Tulips and wooden shoes: Dutch ‘get-away’ closer than you think

Published Nov. 10, 2008
By Senior Master Sgt. Cheryl L. Toner
52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- If you're looking for an inexpensive get-away -- with friends or family -- Maastricht is a picturesque city in the Netherlands and offers tons of things to do. Established by the Romans more than 2,050 years ago, Maastricht claims to be the oldest city in the Netherlands, according to the VVV, the Dutch tourism agency.

A little more than an hour northwest of Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, the drive is essentially the same amount of time you'd spend in a car to go to the Big Ramstein BX, and it certainly offers more unique shopping opportunities. You also feel like you're well out of Germany as the red brick houses and bicycle trails are a big contrast to the feel and look of the Eifel area.

Once in Maastricht, there are plenty of parking garages, but a good place to park is at the "Vrijthof" square. It's the center of town - as much as it can be since the city "center" is divided by the Maas river.

Looking for something to do? The first stop in town is the VVV - you'll see signs directing you to it and it's a few minutes from the Vrijthof by foot. No worries about anyone speaking English - most Dutch people speak flawless English. You can make reservations for hotels, boat trips, etc. there. If you want to come prepared, check out the tourism Web site at: http://www.vvv-maastricht.eu/vvv_maastricht.html. Online and in person, you can get information about numerous castles, landmarks and museums, as well up-to-date information on a bounty of events. And for anyone single, there are a lot of clubs in the city.

Staying overnight? If you choose to get a hotel in Maastricht, there are an abundance of unique places to stay. On my last trip, we stayed in a castle on the outskirts of town. While there were other castles we could have stayed in a little closer, our room cost about 80 euros a person for two nights, and it included breakfast and free parking. Other options include various castles, 'regular' hotels and even a church converted into a hotel. While it looked great from the street and it's located closer to the city center, the cost to stay in the converted church is about 300 euros a night.

While in the area, you can take the family to Mondo Verde, a family park covering 250,000 square meters southeast of Maastricht. The park boasts a children's fun park, lush walking trails with unique landmarks, Japanese gardens and a zoo (http://www.wereldtuinenmondoverde.nl/). In the same area (Kerkrade), the Gaia Park also offers family fun, only with more animals (www.gaiapark.nl).

Feel like sitting or just not walking for awhile? Take a boat tour on the river Maas (www.stiphout.nl) or rent a scooter or bicycle (www.fietshuur.nl). And the beauty of riding a bike in Holland is you get your own "road" in most places, complete with bicycle stop lights.

Maybe you'd like to get out of the elements for awhile while in Maastricht. If so, you can explore underground caves that have walls covered with various drawings (www.maastrichtunderground.nl), but dress warmly as the temperature in the caves averages 32 degrees.

And if you like to dress warm, you can check out Snow World. It claims to be the largest indoor winter sport resort in the world (www.snowworld.com), is open 365 days a year from 9 a.m. to midnight, and is southwest of Maastricht.

Finally, if you take this trip, there is one thing you must do. South of Maastricht, in Vaals, you will find "Labyrint Drielandenpunt," the location of a huge maze. It's also where you can have your photo taken while you are standing in three countries at once: Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium (www.drielandenpunt.nl). How cool is that?

All of the information here and much, much more is available on both the VVV site, as well as any of the VVV offices in Holland. Also, most of these Web sites have either a British flag or "EN" that you can click to get the English version of the sites. One final note: beware of the speed cameras - there are at least four between Spangdahlem and Maastricht. Enjoy the drive!