You’ll Have to Travel for Tulips

This article was original published at Maastricht Region: to Live.

Spring time means tulip time and while the Maastricht Region is beautiful in the spring, you’ll have to travel north to get a real taste of the Dutch tulip fields. This year we did so in order to show off the famous tulip fields and the Keukenhof to my parents who were visiting for a week from the United States.

The best way to reach the Keukenhof from the Maastricht region is to take a train to Leiden (or Den Haag) where you can catch a bus the rest of the way to the garden. The train ride costs about 46 euros round trip and a combo Keukenhof/Bus ticket is approximately 21 euros. It’s a long trip, about 3 hours one way plus the bus, so we chose to spend the night in Haarlem (a bit further north), but you can make a day of it if you like. The gardens are lovely and popular, especially since you can only visit for a limited time each year. The fields of blooming flowers are also impressive and colorful. This year the tulips were nearly all open outside in the flower beds last week, so if you want to visit, do it soon. The Keukenhof is best if you can catch the peak of the season.

If you want to explore the fields themselves, biking is an excellent way to do so. You can usually take your own bike on the train for an additional 12 euros/bike (don’t try this during rush hour), but you can also rent a bike when you get there. Leiden has all the usual bike shops or you can rent a bicycle at the Keukenhof entrance. Some people wander the gardens and bike on the same day, but honestly my feet and legs had given out after a day in the garden, so we haven’t tried biking the fields yet.

Of course tulips aren’t everything. Maastricht’s green spaces are particularly beautiful this time of year and the fine weather we’ve been having is perfect for walks or bike rides in green spaces. Try taking the bike paths or a walk in the woods to enjoy my favorite season in the Netherlands. Or if you don’t want to self-propel, try a river cruise on the Meuse and see the beautiful fields and landscape of the region. Enjoy the sun!

 

Family’s Great, But My Feet are Killing Me

Last week (before Easter), Dan and I were MIA as we entertained my parents who came all the way from the United States to see tulips. Oh, and also to say hi to me.  We had a wonderful visit, but with the fine weather, we spent much more of our holiday walking around outside and almost no item inside museums. Sunburns and sore feet. But all worth it to see my folks and get the chance to poke around parts of the Netherlands I haven’t see yet. Scroll on for some photos.

Den Haag

We started our vacation in Arnhem actually, where sadly they didn’t have an English language tour on Sundays, but I’ve been there before so I didn’t take any pictures. Our next stop, Den Haag was pretty new to me though so plenty of photos from that visit. First we did a self-guided walking tour (sold by a brisk VVV employee) which took us around to all the best old buildings and important places of the city. It’s really an impressive city, although I think the US embassy needs to rethink their aggressive, bunker-style building that they wouldn’t allow me to take a photograph of. It’s really ugly. Then we saw the Escher in het Paleis (awesome!), and finally ended up wandering the Scheveingen beach area. Not a cloud in the sky for 2 days.

Oh, and our B&B Maison Indochine was wonderful. 2 big and attractive rooms, the best breakfast I’ve had in Holland, and super friendly owners plus an expat grocery right across the street. It was a great deal.

Haarlem

Next we went up to Haarlem, where I was under the mistaken impression that the city was close enough to bike through the tulip fields on a visit to the Keukenhof. I’m still not convinced that’s not true, but every time I’ve suggested biking to the Keukenhof to Dutch people they look at me like I’m nuts. Surely it can’t be that hard. Just look at those flat tulip fields.

Anywhoo, in Haarlem we stayed right in the center of town at the Ambassador City Centre Hotel, which was a great location and had the strangest Egyptian motif in the rooms and breakfast room. Still enjoying the weather (and haven’t not learn out lesson the last time), we spent an afternoon doing a walking tour of the hidden almshouse green spaces of the city. I have to say if I lived in this city, I’d want to live in a house with one of these inward facing gardens. Very nice, even with the occasional tourist tromping through.

We missed all the museums here, but the highlight of our visit was the Mexican restaurant where I had some great enchiladas with a chocolate mole sauce and fresh salsa. Unfortunately their desserts were pretty lame.

Keukenhof

Finally we reached the purpose of our trip: the tulip gardens. Since biking was out, we took the train back to Leiden and then caught the bus out to the Keukenhof. The fields of blooming flowers were amazing and we spent an inordinate amount of the rest of the day staring out across them and trying to figure out how the workers decided which tulips to weed out and which to keep (something to do with the consistency of the rows).

The Keukenhof itself was much better this year than last year, and I chalk that up to visiting later in the season when everything had had a chance to bloom. The tulips were beautiful, but my favorite flowers were these bell-shaped ones with the tall stalks and upside down flowers. They looked like mini banana trees. Other features this year are the inspiration gardens (small “backyard” gardens that normal people probably couldn’t do on their own), a few photo-opt boats (absolutely dominated by other tourists and one was taking on water), and a Van Gogh painting made entirely from flower petals (pretty cool really).

We never did go biking. After a day at the garden we were all pretty pooped.

Afterward

My parents spent their last afternoon and night in Amsterdam, but Dan and I came back to Maastricht where we had a lovely Easter brunch on Sunday with friends. Getting Easter Monday off from work was a nice bonus too.

Getting a Social Life?

This article was originally published at Maastricht Region: to Live.

I’m no expert on getting a social life, but a recent email got me thinking about where I’ve met people during my stay in Maastricht. If you’re looking for a way to make fun connections with other expats (and Dutch folks), try one of these options.

Attend Pecha Kucha

One of my favorite events, Pecha Kucha is a quarterly series of short, snappy lectures. Before, at half time, and after the talks, there is a great chance to mingle and chat about what you just watched.

Join a Class

The classroom is always a good place to meet people and there are plenty of opportunities for continuing education or workout classes in Maastricht where you can meet people with share interests. Check out your local gym for class or try Kumulus if you’re into art.

Dutch Language Class

Speaking of the classroom, you probably want to learn Dutch anyway. Dutch classes are a good way to meet other new expats and maybe even get some practice in. Or at least a beer or two with your new friends. Plus Dutch will help open the door to getting to know your neighbors and coworkers better. (Yeah, I know the Dutch never stuck with me, but some of the friends I made have.)

Watch for Events

Maastricht is full of activities if you know where to look. In print, look for Week In, Week Uit, which has weekly events and an English page in the back. Online, try the events page here, movie house websites, UitBuro (Dutch only), and Stadium Generale (Dutch & English sections). No doubt there are more, but these are a good start.

Join the IWC

For women only, the International Women’s Club of South Limburg is a great way to meet other expats. The local branch has a nice size and good mix of ages, careers, and interests. I’ve found that a majority of the members I’ve met are long-term expats or plan on be. The Junior IWC has a drinks night once a month and sometimes partners are welcome for that.

And if you hit it off with someone, don’t forget to follow up with an invitation for coffee or a beer. That seems to be the way things are done in Maastricht.

Thank you to Giulio for his email. Write to me again if you like; my reply bounced.

 

Being Prepared

This article was originally published at Maastricht Region: to Live.

Last week I was reminded rather suddenly that it’s a good idea to be prepared for the worst, even if it’s not likely to happen. (For the record, no one was hurt, just a bit scared.) Sometimes when you move to a new country, you just don’t remember to cover all the basics.  So here a few tips so you can be ready if something’s come up:

Emergency!

If you have an emergency, the number you need to call is 112. This is a number used all over the EU, so be sure to tell the operator where you’re calling from.  However if you need to reach the local police when you don’t have an emergency, use 0900-8844 or visit their website.

Finding Weekend Medical Help

Everything is closed on Sundays, but if you really need some medicine, there is generally a single (rotating) pharmacy open. If you call the hospital, they can let you know where that is.

Speaking of the hospital, if you can’t see your own GP they do have an after-hours service. During business hours, you’ll need to report to the emergency room, but after 5 pm and on weekend, you will see an off-hours GP. If you can, call first. During hours the emergency room phone number is 043 387 67 00; off-hours it is 043 387 77 77.

Lock it Up

Theft is a common crime in the Netherlands, so keeping your home, car, and bike locked up properly is your first line of defense. Make sure your door locks are in good working order and always have two locks for your bike. If you have a particularly nice bicycle (or don’t think you can afford to replace a not-so-nice one), seek out an indoors storage location. Some people even buy bike replacement insurance.

Know your Neighbors

This can be difficult for expats, but staying in control of a bad situation can often rely on the people around you. Get to know your neighbors at least a little so you can recognize them and the people you might typically see around your home. Sharing contact information can help you all protect each other and make connections when something goes wrong.

Image created by neoliminal. Used via a CC-Attribution license.

Join Friends of Crossroads Magazine

In response to the shuttering of Crossroads Magazine, I’ve started a LinkedIn group “Friends of Crossroads Magazine” to discuss either how to bring it back or how to support its legacy. When it comes right down to it, I believe that this region needs resources for expats. That’s why I started my own blog after all. And Crossroads was the longest lived and the best; at least in my opinion.

If you feel the same way or simply want to contribute to this discussion, please go to LinkedIn and join the group. The fact of the matter is, I don’t have the answers. But I’m not willing to just let the site drift away if others feel the same way I do.  Please go contribute. Everyone’s thoughts on this matter are helpful.

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