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Published: January 23rd 2010
Town Hall
c. 17th centurySo last night, I finally had my first experience with the Maastricht nightlife. Adnan & I headed to an Irish pub called The Shamrock on the Brusselsestraat which is considered a "student" bar. However, neither one of us realized that when we walked in, we'd probably be the oldest people in there. In the Netherlands, there isn't really a legal drinking age (although you have to be 16 to buy beer). That being said, EVERYONE in there was either a teenager or in their very early twenties. It was very uncomfortable because we felt like the old creepy people that are trying to relive our "glory days" by hitting up a youngin' bar. Oh well. The place was really nice, & it caters to Americans & Brits so English was spoken everywhere. The main Dutch beer that was served there is Grolsch, a pilsner. It's pretty good, & reminds me of Miller Light. haha. Also, to prove that the pub was just like an American bar, "Sweet Caroline" was on the radio & people were singing it throughout the bar. I really felt like I was at Alibi's on a Thursday... but with high school kids. hahaha. It was worth it
Johannes Petrus Mincelers
The eternal flame of Maastricht. for the experience. Apparently it's exam week right now for people that are in Block 3 at the University, so that's why there weren't other people out. That makes sense.
Today I woke up & went looking for the Selexyz Dominicanen Bookstore. It's a former Dominican cathedral that was built in the 13th century but was turned into a bookstore by a large Dutch bookstore chain, Selexyz, in 2006. Apparently in 1794, post-Revolutionary French forces used the church first for religious purposes, but then for storage, & throughout the past 2 centuries it's been used for various purposes other than for church services. One of the most interesting is that up until the 1990s, it was even used for Carnaval partying purposes! There are literally books EVERYWHERE, including an English section & a French/Spanish/German section, so there were actually options for me since I can't read Dutch. It's a really cool building; the architects built a 2nd floor out of metal, so it's a very cool contrast between ancient & modern architecture. In it is also a coffee bar called "Coffeelovers." It's the major Maastricht-based coffee chain, & it's delicious to boot. Coffeelovers > Starbucks. Barnes & Noble should
consider ditching Starbucks & including Coffeelovers instead! haha.
As I was walking around, I also took some photos of some random things in the area, including the Town Hall, St. Mathiaskerk, & a statute of Johannes Petrus Minckelers.
The Town Hall stands in the middle of the market square right by where I live. It was built in the 17th century. Apparently, one of the most unique things about it is that there are two staircases & two different entrances into the building because at one point, Maastricht had two separate governments with 2 separate leaders (who didn't like each other). That being said, they DEMANDED that they wouldn't enter the building through the same entrance, hence the multiple staircases and multiple doors.
St. Mathiaskerk is a large church on Boschstraat. It was built in the 14th century, & its construction was financed by cloth merchants.
On the market square stands a statute of Johannes Petrus Minckelers, a prominent historical citizen of Maastricht. He was one of the inventors of illuminating gas in the 18th century, thus his statute incorporates the eternal flame of Maastricht.
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Sam Fee
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Being Old is a Matter of Perspective
Hey Jess - I'm very happy to see you rocking the travel blog. Thanks for the posts! Although I have to say that I found the idea of your being in the older demographic very funny...