Happy Monday!
On Saturday we went shoe shopping in Utrecht. This is not a recommended weekend activity; however, it had already been postponed for too long, so it had to be done.
The difficulty with being on a quest for something is that you need to pay attention. Hence, there is no actual shoe footage in the mini vlog; I just cannot look at all the shoes and record simultaneously.
Anyway. I didn’t find what I was looking for. I did buy two books at Broese. I love this bookstore; however… maybe a little less on a crowded Saturday afternoon.
The first book I got is ‘To the Lighthouse’ by Virginia Woolf. I’ve tried to listen to the audiobook version, but I found it hard to follow. So I plan to play the audiobook and then read along.
[Warning: reviews say that the edition I bought contains errors and typos. If I had realised this before buying, I might have waited until I found another edition elsewhere. However, I’m going to give it a go anyway. I’m guessing it will be OK in combo with the audiobook!]
The other book is ‘Mijn verzonnen familie’ by Dutch author Arthur Japin. The title translates to ‘my made-up family’. At first glance, it’s a huge scrapbook-like book with many photos, documents and illustrations. I know it includes an autobiographical part and passages about Japin’s book characters (often historical figures).
I’ve been eyeing it for a while because there is a small section about his 16th-17th century ancestors, who happen to be my ancestors too, which is just incredibly cool.
We grabbed a bite at Comptoir Libanais (the best idea of the day). There are many, many better places to eat in Utrecht, but we were tired and just wanted to eat. Besides: it reminds us of a city trip to London a couple of years ago, so we love it.
On sunny and windy Sunday, we gave the shoe quest one more try in Amersfoort. It’s good that we did because I found a pair I liked in the first store we entered! Again: no footage because… I just can’t. However, I’m sure you will soon ‘meet’ the shoes in question!
We celebrated the win at one of our favourite spots Brood & Zoets and grabbed some things at the grocery store before heading home again.
The huge boulder is the ‘Amersfoortse Kei’, a landmark that plays a role in a local folktale. The city is nicknamed ‘Keistad’ (Boulder City) after it.
As I understand it, city marketing had knitters send in yarn bomb ideas last year. So I think this ‘sweater vest’ may have been on there for a while now. I just hadn’t seen it before. It features two knitted works after Piet Mondrian in honour of his 150th birthyear.
How was your weekend?
Weekend vlog 25 + 26 February 2023