebook for a daily dose of Europe at https://www.facebook.com/travelmickey1.