3.11.10: First half-day in Maastricht

First half-day in Maastricht

This is the Vrijthof Square, the biggest and liveliest square in Maastricht. It is one of the most famous squares in Holland. It is a three-minute walk from our hotel, Kruisherenhotel Maastricht. The churches -- Church St-Jan and Basilic St Servatius are called “Heaven and Hell by the locals" and are separated by a small road, called "Het Vagevuur" (Dutch for purgatory), built in the 11th through the 14th century. In the nave of St.-Jan (Saint John), on the left with the tower, are buried the most important families of the town in previous centuries. Both churches were erected by marlstones, easy to get because stone hewers got them in the caves near Maastricht. 9:00 PM. Photo: JH.

Maastricht, the Netherlands. Very cold here and quite surprising after leaving the early Spring-like temperatures of New York.

Our flight left New York at about 10:30 pm on Tuesday night, arriving in Amsterdam late morning on Wednesday. By the time we arrived at our hotel in Maastricht it was close to three in the afternoon (9 am New York time) sleepless.

Despite the fact that I am never enthusiastic about the idea of traveling (leaving my dogs especially) I do look forward to this trip because the Fair is extraordinary, and the city of Maastricht gives the American traveler a most charming and alluring look at what we think of as European.

At JFK, 9:30 Tuesday night in the international departures terminal, an Emirates Airways crew arriving to depart.

Our plane bound for Schiphol airport in Amsterdam

This is our fourth trip here for The European Fine Arts Fair (TEFAF) as well as our fourth visit to the Kruisherenhotel. Travel-wise it’s a six and a half hour flight to Amsterdam and an additional 2 ¾ driveway (all highway) across the long, flat Dutch countryside to Maastricht.

As you approach the city from the west, you see for the first time, across the flat lands of the Netherlands the hills of Maastricht, which has the highest elevation in the country, a city of about 120,000.

Getting comfortable in the Business Elite cabin.

The selection of international newspapers in Business Class; Someone checking his blackberry; and reading his book (Wendy Burden's memoir, Dead End Gene Pool).

Dinner aboard KLM flight 644 bound for Amsterdam, served at 11 pm EST: chicken, mushrooms, potatoes and asparagus with chocolate mousse for dessert. Looks better than it tasted as "warmed over" is never the same as fresh.

Simple explanation for to why anyone would prefer First/Business Class when flying transocean.

Known as a city founded by the Romans, there nevertheless are Paleolithic remains found to the west of it that are between 8000 and 25000 years old. Five hundred years before the Romans, the Celts lived here also, in an area where the river was shallow enough to cross.

It was the Romans, however, who built a bridge crossing the river Meuse (Maas), a major European River which rises in France and flows through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea 925 kilometers or 575 miles later.

Kings and emperors have fought for its possession over the centuries. In the late 1600s, Louis XIV’s troops surrounded the city under the leadership of Captain-Lieutenant Charles de Batz de Castelmore, who is known to the world today as D’Artagnan of Alexandrae Dumas’ “Three Musketeers.” D’Artagnan was killed by a musket shot during a night attack on the city on June 25, 1673. Five days later Maastricht surrendered to the French and remained under occupation until 1678 when Dutch rule was restored.

The north Atlantic cloud cover and ocean.

On descent into Amsterdam's Schipol airport.

Safe and sound on the tarmac.

Watching our plane taxi from the gate.

Over the next century and a half its Maastricht see-sawed from Dutch to French again and then to the Dutch after the fall of Napoleon. In 1839 and the Treaty of London, Maastricht became Dutch again and has remained so ever since although it was one of the first cities to fall to the Nazis in May 1940 and was liberated by the Allies in September 1944.

The city escaped the ravages of the First and Second World Wars and so the oldest parts of the city (which includes pieces of the early Roman wall) remain intact.

Today it is a beautiful small city with a university founded in 1976. Because of its proximity to Belgium, Germany and France, it is a frequent destination for people wanting to get away to someplace quiet and accommodating for a weekend or a few days.

In the part of town where we stay, there are lots of students (on bicycles). There are a number of major corporations with offices in Maastricht. In 1992 the Maastricht Treaty was negotiated and signed here, leading to the creation of the European Union, and also every year this enormous and hugely prestigious European Fine Art Fair takes place.

The road to Maastricht from Amsterdam.

Last night, after settling in, we decided to go out to eat. Maastricht is said to have the largest number of restaurants per capita of any city in Europe. That’s a surprising fact since at mid-evening, mid-week, our district of the city – filled with shops and restaurants and hotels was very quiet.

We were directed to a couple of choices but each one looked very quiet from the street and so we decided on India House which we could see through the windows was very busy – a good sign. There was a bit of a wait, but it was worth it.

The India House restaurant, 10 pm.

Fresh flowers braving the chill night's air outside The India House restaurant.

The proprietors of The India House, Moshu and Segrid Salam. Segrid is a San Francisco native. She and Moshu have been operating their restaurant for fifteen years. We chose it last night because walking by, it was packed. And for good reason, it turned out.

After dinner, I asked our hostess who had a distinctly American accent, where she was from. San Francisco! She and her husband, who is Indian, opened this restaurant fifteen years ago. At the time, there were six Indian restaurants in Maastricht. Today there is India House, and it is, predictably, thriving.

After dinner it was a very chilly ten minute walk across the cobblestoned streets and brick sidewalks back to our hotel. We’d asked Segrid Salam, our hostess at India House, if it weren’t especially cold for this time of year. Yes, she replied, and it had been very snowy too. Like the East Coast of the US. By ten forty-five I was in bed asleep, thankfully – earliest I’ve gone to sleep in I don’t know how long. Hallelujah!

The very old (ancient?) cobblestoned street on our way to the square ... followed by views of the buildings surrounding Vrijthof Square (there is underground parking underneath the square).

The building seen from the alleyway (next to the Maastricht Centrum map) has the date "1700" on it.

Window shopping. The shop with hats is called La Passionara.

We passed several restaurants looking for one for dinner. Most were very quiet, or even empty at 8 pm on a Wednesday night.

On our way back to the hotel after dinner (about 10:15) the streets were very quiet -- and it was cold with a breeze, with the only signs of life seen through the lighted windows of people's apartments or businesses.