MAASTRICHT PLAYS JECKYLL TO AMSTERDAM'S HYDE
Written: Apr 27 '00 (Updated Apr 29 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Charming shops and cafes, aesthetically beautiful, international flair, and tons of bikes.
Cons: I'm not there at the moment.
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| kifwebe's Full Review: Maastricht |
Most of us have heard at some point that Amsterdam, Holland has quite a reputation for debauchery in the form of legal drugs and prostitution. You've probably heard either fascinating or appalling stories about the city's famous red-light district, which is an overload of stimuli from all directions. Incidentally these stories are likely to be true since Amsterdam is full of history, culture, and beautiful canals and bridges as well as an ever-present element of crime. And while the red-light district is not a very good place to wander around when you find yourself either alone or incapacitated, Amsterdam has a way of tricking you into incapacitating yourself if you aren't careful. It's a city in which you can never let your guard down, and one which is likely to prey on you the moment you do. On the other hand, the aesthetics of the canal-rich city are almost unparalleled, and you can find a great deal of culture, art, and activity outside of the ubiquitous red-light district.
I know what you're thinking at this point - "Why all the talk about Amsterdam? I'm reading this review to find information about the town of Maastricht." Well, I'm getting to that, but it's important to establish a little bit of background on Amsterdam for 3 reasons:
1. You're far more likely to fly into or out of Amsterdam if you're planning a trip to Europe. If you're heading south to another destination, you might want to stop in Maastricht to poke around a bit. Or, you might be planning a trip to Amsterdam in the future, in which case you'll be able to use the information in this review for a possible day trip.
2. You may have a negative impression of Holland as a whole based on either stories you've heard or experiences you've had in other parts of the country (like Amsterdam). At some point I'll have to write another review explaining why Amsterdam is one of my favorite cities in the world, but for now I'll just present you with information on a city in Holland that will paint a slightly different overall picture of this wonderful country.
3. That leads me to the third important reason to mention Amsterdam. Maastricht is about as diametrically opposed to its northern cousin as two cities within one European country can be.
My first impression of Maastricht was positive, and it only went up from there. As I walked out of the train station I was blown away by the number of bicycles I saw parked outside. If you haven't been to Holland before, you may not know that bicycles are as widely used as autos, if not even more so. In fact, in large cities like Amsterdam, cyclists have their own set of roads (not lanes like some cities in the U.S. have - I'm talking roads of their own). The funny thing about the bikes is that in general they aren't at all fancy, and very few have brand names of any kind. So not only do you immediately get a sense that the Dutch are environmentally conscious and physically fit, they are unpretentious at the same time.
Maastricht is a city of about 125,000 people, which can be a welcome contrast to the 700,000 or so that live in Amsterdam. While it is small enough to negotiate on foot (or, hey - a bike!), it's large enough to have quite a few activities to offer. Believe it or not, my favorite thing to do in Maastricht was simply to walk around and take in the things that residents probably take for granted. For example, I was fascinated by the outdoor antique shops (something I wouldn't normally be drawn to), and the simple beauty of the homes, streets, and churches. Many of the city streets are cobblestone which gives the city amazing character, which is further enhanced by beautifully painted doors and shudders, window mounted flower boxes, and amazing food markets. And it was so clean! Even single pieces of trash were difficult to find, and when I did stumble upon one I felt compelled to pick it up and find a trash can. When I look back at my photographs of this city, I mostly find images of doorways, flowers, bicycles, and shops rather than historic landmarks or scenic landscapes.
When you get tired of walking around, you won't have any trouble finding an excellent café or bar to rest for a while. I stumbled on a bar situated in the basement of an older building on a somewhat isolated street. The walls were completely made up of red brick, culminating in arched ceilings. A huge fireplace took up a large portion of one of the rooms, which was trimmed with wood and lined with an amazing collection of beer steins. It had the coziest feel I could conjure up in my mind, so I spent quite a bit of time there sipping beer and content to be exactly where I was. If only I could transport that bar to San Francisco somehow, my life would be so much more relaxing. I found a number of great restaurants and bars in town, and found that it was pretty hard to go wrong.
Here's an interesting fact about Maastricht that caught me a bit off guard. I heard almost as much French being spoken there as I did Dutch. Because it is so close to both Belgium and Germany, there is quite a bit of cultural influence from both. If you know either French or German, it's likely you could get by in Maastricht speaking nothing else. Of course, just like in the rest of the country, most people there speak flawless English and you can probably function on that as well.
In addition to the commonplace (if you can call it that) sites you are likely to be fascinated with in Maastricht, you can also see a bit of history as well. There are still remains of Roman walls which once completely surrounded the city, and there are a number of parks nearby from which you can observe them. The Romanesque church of Notre Dame there was originally built in the twelfth century, and you can tour it unescorted free of charge. It's a bit dark inside, which was exactly opposite the sunny atmosphere I found outside.
Overall, Maastricht is a wonderful destination as a side trip or perhaps even as a several day excursion. To get there from Amsterdam, just hop on a train heading south, and 2 hours later you'll be there. The towns of Brussels (Belgium), Cologne, and Dusseldorf (Germany) are also within an hour by train. I found its international flair, aesthetic beauty, and charming, sunny atmosphere to be almost overwhelming. That's why I wrote this review! Hope you enjoyed it!
Recommended:
Yes
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kifwebe
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Location: :noitacoL
Reviews written: 29
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