Freedom!!!!

May 27, 2017

Freedom!!!!

I am not what I used to be...

The first week sans kids I wasn't sure what to do with myself. At home I have have at least Hendryx everyday so to be childfree is kind of mind boggling. I adapted quickly and filled my days with a mix of sightseeing, pampering, and lots and lots of walking. I think I walked a marathon a day (just barely keeping up with the copious amounts of french fries and beer I was consuming). Also important to note pedestrians are the odd man out as bikes are the dominant mode of transport and everyone must yield to them.

Section of the old city wall and buildings

Many buildings seem to claim bragging rights on the outside of their walls (Anno 1775)

I found this building so fascinating. There was a huge hole in the building and so instead of patching it with bricks the architect fixed it with plexiglass so you could see in. I looked up the Latin phrase at the bottom and it translates as: "I am not what I use to be." I thought this was extremely fitting for our time here in Maastricht.

Part of the old city wall

Helport or Hell's Gate- the oldest gate in the Netherlands dating back to 1229. It was one of the entrances into the Medieval Maastricht

Roman Ruins. Maastricht is thought to be one of the oldest (if not the) towns in the Netherlands. While doing rennovatins, Hotel Derlon found Roman ruins in the basement. There is a well, old foundations, and many artifacts to look at here

The Living Room was another really cute coffee shop

Of my favorite finds (which any google search will bring up) was the most gorgeous book store ever, Boekhandle Dominicanen, down in the city center. It is 13th century church that has been lovingly converted to a worship space of book lovers. I went there multiple times during my stay because of it beauty, but also because the coffee shop is one of the only places I found that served chai tea lattes.

My new favorite coffee shop

It's elevated book buying for sure

Marlies, the school director went out of her way and made introductions for me to the other moms who had kids in the international school. I was extended the lovely invite to meet with the "walking" and "cooking" groups associated with the school. We met on a rainy day at a small cafe nearby the school. I actually wasn't sure if they would still have it since it was an outside hike, but based on how Dutch people view rainey weather (don't give a f), I figured I would show up to see what happens. Sure enough people started showing up and the group grew to about ten people. After a bit of chatting we headed out via car (my first on our trip) to Belgium- about 20 minutes away.

In the car we discussed home buying and I was surprised to hear that many Dutch people cross the border to buy homes in Belgium because its cheaper. I honestly didn't know you could buy a home in another country as a foreigner, but if you live in the European Union you can live anywhere within its boundaries (thus why Brexit has really screwed over certain groups of people who have been living abroad for years.)

Trump came up again and again and there was a palpable sense of relief when I said he was #notmypresident. There was a good political discussion and I am amazed at how educated the average European citizen is on world politics. Sadly, it wasn't until recently that I knew the names of more than our President and VP. Forget knowing any leader outside our country.

We arrived at our outing- a "barefoot" walk. I wasn't exactly sure what this entailed but just followed the group. We paid just 4 euros about $4 and we're told to go to the lockers and take off our shoes. We then headed to the trail head beating about four groups a visiting school children.

The trail was awesome! You would walk on wood chips one moment and sea shells the next. You would also be challenged with various obstacles including log steps, rope bridges and mud pits. The rain only enhanced the experience because it awakened the different smells of the forest. At the end we walked up the most wonderful little waterfall soothing our feet from the walk.

After the walk we cleaned up and headed to the lunch potluck. Because the moms (and dad) are part of an international school, the food was amazing. It was really interesting learning about their lives and how they had come to live abroad. It seemed for most that is was a lifestyle and most could speak multiple languages having lived aboroad in different countries.

Another big adventure I had was per a recommendation I had from a Dutch classmate of Pearce's. She told be about a Chateau nearby that had a spa I should try. And so I did. It was an easy train ride away, until I realized I didn't get on the "stop train" and so went past my stop. A two mile walk later I arrived at the property and stopped at a beautiful coffee shop. Although they didn't know what a tea latte was, the barista was eager to make me happy so he steamed the milk and then we put an earl very tea bag in it. It wasn't half bad. I headed over to the main part of the Chateau and checked myself into the spa. I was given a bathrobe and slippers and then headed to get changed into my swim suit. There was an indoor pool themed out in Roman details. It also had both a dry and wet sauna. After some major relaxing I headed to my spa treatment and had one of the best massages I ever had! I really felt guilty this day that Pearce was in school and I was relaxing. Still, totally worth it!