Places Around Maastricht: Carnival Costume Edition

Type of Place: Costume Shops
Location: Around Markt Square

In honor of the Carnival season, I thought this late-breaking costume edition was appropriate. As the actual event draws near several costume shops have popped up in the center of Maastricht; three of which I have visited and will touch on below.

Rode Neus

Located on Grote Gracht 48a, Rode Neus is a temporary costume shop taking up three whole store fronts and filled from tip to stern with all sorts of costumes organized by theme and color. In addition to some off the shelve halloween fashion wigs and scary props, they carry colorful furry coats, shiny ruffle shirts, and big plushy, one-piece animal suits. The popular “Ren Faire” garb is as available here in a variety of styles and price points; making many of the costume styles accessible to a range of people. The prop selection is nice, but if you can’t find what you need definately skip over to one of the other shops for a quick look. Rode Neus does not take PIN or credit card.

Carnival Shop in ‘t Panhuis

In ‘t Panhuis, located on the Markt Square near the McDonalds, is the only permanent carnival shop. It is a long, dark, and narrow space with has costume wigs, props, and add-ons (like wings and hats) to spice up your main costume. The rest of the year the shop carries sewing material and a range of Dutch gifts such as fake delft pottery, tulip bulbs, and clog-shaped slippers. Some of those regular wares are available this time of year too, so if you need some props or are sewing your own costume this is well worth a stop.

Carnavalsshop ‘T Mooswief

‘T Mooswief is the temporary brother of in ‘t Panhuis located on Hoenderstraat 5-9 near the river.  The store is smaller than the Rode Neus, but makes up for its size with an excellent selection of fabrics in the back for those who wish to make their own costumes. This is one of the only times you can buy fabric in a store in the center of Maastricht; the rest of the time you must go to the Wednesday Open Market. The costumes in this shop are, unfortunately, rather disappointing; mostly remnicient of polyester Halloween fare. However, the wig selection is different from the other shops, so if you’re looking for just the right hair piece it can be worth the trip.

What Should I Wear

While colorful and foppish 18th century(ish) Dutch garb appears to be very popular, nearly anything goes for Carnival costumes. Unlike Halloween (which is the only other dress-up holiday I’ve celebrated), the costumes focus on fun, silly, weird, and crazy things, rather than frightening ones. Some of the best costumes; particularly the ones in the parade, are very creative and require a team of people to pull off. Many people wear masks or paint their faces as well. Check out this flickr stream for a little inspiration.

Places Around Maastricht: Kaishu Japans Restaurant

Type of Place: sushi restaurant
Location: Jodenstraat 26, 6211 ER Maastricht
Website

Sushi is one of those foods that people either love or hate. Personally, I adore it; especially when I find excellent tuna sashimi. That’s why Dan & I were so pleased when we first discovered Kaishu, a sushi and teppen-yaki restaurant. Every time we’ve been there the sushi and hot dishes have been very good. Excellent tuna. And a widely varied menu means there is a little something for everyone; even those of you who would rather eat your fish cooked.
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Places Around Maastricht: Gadjah Mas

Type of Place: Indonesian Restaurant
Location: Rechtstraat 47; 6221 EK Maastricht
Website

Indonesian food is to the Netherlands, what Chinese food (and Mexican food) is to the United States. It is the most popular ethnic cuisine, with many restaurants ranging from small mom-and-pop take-away to high-end sit-down restaurant. There is even an Indonesian take-away/grocers across from Gadjah Mas. The flavors are varied, but tend to be spicy and contain coconut milk. Peanut sauce also plays a big role in Indonesian cuisine (in the Netherlands anyway) in sate dishes such as chicken sate.

Gahjah Mas is an attractive, richly-appointed restaurant with an excellent menu. One of the most common ways to eat Indonesian food is to order a rijsttafel (rice table); a sampler like set of small plates with different types of meat, vegetables, and sauces. Gahjah Mas offers 4 different variations at varying price points including a vegetarian one, however you will need to have at least two people to order one. We’ve had rijstaffel before, so Dan and I explored other parts of the menu. Gahjah also has several individual dishes including a variety of stewed meat and sates. Dan ordered the kip (chicken) sate and enjoyed it a lot. I had a lontong compleet: a bowl of “cubed” rice with chicken, lamb, and pork and three different sauces topped with a hard boiled egg. It was also delicious and lots of food.

Gahjah Mas also has a take-away option and a good wine menu. The prices are average for Indonesian food in my limited experience, with regular plates running between 15-25 euros and the rijsttafels starting at about 20 euros. Visit their website for a full menu.

Places Around Maastricht: Kattenhotel "de Gelaarsde Kat"

Type of Place: Boarding House for Cats
Location: De Beente 28; 6229 AV Maastricht
Website: http://kattenhotelmaastricht.nl/

 
 
One of the biggest problems with traveling on vacation is finding a home for our two cats. Especially over the holidays when we don’t want to impose on others. For the period over Christmas and News Years this year, I took advantage of advice received at My.Mtricht.com and booked a room for our pets at Kattenhotel “de Gelaarsde Kat” (Puss in Boots).
 
“De Gelaarsde Kat” is a cat-only boarding house near the University Hospital. It is associated with a veterinarian office, Dierenstkliniek Kusters, so we knew that they could care properly for our pets and provide any medical services they needed. The kattenhotel asked that we have vaccinations up to date and that both cats had been pretreated for fleas. While they do provide food, our cats are on a special diet and so we brought their specific food with us.
 
Inside the boarding house is a nice set up. Each cat (or pair of cats if owned by the same person) had its own moderately sized cage, litterbox, and feeding area. During the day, the doors to the cages were propped open to allow all the cats to get some exercise and interact. There is even a fenced-in outdoors area on a porch. Our cats have never been outside or with other cats, so it much have been quite the experience for them.

In the end I was pleased with their service. Both cats were happy to see us when we went to pick them up and if anything looked like they’d dropped a little weight (a good thing). Agatha was perfectly healthy and had gotten over the stress of the location. Einstein came back with a bit of a cold which has since past. He also had a tiny scratch on his nose. I don’t know who put it there, but since he is twice the size of all the other animals at the boarding house, I can’t imagine he came out worse in that tussle. We will take our cats back there again on the next holiday.
 
The Kattenhotel “de Gelaarsde Kat” is open 6 days a week and boards cats year around. They serve Royal Carin food, both dry and a little wet. The prices start at 8 euros per night per cat, with discounts for more cats and longer stays. Please visit the website for more details or call. The staff does speak English (and Dutch of course).

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.

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