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.

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.

200 Posts in the Minutiae of Maastricht

As I sat down to write something today, I realized that the last post was actually number 200 for Maastricht Minutiae. How exciting! That’s 200 posts about living in Maastricht, traveling Europe, and generally coping with the madness that is being an expat. It’s been mostly good, occasionally bad, and always interesting living in Maastricht and making a life out of living in a country different from my own.

In honor of this milestone, I’ve pulled together 20 posts that draw you through the minutiae of our life in Maastricht.

Maastricht Milestones

1. Of Apartments and Red Tape: Settling in in Maastricht
2. Cat Travel: USA to the Netherlands
3. Queens Day in Maastricht
4. PinkPop!
5. Grotten Noord: Underground in Maastricht
6. Getting a Residency Card as an Expat’s Spouse: The “Good”-Parts Versions
7. Preuvenemint 2009: Eatting Our Way Through Maastricht
8. Falling Leaves and Culture Shock
9. Culture Surprise at the Doctor’s Office
10. It’s beginning to look a lot like Sinterklaas…
11. MaastrichtRegion.com for Locals, Expat, and Beyond
12. New Year, New Experiences
13. Starting my Business in the Netherlands Part 1
14. Kun ik Nederlands spreken?
15. Alaaf! Recapping Maastricht’s Carnival 2010
16. UK Comix Thing & Fallen Kitten Services
17. Adventures in Bike DIY Repair
18. Vrijmarkt on Queen’s Day
19. Hair Today
20. Going Orange

Out of curiosity, I tried to look up if the number 200 holds any special meaning. According to several extremely questionable resources from Mr. Google, 200 represents an insufficient amount. There is so much more to say, so I can live with that. Keep watching for the next 200 posts. And be sure to follow me via RSS or Twitter so you don’t miss a thing.

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