Utrecht is a beautiful city by day or night, but it's going to get even more interesting starting tonight. Today is the launch of the Trajectum Lumen project, an artistic light installation that will be ongoing through the rest of the year, culminating in 2013 for the anniversary of the historic Peace Treaty of Utrecht.

Every night at dusk, various spots around the city -- encompassing canals, buildings, objects, streets and bridges -- will be lit by special installations designed by light artists. The lights will burn from dusk to midnight every night, highlighting the past and present of this ancient city. To follow the full tour, it will take you around 1.5 hours at a comfortable stroll. Of course, you can always just hit up individual spots around town at your whim. With the increasingly nice weather, it should make for a nice way to get out and enjoy the evenings, maybe with a stop at a restaurant or café along the way.

The walk and lights are free, of course, and cover the city from Vredenburg to Mariaplaats. You can get the full map of the light displays through the VVV Utrecht, located at Domplein 9; the Apollo Hotel at Vredenburg 14; and the information center of the municipality of Utrecht, Vinkenburgstraat 26.

It's time for the World Press Photo travelling exhibit once again. The Dutch-based photo competition is in its 53rd year. Each year, photojournalists from around the world submit photos in a variety of categories: news, sports, travel, culture and more. The top prize-winning photos are put together into an exhibit that goes on tour around the world, visiting more than 45 countries for a year. When I visited last year's exhibit when it stopped here in Utrecht, the photos created a variety of emotions, including laughter, tears and amazement. A year later and I still remember some of the photos quite vividly. It's definitely worth a visit.

The 2010 exhibition kicks off April 22 in Amsterdam, where it will remain until June 20, before heading next to Portugal. It will be back in the Netherlands throughout the year, with stops in Utrecht, Leeuwarden, Naarden, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Maastricht, and Groningen. The full schedule can be found on the Wold Press Photo's official website, which also includes a gallery of all of the winning photos.

The St. Willibrordus church, a colorfully decorated neo-gothic church in Utrecht, is hosting Goede Passie, a series of concerts in celebration of Easter. Thursday, April 1, at 20:45 is a Festive Passion concert. Friday, at 17:00 is Stabat Mater by Pergolesi, performed by Esther Kronenburg, soprano. Saturday, at 14:00, Russian folklore group Zarjanka will be performing Easter and Russian folk songs. Later that day, at 20:30, Requiem by Cherubini will be performed by a chamber choir from Zeist. Finally, on Sunday, April 4, at 14:00, there will be a performance of Symphone Passion, by Marcel Dupré. All performances are free, although donations will be accepted. St. Willibrord is located at Minrebroederstraat 21, Utrecht.

The American Book Center in Amsterdam is hosting The Urban Culture Event. Where design meets crafts, this festival will be held on June 27 at ABC in the Spui in Amsterdam. The entire Spui square will be taken over by passionate craft-lovers, designers and artisans all enthusiastically making, displaying and putting their art up for sale.

If lessons and workshops are more your cup of tea, there will be many running concurrently in the ABC Treehouse at Voetboogstraat 11, located very close to Spui.

The ABC blog lists all participating artists/authors, including:

Umbrellart: an Xstreets Collective initiative. Bringing art back to the streets and bringing artists from all over the world together.

Idle Hands: I'd rather be knitting! The new community for people that love fibre crafts: be it knitting, crochet or sewing!

Pia Jan Bijkerk: author, Paris: Made by Hand

Mark June 27 on your calendar and get ready for a day full of cheerful creativity.

Ever wanted to watch a major bike tour pass through a quaint little town like Leiden? On Monday, May 10th, that opportunity presents itself. The 2010 Giro d'Italia, which starts in the Netherlands and runs from Amsterdam to Middelburg, will pass through the city of Leiden between 10am and 2pm. Stop by the Breestraat to get a good look at the professional cycling teams. But don't bring a car - many surrounding roads will be closed down for this special event.

The stage in the Netherlands begins in Amsterdam at the van Gogh museum and continues through Utrecht, Leiden, and onto Middelburg. After a Dutch start the participants head to Italy. For die-hard fans, here's a summary of the route through the Italian countryside:

This Giro covers much of the Italian peninsula, and runs counter-clockwise from its start in Amsterdam to the finish in Verona. The Giro rolls from Piedmont on the northern border with France to the Amalfi Coast, then travels across to Adriatic Coast. From Bitonto, the Giro travels north along the Adriatic and passes through l'Aquila in a commemoration of the earthquake which caused widespread destruction in the city. Then, it's on to Venezia and the Monte Zoncolan near Italy's northern border. The final week lingers in Trentino and Lombardia in the north near Switzerland before the final time trial in Verona. The Giro celebrates the career of Fausto Coppi with a stage in Novi Ligure.

Looking for something to do this Friday? Your Own Gallery, a "young, contemporary art gallery" is holding their first show on Friday, March 26th (tomorrow!). For the next four months, a total of nine artists will exhibit here. First up is Gijs Kast, whose exhibition is called "Show" and consists of illustrations that were drawn during shows.

The show can be seen between 7-10pm on Friday evening. Your Own Gallery is open weekdays (Monday through Friday) from 10am-6pm, and is located at Oude Waal 35 in Amsterdam - not far from the Central Station.

If you want to take a trip to Peru or learn more about the Incas, but can't afford the airfare, visit the culture and tourism promotional tour that's making a stop in Utrecht on Sunday, March 28. Experience food from Peru, presentations about the importance of the Incas, dance presentations and workshops and more. The event takes place at the Café Tropical, Verlengde Hoogravenseweg 203, Utrecht, and runs from 13:00 to 17:45. You can get detailed information about times and presentations, along with future dates of the tour in other Dutch cities, at the Inkapacha website.

Enjoy knitting and crocheting and wouldn't mind a bit of company while you work? Then join up with one of the 90+ Stitch 'n Bitch groups in the Netherlands. A new group here in Utrecht began this year and they meet every Thursday, from 19:30 to 21:30 at the Huiskamer van Zuilen (Buurthuis Zuilen). Additional groups meet all around Utrecht, including a group that meets at the Winkel van Sinkel, also on Thursday nights, starting at 19:30, and another group that meets at Keek on Twijnstraat, on Saturday mornings at 10:00. There are no formal lessons; this is just an opportunity for fellow yarn lovers to get together and work on their projects while sharing their interests with like-minded people. Participation is free and open to anyone. Just bring along your own supplies and projects and enjoy a bit of company while you work.

For a full listing of groups, times and locations in the Netherlands, visit the Stitch 'n Bitch website.

Spring is here, so it's time to head back outside! Better weather is such an inspiration for exploring the Netherlands. One place to start planning summer trips? The cheese markets! Every summer, the traditional cheese market trade is recreated in certain places. Of course, it's more than just tradition - there's plenty of cheese to admire and consume!

Example one: Alkmaar. Cheese carriers operate on the Waagplein square every Friday between 10-12 (during the summer). There's also a Cheese Museum in Alkmaar.

Example two: Edam. The cheese market takes place weekly during the summer months. If you didn't get enough you can head to the nearby cheese warehouses for more dairy goodness.

Of course, if you prefer to sample your local variety there's no doubt that a fabulous selection awaits you at the weekly market.

Starting this Sunday, March 21, the Catharijne Convent museum in Utrecht will be offering a series of three master classes/workshops to teach about the way paintings are painted. These three-hour sessions will explore the layers involved in creating a painting, from the underpainting to the highlights of the main figures, through both discussion and hand-on labs. The classes are taught by Luke Stofferis, from the Department of Ancient Painting Techniques. Each class will focus on a different painting medium, such as egg tempera and oils.

The cost of each workshop is €30, which includes coffee, museum entrance, and all materials. The classes run from 13:00-16:00, and are held at the Catharijne Convent in Utrecht. More details can be found at the Utrecht Uitburo website, which includes information on discounts.