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.