Got Melk?

Just a few of the milk products we found at the Albert Heijn Supermarket in Maastricht

Going to the supermarket here in Maastricht is always an adventure. We can't read any of the labels, so we spend a lot of time standing in front of shelves, guessing what the packages/bottles contain. Even buying milk is a trial! The world melk is usually on the label, or a picture of a cow, which helps. But beyond that, all is confusion. There are SO MANY different kinds of milk and cream- it's obvious that the Dutch love their dairy products! Some of the bottles and cartons are displayed on non-refrigerated shelves. Other cartons and bottles are in refrigerated cases. ??? The first time we shopped together we bought a variety of the mysterious milk products to try them out. That's how I discovered that koffieroom is what works best for me to lighten my coffee, while Jim prefers halvamel. We're not sure what's in either of these, but they work.

It's a 15 minute walk to the nearest supermarket so it's important to limit the number of heavy items we buy on each trip, like milk, juice, water, beer, and Orangina. And we must try to remember to bring along our plastic shopping bags, or we'll have to buy new ones to take the groceries home in (shopping bags aren't free here, like in the USA). We often forget, so we've bought about 10 supermarket bags so far! Another different thing we've encountered in the Dutch supermarket is a plastic shopping basket on wheels that can be pulled through the aisles. This is what I need back home. Back home I always load up my supermarket carry basket with too much stuff (I HATE to push those big carts) and the basket becomes way too heavy. Our little American supermarket carry baskets need wheels :)

Jim pulling a handy wheeled basket

American Cemetery Margraten & the Sint Pietersberg Caves

The American Cemetery at Margraten

Yesterday morning we visited the American Cemetery at Margraten with Jim’s students. It’s the only American cemetery in the Netherlands, and it’s close to Maastricht. More than 8,000 American soldiers who lost their lives during World War II are buried there.

Margraten is a beautiful place, very peaceful. The cemetery’s Superintendent, Keith Stadler, was our guide. He began the tour in the map room, where three huge maps illustrated the Allied military operations in Europe during World War II. Using the maps, Keith gave us a very clear description of the events that followed the Normandy Invasion. He took us to a nearby wall that held stone tablets with the names of WWII American soldiers who were missing in action, 1,722 names. We walked into the rows of white crosses and stars of David to hear Keith speak about a few of the individuals buried there. It was a very moving experience. Later Keith told us that local Dutch people have “adopted” every one of the graves and show their appreciation for the fallen American soldiers by caring for their burial places. He said that families “pass down” the responsibility of caring for the adopted graves from one generation to the next...so wonderful.

Our guide,  Keith Stadler

Later in the afternoon we traveled by boat up the Maas to see the Sint Pietersberg caves. The caves are actually tunnels  cut through the mountain to quarry limestone that was used to build many of the buildings in Maastricht. We learned that during World War II there was a plan in place to shelter the entire population of Maastricht in the tunnels if the city had to be evacuated. They built a chapel in one of the tunnels, too. The evacuation never needed to be implemented. There was lots of ancient graffiti carved into the walls (Napoleon’s signature is there) and some interesting artwork that was created using charcoal. At one point our guide took away the lanterns that some of the students were carrying to light the way, and we were told to walk in the complete darkness, feeling our way along the wall in a low curved tunnel to where she said she’d be waiting with the lanterns. It seemed to take an eternity to reach the light again. It was a good tour, but we were all glad to emerge into daylight when it was over!

Touring the Sint Pietersberg tunnels

Bisschopsmolen, The Helpoort, Old City Walls

 For lunch today we went for soup at the nearby Bisschopsmolen (Bishop’s Mill) Bakery. The bakery restaurant is in the same building as the old mill- the oldest working watermill in the Netherlands. The first mention of this mill on the Jeker was in the 11th century! It gets its name from the Bishop of Liege, its owner in 1099.

All the bakery’s breads and pastries are made with Kollenberger Spelt flour, ground at the mill. This is an ancient species of wheat that Julius Caesar introduced into the Netherlands. I had passed the bakery’s tempting window many times and stopped in yesterday to buy something for dessert. My choice was Limburgse Abrikozenvlaan (Limburg Apricot pie), and it was delicious! Today’s yellow squash soup was delicious, too, served with spelt bread. On the way out we took a look at the working gears of the  ancient mill, which are powered by the big old waterwheel on the other side of the wall. 

Bisschopsmolen in the Jekerkwartier

After lunch we took a walk and explored the Maastricht Helpoort, the oldest city gate in the Netherlands (13th century). The gate’s towers are stone, with a small red wooden structure that overhangs the gate’s entrance. This was used to pour boiling oil and other goodies down on the enemy. Inside one of the gate towers we climbed steep stone spiral steps to a small exhibition room that had diagrams and models of the city’s original Roman and Medieval fortifications. A portion of the ancient wall (built in the 1200s) still remains in a narrow street off of Sint Pieterstraat. We've passed that old wall often on our walks, and now know a little more about its history.

Behind the Helpoort was a set of steps that took us up to the top of the city wall. We strolled on the wall for a few hundred feet and took in some great views of the river and the city. 

The Maastricht Helpoort, and strolling on top of the Old City Wall

Maastricht

Maastricht is named for the Maas river (also called the Meuse) that flows through the city.

Two weeks ago I traveled across the Atlantic from Pennsylvania to the Netherlands to join my husband, Jim, in the city of Maastricht. He arrived in mid-August with 29 students from Muhlenberg College. They're studying at Maastricht University for one semester. Jim teaches one of their courses (on economic thought and history) and Maastricht professors teach the students' other three courses.

The building where Jim teaches.

Jim's office and classroom are in a beautiful old building that's just a ten minute walk from our Sint Pieterstraat apartment. Sint Pieterstraat is in the Jekerkwartier, a very old neighborhood near the city center. Our neighborhood gets its name from the Jeker, a stream that meanders its way through this part of the city and into the Maas. Much of the University is located in the Jekerkwartier, and the city's lovely municipal park borders the neighborhood. We've been exploring the area around our apartment and walking the paths that border and cross the Jeker. Some of those paths are narrow pedestrian alleys paved with cobblestones, and some are smoothly paved walking/bicycle paths in the park. We don't have a car in Maastricht, so we've done a lot of walking here!

The Jeker flows past part of the old city wall.