Maastricht

If you live in the Schinnen / Brunssum area you live close to one of the coolest cities in Europe.  Maastricht is the oldest city in The Netherlands (Nijmegen makes a similar claim but it was uninhabited for a long time so Maastricht is at least the oldest continuously inhabited city).  Maastricht suffered little damage during WWII and has, therefore, a very well preserved Centrum or Old Town section.  The Wikipedia entry for Maastricht is pretty good so I'll forego the complete history. Maastricht History

I go to Maastricht fairly often and it is a "Must see" place when people come to visit.  Maastricht is divided by the Maas river and both parts of the city go back several hundred years.  The original Roman garrison, protecting the bridge crossing the river, was established on the west side in 50 AD.  Maastricht is easy to get to using A79 or A2.  The Ring road system can be confusing so the best thing to do is use your GPS.  The most central parking garage is the Vrijthof and the address there is: Vrijthof 100, 6211 LE Maastricht.  This underground garage is under the Centrum but it is also expensive at €2.20 / 1 hour or €22.00 / day.  There is slightly cheaper parking way outside the centrum.  Go to this website to find other parking possibilities: Maastricht Parking

There is no free parking in Maastricht but if you have the means you could park outside the city and bike in.

Maastricht is a walker friendly city.  Much of the old town center is closed to motor vehicles during the shopping hours.  The walkways and roads are cobblestone, which might be difficult for small-wheeled strollers or high heels.  There are dozens of places to eat and even though it is a tourist area the prices are not too bad.  Of course that depends on your tastes.  If you just need some nourishment (cheap food) look for one of the many bakeries that also makes sandwiches. Boterham is the generic word for a sandwich but what you'll see more often is broodjeham or broodjekaas.  Ham is ham and kaas is cheese.  What my wife and I did was order one of each and then swap a slice of ham and cheese from each so we both then had a ham&cheese sandwich.  Hema stores usually have a cafe counter inside and they are usually very reasonable.  Or maybe you want to act as a local and sit at an outside cafe and have a slice of vlaai and a coffee. 

There are several museums in Maastricht but I have not yet been to any, shame on me.  But I have been in all the churches and those are well worth seeing if you are interested in gothic churches.  Maastricht was once a fortified city and there are several places where you can see the remains of the defenses.  The old town area was once inside a defensive wall and parts of that are still visible.  This dates back to the 13th century.  Unfortunately, Maastricht greatly expanded in the early 1900's and much of the old wall and the city gates were destroyed.  There is only one gate left.  Hells Gate is part of the original city wall, built after Henry I, Duke of Brabant, gave permission for its construction in April 1229. It is the only remaining city gate in Maastricht and the oldest city gate in the Netherlands. For about two centuries, the gate was part of the city's actual fortifications. It lost this function when the Nieuwstad (New City), the area south of the gate, was surrounded by a wall in the second half of the 15th century. It was then used for various purposes: a meeting place for the cloth fullers or walkers, an armory, a powder storehouse and a residence.  This is located at St. Bernardusstraat 24b.

On 25 June 1673, while preparing to storm the city, Captain-Lieutenant Charles de Batz de Castelmore, also known as Comte d'Artagnan, was killed by a musket shot outside Tongerse Poort. This event was immortalized in the Alexandre Dumas novel "The Vicomte de Bragelonne", part of the D'Artagnan Romances (the Three Musketeers).  There is a monument to him near Waldeck Bastion.


 Fort Hooge (High Fort) is located on the edge of town off

NOTE: I found this in my Drafts box, for some reason I never finished writing this post. So here it is, incomplete.

26 August 2012

My time writing this Blog is coming to an end. I will move back to the United States on 1 September 2012. It has been great fun but my three year tour is almost over. I hope,those of you that were regular readers enjoyed reading about living in The Netherlands from a Soldier's perspective.

I am going to leave this Online for about six months but then take it down since I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information any longer. If anyone wants to continue this Blog I will gladly allow you to cut and paste content. Just contact me at my email address: bhjohnson60@hotmail.com

Thank you for taking part in my adventure.

Day Trip to Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

I have wanted to make this trip for a couple years but never got around to it. Yesterday, 11 August, I did it. I had considered taking the train. It is only €47 from Maastricht to Luxembourg City via Liege. But I also wanted to visit the American Cemetery and that is too far out of the city to walk. They do have a good bus system but I just thought I would enjoy the drive through the countryside.

Luxembourg City is a two and a half hour drive from Schinnen. It is an easy drive, just take E25 south and you end up at the city. I made the drive directly to the cemetery without a GPS or a map.

On the drive. Be aware there are not too many choices of places to stop and eat on the way. There were two AC Restaurants on the route. AC Restaurants are too expensive for me; a typical meal will cost €15-18 depending on what you drink. I highly recommend that you pack a lunch and stop at one of the many (very many) rest stops on the way. Some of them have large play grounds included so if you have kids that might be something to break up the drive. Getting them back in the car is a whole other story though.

Gas. I made the trip down and back on less than 3/4s of a tank of gas. It is about 225 kms (140 miles) from my town (Schimmert) to the American Cemetery. That is do-able on a tank of gas for most cars.

The drive. E25 is a good road but going through Liege can be something of a challenge. I saw signs for an E25 by-pass but I have never tried that route. The road through Liege is clearly marked, just follow the signs to Bastogne and/or Luxembourg. There are a couple turns and lane changes so pay attention.

I went to the cemetery first so I could see it before I was tired. It is much smaller than Margraten but just as nice. Most of the Soldiers buried here were killed during the "Battle of the Bulge" in late December 1944. There are five Soldiers from Easy Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division (Band of Brothers). If you have watched the series a couple times you will recognize the names. Inside the visitor's building you can get their locations and go see their markers.

Parking in Luxembourg City can also be a problem. I ended up parking in the Kirchberg District outside of the main city. It was only a 30 minute walk to the city center from there and the views of the "Pfaffenthal" valley as you walk across the Pont (bridge) G. B. Charlotte were awesome. Below is a picture I took from the bridge.

Luxembourg was a fortress city and was protected by forts, casemates, high city walls, and the natural obstacle of the gorge and cliffs surrounding 2/3s of the old city. 

Follow this LINK and you can see all of the pictures I took on this trip.

French is the main language spoken and written in the city but German is also commonly used. I found few workers (in the shops and restaurants) that spoke much English. I speak enough German to get by but I saw other people struggling to communicate. Have patience.

They old city center is pedestrian friendly for shopping and strolling. Most of the roads are cobblestone so wear sensible shoes. There are restaurants for every taste. If you are craving American restaurant food there is a Pizza Hut and a Chi Chi's as well as McDonald's and Subway. There are a lot of street performers and they were very popular attractions. Nice for the entertainment but it was sometimes impossible to pass through an area because of the crowds standing to watch. 

There is no grid road system in the city so you really need to get a map. The map handed out for free at the City Tourist office is adequate. The Tourist Office has a good website that you should study before you go. Find it at this LINK.  The Tourist Office itself is not so easy to find. You cannot drive to it so I dismounted my car's GPS and carried it with me. The address is below.

30, place Guillaume II
L – 1648 Luxembourg

I spent seven hours just walking around the old city center and a little bit down in the valley. The main city, the older part, is almost surrounded by the "Vallee de la Petrusse" (spelled without the accent marks.). This is a very nice strolling park along a small river. It is a bit of a climb down and back up but worth the trip if you have the energy. There is a walk way or strolling path along the rim of the city that overlooks the valley. It gives you great views of the valley as well as the opposite side of the gorge.

Up in the main city I enjoyed the buildings, the gardens, and watching all the people. There are many churches here and I can hardly resist visiting churches so I went in three of them. I did not have the time to visit any of the many museums or other cultural attractions.

The city has a very international feel to it. There is a large tourist presence and they come from around the world. I heard many foreign languages spoken here. Most people were dressed nicely for their visit. I did see two "slob" families, dressed quite inappropriately in their finest "Late Night at Wal-Mart" clothes. Based solely on their speech one family was American and the other was British.

There are some ethnic neighborhoods if you stray out of the city centrum area. I think there is a sizable immigrant population living and working here. Unlike in most European and American cities it does not appear that they are refugees but are rather business people, office workers, and other middle class folks. They were dressed nicely, had good manners, and appeared to be fully integrated into the city's culture.

I was highly impressed with the city. It is very clean and well maintained. I did not see one boarded up shop or vacant house in the areas I walked through. The shopping district was busy and vibrant and the restaurants were all doing a brisk business. There apparently is a very active night life in the evening.

Give it a try, I think you will like it.

Kayaking on the Maas River

Yesterday I took a kayak trip on the Maas River. There are a couple companies that offer canoe, raft, and kayak rentals on the Maas. I went with Kajak Maasland simply because I knew where it was located from a hike I did in the area two years ago. I am not promoting the company but I will provide my observations.

To find a company and a route that suits your needs you will have to do a couple of searches because of the languages used. In French, the Maas River is known as the "Meuse". Try the following search strings:

1. Kayak on the Meuse

2. Kayak on the Maas

3. Kajak Maas

4. Kajak Maasland

5. Kajak Meuse

You will get a lot of duplicate hits but this should cover all the possibilities.

Kajak Maasland is located on the Belgian side of the Maas just outside of Maastricht near Smeermaas.

They offer routes of 10, 11, and 21 kilometers. All of them start and end at clearly defined spots. I did the 21 km route and it is suggested that you figure on 4-5 hours for this route. I was poking along and taking frequent breaks and I was done in just over four hours. I have no experience kayaking and was by myself and I had no problems at all. I took my own food and drinks on the trip. The company provides a watertight container big enough for one person's stuff if you rent a one person kayak. The canoes and rafts have bigger containers.

It is highly suggested by the company that you make a reservation to ensure you can get the boat you want. I made my reservation in the morning of the day I took the trip. But I was not on their list when I arrived three hours later. They still provided a kayak for me.

The Maas between the start point and the E314 is fairly placid with only one set of minor rapids. This gives you a good chance to get used to the boat and get your stroke down. The slow moving water also means that you must paddle to move forward though. I found it better to float on the outside of any curves; the water is moving faster there then on the inside of the curve. There are a couple small villages along the river and supposedly there is a place to get out and have a drink and snack at a cafe but I didn't really see where that would be. 

When I wanted a break, such as to eat lunch, I just pulled over and got out and had my break on the shore. I think that is far more enjoyable than sitting at a cafe, you can do that in any town. I took three 15-20 minute breaks and still made the longest trip in four hours. You have plenty of time so just relax and enjoy the river.

There is lots of wildlife as well as domestic animals on and along the river. I saw several sorts of ducks, sea gulls, geese, fishing hawks of some sort, herons, and other birds that were just passing over.  There are no motor boats on this section of the Maas. I did pass by one boat with a gas motor on it tied up at a dock but it might have been for rescue or work use. 

I highly recommend that you use liberal amounts of sunscreen since you get direct sun light as well as reflected sun light from the water. At the end point I saw many lobsters sitting and having a beer and french fries. They will be hurting the next day I am sure. I also highly recommend that you wear a wide brimmed hat and sun glasses to protect your face, head, and eyes.

I put all my sensitive gear such as my wallet, cell phone, camera, etc. inside ziplock bags and then in the container that came with the kayak. My camera I had in a small float bag on a cord around my neck so that I would have access to it.

You are going to get wet so wear appropriate cloths. I had on swim shorts and a sleeveless shirt and an old pair of sneakers. I had a change of clothes and a towel in my car.

The only problem, or inconvenience really, was the bus transportation back to the start point where my car was parked. The bus only comes once every hour or so and then it makes stops on the way back. So there was a two-hour delay getting to my car once I was done with the trip. You can take your bikes there and they will haul your bikes to the end point. That would be a good option. The other option is to park one car at the end and take another car to the beginning point if possible. Perhaps ask a friend for a ride.

I paid €17 for a single person kayak and another €4 for the bus ride. I think the trip and experience were well worth €21.

Schinnen Sort Center

I wrote about the Schinnen Sort Center a few months ago in a post about recycling. You can check it out at this LINK. 

Update: Now that Schinnen is no longer its own organization but just a satellite installation of the USAG BENELUX it falls under their rules. To save money (presumably) USAG BENELUX has ordered the closing of the Sort Center effective 1 September 2012. After that date they will only accept metal for recycling. You are then expected to utilize your community's recycle facilities. Most of you should have received a schedule from RD4. If you cannot read Dutch you'll need to find someone to translate it for you.

Now, it is just an observation from many years of military service but my prediction is that most Americans will not use the RD4 services and will instead throw most of their recyclables in the normal trash. I hope you all prove me wrong but considering how much garbage and other contaminants are usually mixed in with the recyclables at Schinnen I am not holding my breath.

This closing will also mean that you will have no place to throw out your un-needed items when PCS time comes around. You can take these things to the RD4 site IF you kept your free cards that came with the recycle schedule. You can read more about Rd4, only in Dutch, at their website: Rd4

Hasselt - Surprise Destination

Ever heard of Hasselt, Belgium? I've seen the signs when I drove to the Brussels airport but never really heard or read anything about the town. It is never mentioned in travel brochures, at least I have never seen it in one. But I went for a long (for me) bike ride from Lanaken to Hasselt along the Albert Canal a couple days ago and got a quick look around the city.

 

 You can look at my pictures from the ride at this LINK.Ignore me in the photos. These pictures were for my family.

Hasselt approx. 1771-1775

Hasselt was founded in approximately the 7th century on the Helbeek, a small tributary of the Demer river. The name Hasselt came from Hasaluth, which means hazel wood. During the Middle Ages, it became one of the bigger towns of the county of Loon, which had borders approximately the same as the current province of Limburg. Hasselt was first named in a document in 1165 and shortly thereafter received the much sought-after city charter. In 1232 this status was officially confirmed by count Arnold IV. Even though the city of Borgloon was the original official capital of Loon, Hasselt was to become the biggest city thanks to its favourable setting and to the proximity of the count’s castle and the Herkenrode Abbey in Kuringen. In 1366 the county of Loon became part of the Bishopric of Liège and remained so until the annexation by France in 1794.

During the First French Empire, after the French revolution, Maastricht became the capital of the area that was then called the French Department of the Lower Meuse. This included both modern Belgian Limburg, and also neighboring Dutch Limburg. After the defeat of Napoleon, in 1815, this whole area became part of a new United Kingdom of the Netherlands, and it was at this time that the name Limburg was adopted. King William wanted to keep the name of the old Duchy of Limburg alive although it had been centered in Limburg on the Vesdre, and had never encompassed Hasselt. Even when Belgium gained its independence from the Netherlands in 1830, and the province of Limburg was definitively split between the Netherlands and Belgium in 1839, this name was retained and the name Loon disappeared. After the split, Hasselt became the provisional capital of the Belgian province of Limburg. When Maastricht stayed Dutch in 1839, it became the permanent seat of its provincial government within the Netherlands, also called Limburg. In 1967, Belgian Limburg was detached from the Diocese of Liège and Hasselt became the seat of the Diocese of Hasselt.

Hassault is in the Dutch speaking half of Belgium. Not to bad-mouth the other half but you will quickly figure out that the lower half of Belgium, (the French speaking "Walloons"), is run down, dingy, dirty, and poorly maintained. It is unfortunate but you cannot deny the facts. Hassault is a very clean and well-maintained city. It has a large, pedestrian friendly shopping district. Most of the streets are closed to vehicles during the shopping hours.

I couldn't imagine ever needing to use public transportation, the city isn't huge, but if you do you might find this interesting: Hasselt made Public transport by bus zero-fare from 1 July 1997.  The transport network here is mainly by bus. All buses leave from the station. The town lines (called H-lijn) have been free for everyone including tourists since Tuesday 1 July 1997. Other bus lines are free for the inhabitants of Hasselt while traveling in the territory of Hassault.

The local H-lijn buses on the town lines carry an H on their number on the electronic destination sign above the windshield. The regional transport services, or so-called Red lines, are free for residents of Hasselt, who can travel without fare as long as they show their identity card to the driver of the bus. Red regional route bus stops are marked with signs indicating the beginning or end of the Hasselt bus network. Non-residents of Hasselt pay the usual area tariff, except for children under 12 who have zero-fare travel. "Blue" regional lines incur a fare in the normal way.

I walked, pushing my bike, and was easily able to see the entire shopping district within the ring road on foot. There is a train line from Maastricht to Hasselt if you wanted to avoid the drive and parking fees and in that case jumping on a bus would be convenient.

I only walked around for about 30-40 minutes because I had a long ride back to where I started from. I was very impressed with what I saw. The shopping district was larger than I expected. I went in the one church and it was really nice. The stores were closed, it was Sunday, but most of the cafes and restaurants were open and busy. The place was clean and I have to think it is very safe since there are surveillance cameras everywhere.

Do you like Gin (the drink, not the card game)? Hasselt hosts "The National Jenever (gin) Museum". 

Hasselt and gin... inseperable. Discover the secrets of this strong-bodied drink in the National Genever Museum. See how this celebrated liquor is prepared in this authentic 19th century distillery. And taste the final result. Bet you'll find it delicious...

Opening hours
- Open from the 1st April  until 31st October: Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00 to 17.00
- Open from the 1st November until 31st March: Tuesday to Friday from 10.00 to 17.00. Saturday and Sunday from 13.00 to 17.00
- Closed: every Monday, the 1st January, from 9th until 31st January, the 24th, 25th and 31st December 2012.

Price
individual visitors:                 € 4,50 p.p. (including a drink)
12 to 26 years:                     € 1 p.p.
children under 12 years:       free
groups (at least 15 people)  € 3,50 p.p.

Useful to know
Dogs are not allowed

Tip
Heading along your route just for the gin called 'jenever'? Combine a visit to the National Jenever Museum with a city walk. You can obtain the jenever museum brochure at Tourism Hasselt for € 5 p.p., entrance to the museum and a drink included.

National Genever Museum
Witte Nonnenstraat 19
3500 Hasselt

Do you like clothes and fashion?  Are you a dedicated follower of fashion? Then the Fashion Museum in Hasselt is something for you! Come and visit the exhibitions around fashion – then, now and in the future.

OPENING HOURS
Open every day from 10 AM to 5 PM, except on Mondays and:
• Sunday January 1st, 2012;
• Monday the 24th, Tuesday the 25th and Monday the 31st of December 2012;
• from Monday January 9 to Friday February 3, 2012 and from Monday May 28 to Friday June 22, 2012 (preparation of the exhibition).

PRICE
€ 5 p.p.
€ 2 p.p. students from 13 to 18 (children under 12 years free)
€ 4 p.p. for groups of at least 15 people.

Fashion Museum of Hasselt 
Gasthuisstraat 11
BE-3500 Hasselt

Carillon Tower:
You'll find the carillon right in the city centre, high in the tower of the Sint-Quintinus Cathedral. It takes a little effort to climb the stairs, but the breathtaking view from the top is really worth it. It's the ideal place to learn everything about clocks, bells and carillons. It will forever change the way you'll listen to the bells playing during carillon concerts.
 
OPENING HOURS
Opening days and hours: see the website www.hetstadsmus.be


PRICE
€ 1.50 p.p. for individuals and groups of 15 people and more
€ 1 p.p. for schools (> 12 years old), children < 12 years ,free.

GUIDED VISIT
VALID: all year round
DURATION: 1.5 hours
PRICE: € 1.50 p.p. for groups of 15 people and more, < 12 years free
PRICE FOR THE GUIDE: € 60 (2 hours maximum) one guide per 15 people.
RESERVATION: Tourism Hasselt, T +32 11 23 95 42, groepsbezoeken@hasselt.be
Don't forget to reserve at least one month in advance!

TIP
The Carillon is featured regularly with special carillon concerts. More information about these concerts at Tourism Hasselt and on the website www.uitinhasselt.be
 
Carillon tower of the Saint Quinten Cathedral
Vismarkt n/n
BE-3500 Hasselt

Would you like to combine the (historical) beauty of a museum with the natural magnificence of the Japanese Garden? Then the combined card is what you need: for a single low price, you get the best of both worlds!

Four in one!
• The National Genever Museum (including drink)
• The Hasselt Fashion Museum
• The Japanese Garden
• Het Stadsmus (Municipal Museum)

Opening hours
Valid in 2012 during the opening hours of the museums and the Japanese Garden.

Price
€ 12 p.p.

InformationAvailable at Tourism Hasselt, the museums, the Japanese Garden and in many hotels.

* Good to knowIn the closed period of the Japanese Garden (from 1st November until 31 March) the entrance ticket of the garden is replaced by a leaflet with the outlined historical city walk accompanied by a coffee served at the pub Het Tuincafé, next to the municipal museum 'Het Stadsmus'.

Hasselt is only about 40 minutes away from Schinnen and well worth the trip. Give yourself a full day or go back another day to see what you missed. Use this LINK to visit the official website in English.

Oude Ambachten (Old Fashioned Folk/Craft Festival) Einighausen, NL

Op Zondag 5 Augustus 2012 vindt voor de 32e keer Oude Ambachten plaats te Einighausen. 

On Sunday, 5 August, 2012, is the 32nd annual Folk (or Crafts) Festival takes place in Einighausen.
Van 13.00 tot 18.00 uur kunt u een kijkje nemen in het boerenleven van 50 tot 100 jaar geleden. 

From 1300 to 1800 hours (1:00 to 6:00 o'clock)  can you see how farm life was 50 - 100 years ago.

Entree: € 5,00 (kinderen tot 12 jaar gratis)

Entrance: €5.00 (children up to 12 years old are free)

Parkeren is gratis op de aangegeven parkeerplaatsen.

Parking is free at the designated parking area.

 I went to this fest last year and spent about five hours there and had a good time. Last year it was hot and sunny. Click this LINK to see my posting from last year. Einighausen is near Sittard and is easy to get to from A2.

I plan on going this year again unless the weather is really bad. I suggest you take your own snacks and cold drinks. Food is available but the cost of drinks is ridiculous. I'm not all that fond of Dutch festival food, except for a piece of vlaai, so I'll take my own lunch.

So put it on your calendar and go to learn something about the Dutch Limburgs culture.