Hotel les Charmes Maastricht

... I put warm cherries on top!"
"Excellent, I thought I might have missed out,it's getting late."
"Ah, I know you coming!" he said cheerily
I got two scoops of Cherries (as it was the end of the night) and a plastic fork that was wholly unfit for the task so after several muinutes the citzens of Maastricht got to witness me consuming a cherry laden waffle by hand - messily, fortunately my friend the waffle man had also given me a napkin ...

... at 23 euros (I can't keep this up forever) but it was for a good cause. I stowed my bike and headed up to the room. My new roommate was a girl who was doing an Intership in Eindhoven but here for an exam tomorrow. We chatted briefly but I was making a beeline for the shower and she left while I was in there.
I got ready and was out of the door by 530 armed with an intent to remodel my luggage solutions and perhaps grab some food (I still hadn't tried anything Dutch).

... Whilst I had very little time there, I really enjoyed the atmosphere and found myself desperately wanting to return to explore this little alley or that little shop, or this other part of the city one day - either that or wishing that my own Danish prince would walk round the corner and suggest I stay to be shown the city in more detail! ;) Every now and then you find a city where you feel instantly comfortable, and where you would be only too happy to stay longer, perhaps even not ...

During our stay in Spa we had the most scary, horrible, unpleasant experience ever in a restaurant.

The restaurant to avoid is "Le Bouchon Gourmand", the owner does not hesitate to insult customers, lock them into the restaurant if there is a dispute on the bill, and claim more money than is due.

See more on www.bouchon-gourmand.blogspot.com

Dutch frat boys may possibly constitute the most hilarious subculture I've ever witnessed. Dressed in their tight Euro club garb (designer jeans, double popped polo shirts or tight button-ups with the top open), these defenders of the lost art of nepotism, old money and douchebaggery have arguably more in common with their American counterparts than their other non-frat ...

... eating so much fatty foods...I don't know how they stay so skinnny! The weather here has been fairly decent...a couple rainy days, a couple chilly days...but nothing comparable to good ol' SD. The nightlife here is constantly keeping us busy...and I have a feeling it is going to be difficult for me to come back to the states as a minor again :) This issue though is something I think my parents might be favorable for :) I ...

... on to Maastricht. It's doesn't take long - probably less than half an hour. We park near the old city center but are told by a kind local that we are parking in a taxi zone and will be towed. Gary takes off to park elsewhere while we go sit on a bench in the center, soaking up the sights and sounds. We wander around the old city center a bit, watching a marching band, visiting ...

We had a day of driving....from Geneva, we drove north via France, Luxemberg and Belgium. So in one day, we were in 5 countries! And without once having to show our passports. We had hoped to see the sun but no such luck. We had a low of about 8 degrees in Geneva and by the time we arrived in Holland at 8pm, it was 10 degrees and raining. It's hard to play tourist in this unusually cold and rainy summer. We stayed for 2 days anyway since Maastricht, being a ...

... it must be said that after riding over 50km in the day it was not a comfortable finish to proceedings, our numb bums not appreciating leaving the smooth bitumen roads for the cobbled streets of Maastricht’s centre.

We rested on our sore rear-ends for the evening at an Indonesian restaurant. Another of the drawbacks I’ve found about living in Europe is the lack of good South-East Asian food but ...

... je moest het maar iets nodig hebben en het thuis hebben laten liggen.

Maar zo, ik vertrek! Ik ga genieten van mijn jaar in het buitenland, aan het strand, tussen de palmbomen, de blauwe zee. Zoals ik het opnoem lijkt het wel een droomvakantie. Maar vergeet niet: de nieuwe taal, nieuwe mensen, nieuwe gewoonten, nieuwe omgeving, ... Hier lijkt het een avontuur dat ik absoluut niet wil vergeten.

Later meer.

Groetjes Stefanie