Magical Maastricht

The Maastricht Christmas Market

Maastricht is all dressed up for the Holiday Season. Garlands of greenery and lights festoon the streets. The Vrijthof has been transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with an ice skating rink. The little white Weinachtsmarkt houses that are set up in the square are selling unusual items from around the world.

There are carnival rides for the kids, too. A brightly lit Ferris wheel competes with the surrounding ancient buildings for attention. 

I convinced Jim to go for a ride on that huge Ferris wheel. The view from the top was so wonderful! From up there the cafes that line the western side of the Vrijthof look like a miniature rainbow row. 

Skating under the gaze of the Sint-Jan and Sint-Servaas churches.

Ralph & Co.

The skating rink below the two magnificent churches on the Vrijthof is a popular place. We met our neighbor Ralph and his 3 sons at the skating rink. These are Dutch kids, and they can skate! 

Everyone seems to be having a good time at the Christmas Market. Around the square and in nearby streets there are beautiful little food stands decorated with hand-painted designs. They're selling all kinds of fast food: potato fritters, pannekoeken (crepe-like pancakes), poffertjes (small, fluffy pancakes made with yeast and buckwheat flour), frites (served with mayo), bratwurst, bitterballen (deep fried breadcrumb coated balls with gooey mystery meat/spice mix inside), champignons (mushrooms), belgian waffles with whipped cream, plus lots of stands selling a variety of deep fried doughnut treats called oliebollen, some custard-filled. All very tempting, but heartburn-inducing foods for Jim and me, so we stayed away...

But we did indulge in the Magical Maastricht glühwein…because we wanted the souvenir cup, of course!