“Oh yes, Google maps does not work in the centre of Utrecht” says our hotel receptionist. Driving in the Netherlands has proved to be easy. Lanes are allocated and turning lights are everywhere, until we get here!
Our hotel is located a stone’s throw from the centre of town but did promote itself as having parking. We arrive uneventfully but I notice that the over regulated traffic systems are absent. There is no parking at the hotel and we have to find our own way.
The result is a 2 hour driving through a maze of narrow lanes, squares that probably are not meant for traffic, avoiding one way streets and road closures due to maintenance. All the way google maps literally spun its wheels with repeatedly rerouting and offering no help whatsoever. Ultimately the butt clenching ordeal ended with me finding a main road and a car park. It’s a 12 minute walk and an eye watering 45 Euro fee but we are here!
Earlier we had a charming morning somewhat off the beaten track. I had fun driving along backwater winding roads past green fields with sheep grazing. First stop was Gouda, home of the eponymous cheese. From the tourist the highlight here is the church of St John the Baptist built by the Catholics and usurped by the Lutherans after the Reformation it is an anomaly. The Lutherans stripped churches of their ornate iconography as being symbolic of the corruption of the Catholic church. This church is blessed with 500 year old stained glass windows which are beautiful and have been preserved by the Protestants.
The next little town was Oudewater known for its prominence in the European witches trials in the 16th century. There is a weigh house in the main square. As witches ride on broomsticks in the air the theory was that they had to be abnormally light. They would weigh the accused and anyone who was abnormally light for their stature had to be a witch. Apparently and unsurprisingly, no-one failed the test here.
