On Saturday, April 25th, we left for a weekend away in Maastricht. Maastricht is in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, near the Belgian and German borders. (Fun fact, there is debate as to whether or not Maastricht is the oldest city of NL.) We took the 8:30 a.m. train from Amsterdam, arrived at 11 a.m. As we walked to the VVV (tourist office) for a city map, we crossed the Maas river, with beautiful views on both sides. Our next stop was to find out hotel to drop off our bags. We couldn't check in until 2 p.m., but we definitely needed to lighten our load before starting to explore.
By now, it was time for our picnic lunch and to let Ben run free for a bit, so we studied the map for some green space. As we made our way to Stadspark (the main public park), we passed by fragments of the first medieval city wall from 1229. We also saw the Faliezusters nunnery (1647) and Pater Vinktoren tower (about 1350, part of the second medieval city wall). Still on our way to the park, we also found the Helpoort, the oldest town gate in the Netherlands (from 13th century). Very nearby was the park, and Ben was happy to be free. But, the combination of running and eating sandwich at the same time is a bad thing...all of a sudden from a distance we see the little guy puke. Then, he keeps on running. Wow, really nothing will slow that kid down. All was well, and the rest of our lunch (and weekend) was puke-free.
After a good hour of play time, we walked a little south of the city to see Fort St. Peter (from 1701). I knew that it was atop a hill, which would hopefully mean some good views of the city. But, that also meant that we had to climb a steep hill to get there! Once we saw the fort, it was more climbing to get to the top. We were disappointed to learn that the fort was not open (maybe too early in the season?), but we still had lots of fun climbing, seeing the exterior, walking the path to pick flowers, and viewing Maastricht.
We worked our way back to the city center, passing over the small Jeker river that runs through town. It was about 2:30 p.m. now, and we planned on going to the hotel to check in. But, Ben finally fell asleep in his stroller, so we decided to keep moving. We wandered past the University of Maastricht and more of the second medieval city wall (gorgeous purple vine/flowers opposite the wall that caught my eye). We saw the Onze Lieve Vrouweplein, the square nearest our hotel. Very cute little square, tree-lined streets and lots of sidewalk cafes. Also in the square is the Holy Mother Basilica, dating back to the 11th century. We rested on a bench for a few minutes just taking in the sights and the people, but then followed our noses to a little Belgian waffle stand for a small snack. Yum!
Ben still sleeping, so we continued into the center of town to the Markt square. The square has recently been refurbished, and it was really clean and traffic-free! The Stadhuis (town hall) was completed in 1664 and was quite striking. We don't really know much about the statue below, except that when Ben saw it, he thought the fire was really cool. Speaking of Ben, he woke after about 30 minutes. I guess something is better than nothing, right? The Saturday market was lining one of the streets, and so we stopped for another small snack at the fish stand...no, not for herring, but for kibbeling - little pieces of fried fresh fish. So not good for you, but so good!
By now, we were ready to get off our feet and relax for a little bit. We checked into our "apartment" - we had a kitchen and lots of space to play with trains and cars. We unpacked and took it easy for about an hour. At 5 p.m., we ventured out for dinner. We walked by the Vrijthof square, the best-known square in the city. The main city theater, St. Servatius Basilica, St. John's Church, and the Military Guard House all line the square. Not too mention the cafes that were packed! So, we weaved our way through the streets back to the Markt square. On our way, we saw the Entre Deux, a recently rebuilt shopping center. It includes a bookstore inside a former Dominican church, which has been proclaimed as the world's most beautiful bookshop.
We found a yummy little spot in the Markt square with a view of the Stadhuis; and we all got what we wanted - Greg had lasagna, Ben had goulash soup, and I had a prosciutto/melon salad. The temperature really cooled off as we sat there, and as we were finishing our meal, it even started sprinkling just a little. We went to the grocery store on our way home for some breakfast items - and milk and cookies. :) Then it was back to the hotel for dessert and a good night's rest!
Sunday turned out to be wonderful and frustrating all at the same time - in so many ways. We had breakfast and checked out of the hotel around 9 a.m. We went to Vrijthof square to explore more than what we got to see last night. St. John's Church is a Gothic church from the 14th-15th century with a distinctive red tower. The Military Guard House was built in 1773, and the Vrijthof theater in 1809.
St. Servatius is actually the patron saint of Maastricht and was the first bishop of the city. The Basilica was founded in 560, and the church was rebuilt in 1039. The church's exterior was really fantastic, and since it was Sunday, we didn't get to look inside, unless we wanted to join Mass. I like the last picture in this section...the red tower of St. John's peeking through the St. Servatius towers.
We again walked to the Markt square. On the east side heading towards the river is the Mosae Forum, a new shopping center and civic building. Closed on Sunday, but it is very modern compared to the other buildings in the square. Also inside the parking garage is the largest exposition of miniature Citroen cars - didn't get to see that either. We walked along the river, north towards the area known as the Bassin. This is an old and completely restored inner harbor with restaurants and cafes. Greg and I didn't really see what all the fuss was about. Maybe it's a bit more exciting on a Saturday night versus a Sunday morning?
It was only mid-morning, so we decided to make one last stop on the west part of the city to see the Hoge Fronten (High Fronts) or Linie van Du Moulin (guess it has 2 names?) - remnants of 17th-18th century fortifications. We liked that Ben was able to enjoy some run time, picking flowers and climbing hills. But, we made it about 10-15 minutes into the "park", and it was gated off - closed? Well, Ben did not appreciate having to turn around, wish you could have seen a video of his tantrum. Poor guy.
By now, it was 11 a.m. and we thought it best to call it a successful weekend and be on our way. We still had a 2.5 hour train ride ahead of us. As we approached the Vrijthof square for one last picture, we noticed that Ben was surprisingly quiet - he had fallen asleep! I think he must have been feeling the effects of his short nap yesterday. So, change of plans. We found a little cafe in the Onze Lieve Vrouweplein square to sit and enjoy a coffee and adult chat. We so rarely get to do that! Ben was still sleeping around 12:45 p.m., but we thought it best to be on our way. Quick stop at the hotel to grab our bags, and then to the train station. On our way back, Greg took this great photo of the St. Servatius bridge, the Maas river, and the Maastricht skyline. We had a great weekend, what a fabulous city!
Our train left at 2 p.m., and this is where the real frustration of the day sets in. This train was supposed to take us to Amsterdam, without any need to switch trains. Well, at the Eindhoven stop (about an hour into our journey), all passengers were told to exit the train. Why?? We asked a train rep at the station, apparently there was an accident on the line and many trains were being re-routed. Ugh. Don't get me wrong, I was sorry to hear there had been an accident. She told us to catch the 3:30 train headed to Rotterdam. We were on that train for about 20 minutes when we arrived at the first stop. Not Rotterdam, but there was an announcement that if we needed to get to Amsterdam, we should get off. So, we did, and hopped on another train. Except, we headed back from where we came. ??? Ugh!! About 15 minutes later, we get off at 's Hertogenbosch (wherever that is). Waited a few minutes to catch what turned out to be our final train home - through Utrecht, which was our original path. Was the accident now cleared? Long story short, we arrived at Central Station at 5:30 p.m. (instead of 4:30). Ben was a real trooper through all the mayhem...in fact, I think he thought it was a blast riding so many different trains. Ah, to have a child's mindset sometimes. But, we made it home safe, and Greg and I laughed...we had to have a good story for the blog to wrap up the weekend, right? ;) 
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