Places around Maastricht: Grand Cafe d'Artagnan

Type of Place: Restaurant
Location: Graanmarkt 3 6211 HG Maastricht
Website

Named for the famed musketeer D’Artagnan, who actually was stationed and died in Maastricht, the Grand Cafe is a Dutch style restaurant near the Onze Lieve Vrouw plein. The De Hoge foot bridge over the river Maas is also quite nearby.

The building that the restaurant occupies was originally built in the 17th century along the grain market and it’s white facade was typical for that period. Inside, the restaurant has a attractive, dark wood appearance and features a large mural of what I presumed to be musketeers enjoying their meal. Weather permitting the restaurant’s location would make the terrace good for people watching.

The Grand Cafe serves a fairly typical mix of Dutch and French cuisine and features a complete wine list. When Dan and I ate there we found the food to be decent, but for the most part not particularly exciting. I had a salmon quiche which was tasty, but chunky with thick pieces of salmon. On the other hand, they do have excellent bitterballen with real bits of meat discernible inside and their house beer, Hertog Jan, is one of my preferred pilsners. The cost of the beer and appetizers is fairly average for Maastricht, which is to say a little pricey for my cheapskate wallet.

The Grand Cafe is open for lunch and dinner and has limited English-language menus available for those who do not wish to struggle with the Dutch menu. A special dinner menu is available for 27,75 and includes an appetizer, main course, and dessert.

Happy Christmas from Maastricht Minutiae

Happy Christmas from Maastricht Minutiae.

We’re spending our holiday with family in the US, but our thoughts are (somewhat) in Maastricht. I hope you all are having an excellent day.

Celebrate the holiday with some Free Music from indie Dutch musicians (via 24 Oranges).

Happy Christmas, Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings, and a Happy New Year. Maastricht Minutiae will be going on a semi-hiatus. We’ll be back full time half way through January.

Places Around Maastricht: Gelateria Luna Rossa

Type of Place: gelato take away
Location: Hoogbrugstraat 45, 6221 CP and Graanmarkt 4, 6211 HG Maastricht
No Website

They say that people in New England eat more ice cream during the winter months than they do during the summer. I don’t know if that is true for Dutch people, but it is now December and my favorite gelato shop is still open for business. Gelato is a type of Italian ice cream similar to American ice cream but softer and denser in flavor. It is usually served as a single flavor, but sometimes you can find gelato with fruit, nuts, or chocolate added. The scoops are smaller but because it is a denser dessert I usually find a single small scoop to be more than enough.

Gelateria Luna Rossa is one of the local gelato shops in Maastricht and it deserves any praise you may care to give it. During the summer it can be impossible just to get inside to order a cone or bowl; partially from the crowds and partly because people don’t queue very well. They have a huge selection of flavors including all kinds of fruit, vanilla, chocolates, and coffee flavors. In addition, they also serve gelato flavored like some classic Dutch desserts such as stroopwafels and speculaas cookies. Dan is very fond of the citrus flavors and I have been working my way through the different varieties of mocha and chocolate.

Recently, Luna opened up a second location near the Onze Lieve Vrouw basilica in a historical military building behind the cathedral. This location is fun to visit because of the strange dichotomy struck between the ancient stone walls and hot pink neon lights of the modern shop. The original store is near the Centre Ceramique on the new side of the river. Time will tell if both stores remain active. I imagine both will be serving tasty treats for a long time to come.

Flying to the United States with Gifts

Traveling to the US for the holidays from practically anywhere else in the world? Flying into the US can be a hassle; flying with gifts during the holiday season even more so. Here are a few tips for anyone transporting gifts into the US from the Netherlands:

1) Know your Limits. US regulation provides limited duty-free allowances for individuals flying into the country. Knowing how much you can bring in without paying extra just makes sense. US citizens and legal residents typically are allowed $800 worth of goods duty-free (with some restrictions) every 30 days from the Netherlands. International visitors (non-residents) may bring in $100 worth of goods as gifts. These limits are per person, so juggle your luggage to make the most of your allowances.
 
2) Create a Gift Log. When flying into the US you are required to fill out a customs form whether you are a resident or not. If you create a log before hand, filling out this paperwork will be no sweat. You will need to include the items and approximate value in US dollars.

3) Don’t Wrap Anything (Yet). The TSA reserves the right to search your luggage and will rip open any wrapped gifts if they decide to play Christmas morning early. Wrap when you reach your destination or skip paper all together and use easy to open fabric gift bags.

4) Select Travel-Safe Tulip Bulbs. US regulations are pretty strict regarding what plant matter can be brought into the US. You can get your own purchases approved by the USDA, but if you’re short of time or don’t need a particularly rare variety, you don’t need to. Instead look for a white sticker that says:

• “To the Plant Protection Service of the United States and Canada”
• The botanical name
• The date of issuance of the sticker

These are bulbs pre-approved to transport and can be most easily found at the airport or Amsterdam’s flower market. If I find a Maastricht dealer, I’ll let you know. I’ve heard many stories about bulbs being seized so its worth it to be careful.

5) Control your Booze Purchase. US regulations allow for 1 liter of alcohol per person to enter the country without paying duty. If you want to take advantage of this allowance, do not record the bottle as a gift since the allowance is for “personal use”. These days you cannot bring the liquid as a carry-on, so making your purchase in the airport before your flight will help you avoid a smashed bottle of gluhwijn all over your New Years suit. Naturally if you are under 21, don’t try to bring your own alcohol into the US. It can be seized even if you purchased it legally in the Netherlands.

6) Avoid Restricted Products. Like tulip bulbs, there are a number of restricted fruits, vegetables, meats, and raw milk products not allowed in the US. The Hague US Embassy has an excellent list of non-restricted and restricted foodstuffs. Fortunately sealed cheeses, chocolate, stroopwafels, and other such processed foods are fine. Some non-food items are also restricted and will be seized if you’re not careful.

For tobacco products, you can bring in one carton of cigarettes or cigars. Cuban cigars are still prohibited in the US.

7) Put on a Happy Face. This year everyone is still freaking out about Swine Flu, so if you look ill you’re more likely to be checked more closely. Stock up on cough drops and put on a brave face. And if you really do have Swine Flu, consider staying home. You don’t want others to get sick and from what I’ve heard you won’t want to be moving anyways.

Places Around Maastricht: Bridges over the Meuse

Maastricht may not be a canal city, but its history and identity has always been wrapped around the Meuse river that flow through middle the city and its tributaries. Centuries ago when Maastricht was founded there was only one way to get across the Meuse. Today there are 5 major bridges in Maastricht itself: three you’ll use as a pedestrian and two for vehicles only.

St. Servatiusburg (St. Servaasburg) is the oldest bridge in the Netherlands and a beautiful, understated structure in the center of Maastricht. Built in the 13th century, St. Servatius bridge was repair and updated several times over its history. Today only a single arch remains from the original structure; the rest of the bridge is reinforced concrete faced with stone except for the metal drawbridge added to accommodate water-traffic. Only pedestrians and bicycles are allowed on St. Servatius bridge, but it sees daily traffic due to its central location.

Just downstream on the western bank of the river you can see a metal post topped with a lion statue. This monument marks the location of the original 50 BC Roman bridge.

Wilhelminaburg was built in 1932 to accommodate increasing traffic in Maastricht which was threatening to damage the historical St. Servatius Bridge. Accessible by both foot and auto traffic, Wilhelminaburg crosses the Meuse right in front of the Gemeente and makes for excellent access to Markt square on one side and the Minerva Cinema on the other.

De Hoge Footbridge, built in 2003, is the newest bridge spanning the Meuse between the edge of the stadpark and the Centre Ceramique. The suspension bridge design was selected to prevent any new piles from being sunk into the river. Only accessible to pedestrians and cyclers (with steps and elevators at either end), the view from this bridge is wonderful.

JFK Bridge & Noorderburg flank the Maastricht city center on either side and splits the N2 highway coming from Belgium into the N590 and N278 for East/West traffic. For bikers, they also provide a less cobblestone-bumpy ride around the edges of the city.
 
 
This article was written for Maastrichtregion.com and can be read in the “To Live” section.

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