Het Spoorwegmuseum, Utrecht

4:52 AM

Hey guys!

I'm writing this despite having my course report deadline. Living in on the edge. No really, don't try this often, guys.

Look how flat this land is!

Recently I returned to Utrecht - I love this city so much. Initially a friend and I wanted to visit Kasteel de Haar, this awesome medieval castle just outside of Utrecht but there was an event at the time so we had to pay more than we normally would. Our broke, on a budget, student lifestyle does not agree with a EUR 17,50 entry fee for a Christmas Market which we were not sure of. So we changed plans.

We just saw this rustic gate but no entry :(

My friend suggested Het Spoorwegmuseum (literally translates to the railway museum) so we went there on a special train ride from Utrecht Centraal to Utrecht Maliebaan Station. It was so cool! We arrived on this old station which was turned into a hall of train history. I bet little children would love this place! (and also older children, like us).

This place showcases the evolution of trains, especially in the Netherlands. There were vintage trains, from steam engines to electric trains. You can climb inside some of the trains as well. On one train, you can learn to become the train traffic controller (not sure what it's called) - the person who has to change lanes for trains to not crash into each other. We failed miserably - but it was mighty fun. There is plenty of information on the English booklet of each train.

My favorite exhibit is the time travel - yes you can go on a time travel to when the first steam engine train took off from Amsterdam to Haarlem. It's called De Grote Ontdekking or The Great Discovery. There's a hand audiotour in English so you wouldn't miss the facts. It was brilliant. You'd be transported to the olden days in very realistic environment. Let your imagination roam!

What's that? A Pub? You have to visit this place to understand why there's a pub in a museum

My second favorite exhibition is this one, about the Orient Express, a luxuy train that runs from Paris to Budapest and beyond. We can't see inside but from the window you can see the little details and it depicts the old train very precisely, I would assume.

However, my absolute favorite part - something so magical that I was in awe and didn't snap any picture of it, it's de vuurproef. It's a simulation ride of a train! It was super cool! You have to ride it and feel the thrills. Not joking, it's super cool.

It's on top of my favorite museum list, right with Utrecht's Speelklok Museum. Worth a visit!

Always,
Hana