Utrecht seems to be a very nice city. It has the remains of a huge ancient cathedral, some of which was destroyed by a hurricane in the 17^th century. Part of the cathedral is now a Protestant church – and some is an open square. Everyone in Utrecht now "walks under the Dom", that is., the tower that used to be the entrance to the Cathedral and is now separated from it by the open square. The Dom shows its medieval origins in the architecture but the inside is bare compared to any other cathedral we’ve been in. The 18^th century Protestants who turned it into a church instead of a cathedral took out any statues and decorations. The docent who showed us some of the church told us proudly that the American "dollar" is a descendant of the Dutch "Doldar" which in turn is descended from the German "Taler".

After visiting the church, we went into the post office. It was built in the 1920’s in a very original style.  Then we walked along the canal thru the city.

This walk made us think about the ubiquitous bicyclists on the roads. The riders seem absolutely competent and confident in a way that is uniquely Dutch. They don’t seem to be in a hurry. They are masters of their form of transportation, pedaling on narrow streets through chaotic vehicle and pedestrian traffic in total confidence that they are up to the challenge of keeping body unharmed and not harming any others’ bodies. They are impervious to the possibility that some vehicle will do them harm. They are fearless. Our new Dutch friends told us that the Dutch are born on their bikes. (When you look at one of the parking lots for bicycles you have to wonder how anyone ever finds their own bike!)