Day Trips - Roermond

I took a day trip to Roermond on Saturday mainly to see what I thought was a full-scale museum called the "Historiehuis". I saw some pictures of it online and thought it would be interesting. The Historiehuis turned out to be a large room inside the city's library at Neerstraat 11. It was a very well done exhibit but I saw everything in about twenty minutes. But luckily, Neerstraat 11 is inside the City Centrum of Roermond and so I toured the rest of the historical "Old Town", as Americans would call it.

Roermond is easy to get to by car or train. By car, head north on highway A2 and then take A73 directly to Roermond. Go to this website to find public parking and addresses to plug into your GPS. You could take a train from Beek, Spaubeek, Schinnen, or Sittard but that will cost you €11.00 - 13.00. If you are going by yourself and you intend to spend the day, the train is the best way to go. Between gas and parking costs driving by yourself would be more expensive.

You can start reading about what there is to see and do in Roermond at the Dutch Tourist bureau VVV site. Go to this LINK. 

The Centrum, or old city center, is quite large and very pedestrian friendly. It is a typical old city layout though (lots of curved streets) and so you can't really go up and down each street like you can with a modern grid layout. It is nice for wandering but you'll probably end up passing by the same place more than once. The main attractions are posted on sign posts, with direction but not distance, at most of the main street corners. There is also a VVV Tourist Office located at Markt 17, 6041 EL Roermond. This is on the main market square near the old Gemeente Huis (City Hall). I didn't go in but most VVV offices have good tourist guides, maps, and books concerning the local area. You can also ask the workers questions on what to see.

I used Dutch the whole day so I don't know how well they do with English here. This was one of the few places where the people I talked to did not switch over to English after talking to them in my limited Dutch. I found everyone to friendly and polite though.

I recommend you visit both the churches in the Centrum; Saint Christopher's Church and Munsterkerk. Munsterkerk was built in the early 1200's and is a good example of a medieval church inside. The interior is beautiful. Both churches have English language pamphlets available that explain the major features of the church.

There is food of every kind and price range available here. I bought fresh squeezed orange juice and fried fish at the market and a small apple pie for dessert at a bakery later. prices were reasonable but I always carry drinks with me since they usually cost too much. There are few public bathrooms so use them when you come across them.

 The architecture of the buildings is fantastic and if you like that sort of thing you can see buildings from the 1200s up to modern times and everything in between. Many of the older buildings have markers that explain when it was built, for whom, and what the building was used for (all in Dutch though). 

All the major store chains are represented as well as lots of mom & pop specialty stores. Roermond also has a Designer Outlet center near the Centrum (Stadsweide 2, 6041 TD Roermond) but I wasn't interested in seeing that. The outlet centers tend to be high end clothing stores and that's not my thing.

There was a small Jewish population in the city off and on over the centuries and I saw their former school and synagogue on Hamstraat down near the train station. You can read about the Roermond Jewish community at this LINK. According to the website there is a small museum in the former synagogue. I didn't know that when I was there but I'll check it out next time I visit Roermond.

All in all I had a good time and ate some good food. There is plenty more for me to see and I look forward to visiting again when the weather is warmer. Roermond is not exactly high on the typical tourist's list of places to see but maybe it should be.

Carnaval (or Carnival)

What is Carnaval or Mardi Gras?

 
Carnaval  (Mardi Gras in the US) is a festive season typically involving a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life. The festival culminates on Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday, which is the day before Ash Wednesday. The date is dependent on that of Easter, and thus can vary from as early as 3 February to as late as 9 March. While in recent years Carnaval has grown in popularity as a raucous, hedonistic event, its roots lie in the Christian calendar, as the “last hurray” before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. 

Origins of The Name

 
The origin of the word Carnaval or Carnival is disputed, but many believes it comes from the Italian words “carne levare”, which literally means “to remove meat”, since meat is prohibited during Lent.

Dutch Carnival Traditions

Carnival is mainly celebrated in the south of The Netherlands. The provinces Limburg and Noord-Brabant are the predominantly Catholic provinces of the Netherlands, where most inhabitants celebrate Carnival. Though some people take the Carnival traditions very seriously, most people keep it simple and just drink, sing and dance wearing a colorful outfit. (I had discussions with Dutch soldiers from outside of Provincie Limburg and they find the festivities somewhat frivolous and silly. The farther north you go in The Netherlands to more "serious" the people seem to be.)

The Carnival celebrations in Maastricht start after the mayor symbolically hands over the key to the city to Prince Carnival. For three days, the Carnival Prince has control of the city and, together with his subjects, celebrates the temporary establishment of their Kingdom of Fools. Merrymakers make their way from pub to pub and greet Prince Carnival with three cheers of “Alaaf”. It seems like each little town and village elects their own Carnaval Prince. The process begins in mid-November and you might have seen signs around your town for the men trying to get "elected" Prince.

Carnival Celebrations

From the 19th of February until the 21st of February 2012 Carnival in Maastricht will be celebrated, also known as “Vasteloavend in Mestreech”. During this three day festival all people forget their boundaries and the city center of Maastricht is filled with thousands costumed people.

On Saturday the 18th of February Carnival will be opened with performances of several Limburg artists. This is also called the “Vastelaoftrap”. The entrepreneurs from the Vrijthof, a famous and large square in the city center of Maastricht, organize this parade of artists to get in the mood for the three craziest days of the year.
Sunday the 19th of February is the first official day of Carnival. On this day the annual parade takes place through the city center of Maastricht. With dazzling decorated vehicles, costumes and music the Carnival celebrating people of Maastricht will go through the city.

The festival will take place on the streets and in the many cafés, although the authentic people of Maastricht only celebrate on the streets. Everywhere you go you see costumed people who enjoy the cosiness, music and of course a drink. People celebrate from early in the morning until late in the evening to fully enjoy these three careless days. Carnival takes place in the city center of Maastricht, but also in the local neighborhoods people celebrate in local community houses and cafés.

Are you in the mood to get crazy? Come and celebrate Carnival in Maastricht and don’t forget your costume and a good mood!

If you are visiting Maastricht during these three days of Carnival, please keep in mind that many shops are closed. 

The Maastricht Tourist bureau published this flyer on the celebrations in the city. 

Click here: Maastricht Carnaval

Index to Non-Tourist Subjects

I've been posting since May 2011 and it is probably getting difficult to find specific subjects of interest so I'm posting an index of sorts. This index will be for the non-tourist subjects I have covered. Just click on a link below and you'll go straight to that posting. Do you have any suggestions for additional Subjects? Please send me a comment.

If you enjoy this Blog, please tell your family and friends about it.

1. Bringing your Automobile to The Netherlands

2. Electric


3. Electric Stuff, continued

4. Drinking Water

5. Banking in The Netherlands

6. Movie Theaters

7. Medical and Dental Care

8. Gasoline and Esso Cards

9. Schinnen Care Care Garage

10. Car Inspections (Netherlands)

11. Dutch Weather

12. US Radio Reception

13. German Winter Tire Regulations

14. Shopping on Schinnen

15. Winter Driving

16. Aafes Gas Prices (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands)

17. Dutch Road Hazards

Small Town Touring - Elsloo

Most people that come to The Netherlands visit the big tourist attractions; Amsterdam, Delft, Kinderdijk, Keukenhof, Maastricht, Valkenburg, etc. And those are all nice places to see. But if you only go to the tourist areas you will never get a good feel for the real Netherlands, The Netherlands off the beaten path. I have been to the big attractions, several times in many cases, and enjoyed them every time. But I also like to get off the main roads and find little towns and villages and see what they have to offer. So I'm going to start highlighting some of the out-of-the-way places I have visited.

The first place I'll highlight is the little town of Elsloo. There is evidence of habitation going back 7,000 years. Digs in the area have found stone age tools and pottery. Evidence of Roman settlements have also been found. This is not surprising, man has always lived along rivers and waterways. The other attraction was the fine, fertile loam soil. It is very easy to work and the early settlers to this area followed the loam soil deposits and established farming communities on it.

Elsloo is easy to get to by heading toward the train station in Beek and then going straight past it to the next round about. Take the second exit and you are in the newer part of Elsloo. Just plug this address into your GPS and it will take you to Kasteelelsloo and you can park there for free. Maasberg 1, 6181 GV, Elsloo, Nederland. 

The old, original part of the town is in the area of the kasteel, which is now a hotel and convention center. More than half of the town was destroyed when the Julianakanaal was built in the early 1930's. The buildings that remain were mostly built in the early to mid 1600's.

Kasteel Elsloo, where you will park, was built on the site of a former brewery. 

There had earlier been a fortress castle in this area, to the west, but between several wars and constant flooding of the River Maas, it was finally destroyed completely. This castle had been plundered by Viking raidiers traveling on the Maas and they set up an encampment where the village stands today. The Maas has changed its route many times and the former castle is now under the Maas. When water levels are extremely low you can see parts of the foundation in the river. 

The current Kasteel was built as a residence. The first Lord of Elsloo was Arnulf or Arnoldus van Elsloo and there were many intermarriages between minor nobility and aristocrats and the kasteel passed down through these various families. One of the last noble women to own the residence later married Charles de Grimaldi, the Prince of Monaco. In 1887 the kasteel was bought by Hendrikus Leonardus Jurgens, the oleo margarine magnate. He used the residence as a summer retreat. Lastly it was purchased by the town of Elsloo.

Behind the kasteel is a large botanical garden. I never seem to be there when it is open so I can't really say much about it except when I read customer comments from the hotel, they mostly said how nice the garden and strolling park were. The garden is supposed to be open on Sundays between 1 April and 1 October but only from 1400 - 1700 hrs. The strolling park is free and open to the public. I have walked in the park many times and there is a network (a maze really) of marked trails that you can walk. It is mostly on a hillside so be prepared for that. Also at the kasteel is an old water mill. I have tried many times to see that as well but always seem to miss the open times. The kasteel lies right beside the Juliana Canal and that is also a pleasant walk or a nice place to just sit and watch the birds and barges. I have eaten lunch beside the canal a couple times and it's always nice.

The Maas was a very important waterway used for transporting supplies and trade goods. The Maas flows from France to the North Sea. It is 575 miles long and drops in elevation from 1,342 feet in France to sea level. In Elsloo there was a Shipper's Exchange (Schippersbeurs) where fees and schedules were negotiated and paid. Shippers used the "Beurs" to arrange their shipping contracts. This building has very thick stone walls, heavy wood doors, and in the back of the building (now a residence) you can still see the iron bars used to protect the windows. I imagine quite a bit of money was stored here for business transactions. The yellow building in this photo is the current Schippersbeurs Musea. It is only open for limited hours but it is an interesting if small museum. You can see everything in a bit less than two hours. The museum is open:

Dinsdag (Tue)      : 13.00 - 16.00 uur  | Donderdag (Thu): 13.00 - 16.00 uur
Woensdag (Wed) : 13.00 - 16.00 uur  |  Zondag (Sun)     : 14.00 - 17.00 uur

 There are many interesting buildings in the old part of the town if you like that sort of thing (I do). The church there is also quite nice. Between strolling through the town, walking in the park, seeing the kasteel's garden and mill (if you are lucky), and maybe visiting the museum, I think you could spend a whole day here. Luckily I live 12 minutes away so I can come and go to see things.

On 10 May, 1940, the Germans attacked The Netherlands with no warning. Their main goal was France but unfortunately The Netherlands was in the way. The Netherlands capitulated after four days of hard fighting. One of the places the Germans went through on their way to France was Elsloo. The Dutch army blew up the bridge crossing the Juliana Canal to attempt to slow down the German attack on their close ally, Belgium. 

But this was only a temporary setback for the German war machine. They quickly built a pontoon bridge to span the canal and then the River Maas. The Netherlands endured almost five years of German occupation and then the fighting as the American's and their allies came through this area pushing the Germans out of The Netherlands and eventually back to Berlin.