Today marks not just the end of 2011, but also the end of my posts here at Trippist. Still, that doesn't mean the end of things to see and do here in Utrecht. The city is vibrant and full of things to see and do throughout the year, including the monthly Cultural Sunday events, the Festival aan de Werf, the Uitfest, the Nederland Film Festival and so much more. There's also lots of great restaurants, clubs and bars, and new ones always opening, as well as lots of great shopping.

In fact, Utrecht's tourism board has put together a series of eight self-guided tours for visitors and locals alike, which guide you through some of the highlights of the city, depending on your interest. There are ones for music, art, cooking, design, and fashion, as well as other themes. You can find them here, with routes to download and print out to guide you on your way.

2012 will probably see an even greater increase in events around Utrecht, as the city gears up for the anniversary of the Treaty of Utrecht in 2013. Many of the sights and activities, such as the ongoing Trajectum Lumen, are leading up to the grand festivities. As they say, there's too much to do in Utrecht to visit for just one day, so make sure you make the most of what the city has to offer. In the meantime, goodbye from me in Utrecht and have a safe and fun New Year's Eve and a wonderful 2012.

In the northeast corner of Utrecht, just a block north of the Stadsschouwburg, is Biltstraat, a charming street offering a great mix of restaurants, shopping and culture. There are a number of restaurants up and down the street, offering everything from sushi to shoarma. There are places such as Bouffe and Het Licht, which offer something a bit fancier if you want, although Het Licht also offers a special lunch deal these days. Then there are cafés such as the quirky Te Koop, where you can buy some of the interior decorations, as well as food. There are also a number of new bars and restaurants that have opened up, offering trendy and stylish options, such as Inspired. Of course, there are also typical Chinese and Indonesian options, as well as Grillroom Sphinx, which has some of the best late-night shoarma and mixed-grill options in town.

If you prefer to cook your own food, there's a selection of grocery options, including the newly opened Kippersluis grocery store, which has taken the place of Super de Boer. Next door, there's the organic butcher, Groeneweg and next door is the organic grocer, Estafette, which also offers gluten-free cakes and assorted items.

If you're looking for a bicycle shop, there are multiple options, such as Het Stalen Paard, for both new and used bikes, as well as the accompanying accessories.

If you're looking for games and athletics, there's the Fitness Factory for your regular workout. For something a bit different, check out Laser Quest and Snookercentrum Ozebi. If dancing is more your speed, there's the dance school Club El Brillante.

If you want a bit of beauty in your life, check out Aya Living for a beautiful selection of home goods and furniture. Their changing window displays are always a pleasure to look at. If it's yourself that you want to beautify, there's Descansa Beauty Center across the street, offering personal styling, as well as massage and other beauty treatments.

Finally, there's even a museum for your enjoyment and education. The Museum Maluku documents the culture of the Moluccan community in the Netherlands.

Biltstraat offers an array of shops and services to suit your needs and the street even has an active presence on Twitter, keeping you up to date on the latest news and openings. If you're in this part of town, it's definitely worth checking out.

Dear Trippist readers, this is my last post on this wonderful blog. It's been five years and more than 500 entries. It's been wonderful writing here. It has made me more observant about life around me. Instead of shuffling to the train with my head down, I'm forced to look for fun and exciting things to share with all of you. If anyone feels like life is getting mundane, just write for a blog like Trippist. I guarantee you'll realize the place you live has lots to offer.

I'll end with a plug for a great project I heard about a while ago. It's called the Expatriate Archive Centre. It: "collects, preserves, promotes and makes accessible a collection of primary source materials, documenting the global social history of expatriate life."

Given that many Trippist readers are expats too, I thought it might be interesting to know there's a place out there that is interested in documenting your life stories! So what do they collect? Here's what they say on their website:

The main issues of a lifetime 'on the move' were common to most expatriates: children's schooling; health of grandparents; domestic servants; medical care; foreign languages; new cultures and friends; severed friendships; bridge; golf; sailing; climate; gardens; dual-careers; politics - a rich mosaic of life spread around an increasingly interconnected globe.

They regularly offer two main workshops: One called "From a suitcase to an archive - An introduction to the Archive's history." Here, participants get to explore a little bit behind the scenes. The other workshop is called "Out of the boxes! - Start writing your life stories." They also maintain a blog.

Happy holidays, everyone, and all the best for 2012!

It would make sense that the American Book Center would celebrate Thanksgiving in some way. But they're really going all out! This Thursday, just for one day, they're offering 10% off everything. Absolutely everything. There will also be balloons and candy. And, if you're visiting the Amsterdam location, free popcorn!

If you buy something on Thanksgiving, not only do you save 10%, but you're also provided with a free raffle ticket. If you win, you'll get to pick even more books - and these books are free.

The discount applies to only what's in stock, but that still leaves plenty of great books to pick from. Oh, and if you're also interested in a Thanksgiving meal, they're putting on a dinner from 6-8pm at the Treehouse across the street from the Spui location in Amsterdam. Make a reservation: it's first come, first served!

If you live in Utrecht and you use Twitter, I highly recommend following WaarInUtrecht, which hosts a regular photo quiz game. The game is simple: the host posts a photo of a spot somewhere in Utrecht, and contestants DM their guess for a chance to win a prize. The prizes change regularly. Right now, in preparation for the Smartlappen Festival this weekend, they've been giving away prizes such as drinks or dinner from some of the participating cafés and restaurants. Yours truly won drinks at Oudaen! The game is a fun way to test your knowledge of the sites of Utrecht, especially the less obvious landmarks.

Another way to play the game is to buy the annual calendar. The calendar has a different photo each week for you to guess. You can tweet or e-mail your answer. The 2012 calendar has recently gone on sale at locations around the city, including the VVV offices at the Domplein. You can find an ever-growing list of places to buy the calendar on the Waar in Utrecht website, or you can buy the calendar directly through the site. The proceeds of the calendar sale go to support a charity each year. This year, they're helping Jarige Job Utrecht, which puts together a birthday party box for children between 4 and 12, whose parents depend on the Food Bank. For every two calendars sold, a gift is bought for the birthday boxes.

Looking for an original tour of Amsterdam? If you're visiting, it's a great idea. Even if you're a savvy local, it's possible to discover new things about the city you call home.

OMy offers walking tours for individuals and groups. They have a passion for the concept of the walking tour, and highlight its eco-friendly nature. They also offer some biking tours if that's more your thing. Plus, they donate 20% of their profits to local charities.

OMy offers a variety of walking tours in Amsterdam, like the Old city tour, the Red light district tour, or the Eco-Amsterdam tour. They offer a discounted rate for students.

For more information, visit their website.

Are you from the U.S., and planning a Thanksgiving celebration? Perhaps - like me - you are lacking in the baking skills department.

Lucky for you, The American Baking Company is ready to come to the rescue! They offer a variety of delicious sweets that taste like home: think cakes, pies, cookies and bars. If you want a homemade pie delivered to your door for Thanksgiving, they are now taking orders for pumpkin, pecan, and apple pies. They have a first come first serve, policy, so be quick!

Pecan, pumpkin and apples pies are EUR 22 each. They use organic dairy and eggs, and roasted pecans. Some pies even come with Nana's spiced pecan crumble.

They deliver outside the Hague up until Tuesday evening Nov 22nd (a delivery charge is determined per order) and within the Hague (no delivery charge) until 3pm on Thanksgiving Eve. Quantities are limited so act quickly!

Clogs and Tulips is a blog written by Tiffany, a very knowledgeable expat here in the Netherlands. It's a regular stop for me, and I always come away having learned something new about this country I call home.

Earlier this month, Tiffany provided an excellent list of resources for expats. I thought Trippist readers would like to hear about some of these, in case you didn't already know:

Tiffany mentions a couple great online resources, like Expatica and Insego Smart Expats. There are also a number of great print publications available, most notably ACCESS Magazine, The Holland Times, and The Xpat Journal. ACCESS NL goes beyond its print publication and provides so much more. They have a help desk where you can pose any expat-related question (and they have the answers - I can attest to that!). They also offer workshops and counseling.

Thanks to Tiffany for putting together such a great list! I encourage you to check out the original post for more details.

Even vegetarians have many different ways to think about eating meat. Some believe that meat should be avoided at all costs, and the look, smell, or consistency is disgusting. Others are vegetarian and avoid meat for ethical or health reasons, but still think wistfully of the days they used to partake in a juicy steak or crunchy chicken wings.

For this second group, there is the Vegetarische Slager, or the Vegetarian Butcher. This business makes products that look, feel, and amazingly taste like a wide variety of meat products. For those craving a burger or a hot dog, this is the place to go.

They have a store in Den Haag, but you can buy products from the Vegetarische Slager at Brandnetel in Leiden, located right off the Haarlemmerstraat. They even have an online shop.

Are you an expat? Do you blog, and want to find a larger audience for your work? Expatica Netherlands is now helping to facilitate this process. From Expatica:

Our Blogs section serves as an outlet to share your stories, experiences, and lessons learned from being an expat in the Netherlands. Think of it as an online magazine and scrapbook of tales! We've made it simple, fun and fast to use in four easy steps...Share your blog with others, view other expat entries, and help us build a blog site for expats, by expats at Expatica Netherlands.

For more details, see the full text. They will feature the best blogs on their homepage.