Maastricht

By August 23rd, time was critical. We only had a few days left to see the many parts of the Netherlands we had up until then neglected. We knew we had to choose wisely, so we conducted an informal, yet highly scientific poll of our friends in the hotel bar. Where had they been, how did they like it and how much had they had to drink? This method led to the selection of Maastricht as our next destination. Maastricht is the oldest known city in the Netherlands, although, due to its history and location it shares more in common with Germany and Belgium than it does with the Netherlands. To enter into the city, we crossed a bridge built by the Romans in 1289 and then followed a path that led us past remnants of old city walls, towers and fortifications. We were on the way to the Bonnefanten Museum, a building which reminded me of a post-modern farm silo. The museum, whose collection has benefited greatly from the partial closure of the Rykesmuseum in Amsterdam, did its best to walk the line between old world and modern museum. More often than not, it succeeded. Yet, cool as it was, the best was yet to come. Next on the agenda was a boat trip to the St. Pietersberg Caves, an underground labyrinth of over 20,000 passageways. Despite the name, they are not actually caves, but the remnants of thousands of years of limestone excavations. The resulting passages were modified (by the addition of a bakery, chapel, clinic, etc.) for use as an evacuation shelter during WW II. They were never officially used, but the guide told us of a time when Americans were trying to bomb the bridges, but were consistently hitting the town instead. Thousands of people took it upon themselves to head into the caves for safety. Also safely ensconced in the caves were the majority of the Netherlands' masterpieces (including Rembrandt's Nightwatch). Additionally, the caves have served as "Maastricht's guest book". There is artwork and graffiti dating back to the 13th century . The higher up on the wall the graffiti is, the older it is (the farmers were digging downwards into their land). The guide pointed out that the increase of scrawlings throughout the centuries was not the result of ruder visitors, but of improved literacy.

Following the caves, we returned to the city and wandered around the city walls some more, taking in the scenery. By nightfall, it was decided that we should head back to Amsterdam and the hotel bar to see what other suggestions the barflies had for us.