Prominent Utrechters talking about their favourite spots in the city. This month: singer/songwriter Lakshmi in Het Pandhof, the historical monastery garden next to the Dom Church. So, Het Pandhof? ‘This garden simply oozes history, it’s a serene oasis. I’m normally always on the go, but when I’m here, I find the time to get into a writing flow. I note down everything that springs to mind in my notepad and use my notes for themes in my songs. My third album is due for release in February, and the single I’ll wait is being released this month. I’m really pleased with it. It’s a pure, honest, mature album. I’ve really moved on in my personal development.’ Biggest disappointment? I’ve lived in Utrecht for about six years now, I studied at the Herman Brood Academy, but I’m originally from the Wijchen, a village in Gelderland. There’s no way I’d go back to it, but I hate the way that people in the city always walk around with earbuds in or staring at their phones. It’s so alienating. We all have to live together in this world, but we seem to be terrified of overstepping the mark.’ Best memory? ‘There are hundreds when I think about walking along the Singel with my boyfriend (musician/former singer with Kensington, Eloi Youssef, ed.). Neither of us has a “regular” job, so we often wake up late and like to wander around the city, sipping an iced coffee. The spot on the Singel close to the Observatory is really beautiful. All those mature trees feel like old friends. The idea that they were planted at the start of the last century blows my mind. We even saw a woodpecker pecking at one of the trees recently. This is where I feel a bit of the nature that I miss so much in Utrecht.’ Best food? ‘Restaurant Le Jardin on Mariaplaats, where they have great vegetarian and vegan food. I was brought up vegetarian and the idea that people eat meat has always bothered me. I don’t understand why people still decide to eat meat when they know what happens to those animals in factory farming. I’m against all forms of oppression actually, and I’ll stand up for anyone who’s denied the vote or is abused. I support Extinction Rebellion and ideally, I’d be a full-time activist. There’s so much shit to protest about.’ Last thing you watched or listened to? ‘Patti Smith in Paradiso. I didn’t know what to expect as she’s 78 years old, but she was awesome. She can still belt out rock-‘n’-roll. And when I saw her on stage, I felt the aura of the iconic 1960/1970s generation, with artists like Janis Joplin and Leonard Cohen. I’m not that into her musical productions, but I love the lyrics and the way she delivers them. And she’s an activist – she mentioned Gaza during her concert. Respectfully, she didn’t swear or make abusive comments.’ Recently discovered? The Turkish-British writer Elif Shafak. I read her novel The Forty Rules of Love, in which the poet Rumi plays an important role, and then I devoured the rest of her books. The mysticism in her work enthrals me: Shafak’s main characters are always intrigued by themes like death and faith, but not in a dogmatic way. I loved her book The Architect’s Apprentice. It’s about remaining pure in a commercial world and the question: what do I really need?’ Last time you cried? ‘I watched the film All of Us Strangers in Louis Hartlooper, and I was still weeping an hour later. It’s about a man who was orphaned at a very early age. He goes back to his parental home and ‘sees’ his dead mother and father. He wants them to meet his new boyfriend, another person with a damaged past, a blatantly impossible wish. The film is about loneliness, about not being able to connect at a deeper level, a familiar story to many of us. It portrays this beautifully, which is what makes it so moving.’