Boat tour.

Anyone who slowly drifts along the still water of the Utrecht canals will see how time blends with the reflection of centuries-old facades. The quays seem to whisper, wharf cellars tell secrets from times gone by, and bridges bend subtly over the water as if they want to guide the tour boats on their eternal journey. But it is precisely in this enchanting encounter between past and present that a strange feeling arises, a subtle dissonance: why aren't tour boats round?

Because while the name 'tour boat' playfully curls around our tongues and tempts us to expect soft, flowing circles, a rectangular contraption glides by again and again, squeezing its way through bends with laborious angularity. The word 'tour boat' conjures up an image of effortless elegance, a soft dance that repeats itself endlessly; no word so friendly, so clear in its simplicity. Yet we seem to have collectively forgotten that the name has long since revealed what the ideal shape should be: round.

Imagine how beautifully a round boat would fit into the harmony of Utrecht, how its soft lines would merge with the old stones, the curved bridges and the subtly rounded wharf cellars. No more angular disruption of the historical decor, but a ship that fits gracefully within the organic lines of the city. Like a drop in the water that naturally expands, a round tour boat fits perfectly into the waves of time and tradition, in a city where the past flows through the present like a winding labyrinth.

With a round boat, sailing would turn into an endless circular motion, smooth and almost meditative. No more forced movements, no more sighing helmsman maneuvering to make an impossible angle, but a fluid choreography where the water itself seems to steer. Imagine the soft hum of the engine as background music to this elegant dance, while passengers enjoy the city unfolding around them undisturbed and carefree. The experience would feel like a gentle waltz on water, like following a labyrinth with no sharp edges, in which it is impossible to get lost, because every direction offers the same view: beauty, balance, harmony.

Moreover, a round shape carries a beautiful symbolism that suits Utrecht: the cyclical nature of history, the return of stories, the constant finding of new meanings in old patterns. The round tour boat becomes a floating symbol of a city that understands that history is never linear, but an endlessly repeating circle, where stories mingle, repeat and renew. A city that is aware of its own identity, and that shapes the connection between the present and the past.

And precisely because the name seems to have been chosen intuitively centuries ago, it almost feels confusing that we still hold on to the straight lines, as if the city did not dare to embrace that circular shape. After all, the word 'righteousness boat' does not exist, perhaps precisely because it would be at odds with everything the canal symbolizes: peace, contemplation and connection.

So it is time to leave that angular paradox behind us and make a choice that suits the lyrical, the enchanting and the labyrinthine character of Utrecht. Let us sail in circles, soft as poems on water, where every curve brings us back to where we started – but always with new eyes, in wonder about a city that always wanted to be round.