An Ionian seaside town, Avola is a mix of old and new. The town focuses heavily on the sea, with its history as a tuna fishing port. Today, the remains of the Vecchia Tonnara at the wharf are a stone backdrop to the sandy beaches. Avola dates back to a pre-Greek people called the Sicani.…
Located about 11 kilometres north of Catania, it is the perfect little commune to visit during the ottobrata – the local festivity that occurs every October here in Sicily, celebrating the fruits of the land: frutti di terra. The first encounter went wrong already 🙂 Approaching the booth with fruit, I have noticed quince – one…
If something is worth visiting in life, it is the Aeolian islands. Becasue it makes you think about winter in the south. It makes you think about simplicity of life. And it makes you realise how not to treat the tourists: just some bags of potatoes that need to be shipped from one island to…
I haven’t had a chance to spent a bit more time discovering this city. But just a glimpse and it made me think to re-visit and make it’s due. When the time will come, I promise to update with more photos. But for now, enjoy the story 🙂 Several civilizations settled in Milazzo and left…
I didn’t expect much from this harbour city, to be honest. I knew they have a great beer – Messina cristali di sale: a great Sicilian beer brewed since 1923 and one of the most loved Italian beers. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy.…
Senlis is a city in the northern French department of Oise, Hautes de France. Cute, medieval and charming. It offered us great peek into history: The monarchs of the early French dynasties lived in Senlis, attracted by the proximity of the Chantilly forest. Senlis is situated on the river Nonette. Senlis was known in early Roman imperial times as Augustomagus. During the 3rd century, a seven-meter…
The Château de Chantilly is one of the finest jewels in the crown of France’s cultural heritage. It is the work of a man with an extraordinary destiny: Henri d’Orléans, Duke of Aumale, son of the last King of France, Louis-Philippe. This historic French château located in the town of Chantilly, Oise, about 50 kilometres north of Paris. The site…
The Scala dei Turchi is a rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte, near Porto Empedocle. It has become a tourist attraction, partly due to its mention series of detective stories about Commissario Montalbano. The cliffs lie between two sandy beaches and are a limestone rock formation in the shape of a staircase, hence the name. The latter part…
Picture this episode: we parked on a roundabout. Some local approached us (my brother and me) – we thought because we should have not park in a roundabout, but then again they all did, so… in fact the guy just wanted to ask if we have cigarettes. Ok Sicily, episode n. At the roundabout is…
Enna or as the Sicilians would say Castrugiuvanni; is a city located roughly at the center of Sicily, towering above the surrounding countryside. It has earned the nicknames belvedere (panoramic viewpoint) and ombelico (“navel”) of Sicily. At 931m above sea level, Enna is the highest Italian provincial capital. To arrive there is not a piece of cake. Passing the two viaducts Morello and…
From its dramatic natural surroundings to its historic churches, Sicily has something to offer every traveler. The island of Sicily is a unique part of Italy. Its craggy mountains, wild vegetation, and omnipresent sea have fired the imagination of poets, wayfarers, and visitors alike. Though it is one of 20 Italian regions, its history under…
Aci Castello and the other Acis around are destinations not to be missed in Sicily, especially for lovers of Greek myths and literature. It is here that the poets Virgil and Ovid gave birth to the myth of Galatea and Aci and their love story. In the second half of 1100 the town was destroyed…
Upon my arrival to this small city in the southeast of Netherlands, located on both sides of the Meuse river, I could have not notice so many bikes parked along the the […]
Upon my arrival to this small city in the southeast of Netherlands, located on both sides of the Meuse river, I could have not notice so many bikes parked along the the train station building. 🙂 Afer all, it is a Dutch city!
There is some debate as to whether Maastricht is the oldest city in the Netherlands. However, Maastricht has become known, by way of the Maastricht Treaty, as the birthplace of the European Union, European citizenship, and the single European currency, the euro.
Typicall Dutch!
The city’s name has meaning ‘crossing at the Meuse.’ The place started as the Celts then Roman settlement, continuing as part of the heartland of the Carolingian Empire along with Aachen and the area around Liège, Belgium.
Around 570, the first stone church was built on the grave of Servatius, the present-day Basilica of Saint Servatius – an armenian missionary, today patron of Maastricht.
River MeuseBridge St Barvis
The Basilica of Saint Servatius is a gothic church with a severe religious significance of the city. The most depicting is south portal’s late Romanesque sculptures for the early development of Gothic sculpture in France.
St John’s church (left) and St Servaas church (right)
As the day was grey with not many people in the streets, I got lower vibes of the city. But I was recognizing the beauty of the facades here and there… Streets can tell the story by itself, if you manage to read them prperly and give a time to observe them…
Jews’ street
Virgin Mary in the facade of some wealth house
One of the attractions is the the old mill, which was built in the 17th century by Franciscan, and now used for making bread. The oven is part of the facility. As you can see on the photo below, everything is made of wood and well preserved.
The mill dating from 17th century
Second visit in 2021
Visiting the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg was a pure joy. The Christmas mood just started to appear, sun was shining through the chilly air.
Maastricht is adjacent to the border with Belgium. It is part of the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion. As so it is a big commerce center and shopping place.
The visit continued in Vrijthof – the historical city center. The main square Grote Markt where the City Hall is placed had the Saturday market.
I couldn’t not notice the Zwarte Piete (eng. Plack Pete) – the character that has been increasingly controversial since the early 2010s and decreasingly prevalent at municipal holiday celebrations in the years that have followed. In Belgium is prohibited, so I was happy to see it here. History is a construction and I am afraid of it sometimes, especially when it is used in political purposes. There is natural nonsense and nonsense ex officio.
Let it be written here: The earliest known illustration of the character comes from an 1850 book by Amsterdam schoolteacher Jin which he was depicted as a black Moor from Spain. My beloved Croatia has the small jewelry as its proud. Let’s keep it a secret before it becomes woke.
With its nice neighborhoods with charming streets, historic buildings and squares, chic boutiques and yet plenty of trendy hotspots and culinary delights, Maastricht exudes something un-Dutch that you won’t find anywhere else.
What is travel without food and beverage produced by locals? Especially when seated somewhere in Maastricht’s city centre. The place is compact but very complete: you’ll find small bars and amazing restaurants. This is the perfect moment to remind myself and wonder why Dutch eat sandwiches for lunch and is such a normal (and most popular) item on their menu.
Wandering around the Grote Maarkt, one can not miss the statue of Jan Pieter Minckelers (18 – 19th century) – a Dutch academic and inventor of coal gasification and illuminating gas.
One more item to mention there is the Maastricht City Hall (Stadhuis van Maastricht). The building was designed in the 17th century in the style of Dutch classicism.
The Basilica of Our Lady is a Romanesque church dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption and is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Diocese of Roermond. The church is often referred to as the Star of the Sea after the church’s main devotion, Our Lady, Star of the Sea.
As a university city, Maastricht has a remarkable number of international students, who make the city vibrant. Together with its own hospitable population, they show you that Maastricht is so much more than just that Burgundian city in the south.
Besides meeting crazy students on the way, I have spotted numerous religious items on the city facades.
The day of the visit was St Martin’s day – a patron of the wine, wine producers and necessitous. So, I honoured the guy visiting his church. Little pilgrimage is never of a harm.
To the very end, the river Meuse and the Hoge Brug (eng. bridge).
I blog quite often and I truly thank you for your information. The article has really peaked my interest.
I will book mark your blog and keep checking for new
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Nice Artile
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Cool! Thank you for sharing!
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Lovely! I’m on the hunt for other places to explore besides Amsterdam on my next trip to the Netherlands. Thank you for sharing your journey with us!
Best,
Rebecca
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Excellent article.. Thank you for sharing
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It’s not somewhere I would have thought of visiting.. All I knew about Masstricht was a treaty!
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Ah, the Netherlands! It’s on my short list for travel in 2018! I love the colors, and how bike friendly the city is!
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Great ! nice share
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You have the knack of bringing out the details about the place you visit.
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Looks like lovely place to visit.
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I really should head down South again.
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i love reading travelogue …lovely place and write up…all the pictures look amazing!!!
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nice place to visit
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i like all the photos and i will love to visit this place
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I nearly always copy and paste rather than share. I’m afraid to push any Facebook button. Where appropriate, I thank the original poster in my post as in ‘Thanks for this John Prince’. I also copy and past the URL from the address bar a lot of the time.
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Netherlands, one of my favorite places to visit. Love the pictures which you have included!
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Nice thing you shared(Y)
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I blog quite often and I truly thank you for your information. The article has really peaked my interest.
I will book mark your blog and keep checking for new
information about once a week. I opted in for your RSS feed
too.
LikeLike
It’s hard to come by educated people in this particular topic, however, you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
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