August 25th: Maastricht
Grotten Sint Pietersberg - Caves at St. Pietersberg
These caves are completely manmade and absolutely massive (about 90km long). They were formed from the 12th-18th centuries as workers quarried the limestone to build churches and cathedrals all over this part of Europe. They've been a popular tourist attraction for over a century. Our tour guide, Rik, grew up around Maastricht, wandering the caves. Given the size of the cave system, I recommend that you take the tour. Only one English-language tour was given per day when we went, so email info@pietersberg.nl, or ask about it when you buy your ferry ticket to get to St. Pietersberg.
- "Welkom/Welcome/Bienvenue" painting in the Grotten St. Pietersberg (caves near Maastricht). Note how the English "Welcome" was painted over what was previously "Wilkommen" (German). Our tour guide said that it was changed during the Second World War, as the Germans had invited themselves into Holland and were most certainly not welcome.
- An arch left by stonecutters. Not sure if those are separate stones or if lines were just drawn on the archway to make it look as if it was built of individual stones.
- Same "Welkom" painting as before, but with less glare.
- Ovens that were supposed to provide baked bread for up to 20,000 people per day, if everyone in Maastricht had to go into hiding. Only about 2,000 ended up staying in the caves. Note the drawings of trees by the archway.
Cathedral of St. Serviatus, Maastricht
We stumbled upon this somewhat randomly, 30 minutes before it closed for the day. I found the ceiling particularly interesting. While nowhere near as elaborate as Dom Aachen, it was still definitely worth the quick tour.
Main Bridge
This bridge was built in the 12th or 13th century. It links downtown Maastricht with the part of the city that today contains the train station.
- The main bridge across the Maas River.
- Same bridge.
- Same bridge, but facing into the part of Maastricht across the river from downtown.
- The very old stone bridge has a very modern drawbridge section that, like all drawbridges, blocks cars while it lifts up for boats to pass under. Unlike most drawbridges, it has an expandable section along the side that allows bike and foot traffic to pass at all times. I ran up and down it while the bridge was up. Lisa once again questioned my sanity.
Other points of interest in Maastricht
- Fietsenkerk ("Bicycle Church"): Yes, there really was an old church in downtown Maastricht that served as a bicycle parking garage. I don't know if the Maastrichters actually called it "Fietsenkerk," but I do know that you can rent a bicycle space for 10 Euro per month, or a motorbike spot for 20.
- Outside the Fietsenkerk.
- Buildings atop the very, very old city wall.
