And now - for the events of August 16. Many of us students headed to Maastricht in the Netherlands for the day. Maastricht has a rich history and many historical monuments, and you can get a sense of just how old this city is just by walking down the cobblestone streets and admiring the medieval architecture. These days, it's a major shopping destination - all of the streets in the city center were dedicated to fancy stores of all types. Many Germans come here just to shop. But we aren't German, nor were we there to shop - we had some exploring to do, and just a half day to do it before it was time to head back to Cologne.
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| We made it! |
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| Oops, we didn't get the Maastricht sign the first time. That calls for a redo |
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| You didn't have to look far from the train station for some neat sights |
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| Lots of students from our language school came along |
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| Crossing the old bridge into town |
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| Can't go to a European town without a visit to a church. This is St. Martin's Church |
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| Part of this limestone bridge, St. Servatius Bridge, was built in the 13th century, making it the oldest bridge in the Netherlands |
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| On St. Servatius, heading to the city center |
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| Waffles seemed to be an essential part of the local fare |
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| Town Hall, which was built in the 17th century in the Dutch Baroque style |
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| Our favorite sight: a bookstore called Selexyz in a retrofitted Dominican church dating from the 13th century |
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| The ceiling frescoes date from the 14th century |
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| Dinghuis, a medieval town hall and courthouse that boasts an early Renaissance facade |
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| This goat seemed to be enjoying life on the outskirts of the city |
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| Some of the town's medieval walls are still around, and seem to have gotten some cosmetic improvements |
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| French fries were invented in Belgium, but the Dutch love making them too. They're served piping hot with mayo, curry ketchup, or other sauces |
So went our time in Maastricht! On the way back, the train stopped in Aachen, Germany for just 50 minutes. Some of us knew the Aachen cathedral was a 15 minute walk away from the train staiton, so we made a quick trip over to the old part of the city to check it out. It's one of the most famous cathedrals in Germany and was first constructed in 796 by Charlemagne.
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| Time constraints kept us from getting photos from the most impressive angle |
We were unable to go inside, unfortunately, but it's ok - as I've mentioned countless times before, Cologne has an awesome cathedral of its own for us to admire.
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| Check out the people for scale |
That's it for now! Lots more to come soon.