I ran around the Amelisweerd every day except Sunday while I was studying in Utrecht. It’s not everyday that an entire forest is in my backyard. I ran around it so much that I thought I may as well take it a step further and train for a marathon.
The Amelisweerd and the neighboring Rijnsweerd are nice escapes if you’d like a bit of quiet time to think and relax. Lots of trails and benches to wander around and rest. (Some students go here to eat magic mushrooms and start seeing interesting things they’ve never seen before — but that one’s up to you).
Good things happen once you visit a place regularly. Familiarity breeds warmth, and you’ll know the nooks and crannies and all the best spots to visit and take a moment to relax. Plus you’ll get to see how the seasons change the landscape, and that’s a wonderful show by itself.
the usual suspects:
You’ll generally see other runners, old couples strolling around, and people rowing their boat along the river or walking their dogs. This is as close as you can get to nature in Utrecht. Sometimes I’d bump into Marc and Torun on their regular walk.
The cows and sheep will also keep you company, although the cows tend to hide a bit during the winter time. You can even see remnants of the old defense systems that the Dutch installed to protect the land against flooding.
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I got caught in a hailstorm once here. One moment I’m going for a cheeky run in the rain, and the next I’m getting pelted by chunks of ice falling from the sky (the trees in the forest can only give so much cover). The weather forecast didn’t say anything about this.
I started running twice as fast, as did the woman in front of me. Good to know that bad weather makes the feet lighter and the senses sharper, and that there was someone else in the same situation. We exchanged knowing smiles and went off on our separate directions.
We never met again. But I’m sure if we did the hailstorm would have been our first topic of conversation. (“wat een hondeweer!”) Is it still fashionable, talking about the weather? Of course!