Travelogue - Maastricht, Netherlands

Where do I begin. Maastricht was my home for 5 months. I have so many precious memories associated with this small town. New friends, new experiences and self discovery. 

Maastricht is located along the River Mass, in the Southern part of a Dutch province called Limburg. The city was developed by the Romans and has such a deep history and culture. It was also the city where the European Union was formed and also where the famous Maastricht Treaty was signed. 

I first arrived in Maastricht at the end of January. It started snowing the day I landed in Holland. Having never seen snow prior to this, it was a definite sight. That day also marked the start of my exchange in Maastricht University. 

I got to experience winter in Maastricht. It was like living in a winter wonderland. The view from my room window was something that I didn't mind waking up to daily. 

The city was covered in pristine white snow, and it was fun (for the first week) to bundle up, and walk around with a cup of hot coffee in my hands. 

I especially loved the parks, where you could feed the animals and birds. 

The old fort of Maastricht which was used to defend the city during war time. I still remember climbing up to the top of the hill where the fort was, cross country, in the middle of winter. I was so afraid that I'd roll down the hill and get injured or traumatised for the rest of my life. But the view, was definitely worth it. 

I returned to this fort for a tour in summer, and was treated to a similar view, with more colours this time round. (Maastricht is also well-known for underground caves and tunnels, and the tour covers this too. The tour was unfortunately mainly in Dutch, but the kind tour guide offered to translate it into English for us. I really love how friendly the Dutch are :D )

Rows and rows of bicycles. A common sight in Holland. 

Spring/Summer in Maastricht is another view altogether. The weather in Holland is so lovely that you can spend the whole day walking around the city, and never break out into sweat. The pace of life there is so relaxing that its easy to spend a whole day just chilling, sitting in a cafe along the street, with a book in hand and watching passer-bys. 

Presenting the lovely River Mass. I spent many evenings walking along the riverbanks during summer, where the days are long and nights short. Watching the sunset along the banks is so serene. If I had a boat, I'd take a leisure trip down this river. 

And we end off this entry with more pictures of the parks in Maastricht in Spring! Lovely place to jog along too! 

It's so easy to fall in love with Maastricht. I missed this town so badly when I got back to Singapore. The pace of life, friendly people, weather, sights and more. 

I left a part of my heart behind when I left Maastricht.