Tag Archives: Utrecht

Only in the Netherlands

Posted on February 11, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Utrecht is one of my favorite cities in the Netherlands. Fortunately it is over looked by the hordes of tourist who mob Amsterdam. Like most folks in the country, the residents of the beautiful city love bikes and books. Now … Continue reading →

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Literature vs Traffic

Posted on January 30, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Regular visitors to TBTP are likely aware of my enormous regard for the brilliant installations from the Madrid-based street art collective Luzinterruptus. Somehow I missed their most project titled Literature vs Traffic that they created in one of my favorite cities, Utrecht, … Continue reading →

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All Aboard

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

Okay, I admit it, I’m just a big old train geek. I love to ride them, to watch films of iconic train jouneys and to read about them too. But you don’t have to be a diehard trainspotter to enjoy … Continue reading →

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Gidsy Keeps It Real

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Brian D. Butler

Founded in Berlin in 2011, Gidsy is a neat website that matches travelers with locals in 140 cities in 42 countries. Local residents list activities that offer less touristy experiences for reasonable fees. Most of Gidsy’s listings are for activities and events … Continue reading →

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Amsterdam Goes Green(er)

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

This October, Reuben Beugel’s new company Hopper launched an innovative, eco-friendly taxi service in Amsterdam using chauffer-driven electric scooters. Charging a flat-rate fee of just € 2.50 regardless of the distance traveled Hopper’s service is quicker than traditional taxis, as … Continue reading →

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City2Cities

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

City2Cities: International Literature Days Utrecht is an exciting international literature festival. Each year City2Cities, in short C2C, connects the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands with two other literary cities. In 2011 those cities were Edinburgh and Stockholm, this year … Continue reading →

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Rapid Transit : Dutch Style

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

It’s officially dubbed the “travel accelerator” by Netherlands Railway, but to the folks in Utrecht it’s de glijbaan and it’s just plain fun. Open for about two weeks, the slide has been a huge success.Installed along the stairway at the … Continue reading →

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Old Dutch (map) Porn

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Brian D. Butler

The 17th century Dutch cartographer Frederik de Wit created the extraordinary Stedenboek or Book of Cities. With only four copies of the book known to exist, the National Library of the Netherlands has digitized and uploaded two excellent versions to … Continue reading →

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