Solo Dates in Wageningen
By Kiwi
Although it’s always fun to go out with your friends, there are times when you find yourself bored, alone or in need of me-time. You contact your friends but one is out of the country, another is on a date (I’d hate to… interrupt😜) and the other one is studying for resits. So, you’re left with two choices: sit at home in your 30°C oven of a room (summer version) or you can hang out with… yourself. A solo date around Wageningen! And no, no one thinks you’re a loner for it.
In this blog, I’ll give you a couple of solo date ideas you can take yourself out on, based on difficulty. Yes, difficulty, because not everyone is comfortable being alone in public. Though, if you want to take someone with you, feel free, I think these work as well for both.
Easy – Grabbing ice cream in the city centre
I mean, who doesn’t like ice cream? And you deserve a treat after all that “uni-ing”. This solo date could be as short or as long as you please and it doesn’t have to involve sitting down somewhere, so it shouldn’t be out of your comfort zone too much. However, if you want to stretch it out a bit longer, you can also head to Torckpark and have a little picnic by yourself, maybe grab a book with you to read as well.
The city has 2 most noteworthy ice cream parlours, Cicuto and Antonio. Most students I meet prefer Cicuto, which I agree have delicious ice cream and is still my go-to, but don’t knock the ice cream at Antonio’s either! Their coconut ice cream is to die for (better than ones I had in Bali).
Easy – Biking around a scenic route
Wageningen is less of a cosmopolitan city, which means that the surrounding area is still quite full of nature. As a student here, you probably already have a bike, so why not take some time to familiarise yourself further with the surrounding nature? (Plus, it’s free!) Finding a nice route is also not so hard, you could visit komoot.com and find some bike trails. It also shows ratings from people who’ve been on the trail before and information such as how long it will take you, the difficulty of the trail, the different highlights along the way and logistical information (e.g. if you have to cross with a ferry).
Intermediate – Visit one of Wageningen’s museums
You may not know this but Wageningen has 2 museums, both in the vicinity of the city centre. If you’re feeling a bit artsy, you could check out Het Depot, which is located right at the entrance of Nano. Do note that they’re only open Thursday to Sunday.
If you’re feeling a bit historical, you can check out Museum De Casteelse Poort. They cover a bit about Wageningen’s World War II history in the museum. Did you know that they signed the capitulation of German forces here at the Hotel de Wereld on the 5th of May 1945? This is also why Wageningen turns into a festival ground every 5th of May for Liberation Day!
Intermediate – Catching a movie at the theatre
Wageningen’s beloved Heerenstraat Theater is one of the cosiest movie theatres I’ve been to and is the perfect place for a solo date. I mean, I think it’s the worst place for an actual date as you probably won’t interact that much anyway, but for a solo date? Well, there’s no one to interact with anyway so, might as well!
There’s also a subscription you can sign up for which allows you to watch unlimited movies there and in other affiliated cinemas around the Netherlands. For more information you can look at the Cineville website.
Hard – Grabbing some food in one of the restaurants in the centre
It’s not a really common thing to dine out alone around here, but it still is an experience. There’s quite a few places you can dine at around here, or maybe just grab a kebab. However, in my opinion, the soup lady’s place (aka Josephine Groenestein, the woman, the myth, the legend) would be perfect for a solo date as she’s quite the character and interacts personally with everyone who comes into her little bistro, which is situated right across Cicuto, and I promise you, you’ll never feel alone there.
Anyway, what are you waiting for? The sun’s out and I’ve dished out all these ideas for you, there’s no excuse for bed rotting anymore. Whether you’re grabbing a cone at Cicuto, biking through scenic trails, immersing yourself in art or history, catching the latest movie, or savouring a meal at the centre, there’s a little solo adventure waiting for you. Have a fun!
Greetings,
Kiwi