Finishing touches...

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I managed to sleep until 1:00 PM today (& that includes me hitting the snooze button about 5 times before finally dragging myself out of bed). This jetlag business is NOT my friend.

Despite my late start, I actually was able to accomplish some things today. First, I went back to the grocery store. I'm becoming quite the pro grocery shopper. (Please read that with sarcasm). However, HOPEFULLY I managed to buy proper milk this time (instead of that disgusting buttermilk crap that I bought the last time!) I also got some other things that I needed, & it wasn't a TOTAL disaster, anyway. I also managed to ask for trashbags at the cash register. I tried doing it in Dutch, but the cashier just stared at me so I just asked her again in English, & she laughed & told me where to go to get them. Phew. At least that's one thing taken care of.

I also managed to find HEMA in order to buy some pillows & clothes hangers. Don't get me wrong, the small IKEA pillow that they provided me obviously has been doing its job (considering I sleep for 12+ hours a night!), but I need at least 3 pillows to be comfortable. I found a pack of two pillows for 18 euro (I have no idea if that's expensive or not because I literally have no concept of money here, it's quite horrible, actually).

I wasn't feeling adventurous for lunch, so I went to the Subway that I found yesterday. Slight problem - just because it's Subway doesn't meant that anything is in English! UGH. I figured I couldn't go wrong with a meatball sub because the word was the same, but let's just say that it does NOT taste the same as in the US. It was weird. Long story short -- I just need to be willing to try new foods, & for those of you that know me well enough, that's going to be SO HARD because I revolve my life around a few staple items. Guess I'll have to find a Dutch equivalent to those staples. It's probably going to be a hit & miss process, but I don't see any way around that.

I walked around the Vrijthof square this afternoon which is only a few blocks from the Heilige Geest. On the edge of the Vrijthof Square is St. Servaas. St. Servaas is a Catholic church that was built on top of the tomb of St. Servatius, the patron saint of Maastricht, in the 11th Century. His holy day is celebrated on May 13.

I also attempted to make my way back to the law school to see how long it takes to get there from my apartment. It's about a 7 minute walk, so that's definitely not bad. Once I get a bike, I'm sure it will be even quicker than that. I definitely can't complain about the location of my apartment, that's for sure.

Since I have most of the things taken care of that I needed to get done, I suppose the next few days I'll sequester myself in order to work on my independent study research project. (YUCK!) That being said, I can't guarantee any exciting posts or pictures for the next few days. 😊

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Photos

Heilige Geest
This alleyway is the Heilige Geest, right off of the market square in the city centre of Maastricht.

My apartment building.
This is my apartment building on the Heilige Geest.

Vrijthof Square
This building shows the Dutch flag & coat of arms of the monarch of the Netherlands (currently Queen Beatrix) which reads "Je maintendrai" ("I will maintain").

Vrijthof Square
This is the most famous square in Maastricht.

Vrijthof Square
Some funny statutes on the Vrijthof.

St. Servaas
This Catholic Church is built on top of the tomb of the patron saint of Maastricht.

St. Servaas
The Church was rebuilt in the 11th Century.