From the moment Anita came to Utrecht as a tourist for a two-day city trip, she immediately felt: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be back here&rdquo;. She was right about that, she has been living in Utrecht for 4 years now. Anita is originally from Hungary. She ended up in Utrecht because of a classic love story: she met someone, spent one week together and she decided to move to Utrecht.
At the moment, Anita is busy learning the Dutch language and is working on her own communication and content company. Her passion is art, you will often find Anita at all kinds of museums in Utrecht. She also spends her free time as a volunteer at BAK (basis voor actuele kunst). What Anita likes most about Utrecht is that it is the perfect combination of a small, quiet city where everything is available.
Her absolute favorite neighborhood is the beginning of the Oudegracht with the Twijnstraat and the Louis Hartlooper Complex. &ldquo;There are so many hidden alleys, small shops and beautiful houses. I find it romantic and mysterious&rdquo;!
<img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-articleImage wp-image-6879" src="https://backend.ontdek-utrecht.nl/app/uploads/2020/11/Anita-Nanasi_International-Expat_Local-story_Via-Femke_3-770x452.jpg" alt="Anita N&aacute;n&aacute;si_International Expat_Local story" width="770" height="452">
Anita also likes to walk along the Singel, especially on the inside, where you can see the old bastillon houses. When she just moved to Utrecht, she wanted to discover all the bits and pieces of the city. During one of her walks along the Singel, she suddenly got an idea. To find out if the beautiful houses were museums, she rang the doorbell of one of the bastillion houses. Or actually, she pulled on the bell cord because there was no electric bell. During the ringing sound of the bell, an old, well-dressed man opened the door and Anita asked her question: &ldquo;Hello, my name is Anita N&aacute;n&aacute;si. I was wondering if this house is open to the public as a museum or monument and if I can see it&rdquo;. The man replied that it is a private residence. But that she could come in and he would like to give her a tour.
So Anita got to see one of the houses on the former city wall. The house itself was built against the city wall and over time expanded into a full-fledged home. The owner had old maps of the city wall in his entrance and pictures of the old house. The multi-storey garden has grown into a jungle with beautiful trees. So although it wasn&rsquo;t a museum, Anita felt like she was getting a private tour!

Anita Nánási

The Utrecht story of the Hungarian Anita Nánási

Luc Stolk, a young sustainably responsible entrepreneur, recycles old bicycle frames into cheerful, high-quality city bikes. His company <a href="https://www.lust-for-rust.com/">Lust For Rust</a> is inspired for and by the city of Utrecht. In this item we will find out who Luc is, what he does and what places he likes to visit.
About 5 years ago, Luc moved from neighbouring Nieuwegein to the vibrant city of Utrecht. When asked why, he immediately has an answer available. &ldquo;I have been visiting Utrecht from an early age. The city is very cosy, the people are kind, and it feels like people really care and look after each other&rdquo;. Luc feels completely at home in Utrecht and he is pretty convinced he will be staying here the rest of his life. &ldquo;Apart from what I already have accomplished here, this city just shows so many similarities with my personal values: solidarity, conviviality and development on a social and business level. &rdquo;
Luc&rsquo;s hotspots 
Like many of us, Luc is always in for a delicious bite. &ldquo;One of my favourite spots in Utrecht is restaurant FICO. Next to its beautiful location in the Veilinghaven, this restaurant serves amazing food. It may be a bit more expensive than your average bistro, but it&rsquo;s still affordable and worth every penny. &rdquo;
<img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-articleImage wp-image-7806" src="https://backend.ontdek-utrecht.nl/app/uploads/2020/11/IMG_5544-770x452.jpg" alt="" width="770" height="452">
Luc is convinced that Utrecht has even more to offer to its residents and visitors. &ldquo;The slogan of Lust for Rust is: from the city, for the city. I think more people can be meaningful for the city when getting their input and inspiration from the city. Utrecht is a city with many&nbsp; intelligent and enterprising people. I think we should work together more. &ldquo;

Luc Stolk

The Utrecht story of Luc Stolk

We all would like to spend the summer underneath the Greek sun. Great food, long and warm days, and a view on that beautiful blue coastline. Athina works as an information officer at the Utrecht Tourist Information Centre, located at Domplein. Therefore, it&rsquo;s safe to say she knows all the ins and outs of Utrecht.
Athina is originally from Greece and still misses her home country every day, despite finding Utrecht a fantastic place to live. Fortunately, it is possible to find a little bit of Greece authenticity back in the streets of Utrecht. In this story, she will illustrate the city&rsquo;s diversity.
Athina absolutely loves the buildings and architecture in Utrecht. You can even find some Greek architecture present in the streets of Utrecht. For example, at the Winkel van Sinkel, multiple caryatids (Greek female statues) can be admired in the facade. Furthermore, the City Hall on the City Hall Bridge has beautiful architectural features. And on the Springweg you can find a small Greek church, the Orthodox Parish of Utrecht.
End your Greek adventure at a real Greek restaurant. Utrecht has loads of Greek restaurants to choose from, such as restaurant Sirtaki. You can also find Dimitri Petit on the other side of the Servetstraat. Or visit restaurant Taverna with its beautiful location on the Oudegracht.

Athina Arampatzi

 Athina has Greek roots and loves Utrecht

Lia Reedijk founded the <a href="https://www.discover-utrecht.com/location/de-utrechtse-kinderboekwinkel/" data-type="location" data-uri="location/de-utrechtse-kinderboekwinkel" data-lang="en">Utrecht Children&rsquo;s Bookshop</a> on the Ganzenmarkt in 1981. In the meantime, she has sold the shop, but still enjoys working here as an employee. Furthermore, Lia is a volunteer in the <a href="http://www.domkerk.nl/en/welcome" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dom Church</a> and the accompanying Domshop. She lives near the Griftpark and therefore knows the city like the back of her hand.
&ldquo;We recently had dinner with the family at Op Roose on the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal. We sat outside so beautifully at the foot of the Prince Claus Bridge and watched the sun set,&rdquo; says Lia.
In addition to restaurants, cycling is one of Lia&rsquo;s favourite activities. &ldquo;Utrecht is situated perfectly, right in the middle of the country, surrounded by all kinds of beautiful routes. For example, the cycle path from Tienhoven to Hilversum is a lot of fun and we also cycle regularly via Rhijnauwen towards Zeist. Utrecht is in a top location in that respect &rdquo;, she says.
Finally, she can of course also recommend a visit to the Dom Church. &ldquo;The church has several volunteers walking around who can tell you the most beautiful stories. We also sell lovely items and books in the Domshop, such as children&rsquo;s Bibles.&rdquo; As you can see, &nbsp;there is no shortage of activities for Lia. She loves to live in Utrecht and enjoys it full heartedly.

Lia Reedijk

Lia Reedijk, founder of the Utrecht children's bookshop

When in Utrecht, do as Utrechters do! Let the inhabitants of this beautiful city inspire you with their tips and stories. Eat where they eat, explore the charming little streets where they shop or treat yourself to local specialities. Live like a native and make your Utrecht experience truly unique.

Zoeksuggesties

Discover the
city of the locals

Anita Nánási

Luc Stolk

Athina Arampatzi

Lia Reedijk

Dis­co­ver the ci­ty of the lo­cals

Anita Nánási

Luc Stolk

Athina Arampatzi

Lia Reedijk

Discover the
city of the locals