Dutch Road Obstacles

The Dutch do some odd things, from my point of view, and one of the strangest is to purposely install road obstacles. Their idea is that by making the roads more difficult to drive on and more dangerous, that people will slow down and the roads will be safer. That is a very illogical train of thought if you ask me.

In the United States, we generally try to make our roads as efficient and safe as possible. Our goal is to move the most number of cars from point A to point B as possible while still maintaining a margin of safety. In parts of Europe, to include The Netherlands, it seems they do everything they can to impede the smooth flow of traffic. 

In The Netherlands you can park almost anywhere on the street and I have come around blind corners or bends in the road only to find a car, truck, or combi van parked in my driving lane. A quick swerve to avoid a collision and I continue on my way. This by itself is so unsafe it is hard to believe it is allowed.

Many roads, when you are off the highways, are too narrow for two vehicles to pass at normal driving speeds. One of the vehicles must slow down and pull to to far edge of the road to allow the other vehicle to pass. In my area of south Limburg, there are many roads that I drive on every week where two cars cannot pass each other at all unless one goes off the edge of the road. Last summer one of these heavily used roads was closed for several weeks for construction and I figured they were finally going to widen it to two full lanes. Wishful thinking. All they did was resurface the narrow road as it was and now it is even harder to pull off and then back onto the road because it is now 3-4 inches higher than the shoulder.

But the most unbelievable safety hazards are the ones the Dutch intentionally place on the road. On the five mile drive from my house to USAG Schinnen, for example, I must navigate around no less than twelve obstacles blocking or restricting traffic flow. Below are some examples.

One of the first things you have to learn is who has the priority to go through one of these traffic restrictions. You'll learn this when you study for your Driver's License.  In this case the oncoming traffic, shown by the black arrow, has priority. The reddish lane is a Bike Lane. You are not allowed to block the bike lane. If you come to this obstacle at the same time as an oncoming vehicle, you must stop and let them pass. And this makes the road safer how?

In this example there is no priority sign so you have to either be bold and just take the priority or stop and let the oncoming car go through. As you can see the bike lane also disappears so now bikes are also trying to get through the obstacle and they will generally stop for no one. At night this is a difficult road hazard to see until you are right on it. All it has to mark it is a small strip of shiny metal on the short pole.

In some places the Dutch weren't satisfied with only one hazard, they installed two or three. At this obstacle you have a post and curb stones in the middle of you lane and then what looks like a way to go around to the right. But that is also blocked by two dark grey posts (difficult to see at night) and a parked car in what looks like part of the road but is not. I had to stop so the car with priority could come through.

Dremples, we call them speed bumps and the British call them "Lazy Policemen". You will find these going into and out of every village. In most cases they are not too bad but I have come across several in the area that I have to creep over so I don't bottom out my car. After this Dremple you see two "Fake" bike lanes. They are fake because while they are marked they are not protected lanes like the reddish colored ones are.

Some Dremples are integrated into other traffic hazards. This one going into my village is especially hazardous because of an adjoining road that comes into the main road just ahead of this. I have sat here burning gas for over a minute or two as cars came out of the village. This one, at least, is well marked because of several accidents in the past.

Split Dremples rock your boat. I hate these. Only one side of your car goes over the bump and so even at a very slow speed it rocks you back and forth. This is where my groceries usually get scattered in the trunk of my car and I have to go over two of these going home from Schinnen. There is also a blind curve just ahead at a bridge so you cannot see what is coming the other way. There is also no bike lane even though this is the road to the Spaubeek Train Station just behind me.

Constricted Dremples give you two things to worry about but at least there is a bike lane here so you aren't also dodging fietsers (bikers).

Then for reasons unknown the Dutch will throw traffic islands into the center of the road. They are not meant to split the road, which is a way to increase road safety, but are just temporary obstacles like this one. If you are about to make a left turn, like I am in this photo, this is a real pain to navigate.

The most fun obstacles are the slaloms they set up so you can weave through them. They emplaced posts on the right and left because people got confused and went around the road hazard to the right. In this case my lane has priority because of the white arrow on my lane. But you will still have to dodge bicyclists here because they only have a fake bike lane and therefore there isn't enough road width for you car and a biker in your lane.

Where fake bike lanes turn into real bike lanes there will often be some sort of an obstacle to mark this transition like what is shown here. Not including the various bike lanes this is a six-road intersection including two highway on/off ramps. There are no priority traffic signs so you have to be very careful moving through here.

If the man-made obstacles were no bad enough, the lenient parking laws will get you. You have to zig zag back and forth around parked vehicles and oncoming traffic without forgetting about the bikers also sharing the road.

There are many other types of man-made road hazards but these are just the ones between my house and Schinnen. Drive carefully. As a foreigner you will always be at fault if there is an accident.

Train Trip to Maastricht (14 Jan 12)

Well, now that I learned how to take the train to Maastricht (last weekend) I decided to do a city walk in the Eastern half of the city. Like most people, I only went to the Old City Center (Centrum) in Maastricht. I have been there many, many times on this assignment and my previous assignment (1998-2001). My wife and I love the old part of the city. When you go online, the western side of Maastricht is just about all you read about. So I thought today would be a good day to take the train from Meersen to Maastricht and explore the "Wyck" area.

The area I am talking about is the walled in part of the city on the right side of this picture, the East Side of the River Maas, as shown in this drawing from 1750. The bridge shown here is Sint Servaasbrug, which still stands (though much of it has been rebuilt after WWII.). There is now a road that follows the inner (brown or tan) wall shown in this drawing and two bridges where the old wall met the river.

I got off the train and walked out the front door of the train station. I wanted to first know how far it was from the train station to Sint Servaasbrug. This bridge crosses the Maas and puts you at the edge of the old city center; most peoples' destination. Well, once again there were antique venders along Stationstraat, the first 2-3 blocks of the route, and that slowed me down. I was also admiring the buildings, stopping to smell the baked goods at a bakery, and taking pictures. But otherwise, it would be a ten minute or less walk from the train station to the bridge.

This picture shows a look back toward the train station (seen in the distance) from two blocks away. I really liked the character of these buildings and the split street. The street is split like this for three blocks, as Stationstraat, and then it merges to one street and is then called Wycker Brugstraat. This is strange because the bridge it leads to is Sint Servaasbrug. But there might have been a "Wyckerbrug" across the canal/moat back when it was a walled in city. That canal would have been where "Wilhelminasingel" is today.

I walked to Sint Servaasbrug and then decided to turn left and walk along the river front. I had never been to this area so I was just exploring. I'll use the map below as a color-coded reference during the rest of this blog.

Orientation Map

The old, original part of the city is outlined in WHITE. I wandered around in there after walking along the river so I'll get back to that later. 

Further up the river

View from Sint Servaas Bridge

I followed the bike/walking path along the river. NOTE: Watch out for bikes. This is a popular route for cyclists and they are moving fast. There is a walking path of sorts along the right side. You have a nice view of the main part of Maastricht from over here.

There are many interesting old buildings along the water front as well as restaurants and a few shops. Further along is a reconstructed (in 1897) section of the city wall showing a portal to the river. This was used by merchants and traders to bring supplies and goods into the city from the river. There would have been a dock and piers there in those days. It is bigger than this picture makes it look. Still further along, just past the Hoge Brug, is a reconstructed turret that was once used to guard the river. I failed to get a picture of that. Actually, there was so much graffiti and garbage there I just didn't want to take a picture. As a side note; I was saddened by the amount of trash and graffiti that I saw. Even churches have been vandalized. This is something you did not see when I was stationed in The Netherlands back in 1998-2001.

Going up river you'll come to the lovely "Charles Eyck Park" nestled between an apartment complex and the river. It is a small park filled with dozens of White (Paper Bark) Birch trees and one really weird statue. There are benches there so this would be a nice place for lunch or a snack in nicer weather. Charles Eyck was a well-know (at least in The Netherlands) artist who was born in Meersen in 1897 and died in Schimmert (my village) in 1983. You can view some of his works at THIS LINK.

As you continue along the river you will next come to the ultra-modern Bonnefantenmuseum. I have never been there but it is supposed to be a world class art museum.

 After the museum the route then takes you under the Kennedybrug (Kennedy Bridge) and just after that is a memorial dedicated to the US Soldiers of the 30th Infantry Division.

The next thing to see is the Provincie Limburg Gouvernement building. The path actually goes under some of the building. This complex is shown in blue on the orientation map. This building complex houses the provincial government offices. There is a good pamphlet that describes the history and functions of the "Gouvernement" (and yes, that is spelled correctly) at this LINK. This will open an English language .pdf file. I learned quite a bit reading this.

The end of the riverside walk is after the Gouvernement building and where the  "Kleine Weerd" begins. In the photo here you can see the gouvernement complex on the island and below that is the Kleine Weerd. The Kleine Weerd is a 29.6 acre nature reserve. This is shown in green on the orientation map.You are allowed to walk around but are warned to keep your distance from the wild horses that live and graze in the reserve. In warmer months it is supposed to be full of wild flowers and flowering bushes. From where the wide part of the waterway is, if you look off in the distance you can see Fort Sint Pieter. This is shown circled in yellow on the orientation map.

  

I didn't want to go further out of the city so I walked up to the main road and then turned left and walked on the bike/pedestrian path back toward the city. You'll pass in front of the Limburg Gouvernement building complex. This walk then leaps you forward two hundreds years as you walk through the "Cèramique" area. I show this area circled in red on the orientation map. This area is a large neighborhood of modern apartments, offices, shops, and restaurant buildings. It is very integrated so it must have all been built at one time. Every building has outdoor open space and lots and lots of windows to let in natural light. I don't normally care much for the modern look but this area was impressive.

The path will eventually take you back to the "Wyck" area and then you can explore the shops, architecture, and eating establishments. There are blocks of buildings from the early to mid-1700's, like those on the right side of this street. I didn't spend much time looking in the shops but there is everything from antiques to "Coffie Shops" for potheads.

There are other blocks further north and closer to the train station that are lovely examples of turn-of-the-century styles. Those buildings were mostly built between 1880 and 1910 +/-. This building (left) was once a Trades or Technical School and was built in 1911. I love the brickwork and the decorative coloring. It is now an office complex.

After I wandered around the Wyck for about two hours I headed back to the train station to head home. Now we all know that there are a lot of bikes in The Netherlands but you really get an appreciation for that when you walk around the outside of a train station. There must be thousands of bikes in these racks. I know that some of my co-workers have two "commuting" bikes; one at each end of their train ride. They ride a bike from home to the train station and lock up one bike. When they reach the destination train station they hop on their second bike and ride it to work.

I got on the train and headed back to Meersen and my trip was done. It was cold and a little dark, as you can tell from the pictures, but still a nice day out (and very cheap).

Aafes Fuel Prices

Something I have never been able to understand is the high price of fuel at Aafes Gas Stations both CONUS and OCONUS.At one time I believed that Aafes did not pay fuel taxes but that turns out to be untrue.

"As a U.S. Government instrumentality AAFES is immune from state and local taxes unless the immunity is waived by an act of Congress. The U.S. Congress waived this immunity, with respect to motor fuel sold by AAFES, by passing the Hayden Cartwright Act, 4 U.S.C. 104. Accordingly, AAFES is required to pay state and local motor fuel taxes, as well as underground storage fees, and other costs of running a gas station. In regard to Federal Taxes, 26 U.S.C. § 4081(a) is the US code that requires AAFES to pay Federal Tax on gasoline. The state and Federal motor fuel taxes and other applicable fees paid by AAFES are forwarded to the appropriate tax agency and included in the motor fuel price to the military customer."

 So it appears that our beloved Congress has stuck it to us once again to buy votes in their districts.

But that doesn't explain the high cost of fuel in OCONUS locations. See the chart below for current fuel prices in Europe:

Those of us stationed in The Netherlands pay 73.5 to 83.1 cents a gallon more than we would at Aafes stations in Germany, Belgium, or the UK  (87.9 cents cheaper in Germany if you buy E10 gas, which I would.). Does Aafes buy fuel from different suppliers in each of these countries? The Netherlands sits squarely between Germany and Belgium yet the price of fuel is this much higher? I don't get it. It is 111 miles from Schinnen to Chièvres Air Base in Belgium and as far as I know Chièvres Air Base is the location of the only Aafes fuel station in Belgium. Where does it get its fuel so much cheaper than the Aafes gas station on Schinnen?

Here is another odd thing. In European fuel stations diesel fuel is always quite a bit cheaper than gasoline (diesel is cheaper to produce and handle). But at the Aafes gas stations diesel is considerably more expensive than gasoline. How does that happen? In the states they jack up the price of diesel to obtain more taxes from the trucking industry. This prevents diesel powered cars from becoming popular in the US even though they are more fuel efficient and produce more power with less pollutants than gasoline powered cars. If the same pricing system was used in the US as is in Europe (and Americans switched to diesel powered cars to the level that Europeans have) the US would use several million gallons less fuel every day and reduce our oil dependance on countries that hate us. A tax-hungry Congress is partially creating the energy crisis in the United States by artificially inflating the price of diesel fuel!

Well, we'll never get a legitimate answer to those questions (I've tried by asking Aafes and Stars and Stripes a year ago.).

Those of us stationed in The Netherlands are prohibited from buying gas at an Aafes gas station in Germany unless we are there TDY or signed out on leave. And the process of getting a fuel ration card is so involved that it isn't really worth the effort unless you will be in Germany for a week or longer. It amazes me every day to see German plated cars refueling at the Schinnen Aafes station but I am not allowed to buy gas at the Ramstein Airbase Aafes station. How is that okay? But no such prohibition exists for Belgium (to my knowledge). Chièvres Air Base has a nice PX, large Commissary, a very nice Thrift Shop (with a craft consignment section), and other nice facilities. If you haven't made a trip there it is something to think about. Chievres Garrison  Plug  7870 Lens, Belgium into your GPS and take a day trip there. I never found the shops (GB Store) at SHAPE headquarters near Mons, BE  worth shopping though. Keep in mind that this area is in the Wallonia section of Belgium so French is the local language. Like most of Wallonia the towns are dirty, run down, and uninviting (looking) but the countryside is pretty and there are some good restaurants if you are adventurous. 

But I digress. Those of us in The Netherlands pay the most for fuel. I presume that factor is considered when setting our Overseas COLA but considering that fuel prices have not gone down much if anything lately but my Overseas COLA has dropped several hundred dollars, I have to wonder about that. I have a small car, with a very small fuel tank. I spend upwards of $45-$50 dollars a week to commute to work and my car gets 36 mpg. Keep these prices in mind when you travel, carry one or two empty fuel cans with you if you will go near an Aafes fuel station in another country, and save yourself some money.

Liège Day Trip

A very brief history:

Although settlements already existed in Roman times, the first references to Liège are from 558, when it was known as Vicus Leudicus. The strategic position of Liège has made it a frequent target of armies and insurgencies over the centuries. It was fortified early on with a castle on the steep hill that overlooks the city's western side. The Duke of Marlborough captured the city from the Bavarian prince-bishop and his French allies in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. In the course of the 1794 campaigns of the French Revolution, the French army took the city and imposed strongly anticlerical regime, destroying the cathedral of Saint Lambert. The overthrow of the prince-bishopric was confirmed in 1801 by the Concordat co-signed by Napoléon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII. France lost the city in 1815 when the Congress of Vienna awarded it to the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Dutch rule lasted only until 1830, when the Belgian Revolution led to the establishment of an independent, Catholic and neutral Belgium which incorporated Liège. After this, Liège developed rapidly into a major industrial city which became one of continental Europe's first large-scale steel making centers.

Liège's fortifications were redesigned by Henri Alexis Brialmont in the 1880s and a chain of twelve forts was constructed around the city to provide defense in depth. This presented a major obstacle to Germany's army in 1914, whose Schlieffen Plan relied on being able to quickly pass through the Meuse valley and the Ardennes en route to France. The German invasion on August 5, 1914 soon reached Liège, which was defended by 30,000 troops under General Gérard Leman (see Battle of Liège). The forts initially held off an attacking force of about 100,000 men but were pulverized into submission by a five-day bombardment by the Germans' 42 cm Big Bertha howitzers. Due to faulty planning of the protection of the underground defense tunnels beneath the main citadel, one direct artillery hit caused a huge explosion, which eventually led to the surrender of the Belgian forces. The Belgian resistance was shorter than had been intended, but the twelve days of delay caused by the siege nonetheless contributed to the eventual failure of the German invasion of France. The city was subsequently occupied by the Germans until the end of the war.

The Germans returned in 1940, this time taking the forts in only three days. The German occupiers were expelled by the Allies of World War II in September 1944 but Liège was subsequently subjected to intense aerial bombardment, with more than 1,500 V1 and V2 missiles landing in the city between its liberation and the end of the war. After the war ended, the Royal Question came to the fore, since many saw king Leopold III as collaborating with the Germans during the war. In July 1950, André Renard, leader of the Liégeois FGTB launched the General strike against Leopold III of Belgium and "seized control over the city of Liège". The strike ultimately led to Leopold's abdication. 

Liège began to suffer from a relative decline of its industry, particularly the coal industry, and later the steel industry, producing high levels of unemployment and stoking social tension. During the 1960-1961 Winter General Strike, disgruntled workers went on a rampage and severely damaged the central railway station Guillemins. The unrest was so intense that "army troops had to wade through caltrops, trees, concrete blocks, car and crane wrecks to advance. Streets were dug up. Liège saw the worst fighting on 6 January 1961. In all, 75 people were injured during seven hours of street battles." Liège has shown some signs of economic recovery in recent years with the opening up of borders within the European Union, surging steel prices, and improved administration. Several new shopping centers have been built, and numerous repairs carried out.

Take a Day Trip:

I took a Day Trip to Liège on 7 January 2012; mostly just to get out of the house after seven days of cold, rainy, gloomy weather. I have wanted to visit Liège for some time but the drive, parking, and language barrier had put me off time and time again. I went online to see if it was possible, with not too much effort, to get there by train. As it turns out, going by train is probably the best way to go unless you have a large family.

There is regular train service between Maastricht and Liège so my first goal was to get to Maastricht. I didn't want to pay for parking in Maastricht so I looked for local train stations that I could walk, bike, or drive to. I choose to use the station in Meersen because I have been to Meersen many times (there is a beautiful Basilica there), it is close to my house, and they have FREE parking at the train station. To get to the Meersen Train Station plug the following address into your GPS: Stationplein 1, 6231 Meersen, NL. 

Park in the lot and walk around the fence to the station's building. HINT: Do not leave any valuables visible in your car. I always clean out my car before trips so there is no temptation for anyone to break in.  This is not a manned station so you have to buy your ticket at the NS Ticket machine. There is a button to change the language on the machine to English. The fares are different on weekdays and weekends so make sure you make the right choice. You can buy one ticket to take you all the way to Liège or you can just buy a ticket to Maastricht. A round-trip ticket, weekend rate, from Meersen to Liège costs €11.00. A round-trip ticket just to the Maastricht station, weekend rate, is €4.20. You must pay with coins or a Pin Card. I didn't have enough change for a ticket to Liège so I only bought a ticket to Maastricht and then I planned on buying a ticket there for the trip to Liège.

The train from Meersen to Maastricht departs every hour at :06, :16, :36, and :46 minutes after the hour. Stay on the platform closest to the building to get the Maastricht train. You'll see "Maastricht" on the destination board on the front of the train. The ride is less than ten minutes. There are two train stations in Maastricht, get off at the first station. The second train station in Maastricht is called "Maastricht Randwyck" and according to the internet site there is no direct line from here to Liège. I'm not sure that is true though since the train I rode to Liège stopped very briefly at the Randwyck station. In any case, I went to the main station and bought my ticket to Liège at the counter. You pay a €0.50 surcharge when you pay at the counter but you can pay with Euro bills. They do not accept credit cards, only cash.

The train from Maastricht to Liège departs at :10 and :20 minutes after the hour on weekdays but only at :10 on weekends. So I recommend you take the :16 or :36 train from Meersen if you start out there. If you start at another station you want to get to Maastricht no later than ten minutes before the hour so you can get your next ticket (if necessary) and find your platform (5a) for the train to Liège. 

A 2nd Class, adult, full fare, round-trip ticket from Maastricht to Liège, purchased at the counter, cost me €5.60. That means that buying the tickets separately costs only €9.70; €1.30 cheaper than buying one ticket at Meersen. The train departs from platform 5a. The train to Liège is an older train, seen here, but it was clean and comfortable (except for the bathrooms, which were disgusting). Make sure you sit in the correct class; it is marked on the outside of the car. If you are in the wrong class, as I was, the conductor will politely ask you to move. The 1st class area has softer cloth covered seats and the 2nd class area has blue vinyl seats. You can see the uniform of a conductor in this photo. He will ask to see your ticket and punch it. There is not much to see on the ride but it only takes 30 minutes with four stops along the way (Maastricht Randwyck, Eysden, Vise`, and Bressoux) All these stops are for less than a minute.

When you arrive at the Liège-Guillemins station, you can go up the escalator and then exit the building down the front steps (an impressive view - see photo at left) or you can go down the steps between the platforms to the lobby or terminal of the station. Downstairs you can find restrooms, some shops, and cafes.

To get to the city center shopping district, just go straight out the front of the station and turn left. Head in the direction shown by the arrow on my map shown here. It is about a mile and there is lots to see on the way. I did not have a city map on my trip but I recommend you get one. The streets are well marked with street names on the sides of buildings at intersections. I just followed the traffic signs for "Centrum". Every once in a while I came across a city map on a pole as shown here on the right. These are very helpful because they show where you are standing on the map.




While the common language here is strictly French, I had no trouble at all ordering food. The people I talked to were patient and polite as I gestured  and threw in the few French words that I know. Prices are generally about 10-20% cheaper than in The Netherlands. The shopping district is huge and I barely scratched the surface. My main goal of this trip was to get out of the house and learn how to travel to Liège by train. I did go in St. Paul's Church and it is a beautiful Gothic style church. There is an English language pamphlet available for € 0.20 in the back of the church. There is also a museum of some sort there but there was a fee and I didn't have the time on this trip to go see it.


The return trip was easier since I now knew the layout of the two train stations and already had my tickets. On weekends, trains depart Liège at :17 after the hour until the last train at 2217 hrs. The train departs from platform 4. I arrived at the Maastricht station at 1855 and the train to Meersen departed at 1858. Luckily both trains use the same platform but the Meersen train is further down the platform.


I found this to be a remarkably easy and cheap trip. There is a huge shopping district in Liège as well as many tourist sights. Inside the shopping district were many indoor shopping areas called a "Galleria" and/or "Passage". So if you go on a crappy day, like I did, you can go indoors and continue to shop, window shop, eat, and drink. The people were friendly and polite, even with the language barrier. Prices were notably lower than here in The Netherlands. 


If you like architecture and/or photography, this is the place to go. I saw many professional photographers working taking pictures of the many sites. There are plenty of parks and walking paths but winter is obviously not the ideal time to enjoy them.

3 Jan 2012 - Back from Vacation

Back from vacation and "enjoying" the lovely Dutch winter weather. By this time last year we had had a couple snowfalls already. But this cold, raining, very windy weather is more normal. It sure makes it hard to go outside and do anything.

Dressing warmly in layers is the key to surviving outdoor activities in The Netherlands. Make sure the top layer is wind and rain proof. Going into stores and shops for a quick warm-up is always good and of course there is always the good Dutch coffee and hot chocolate to warm up your insides. Chocomel is my favorite.

There is always something going on, you just need to look.

    From 10 December through 8 January 2012, Sittard's historical city center will be transformed into a winter dreamscape. "Wèntjerdruim" (Limburg's dialect for Winter Dream) is a new kind of event that changes the dark, cold days of winter into a festive atmosphere, where there is so much to discover! Sittard's cozy, historic city center will be festively decorated, the trees in the centre will be lit in a fairytale manner and the market and streets will ring with beautiful winter music. The Sittard penguin is the Wèntjerdruim mascot and it will guide the visitors through the city center; he can be found throughout the city on lampposts and in shop windows.
    The heart of the Wèntjerdruim is the convivial market. The market offers a range of spectacular and surprising activities. The ice-skating rink will provide rollicking fun for young and old alike. If you need some warming up, have a hot chocolate or something a little stronger on one of the many heated terraces facing the wonderful wishing tree. From 22 December through 8 January, the Limburg Winter Circus will erect its tents on the Haspelstraat, as per tradition. This year they have a brand new program filled with the best artists

Inner quarter
    Need to escape the cold? Wèntjerdruim is just as good indoors as it is outdoors. You can visit the ‘creative Christmas nativity’ exhibition in museum Het Domein or gain some inspiration at the Christmas trend presentations in the Mariapark. It's just the thing for children, because they can enjoy the trains that travel on a large model train track measuring no less than three by twelve metres. Hours of viewing pleasure guaranteed!
Sittard: city of shops and surprises As a shopping town, Sittard really shines during Wèntjerdruim with extra evening and Sunday shopping opportunities. The Candlelight Shopping Evening is a magical event when the city is lit solely by atmospheric winter lights. You might also like to rummage through the market's many stalls. Even your daily shopping takes on an easy charm during Wèntjerdruim because the popular Thursday market is also dressed-up in this wintry atmosphere. Come to Sittard and be enthralled!

The complete program and all relevant information is available on www.wentjerdruim.nl

The Christmas festival in Maastricht also runs until 8 January. I went last year and it was really nice. You can rent a pair of skates and ice skate in the City Center. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4swp5E_JdA&feature=player_embedded

Ask your Dutch neighbors what is going on and push through the dreary winter days. There is always shopping and eating!