Utrecht is built on its water, and the first thing you notice is that the canals sit well below street level, with wharf cellars and walkways at the water's edge.
The landscape is ruled by water management. The Dutch spent centuries pumping, draining and diking this low country, and Utrecht was a key point on the old Roman frontier along the Rhine and later on the New Dutch Waterline, a defensive system of fortresses and areas that could be flooded to keep out invaders. Old forts such as Rijnauwen stand not far away, and some of them are open to visitors.
For a rider, the Netherlands is a lesson in patience. Speed limits are low, speed cameras are everywhere, and the cycle network is so dense that bicycles have the right of way in countless places. Cyclists on dedicated paths cross roads at roundabouts and junctions, and you must give way carefully. Roads can be narrow and winding on the dikes, with a long drop on one side, and wind can be strong. Parking for motorbikes is free in many places but regulated in the centre of Utrecht. The city centre is largely pedestrianised, and canals are protected, so use the car parks on the edge.
Utrecht has over two hundred and ninety thousand people, and fuel, shops, cafés and bike repair are all easy. De Uithof, a small district within the city, has campus cafés and little else. The Dom Tower, rising 112 metres, is the tallest church tower in the country, and the climb to the top offers views across the flat landscape on a clear day.
The Rietveld Schröder House, a landmark of modernist design, stands on the east side of the city and is open by guided tour. In spring, the fields bloom with tulips farther west, and autumn brings mist on the meadows.