What’s a Knooppunt?

What the heck is a knooppunt?

It’s a numbered node along the Dutch bike path network (although I suppose it could be any other sort of node). By following the numbered signs from node to node, you can explore many bike paths in the Netherlands without getting (too) lost.  We always bring a map along just in case.

Check out my most recent post over at Maastricht Region to learn a bit more about bike paths in Limburg.

Going Orange Extended: The World Cup Finals

Well we all know by now that Spain took the World Cup in overtime during yesterdays exciting finals game, so I won’t dwell too much. Both teams played well and the game was both intense and really violent. The World Cup has convinced me that (real) football is probably more dangerous than American football. In the end though, Spain really controlled the ball more than the Netherlands and managed to squeak their one goal in right at the end. I’m still disappointed, but I’m glad my adopted team made it to the finals.

And we had a lot of fun watching.

With the Andre Rieu concert on, we weren’t sure if the big stage on the Vrijthof would be turned over to the game at 8:30 pm and with the intense heat, we opted instead to go watch the game at John Mullins Irish Pub. They have good food and beer and while they aren’t off the beaten path, they are just far enough away to avoid the real crushing crowds. We biked down to the river early and walked across the bridge against the other foot traffic that was already filling the streets at 6 pm.

Inside John Mullins there were still plenty of tables and blessed air conditioning, which made finding an out of the way game location worth it. Dinner was tasty too and we ate and watched other people come in the pub in their orange gear. We’d wore our orange shirts, but I can’t imagine wearing the fuzzy “lion” hats that some people had in this heat.

With the extra TVs set up, watching the game was easy, although I ended up standing on my bar stool to see over the tall Dutch men. It was thrilling to be surrounded by people really into what was happening on the field. Even Dan got into the action, and he’s been pretty bored with the entire football experience.

Several beers (a few bum calls from the ref and the ultimate goal from the Spanish) later the game was over. The mood was a bit sober, but not heartbreaking. On our way home we could still hear people blowing horns and partying late. There’s always next time I guess. In the mean time, the cats get the beesies and I’ll get a little extra use out of my orange shirt this summer just for kicks.

Spain Wins the World Cup

I am disappointed.

That is all.

Places Around Maastricht: Blanche Dael

Type of Place: Coffee (tea and chocolate) Store
Location: Wolfstraat 28; 6211 GN Maastricht
Website

One of the oldest coffee grinders in the Maastricht region, Blanche Dael is a charming shop filled with a wide variety of coffee, tea, and packaged treats that make unique gifts for visitors and a delicious cup of coffee for locals as well.  From the outside, the old-fashions wood trim, huge roaster, and scent of fresh coffee beans will pull  you inside. Once there, you’ll find yourself surrounded by a variety of interesting treats and gifts. They sell a special Maastricht coffee blend, that is very good, as well as the famous(?) “Druim vaan Mestreech” tea, which tastes like drinking a bouquet of flowers. The chocolate sold by the shop is tasty as well, although I don’t know if they make it themselves.

Blanche Dael coffee and tea is the premier “gift coffee” for Maastricht and you can also find it at the VVV and other specialty tourist shops; mostly the nice ones that don’t sell tacky “dutch-girl” wigs. If you want a taste of it, you can also visit Coffeelovers; Maastricht’s answer to Starbucks. I don’t personally like Coffeelovers much (they brew their coffee stronger than I like), but many people swear by them and it’s one of perhaps two places you can get an American size cup of coffee. I prefer my Blanche Dael brewed at home where I can control how strong my beverage is.

Netherlands vs. Spain in the World Cup Finals!

For the first time since 1978, the Oranje team has made it to the final match of the World Cup with zero loses and ties in the WC matches leading up to this point. Paired off against Spain, who has fielded a powerful team this year, the Netherlands has the chance once again to finally get their first World Cup victory.

Being a Red Sox fan, I’m pretty use to this underdog sense of anticipation as our team makes the push into new territory. It’s been fun to watch the team press through each level of the World Cup, including the (in my opinion) exciting semifinal game against Uruguay. I’ll be decked out in orange for the final match this Sunday and have my fingers crossed, even if the general sentiment is against a Dutch win.

What are your plans for the World Cup game on Sunday? Share them in the comments.

Image is (CC) StewieD via Flickr. CC-Attribution License.

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