We took a BEAUTIFUL day trip to Maastricht, Netherlands yesterday. It was an hour and a half by car and so worth it. We went to the Rüttenscheid market in the morning - Saturdays are the only times to go shopping since everything is closed on Sundays in Essen - and then headed West to stroll around for the late afternoon / early evening.
You have to park a kilometer outside the old town because the city is not car friendly, which is wonderfully refreshing as a pedestrian. We toured the old city wall, squares and wandered in and out of a few pubs. The layering of different eras of architectural styles, topographies, building materials and cultures was profoundly beautiful. You feel like a little kid exploring, climbing, peeking around corners and into doorways that lead to mysterious alleys.
One of my habits when we go to new cities is taking pictures of the roof lines. They say so much about the melding together of many different identities. Check out the above picture: Awesome right?
We spent a good few hours with Francine and Peter - owners of Cafe Frape along the Meuse river. The bar was small, surrounded by dark, old wood and had a whole magical basement full of beers from around the area - including our favorite Gueuze Lambics from Belgium, but more on that another day.
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