Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Maastricht Favorites: Sheep!


Of all the wonderful things we experienced while living in Maastricht, seeing a flock of sheep trotting up a street in the city center was the most amazing! Two shepherds and their energetic, very efficient Border Collies brought traffic to a halt on November 6th, 2013 as they herded their flock of sheep up a riverside street and across the Sint Servaas Bridge to the other side of the Maas. I was in the right place at the right time to see this rare event. Twice a year the sheep, who are used as natural lawn mowers in several parks around the city, are moved from one side of the river to the other. 






Monday, December 30, 2013

Mont St. Michel and the Musée de la Mytiliculture

Mont Saint Michel
One day our watercolor workshop instructor Doris led us on an expedition to Normandy, to visit the Island of Mont Saint Michel. On the way we stopped at the Musée de la Mytiliculture (Museum of Mussel Farming) that explained how Normandy's famous moules bouchots are raised.


Mytili grown on a bouchot





Moules bouchots are mussels grown on wooden piles (bouchots) that are driven into the seabed. The upper part of the bouchot is wound about with rope and netting that's seeded with mussel gametes that will develop into full grown mussels. The developing mussels are underwater at high tide, but exposed to air and sun when the tide recedes, giving them a distinctive flavor. The orange-fleshed moules bouchots grown in the Bay of Mont Saint Michel in Normandy are prized for their superior flavor and are the most sought after moules in France.





Monsieur Moule and me
Everything you need to know about mytili, illustrated



The Musée de la Mytiliculture had a large upstairs space devoted to the life cycle of mytili (mussels), and the bouchot farming method. There was a smiling moule statue on the stair landing, beckoning visitors to the exhibition above. A series of amusing illustrations captioned in French and English did a good job of explaining how mussels are grown and harvested using the bouchot method. 











There were lot of photos of the process, and a bouchot with netted mussels wound around it. Some of us posed with a curious figure made of driftwood and netting that was decorated with seaweed and shells. This museum had a lot of "extras" that made it particularly delightful…




including the signs that directed visitors to the restrooms:

One evening we sampled some of these delicious moules bouchots at a great restaurant in Cancale, a picturesque fishing village on the Bay of Mont Saint Michel.

Moules at restaurant A Contre Courant (Against the Current) in Cancale



MONT SAINT MICHEL

Mont Saint Michel's distinctive form is visible for many miles around. It's a walled fortress town, built on a rocky tidal island. A solid causeway road connecting the island with the mainland was built in 1879, disrupting the flow of seawater around the Mont. Since then the part of the bay surrounding the island has silted up, leaving sand flats instead of water. To prevent further silt buildup the solid causeway is being replaced by a curving bridge. A new hydraulic dam built near the mouth of the nearby River Couesnon captures river and tide water and releases it in great flushing actions that are working to release the Mont from the silt and mud. Thanks to these improvements, it's expected that within ten years Mont Saint Michel will again be surrounded by water at high tide.



Le Grand Rue, Mont Saint Michel



The Mont has attracted religious pilgrims since the 6th century, when hermit monks settled on the island. Today the "pilgrims" are tourists who come from all over the world to visit this remarkable place. The tourist-pilgrims jam the lower part of Le Grand Rue, a funny name for the narrow, souvenir shop infested pedestrian street that winds its way up the center of the island. The crowds thin out as you climb higher and higher up the series of steps that take you to the Abbey church that crowns Mont Saint Michel.
View of the surrounding sand flats from the Abbey ramparts











Construction of the present romanesque Abbey was started in 1023. The long steep climb up stone steps to visit the Abbey is worth the effort! Views from the upper ramparts are heavenly. It's easy to see why Benedictine monks and pilgrims felt closer to God in this beautiful place.




Abbey cloister garden
We joined a 1.5 hour guided tour of the Abbey that went by in a flash. The English speaking guide gave us a crash course in the history of the Abbey and this remarkable island. Our tour started at the church at the top of the Mont. We visited the peaceful cloister garden next to the church, and the Abbey refectory (dining hall). Descending ancient stone steps we came to the middle level of the Abbey complex. We passed through huge rooms with vaulted ceilings that were supported by massive stone columns. 


The scriptorium




The middle level held guest chambers for visiting nobility, and a scriptorium where monks would copy and illuminate religious texts by hand in pre-printing press days. The scriptorium is a beautiful space with lots of windows and multiple fireplaces. The vaulted ceiling's supporting columns are decorated with floral motifs carved from stone. I thought this was the most beautiful room in the Abbey.




Off a hallway in one of the lower levels of the Abbey we saw a giant "human hamster wheel" made of wood. It had been used to power a winch that hauled supplies up the wall of the fortress on a giant sledge. From 1793 to 1863 Mont Saint Michel was used as a prison (the French revolution started the trend, imprisoning "political offenders" in the Abbey). During the Abbey's time as a prison, teams of 6 prisoners labored two abreast to power the wheel.









North wall of the 3-storey Merveille

At the end of the tour we exited via an exterior staircase that took us to a grassy terrace at the base of the 3-storey Abbey. Looking up I could pick out the windows for each of the levels that we'd explored. The ancient building has been called La Merveille (the Marvel) by generations of pilgrims. Count me as one more pilgrim who has marveled at this architectural wonder that's perched on top of Normandy's island of Mont Saint Michel.

















Friday, December 27, 2013

Saint Suliac and La Doyenne du Village

Stone houses overlooking the Rance River in Saint Suliac, France
For the last week in September I traveled to Saint Suliac, France to join a friend from my art school days who was giving a watercolor workshop there. Her name is Doris Rice (www.dorisrice.com), and she lives in New Hampshire, near the shore, where she paints beautiful watercolors and teaches watercolor classes. There were eight of us along on the workshop, and we really enjoyed our week working and touring together.


Saint Suliac is a fishing port in Brittany (Bretagne in French), France's easternmost province. It's considered to be one of France's most beautiful villages, with its pretty stone cottages and picturesque views of the Rance River. It seems like every house in this ancient town has a different pattern of lace in its windows. The front of some homes are draped in fishnet, a unique decoration! Shutters and doors are painted in bright colors, and there are flowers everywhere.



Boucherie/Charcuterie Vival





















The weather was beautiful while we were there- gloriously sunny and warm. There were lots of great scenes to paint in Saint Suliac. 

La Doyenne du Village, Saint Suliac




One day when we were painting we met La Doyenne du Village (the oldest woman in the village), who lived in a very pretty house next door to where we had set up our easels. She was interested to see what we were doing and came out to speak to us. We learned that this lovely lady is 98 years old- surprising, because she looked so much younger! Life is good in Saint Suliac. We asked if we can come to her 100th birthday party, and she said of course :-) So we'll have to return in July 2015 for that very special event.











Our sunny terrace
We ate most of our meals in the two houses we were renting. On a few occasions we ate in village cafes, and the food was as good as any you'd find in the finest city restaurants. Morning coffee was always on the terrace. The view from our terrace was incredible! Below, the River Rance was filled with sailboats. There's a sailing school for kids close to where we stayed and we'd see its students being towed out for lessons under their colorful sails.

Sailing school on the Rance River



One afternoon we were invited for pre-dinner drinks at the home of very nice french couple who have retired to Saint Suliac. They had generously allowed some of our group to set up easels in front of their ancient stone house, where there was a great view of the cute red boucherie across the street. They came out to chat, and offered the invitation. We entered their walled jardin through a wooden gate behind the house. The bell tower of the village's 13th century church was visible above the jardin wall, and rang out the hour as we sampled a local specialty- Calvados (a hard apple cider), and a delicious bitter orange liqueur made by our host and hostess. A very pleasant way to end a day of painting in the village.





I was in very talented company during my week in Brittany. The other seasoned watercolorists in the group were churning out beautiful paintings every day- intimidating! I learned that plein air painting is not easy for me; I was so slow, I never completed any of the paintings that I started in the village! With the help of photos I hope to finish them later on. 


One of many unfinished paintings!




Heading home through the village
after a long day of painting














Despite my difficulties with plein air painting, I enjoyed the week in Saint Suliac with this genial group. Doris is a great teacher, and she taught me a new approach to watercolor painting. We did some touring together, too, which was really fun. This watercolor workshop week was a wonderful way to get to know this beautiful little corner of Brittany.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Bruges, Belgium: The Chocolate Line

Waiting to order in chocolatier Dominique Persoone's Chocolate Line shop in Bruges
Markt Square at the center of old Bruges
Bruges, Belgium has the reputation of being "a perfectly preserved medieval town." Its streets and canals are home to a beautiful assortment of handsome old brick and stone buildings. Everything does indeed look to be well-preserved. While many of the town's older buildings date from the 16th to 18th centuries (a bit later than the medieval period) the truth is, some of Bruges' ancient looking buildings were built between the 1850s and the 1930s. No wonder they look so "perfectly preserved!"



17th century buildings on the Groenerei Canal
Even knowing that much of Bruges' architecture is neo-medieval or neo-gothic does not prevent me from loving this charming town. Its historic center is picture perfect. I visited Bruges twice in the past few months, and was just as charmed by its quaintness the second time around. Newer buildings blend beautifully with the ancient brick structures next door, and the beauty of these architectural gems is often reflected in the water of a canal, giving the viewer a double dose of lovely.




There are some unique souvenirs to be found here. Handmade lace is a specialty of Bruges. This Flemish town has been a famous lace-making center for hundreds of years, and it is home to a school that has taught the art of making lace by hand since the 1700s. Visitors can visit the school- the Kantcentre (Lace center)- to see lacemakers using tiny wooden bobbins to weave their intricate designs. There are many lace shops in the town selling lace souvenirs, but only a few sell the pricey "real thing," handmade in Bruges. 




Godiva Chocolatier in Bruges


My favorite "handmade in Bruges" souvenir is edible: Belgian pralines, the most delicious chocolates imaginable! In the USA pralines are a different type of candy, made from nuts and sugar syrup. Belgian pralines are filled, chocolate coated confections. In the USA you can buy pricey Godiva pralines, which are very good (Godiva originated in Brussels). But the pralines that are handmade in Bruges are so much better! 






Soleil, with passionfruit
fondant filling (my favorite!)
Bruges has more than 50 chocolatiers, so choosing where to buy the "best" pralines is a challenge. On my first trip to Bruges I bought samples of pralines from a number of different special chocolate shops that I'd read about on the internet. All of them made their pralines on the premises. I could buy as few candies as I wished, choosing from an amazing variety of fillings. A shop called The Chocolate Line was well-named. It was small place with a line of customers that went out of the store and into Simon Stevinplein, the square it borders. The people in line didn't seem to be tourists. They knew exactly what they wanted, making rapid fire selections from the stacks of exotically named pralines in the store's glass cases: Bollywood, Piaf, Lac d'Amour, Soleil


The Chocolate Line's praline kitchen

Waiting in line was fun, because we could watch the chocolatiers creating pralines in the kitchen at the back of the shop. There was no doubt that these chocolates were freshly made! I chose 5 pralines, stealing ideas from the frenchman ahead of me who seemed to know what he was doing. These were excellent choices, each one indescribably delicious! I bought excellent pralines from other chocolatiers in Bruges, too. In my opinion, The Chocolate Line's confections were the absolute best.


Dominique Persoone's praline ballotins proclaim that "Chocolate is Rock 'n Roll!"

At the end of my second visit to Bruges I returned to The Chocolate Line's queue. I was on a mission to bring back ballotins of the best pralines Belgium has to offer to some special people back in the USA. I'd made a list of the chocolates I preferred (on my previous visit I picked up a product brochure with descriptions in English). It was amazing how fast a young girl was able to fill my order, carefully placing each selection in the purple-lined ballotins

These precious chocolate treasure boxes are going to make some of the folks back home very happy!




Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Maastricht Dressed for the Holidays

Onze Lieve Vrouwe Basilica's sweet little Kerststal
The first week in December a curious little wooden shed appeared in front of the shrine of Onze Lieve Vrouwe. It was all closed up, with no sign explaining its purpose. At first we thought it might be a Kerstmarkt stall that had wandered away from the Vrijthof in search of customers. These cute little houses have popped up in various areas of the city, selling a variety of Christmas foods and gifts. But one day the Onze Lieve Vrouweplein shed opened its doors, and inside was a lovely little Nativity scene decorated with evergreen and pink, purple and white stars.

This was the church's Kerststal, reminding us of the true meaning of Christmas.






The commercial side of Christmas is alive and well in this city, too, of course. Maastricht is a shopping Mecca, and the city dresses up to welcome visitors during the holiday season. Streets are decorated with green garlands and lights. I loved walking home from the centrum after the shops were closed and all the crowds were gone. The walk down the cobblestone Wolfstraat was very pleasant under those sparkling Holiday lights.

Our street, Sint Pieterstraat, had lighted garlands strung between the buildings. The view out our apartment windows was framed by the festive lights, which stayed on all night. I miss seeing those lights.  

Sint Pieterstraat holiday garlands, by day and by night.
The Dutch Christmas season started in November with the arrival of Sinterklaas and his trusty sidekick, Zwarte Piet. Our neighbor Ralph explained that Sinterklaas and Santa Claus are two different guys. One comes from Spain and the other comes from the North Pole. The lucky Dutch kids have two generous white-bearded men delivering gifts to them in December!

Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet travel by steamboat from Spain to arrive in the Netherlands (no sleigh for these guys). They make an appearance in every Dutch city, accompanied by much fanfare. Unfortunately, we were not in the Netherlands on the day that Sinterklaas arrived by boat in Maastricht. But we ran into him and Zwarte Piet in the Albert Heijn grocery store, in foiled chocolate form. 
Jim's birthday is December 5th, which also happens to be Sinterklaas' eve. On that night Dutch children leave their shoes out near the fireplace, along with a bowl of water and a carrot for Sinterklaas' white horse, Amerigo (which he rides across the rooftops). In the morning they find gifts in the shoes, and often the first letter of their name, made of chocolate. Our friends Ria & Thieu showed up on December 5th to celebrate Jim's birthday, sharing cherry vlaai and wine with us. They brought Jim a chocolate letter (an S for Sinterklaas, because there weren't any Js left).





After December 5th Sinterklass and Zwarte Piet go back to Spain and Santa Claus takes over. In the Netherlands Santa comes down the chimney, just like here in Pennsylvania. But in some European places he lands in the street, not on the roof. We know this because we saw little Santas climbing rope ladders on houses (like this one in Monschau, Germany).

I want one of these!!












I hope that Jim and Kit get up soon, so we can open the presents. There's one that I know Jim will love: a little Maastricht Helpoort refrigerator magnet. He certainly doesn't need another refrigerator magnet (his current collection could cover 3 refrigerators). But I couldn't resist this little beauty.





 Happy Holidays!




Monday, December 23, 2013

Thorn: the White Village of Limburg Province

One of Thorn's cobblestone streets

Jim and Thieu strolling in the White Village
On our last day in the Netherlands our Dutch friend Thieu took us to Limburg Province's famous White Village, Thorn. The village was founded in the 10th century as Thorn Abbey. The Abbey served as a convent school for unmarried daughters of rich nobility (this type of establishment was called a stift). The women did not take vows, and they lived in luxury…until 1797. That's when the French invaded the country and declared that the Abbey was state property. The wealthy siftdames fled, and Thorn Abbey was demolished. The beautiful Abbey Church is all that remains of the stift.


Thorn's Sint-Michaëlskerk, formerly the Thorn Abbey Church
Thorn Abbey had been the major employer in the area, so the rest of the town fell into poverty after its demise. The impoverished inhabitants of Thorn moved into the large houses that had been abandoned by the stiftdames and their servants. A funny sign at the edge of town explains that after the French introduced a window tax, residents bricked up many of the windows in the big houses to escape paying the extra taxes. To cover the "construction scars" the townspeople whitewashed the brick houses. As a result, Thorn became known as het witte stadje (the white village). 

Thieu pointed out a pair of goat figurines in a store window in Thorn, and explained that Thorn is famous for another reason, too. It's the home of two world famous amateur wind orchestras, The Koninklijke Harmoni and the Harmoni St. Michael. The orchestras are known locally as the bokken (he-goats) and the geiten (she-goats). In 1993 Thorn's geiten won first prize at the World Music Contest, which is held every 4 years in Kerkrade, another Limburg town. The bokken won in 1997.


In Thorn, the bokken and geiten are like clans. Just about every family in town belongs to one side or the other, and membership is hereditary. Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s when the musical "clans" were new, competition between the two was fierce. Bokken and geiten didn't dare intermarry! But these days the rivalry has softened, and the two orchestras have joined to run the town's music school. To prevent the old rivalries from resurfacing, they never compete in the same competition on the same day. And every Ascension Day, in May, they play a joint concert together.


Grand Café ‘t Stift






Thorn was pretty deserted on the day that we visited. We walked around enjoying the quaint cobblestone streets until the biting cold got to us. An inviting cafe that we passed, the Grand Café ‘t Stift, advertised Lindeboom beer, a brand that Jim hadn't tasted yet. We stopped in to warm up and drink a glass of this Limburg brew in the gezellig tavern. Lekker. 








We left Thorn and drove back to Maastricht via Maaseik, a Belgian city known for being the hometown of the 15th century painters Jan and Hubert Van Eyck. A statue in Maaseik's handsome Maartplatz square commemorates the famous brothers. 

In Maastricht Thieu's wife Ria joined us for a farewell dinner at our favorite restaurant, Cafe Rilette. A very nice way to end our last day in Maastricht.

A gezellig farewell dinner at Cafe Rilette


Sunday, December 22, 2013

Heusden: a North Brabant Gem

Windmill and houses near Heusden's tiny harbor.



On the day that I visited Den Bosch I also spent a few hours in Heusden, a charming old North Brabant town. Since 1968 the inhabitants have been working to restore Heusden to its 16th century fortress form. In the tourist office there's a remarkable scale model of the town, complete with 3 tiny windmills. 

Heusden scale model in the VVV (tourist office)







The approach to Heusden is beautiful. We crossed green marshlands teeming with birds. Entering the town we walked on top of high grassy mounds that are part of the old fortifications, passing two windmills. It's hard to imagine that this peaceful little town was at one time in constant danger of attack.





From the ground it appears that Heusden is surrounded by a green walking path, with rectangular mini-parks that jut out into the water (the Maas was diverted centuries ago to create the huge moat that encircles the town). The grassy, pointed parks are reconstructions of the 16th century ravelins built to protect the town.

Heusden Fortress from the air, showing its pointed earthwork ravelins
My friend had dropped me off to explore the town while she was busy shuttling her kids to after-school activities. Having no map, I got lost a few times.




At one point I entered a narrow alley that had a street name. It led to a maze of brick walled walkways that wind their way around the enclosed back gardens of homes facing the street. An old pair of wooden klompen decorated the wall in one back yard.




Heusden harbor's tiny white drawbridge
One of the prettiest spots in Heusden is its tiny harbor, which is entered via an old wooden drawbridge. In 1908 the original harbor was filled in. Fortunately, it was restored to its original form in the 60s. This has got to be one of the world's cutest harbors! I left Heusden just before sunset, when the sky behind the little drawbridge was turning pink.  A beautiful North Brabant sight to remember.