Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Look at the dots on this map. Lower dot—Namur, were our cruise began. Middle dot—Huy, interim mooring where the group that visited the chateau and drank beer reboarded. Top dot—today’s mooring. (Click to enlarge.)
On Monday evening, we had left our mooring point in Huy before dinner. When you’re traveling through locks, we were told, the lock appointments have to be made a year in advance. If you miss your appointment, there’s no telling how long you’ll have to wait until you can get through—it could be hours. So all our departure times were imperative.
Maastricht, located in the province of Limburg, is the oldest city in the Netherlands, claiming uninterrupted habitation since Roman times. It has 1677 national heritage sites! It’s the birthplace of the European Union and the Euro. And it’s filled with places to spend those Euros! Maastricht is in the southeastern-most area of the Netherlands, strategically placed between Belgium and Germany. The prices in Maastricht are lower than in the two adjoining countries, so there is much tourism into Maastricht just for shopping trips. The shopping looked fabulous, but I demurred.
Building laws in Maastricht dictate that new projects must stay within the envelope of existing buildings. There are several photos in my gallery (below) of the ancient facades surrounding modern buildings. I loved this look—the new and old melded together.
What I loved the most was the modern bookstore built inside the former Dominican church. More pictures of the bookstore interior. The store had to be constructed in such a way that if the Dominicans wanted their church back at any point, the bookstore structures could be removed without any damage to the ancient structure. This required the construction of a free-standing structure to house the bookshelves. I wished I had had more time to explore the bookstore, where I found and bought the perfect journal in which to keep notes of my genealogical research. I’ll put Selexyz Dominicanen on my must-see list for my next visit to Maastricht.
Near the Basilica of Saint Servatius is a statue of Hendrik van Veldeke, a 12th century writer who was the first author to write in Dutch. More about the statue.
One other site I loved was the red limestone tower of Sint-Janskerk (Saint John’s Church). The red was so rich. One can climb the 218 narrow, winding steps to the belfry’s windy viewing platform at the top of the 230-ft. tower. The guide mentioned how narrow the steps were. No one in our party chose to make that treacherous climb!
We walked back to the ship for lunch, then had the afternoon to either walk back into the city and explore further, or just relax on the boat. We relaxed! At 5:45, the crew cast off for our next port, Antwerp.
Maastricht Photo Gallery
