This weekend, my program went on a little 2-day excursion to Maastricht. On the way down to this southern city, we stopped at Thorn, a cute little white-washed town. It was sweet, but not a place you absolutely need to see. On the trip, I ended up spending more times in caves than in Maastricht itself. In Maastricht, you can take a boat tour on the Meuse river to the St. Pietersberg caves, which aren’t caves at all but underground limestone quarries dug out by monks way back when in the 13th century. The boat tour isn’t very exciting, but the surprisingly huge caves were, with miles of wide corridors branching out from even wider passages and ceilings a hundred feet up. Our guide led us through with hissing gas lanterns, and within five minutes I was completely lost. The light from the lanterns didn’t extend far, and all the corridor openings looked shadowy and spooky as we passed. Interestingly, the caves have been a tourist attraction for hundreds of year, and so there were charcoal drawings and graffiti dating from 1570 on the walls. During World War II, the caves were used as a hiding place, and a chapel was built underground to accommodate the inhabitants. It was a pretty amazing if chilly experience, and I recommend seeing the caves if you’re stopping in Maastricht.
The city itself was cute and packed with tourists during the day. I didn’t get a chance to see any of the tourist sites in the city, but just walking around was pleasant, and there was good shopping and cafes. At night, though, it turned into a bit of a ghost town. There were bars open, but very few people out for a Saturday night. The bar I went to was also perplexingly dry – apparently it was their ‘practice’ opening night, and so there was virtually no alcohol present. The bartenders danced behind their alcohol-free bar, so at least there was entertainment.
On the way back from Maastricht, we stopped at the American War Cemetery in Margraten, which is startlingly beautiful. One doesn’t think of cemeteries as pretty, and I’m used to the old decrepit cemeteries in Massachusetts with dark crumbling headstones. Those places make you feel the history and grief, while the American War Cemetery featured immaculate green grass and bright white crosses laid out in curving lines were lovely and honored the fallen in a graceful, almost hopeful way. It’s a place I recommend seeing, if only for the strange experience of viewing a beautiful cemetery.
Next on our itinerary was Valkenburg, a pretty old city with nice cafes and the ruin of a castle. It’s another nice place to spend a day, although sadly I spent most of my time underground again. Don’t go to the coal mine museum/experience until you absolutely love mining. The tunnels were dark and dirty and our crazy tour guide kept turning on machines unexpectedly and laughing while we jumped in statement, the sound echoed around us. Also, mining is a boring subject. People living in caves? Interesting. Machines used to efficiently extract coal back in 1950? Not so interesting. Go visit the castle instead.
Our last stop was Drielandenpunt in Vaals, where Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands meet. This was incredibly confusing and anticlimactic, because the point where the three countries meet was not apparent. Any visions of having one foot in Germany and the other in Belgium were dashed. But there was ice cream, and the highest point in the Netherlands, which is a little statue.
Overall, it was great to see another part of the Netherlands. People in Maastricht wear helmets! Who knew?