Ekaterina Netchitailova

Echoes of a Multilingual Mind

My life in Leeuwarden in pictures

Do you like it where you live?

I decided to post something simpler this time, than a debate on our humanity and tell you a bit more about my life in Leeuwarden, a place I really like.

I moved to Leeuwarden in November 2019 as I was offered a really good job, and it has been four years that I have been living here.

I like it here. I like it a lot. The place spoke to me at once, some sort of aura that I could feel. I could sense that I would be happy here. It has a very particular charm, – almost like magic.

That’s Oldehove tower that spoke to me at once. It doesn’t stand straight, it’s leaning. This is one of the most impressive buildings that I’ve ever seen.

Look how it is illuminated at night!

Magical! Agree?

Leeuwarden is a small town. It is the capital of Friesland, which is a province in the Netherlands.

The center of Leeuwarden is amazing. It looks like a smaller (and quieter) version of Amsterdam, another city where I lived in the past.

That’s me, walking in town. The street is called Kleine Kerkstraat, and has some amazing shops for food and clothes.

A bike in front of the cheese shop.

Leeuwarden is full of cats. People genuinely like them here.

And here is another one to prove my point.

The town has also a lot of nature. It’s almost idyllic.

Everyday on my daily walk I admire the views. And I meditate in tranquility. There aren’t that many people here. It’s quiet and peaceful.

It is just a tunnel, but full of graffiti art. It’s on my way to the shop to buy my groceries. I love it! The graffiti artists change it regularly and quite often, it’s a surprise: what’s next? What kind of painting will be on the walls?

There are a lot of churches here, and this is my favorite one, right in the center of town. I also attended a service once there.

All boxes (containing electricity supply, maybe? I am not sure about their function) are painted with some art. It’s really amazing.

I will tell you more about Leeuwarden, and if you enjoy posts with pictures, I will post occasionally such stuff. Let me know!

That’s me, now.

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Ekaterina Netchitailova's avatar

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Ekaterina Netchitailova

I am a Doctor of philosophy, a university lecturer, writer, and a lover of cats, fine wine, books, theatre, and human eccentricity. Despite my last name ‘Netchitailova’ which means ‘unreadable’ in Russian, my greatest passions in life are reading and writing.

8 responses to “My life in Leeuwarden in pictures”

  1. Marten de Wind Avatar
    Marten de Wind

    Very nice! Leeuwarden has historical ties to the royal family as well, as one can see in the Princessehof.
    Those painted boxes contain electricity supply indeed.

    Reply
  2. Marten de Wind Avatar
    Marten de Wind

    Very Nice! Leeuwarden has historical ties to the royal family as well, as one can see in the Princessehof.
    Those painted boxes are containing electricity supply indeed.

    Reply
    1. Ekaterina Avatar
      Ekaterina

      Yes, I will come back to royal family history in another post!

      Reply
  3. Dirtsmith Avatar
    Dirtsmith

    What a lovely town Ekaterina! (And a lovely post as well ☺️).

    I adore European towns. We have nothing even remotely like them this far west.

    I’ve only been to The Netherlands once, which is kinda weird my grandfather grew up there. In fact, I was completely ignorant of how stunning Amsterdam was until I found myself there on a layover. It’s difficult to explain how that happened.

    I loved Amsterdam, and Haarlem was even more to my taste. I was told by a random person that Zandvoort is even nicer. I didn’t make it, but my grandpa grew up there before the occupation.

    Thank you for sharing these impressions of a beautiful town I never knew existed!

    ☺️

    Reply
    1. Ekaterina Avatar
      Ekaterina

      And can you imagine, I haven’t yet been outside Europe and Russia!
      Amsterdam is indeed amazing but I found I was unable to enjoy it properly due to too many tourists😪
      Where I am now is quiet and peaceful and you feel the place’s aura better.
      It is quiet but has also everything, like nice restaurants, a theatre, etc.
      I think I might create another post, telling more as it also has rich history!
      Thank you for reading my blog!

      Reply
      1. Dirtsmith Avatar
        Dirtsmith

        Well, at least there are a LOT of wonderful places to see just in Europe alone, packed into a very small space ☺️

        TOTALLY get what you mean re: tourists. As a rule I avoid the places with tourists as much as possible!!! 😳

        There are so many incredible things off the beaten path! 🙂 Please do keep sharing about them!

  4. lecox Avatar
    lecox

    It’s good to see a place that is still fairly prosperous and peaceful. Like taking a vacation.

    Reply
    1. Ekaterina Avatar
      Ekaterina

      Yes, you are right. It does feel here like being on vacation, a beautiful place indeed!

      Reply

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About Me

I am a doctor of philosophy, a university lecturer, and a lover of cats, fine wine, dancing, theatre, and human eccentricity. I was born in the Soviet Union (Moscow). I am fluent in four languages, and have spent all my adult life studying (except from 18 to 19) working and living throughout Western Europe. Despite a surname-Netchitailova- that translates from Russian into English as “unreadable”, my greatest passions in life are reading and writing. My personal struggles have made me appreciate the manifestations of weirdness that exist everywhere.

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