Maastricht is a town on a small handle of land that sticks down between Germany and Belgium. If you travel 20 kilometers east you are in Germany if you travel to the western city limits you are in Belgium and if you travel 20 kilometers south you are also in Belgium.
We had stopped near Maastricht on our third visit to Europe way back before Covid. We did not go into town, but had bookmarked it for a future trip. A quick bus ride from the campground deposited us on the riverfront in the center of town. The Maas River (in Belgium and France it is called the Meuse River) cuts thru the center of the city.
Most of the town is located on the west bank of the river which is where we were headed. It is an old town that dates back to the Celts around 500 BC. The Romans had a small town here. It became a major city in the middle ages and was a prosperous river trading city.
Today the town is a shopping destination for all three countries in the area. So we weren’t that surprised to find a bustling town. The weather was almost perfect with clear skies and temperatures in the low 70’s.
We started at the market and as usual enjoyed window shopping (or is it table shopping when there are no windows), but the market blocked all of the pretty photos, so after a while we moved on.
Maastricht was on the “border” between Catholic Europe and Protestant Europe during the reformation. As a result as you approach the main church in town it looks like one gigantic church. When you get closer you notice there is a small road splitting the building. It turns out there are two churches side by side, one with an interesting red tower is Protestant, and the larger one is Catholic.
Ton and I are both big fans of libraries and bookstores and today we found our most memorable one. The Dominican Church Book Store is in a repurposed 13th century church. It is spectacular, and we were both thrilled when we entered it.
We spent quite a while walking thru and exploring all of the corners of the store. We both thought that this was a wonderful use of a deconsecrated church.
The place was full of other people who were just as impressed and awed as we were. We could have spent the whole day there but I was getting hungry so we reluctantly left to find some local food. Finding places like this in small cities is one of the reasons I love traveling like we do.
On the way to lunch we saw the entrance for a church that did not look that special from the outside. We were glad we entered though as the magic of this church was on the inside. The Onze-Lieve Vrouwebasilik was much larger on the inside than it looked from the street. Not only did you get to visit the main church but you are allowed to visit the nice garden in the living area for the nuns who used to be here. It was another unexpected surprise delivered to us today.
We set out to find lunch and specifically a dish called Zuurvlees a stew that traditionally was made from horse meat but today is done in beef. The stew has a tangy sour taste and is quite dark. It is usually served with fried potatoes that you dip into the stew. We found a place serving it and ordered one for the two of us. It was delicious and just the right size for us to share.
After lunch we strolled around for a while people watching, and despite it being a Wednesday the people were out in force. As I said the sunshine and warm temperatures seemed to have everyone’s spirits up so it was a jolly crowd walking around town. After a while we crossed the Maas and walked to our bus stop for a trip back to François.
