Perhaps the sexiest train station in the world...oh, Maastricht and Tongeren too

---

Bonjour et Hallo,

As some of you know, I can be a bit of a masochist at times. I guess I should put that in context first. I try to see as much as I possibly can when I’m travelling and I am beginning to run out of time in Belgium so I woke up very early (the day after visiting Vimy Ridge) and joined by room mates Cris and Mirjam for a trip to Maastricht and Tongeren.

We slept on the train most of the way to Liege, where we would have to transfer trains. We had a bout 20 minutes at the station, which was great for me because the station was designed by my favourite architect Santiago Calatrava. It is a flowing structure; bright surfaces, glass and very welcoming. I was in paradise wandering around in it and I’m hoping my pictures are able to give the stations some justice.

We arrived in Maastricht, where Mirjam used to live and she ran off to her former residence and Cris and I started wandering. We crossed the Maas River and headed to the Markt which, not surprisingly, had a little market set up inside it. The Dutch don’t like to do snacks, such as fried or chocolate, like the Belgians do. They seem to prefer fish. Fried or raw, it doesn’t seem to matter to them. I chose the fried fish for my snack, but the people after me chose raw pickled herring with diced onions on top. Hungry yet?

We continued through the town, but it began to rain, which was not pleasant and why my photos of the city do not show off how pretty it is. We continued down to Vrijthof and went into the brooding Basilica before looking at the blood red tower of St. Janskerk. Cris and I then got a little lost, wandering through some of the university area, past a pretty canal and then stumbling across the Helpoort, which was the oldest intact gate along the city walls. It has stood there since 1229. We then walked along the waterfront, who am I kidding, with the amount of rain coming down everything was a waterfront by this point in time, so I could see the Aldo Rossi designed Bonnefanten Museum. It looks a bit like an old rocket ship or a little version of London’s gherkin. We then continued through the city centre and I finally managed to track down some postcards after lamenting incessantly to Cris that there were no tourist shops in town.

We met up with Mirjam on the train and we took it to Liege where we had to transfer for Tongeren. This was fine with me because it gave me more time to ogle the train station. I think I might be in love.

We arrived in Tongeren and walked towards the old town. It is reputed to be the oldest inhabited town in Belgium with sites dating back to before the Romans were in the area. A tribe under the leadership of Ambriorix lived in the area and briefly kept the Romans at bay before the inevitable happened. The Romans then settled the area and it was a trading centre for several hundred years. There is a lot of evidence on their influence in the region in the Gallo-Roman Museum which contained many statues, carvings, coins, pottery and even glass bottles from the Roman period. The Cathedral in town is quite beautiful as well. In fact, I think it is right up there with the Cathedral in Antwerp. The inside is Gothic and light and airy. It is dedicated to Mary, and there is a large shrine to her inside. There was a festival in town a month before we arrived that was dedicated to her, and there were still posters and banners everywhere from the celebrations. We wandered around for a while before catching the train back to Brussels, via Liege one more time so I could marvel at Calatrava’s genius once more. On the way back, we went through Leuven, which is where the Stella Artois brewery and InBev’s Belgium headquarters are located. I was in heaven for a brief moment.

Despite the weather on the day, the trip to Maastricht and Tongeren was great fun, especially with Cris and Mirjam along for the ride.

Bye for now,
Peter

Things I learned in Maastricht and Tongeren:
-The Dutch women are gorgeous and I have come to the conclusion that am working in the wrong country!
-Gallic chieftains, much like Poles, have excellent moustaches.
-In my infatuation with Liege Guillemins, I may have accidentally proposed marriage. In hindsight, it wasn’t the smartest decision I’ve ever made. I’m planning on skipping town before the wedding so please don’t reveal my whereabouts if a large train station asks you where I am.

---

Comments

[Katrina]

Hahahaha Peter! I can't imagine you marrying anyone/thing taller than you!

[Teija]

LOL
I'm amused that your European fling was with a train station and not a sexy foreign woman.... haha!

[Theo van Veenendaal]

your blog about Holland
Dear Kristoffer and Peter, I have read your travelblog about your visit to Holland and it was very interesting! I am Dutch myself and for my Geography Masterthesis I am doing research among tourist bloggers from abroad. Your blog caught my eye because you visited some less famous places in Holland, like Maastricht. It is so interesting to find out why a part of the tourists in Holland visit those less famous places next to the highlights like Amsterdam and its surroundings. That's why I am wondering if I could ask you some questions about your visit, to complement the info in your blog. It won't be a long survey, but more of a short interview-type conversation about your experience and opinion. You would help me a lot and I am also very curious to know about what you think about Holland and the reasons why you choose to visit it. I really hope to hear from you. The interview will be used in a completely anonymous and confidential way. Kind regards, Theo van Veenendaal [e-mail]