The new locals Julie Davy-Adjei from France

New Locals the

JULIE DAVY-ADJEI FROM FRANCE

MOVING TO A DIFFERENT COUNTRY IS NEXT LEVEL DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. JULIE AND HER FAMILY MOVED TO UTRECHT MIDSEPTEMBER LAST YEAR FOR HER HUSBAND’S JOB. THEY WERE ABLE TO FULLY ENJOY LIFE IN THE CITY ONLY FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE THE PARTIAL, AND THEN COMPLETE LOCKDOWN. HAVING LIVED IN LONDON FOR THE PAST THIRTEEN YEARS, THE NEW DUTCH LIFESTYLE HAS ENCHANTED JULIE.

By Anita Nánási

‘I had never been to Utrecht before moving here. My husband was here for his job interview and stayed a couple of days before the lockdown in March. He said it was a very cute place and I trusted him. I was not disappointed! Compared to London, the city is lovely, calm and very green with all the parks. I love taking photos while walking around town. I also love the museums. The offer is very wide, given the relatively small size of the city. I’ve already visited many of them and took my son to the Miffy Museum. What I find difficult to get used to is that the shops close early compared to London, where everything is open almost all the time.’

LIKE A FAIRY-TALE

‘Our friends recommended going to Amelisweerd since it’s just a five minute bike ride from our home. We cycled to the pancake house the weekend after. It was sunny, we got a table right by the water and we ate pancakes. I think it was our first week here and it was just great. The beautiful autumn day made the area look like a fairy-tale. It was a perfect welcome in Utrecht.’

CHALLENGING TIMES

‘Moving to a different country in the middle of a global pandemic was quite scary. We did all the apartment visits online, so it was challenging to choose a house to live in that we hadn’t actualy seen. The actual move went well - we were lucky that my husband’s company helped us out. It would be nice to meet people who have children, but that’s been very difficult because of corona. We can’t really meet people and build new connections. We would also like to show our new life to family and friends, other than on FaceTime: where we live, how cool it is. But unfortunately we’ve had to cancel all visits of family and friends because from the virus. We met a Dutch couple in South America eight years ago. I think we would have felt very lonely without them.’

‘WE WOULD LIKE TO SHOW OUR NEW LIFE TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS, OTHER THAN ON FACETIME’

DOUBLE LOCK

‘Definitely get a bike! But do lock it twice. My bike was stolen in our second month in Utrecht. I have to admit I was a little scared of riding a bike, because I thought there were special rules. But I realised that once you’re on your bike, it’s all fine. I love that you can just cycle around safely. After you’ve mastered biking the city, get the Museumkaart and an OV-chipkaart, and just start exploring!’

In collaboration with the International Welcome Centre Utrecht Region (IWCUR). For practical information about what this ‘expat’ centre can do for you and when it is open, check page 63 of this magazine or go

to welcome.utrechtregion.com

Julie’s favourites

SHOPS Daen’s is a wonderful concept store. They have everything: a plant shop, a café and clothes. The shops on Burgermeister Reigerstraat are lovely as well.

RESTAURANTS We celebrated my husband’s birthday at The Streetfood Club, which is super cozy with very good food. And Pizza Beppe is delicious! They put proper tomato sauce on their pizza.

SPORTS Yoga Moves’ starter package is a great introduction to the studio. The English classes were a pleasant surprise.

NATURE Amelisweerd is my favourite - for me it’s freedom on a bike.

BOOKS Expats should get a copy of the illustrated book Utrecht by Brigitte Nieubuur and Ellen de Bruijn. It really made us discover the city.