Military Living in The Netherlands

Maastricht

2016-03-06T00:02:00.000+01:00

If you live in the Schinnen / Brunssum area you live close to one of the coolest cities in Europe. Maastricht is the oldest city in The Netherlands (Nijmegen makes a similar claim but it was uninhabited for a long time so Maastricht is at least the oldest continuously inhabited city). Maastricht suffered little damage during WWII and has, therefore, a very well preserved Centrum or Old Town section. The Wikipedia entry for Maastricht is pretty good so I'll forego the complete history. Maastricht History

I go to Maastricht fairly often and it is a "Must see" place when people come to visit. Maastricht is divided by the Maas river and both parts of the city go back several hundred years. The original Roman garrison, protecting the bridge crossing the river, was established on the west side in 50 AD. Maastricht is easy to get to using A79 or A2. The Ring road system can be confusing so the best thing to do is use your GPS. The most central parking garage is the Vrijthof and the address there is: Vrijthof 100, 6211 LE Maastricht. This underground garage is under the Centrum but it is also expensive at €2.20 / 1 hour or €22.00 / day. There is slightly cheaper parking way outside the centrum. Go to this website to find other parking possibilities: Maastricht Parking

There is no free parking in Maastricht but if you have the means you could park outside the city and bike in.

Maastricht is a walker friendly city. Much of the old town center is closed to motor vehicles during the shopping hours. The walkways and roads are cobblestone, which might be difficult for small-wheeled strollers or high heels. There are dozens of places to eat and even though it is a tourist area the prices are not too bad. Of course that depends on your tastes. If you just need some nourishment (cheap food) look for one of the many bakeries that also makes sandwiches. Boterham is the generic word for a sandwich but what you'll see more often is broodjeham or broodjekaas. Ham is ham and kaas is cheese. What my wife and I did was order one of each and then swap a slice of ham and cheese from each so we both then had a ham&cheese sandwich. Hema stores usually have a cafe counter inside and they are usually very reasonable. Or maybe you want to act as a local and sit at an outside cafe and have a slice of vlaai and a coffee.

There are several museums in Maastricht but I have not yet been to any, shame on me. But I have been in all the churches and those are well worth seeing if you are interested in gothic churches. Maastricht was once a fortified city and there are several places where you can see the remains of the defenses. The old town area was once inside a defensive wall and parts of that are still visible. This dates back to the 13th century. Unfortunately, Maastricht greatly expanded in the early 1900's and much of the old wall and the city gates were destroyed. There is only one gate left. Hells Gate is part of the original city wall, built after Henry I, Duke of Brabant, gave permission for its construction in April 1229. It is the only remaining city gate in Maastricht and the oldest city gate in the Netherlands. For about two centuries, the gate was part of the city's actual fortifications. It lost this function when the Nieuwstad (New City), the area south of the gate, was surrounded by a wall in the second half of the 15th century. It was then used for various purposes: a meeting place for the cloth fullers or walkers, an armory, a powder storehouse and a residence. This is located at St. Bernardusstraat 24b.

On 25 June 1673, while preparing to storm the city, Captain-Lieutenant Charles de Batz de Castelmore, also known as Comte d'Artagnan, was killed by a musket shot outside Tongerse Poort. This event was immortalized in the Alexandre Dumas novel "The Vicomte de Bragelonne", part of the D'Artagnan Romances (the Three Musketeers). There is a monument to him near Waldeck Bastion.

Fort Hooge (High Fort) is located on the edge of town off

NOTE: I found this in my Drafts box, for some reason I never finished writing this post. So here it is, incomplete.

26 August 2012

2012-08-26T20:13:00.000+02:00

My time writing this Blog is coming to an end. I will move back to the United States on 1 September 2012. It has been great fun but my three year tour is almost over. I hope,those of you that were regular readers enjoyed reading about living in The Netherlands from a Soldier's perspective.

I am going to leave this Online for about six months but then take it down since I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information any longer. If anyone wants to continue this Blog I will gladly allow you to cut and paste content. Just contact me at my email address: bhjohnson60@hotmail.com

Thank you for taking part in my adventure.

Day Trip to Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

2012-08-12T22:45:00.000+02:00

I have wanted to make this trip for a couple years but never got around to it. Yesterday, 11 August, I did it. I had considered taking the train. It is only €47 from Maastricht to Luxembourg City via Liege. But I also wanted to visit the American Cemetery and that is too far out of the city to walk. They do have a good bus system but I just thought I would enjoy the drive through the countryside.

Luxembourg City is a two and a half hour drive from Schinnen. It is an easy drive, just take E25 south and you end up at the city. I made the drive directly to the cemetery without a GPS or a map.

On the drive. Be aware there are not too many choices of places to stop and eat on the way. There were two AC Restaurants on the route. AC Restaurants are too expensive for me; a typical meal will cost €15-18 depending on what you drink. I highly recommend that you pack a lunch and stop at one of the many (very many) rest stops on the way. Some of them have large play grounds included so if you have kids that might be something to break up the drive. Getting them back in the car is a whole other story though.

Gas. I made the trip down and back on less than 3/4s of a tank of gas. It is about 225 kms (140 miles) from my town (Schimmert) to the American Cemetery. That is do-able on a tank of gas for most cars.

The drive. E25 is a good road but going through Liege can be something of a challenge. I saw signs for an E25 by-pass but I have never tried that route. The road through Liege is clearly marked, just follow the signs to Bastogne and/or Luxembourg. There are a couple turns and lane changes so pay attention.

I went to the cemetery first so I could see it before I was tired. It is much smaller than Margraten but just as nice. Most of the Soldiers buried here were killed during the "Battle of the Bulge" in late December 1944. There are five Soldiers from Easy Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division (Band of Brothers). If you have watched the series a couple times you will recognize the names. Inside the visitor's building you can get their locations and go see their markers.

Parking in Luxembourg City can also be a problem. I ended up parking in the Kirchberg District outside of the main city. It was only a 30 minute walk to the city center from there and the views of the "Pfaffenthal" valley as you walk across the Pont (bridge) G. B. Charlotte were awesome. Below is a picture I took from the bridge.

Luxembourg was a fortress city and was protected by forts, casemates, high city walls, and the natural obstacle of the gorge and cliffs surrounding 2/3s of the old city.

Follow this LINK and you can see all of the pictures I took on this trip.

French is the main language spoken and written in the city but German is also commonly used. I found few workers (in the shops and restaurants) that spoke much English. I speak enough German to get by but I saw other people struggling to communicate. Have patience.

They old city center is pedestrian friendly for shopping and strolling. Most of the roads are cobblestone so wear sensible shoes. There are restaurants for every taste. If you are craving American restaurant food there is a Pizza Hut and a Chi Chi's as well as McDonald's and Subway. There are a lot of street performers and they were very popular attractions. Nice for the entertainment but it was sometimes impossible to pass through an area because of the crowds standing to watch.

There is no grid road system in the city so you really need to get a map. The map handed out for free at the City Tourist office is adequate. The Tourist Office has a good website that you should study before you go. Find it at this LINK. The Tourist Office itself is not so easy to find. You cannot drive to it so I dismounted my car's GPS and carried it with me. The address is below.

30, place Guillaume II
L – 1648 Luxembourg

I spent seven hours just walking around the old city center and a little bit down in the valley. The main city, the older part, is almost surrounded by the "Vallee de la Petrusse" (spelled without the accent marks.). This is a very nice strolling park along a small river. It is a bit of a climb down and back up but worth the trip if you have the energy. There is a walk way or strolling path along the rim of the city that overlooks the valley. It gives you great views of the valley as well as the opposite side of the gorge.

Up in the main city I enjoyed the buildings, the gardens, and watching all the people. There are many churches here and I can hardly resist visiting churches so I went in three of them. I did not have the time to visit any of the many museums or other cultural attractions.

The city has a very international feel to it. There is a large tourist presence and they come from around the world. I heard many foreign languages spoken here. Most people were dressed nicely for their visit. I did see two "slob" families, dressed quite inappropriately in their finest "Late Night at Wal-Mart" clothes. Based solely on their speech one family was American and the other was British.

There are some ethnic neighborhoods if you stray out of the city centrum area. I think there is a sizable immigrant population living and working here. Unlike in most European and American cities it does not appear that they are refugees but are rather business people, office workers, and other middle class folks. They were dressed nicely, had good manners, and appeared to be fully integrated into the city's culture.

I was highly impressed with the city. It is very clean and well maintained. I did not see one boarded up shop or vacant house in the areas I walked through. The shopping district was busy and vibrant and the restaurants were all doing a brisk business. There apparently is a very active night life in the evening.

Give it a try, I think you will like it.

Kayaking on the Maas River

2012-08-10T21:12:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I took a kayak trip on the Maas River. There are a couple companies that offer canoe, raft, and kayak rentals on the Maas. I went with Kajak Maasland simply because I knew where it was located from a hike I did in the area two years ago. I am not promoting the company but I will provide my observations.

To find a company and a route that suits your needs you will have to do a couple of searches because of the languages used. In French, the Maas River is known as the "Meuse". Try the following search strings:

1. Kayak on the Meuse

2. Kayak on the Maas

3. Kajak Maas

4. Kajak Maasland

5. Kajak Meuse

You will get a lot of duplicate hits but this should cover all the possibilities.

Kajak Maasland is located on the Belgian side of the Maas just outside of Maastricht near Smeermaas.

They offer routes of 10, 11, and 21 kilometers. All of them start and end at clearly defined spots. I did the 21 km route and it is suggested that you figure on 4-5 hours for this route. I was poking along and taking frequent breaks and I was done in just over four hours. I have no experience kayaking and was by myself and I had no problems at all. I took my own food and drinks on the trip. The company provides a watertight container big enough for one person's stuff if you rent a one person kayak. The canoes and rafts have bigger containers.

It is highly suggested by the company that you make a reservation to ensure you can get the boat you want. I made my reservation in the morning of the day I took the trip. But I was not on their list when I arrived three hours later. They still provided a kayak for me.

The Maas between the start point and the E314 is fairly placid with only one set of minor rapids. This gives you a good chance to get used to the boat and get your stroke down. The slow moving water also means that you must paddle to move forward though. I found it better to float on the outside of any curves; the water is moving faster there then on the inside of the curve. There are a couple small villages along the river and supposedly there is a place to get out and have a drink and snack at a cafe but I didn't really see where that would be.

When I wanted a break, such as to eat lunch, I just pulled over and got out and had my break on the shore. I think that is far more enjoyable than sitting at a cafe, you can do that in any town. I took three 15-20 minute breaks and still made the longest trip in four hours. You have plenty of time so just relax and enjoy the river.

There is lots of wildlife as well as domestic animals on and along the river. I saw several sorts of ducks, sea gulls, geese, fishing hawks of some sort, herons, and other birds that were just passing over. There are no motor boats on this section of the Maas. I did pass by one boat with a gas motor on it tied up at a dock but it might have been for rescue or work use.

I highly recommend that you use liberal amounts of sunscreen since you get direct sun light as well as reflected sun light from the water. At the end point I saw many lobsters sitting and having a beer and french fries. They will be hurting the next day I am sure. I also highly recommend that you wear a wide brimmed hat and sun glasses to protect your face, head, and eyes.

I put all my sensitive gear such as my wallet, cell phone, camera, etc. inside ziplock bags and then in the container that came with the kayak. My camera I had in a small float bag on a cord around my neck so that I would have access to it.

You are going to get wet so wear appropriate cloths. I had on swim shorts and a sleeveless shirt and an old pair of sneakers. I had a change of clothes and a towel in my car.

The only problem, or inconvenience really, was the bus transportation back to the start point where my car was parked. The bus only comes once every hour or so and then it makes stops on the way back. So there was a two-hour delay getting to my car once I was done with the trip. You can take your bikes there and they will haul your bikes to the end point. That would be a good option. The other option is to park one car at the end and take another car to the beginning point if possible. Perhaps ask a friend for a ride.

I paid €17 for a single person kayak and another €4 for the bus ride. I think the trip and experience were well worth €21.

Schinnen Sort Center

2012-08-08T19:59:00.000+02:00

I wrote about the Schinnen Sort Center a few months ago in a post about recycling. You can check it out at this LINK.

Update: Now that Schinnen is no longer its own organization but just a satellite installation of the USAG BENELUX it falls under their rules. To save money (presumably) USAG BENELUX has ordered the closing of the Sort Center effective 1 September 2012. After that date they will only accept metal for recycling. You are then expected to utilize your community's recycle facilities. Most of you should have received a schedule from RD4. If you cannot read Dutch you'll need to find someone to translate it for you.

Now, it is just an observation from many years of military service but my prediction is that most Americans will not use the RD4 services and will instead throw most of their recyclables in the normal trash. I hope you all prove me wrong but considering how much garbage and other contaminants are usually mixed in with the recyclables at Schinnen I am not holding my breath.

This closing will also mean that you will have no place to throw out your un-needed items when PCS time comes around. You can take these things to the RD4 site IF you kept your free cards that came with the recycle schedule. You can read more about Rd4, only in Dutch, at their website: Rd4

Hasselt - Surprise Destination

2012-07-26T21:37:00.000+02:00

Ever heard of Hasselt, Belgium? I've seen the signs when I drove to the Brussels airport but never really heard or read anything about the town. It is never mentioned in travel brochures, at least I have never seen it in one. But I went for a long (for me) bike ride from Lanaken to Hasselt along the Albert Canal a couple days ago and got a quick look around the city.

You can look at my pictures from the ride at this LINK.Ignore me in the photos. These pictures were for my family.

Hasselt approx. 1771-1775

Hasselt was founded in approximately the 7th century on the Helbeek, a small tributary of the Demer river. The name Hasselt came from Hasaluth, which means hazel wood. During the Middle Ages, it became one of the bigger towns of the county of Loon, which had borders approximately the same as the current province of Limburg. Hasselt was first named in a document in 1165 and shortly thereafter received the much sought-after city charter. In 1232 this status was officially confirmed by count Arnold IV. Even though the city of Borgloon was the original official capital of Loon, Hasselt was to become the biggest city thanks to its favourable setting and to the proximity of the count’s castle and the Herkenrode Abbey in Kuringen. In 1366 the county of Loon became part of the Bishopric of Liège and remained so until the annexation by France in 1794.

During the First French Empire, after the French revolution, Maastricht became the capital of the area that was then called the French Department of the Lower Meuse. This included both modern Belgian Limburg, and also neighboring Dutch Limburg. After the defeat of Napoleon, in 1815, this whole area became part of a new United Kingdom of the Netherlands, and it was at this time that the name Limburg was adopted. King William wanted to keep the name of the old Duchy of Limburg alive although it had been centered in Limburg on the Vesdre, and had never encompassed Hasselt. Even when Belgium gained its independence from the Netherlands in 1830, and the province of Limburg was definitively split between the Netherlands and Belgium in 1839, this name was retained and the name Loon disappeared. After the split, Hasselt became the provisional capital of the Belgian province of Limburg. When Maastricht stayed Dutch in 1839, it became the permanent seat of its provincial government within the Netherlands, also called Limburg. In 1967, Belgian Limburg was detached from the Diocese of Liège and Hasselt became the seat of the Diocese of Hasselt.

Hassault is in the Dutch speaking half of Belgium. Not to bad-mouth the other half but you will quickly figure out that the lower half of Belgium, (the French speaking "Walloons"), is run down, dingy, dirty, and poorly maintained. It is unfortunate but you cannot deny the facts. Hassault is a very clean and well-maintained city. It has a large, pedestrian friendly shopping district. Most of the streets are closed to vehicles during the shopping hours.

I couldn't imagine ever needing to use public transportation, the city isn't huge, but if you do you might find this interesting: Hasselt made Public transport by bus zero-fare from 1 July 1997. The transport network here is mainly by bus. All buses leave from the station. The town lines (called H-lijn) have been free for everyone including tourists since Tuesday 1 July 1997. Other bus lines are free for the inhabitants of Hasselt while traveling in the territory of Hassault.

The local H-lijn buses on the town lines carry an H on their number on the electronic destination sign above the windshield. The regional transport services, or so-called Red lines, are free for residents of Hasselt, who can travel without fare as long as they show their identity card to the driver of the bus. Red regional route bus stops are marked with signs indicating the beginning or end of the Hasselt bus network. Non-residents of Hasselt pay the usual area tariff, except for children under 12 who have zero-fare travel. "Blue" regional lines incur a fare in the normal way.

I walked, pushing my bike, and was easily able to see the entire shopping district within the ring road on foot. There is a train line from Maastricht to Hasselt if you wanted to avoid the drive and parking fees and in that case jumping on a bus would be convenient.

I only walked around for about 30-40 minutes because I had a long ride back to where I started from. I was very impressed with what I saw. The shopping district was larger than I expected. I went in the one church and it was really nice. The stores were closed, it was Sunday, but most of the cafes and restaurants were open and busy. The place was clean and I have to think it is very safe since there are surveillance cameras everywhere.

Do you like Gin (the drink, not the card game)? Hasselt hosts "The National Jenever (gin) Museum".

Hasselt and gin... inseperable. Discover the secrets of this strong-bodied drink in the National Genever Museum. See how this celebrated liquor is prepared in this authentic 19th century distillery. And taste the final result. Bet you'll find it delicious...

Opening hours
- Open from the 1st April until 31st October: Tuesday to Sunday from 10.00 to 17.00
- Open from the 1st November until 31st March: Tuesday to Friday from 10.00 to 17.00. Saturday and Sunday from 13.00 to 17.00
- Closed: every Monday, the 1st January, from 9th until 31st January, the 24th, 25th and 31st December 2012.

Price
individual visitors:                 € 4,50 p.p. (including a drink)
12 to 26 years:                    € 1 p.p.
children under 12 years:       free
groups (at least 15 people) € 3,50 p.p.

Useful to know
Dogs are not allowed

Tip
Heading along your route just for the gin called 'jenever'? Combine a visit to the National Jenever Museum with a city walk. You can obtain the jenever museum brochure at Tourism Hasselt for € 5 p.p., entrance to the museum and a drink included.

National Genever Museum
Witte Nonnenstraat 19
3500 Hasselt

Do you like clothes and fashion? Are you a dedicated follower of fashion? Then the Fashion Museum in Hasselt is something for you! Come and visit the exhibitions around fashion – then, now and in the future.

OPENING HOURS
Open every day from 10 AM to 5 PM, except on Mondays and:
• Sunday January 1st, 2012;
• Monday the 24th, Tuesday the 25th and Monday the 31st of December 2012;
• from Monday January 9 to Friday February 3, 2012 and from Monday May 28 to Friday June 22, 2012 (preparation of the exhibition).

PRICE
€ 5 p.p.
€ 2 p.p. students from 13 to 18 (children under 12 years free)
€ 4 p.p. for groups of at least 15 people.

Fashion Museum of Hasselt
Gasthuisstraat 11
BE-3500 Hasselt

Carillon Tower:
You'll find the carillon right in the city centre, high in the tower of the Sint-Quintinus Cathedral. It takes a little effort to climb the stairs, but the breathtaking view from the top is really worth it. It's the ideal place to learn everything about clocks, bells and carillons. It will forever change the way you'll listen to the bells playing during carillon concerts.

OPENING HOURS
Opening days and hours: see the website www.hetstadsmus.be

PRICE
€ 1.50 p.p. for individuals and groups of 15 people and more
€ 1 p.p. for schools (> 12 years old), children < 12 years ,free.

GUIDED VISIT
VALID: all year round
DURATION: 1.5 hours
PRICE: € 1.50 p.p. for groups of 15 people and more, < 12 years free
PRICE FOR THE GUIDE: € 60 (2 hours maximum) one guide per 15 people.
RESERVATION: Tourism Hasselt, T +32 11 23 95 42, groepsbezoeken@hasselt.be
Don't forget to reserve at least one month in advance!

TIP
The Carillon is featured regularly with special carillon concerts. More information about these concerts at Tourism Hasselt and on the website www.uitinhasselt.be

Carillon tower of the Saint Quinten Cathedral
Vismarkt n/n
BE-3500 Hasselt

Would you like to combine the (historical) beauty of a museum with the natural magnificence of the Japanese Garden? Then the combined card is what you need: for a single low price, you get the best of both worlds!

Four in one!
• The National Genever Museum (including drink)
• The Hasselt Fashion Museum
• The Japanese Garden
• Het Stadsmus (Municipal Museum)

Opening hours
Valid in 2012 during the opening hours of the museums and the Japanese Garden.

Price
€ 12 p.p.

InformationAvailable at Tourism Hasselt, the museums, the Japanese Garden and in many hotels.

* Good to knowIn the closed period of the Japanese Garden (from 1st November until 31 March) the entrance ticket of the garden is replaced by a leaflet with the outlined historical city walk accompanied by a coffee served at the pub Het Tuincafé, next to the municipal museum 'Het Stadsmus'.

Hasselt is only about 40 minutes away from Schinnen and well worth the trip. Give yourself a full day or go back another day to see what you missed. Use this LINK to visit the official website in English.

Oude Ambachten (Old Fashioned Folk/Craft Festival) Einighausen, NL

2012-07-21T20:33:00.000+02:00

Op Zondag 5 Augustus 2012 vindt voor de 32e keer Oude Ambachten plaats te Einighausen.

On Sunday, 5 August, 2012, is the 32nd annual Folk (or Crafts) Festival takes place in Einighausen.
Van 13.00 tot 18.00 uur kunt u een kijkje nemen in het boerenleven van 50 tot 100 jaar geleden.

From 1300 to 1800 hours (1:00 to 6:00 o'clock) can you see how farm life was 50 - 100 years ago.

Entree: € 5,00 (kinderen tot 12 jaar gratis)

Entrance: €5.00 (children up to 12 years old are free)

Parkeren is gratis op de aangegeven parkeerplaatsen.

Parking is free at the designated parking area.

I went to this fest last year and spent about five hours there and had a good time. Last year it was hot and sunny. Click this LINK to see my posting from last year. Einighausen is near Sittard and is easy to get to from A2.

I plan on going this year again unless the weather is really bad. I suggest you take your own snacks and cold drinks. Food is available but the cost of drinks is ridiculous. I'm not all that fond of Dutch festival food, except for a piece of vlaai, so I'll take my own lunch.

So put it on your calendar and go to learn something about the Dutch Limburgs culture.

Floriade 2012 Horticultural Show

2012-07-15T22:53:00.000+02:00

I highly recommend you make a trip to see the Floriade 2012, the once every ten years horticultural show near Venlo, The Netherlands.There are 66 hectares (163 acres) of exhibits, open areas, and woods to walk through. I have no idea how many countries are participating but there are a lot.

I am very impressed with the show. The grounds were immaculate; there was not a piece of trash, graffiti, or vandalism at the park. Many of the pavilions were strictly money-making ventures with wares from their country on sale. But I don't mind that at all and some of the stuff for sale was interesting. I bought two polished stone eggs (€3 for both) in the Pakistan pavilion and a small olive wood bowl (€5) in the Tunisian pavilion.There were a lot of semi-precious stone jewelry, silver, figurines, leather wares, etc.

There are many places to eat a meal, get a quick snack or drink, and a few dessert stands as well. I ate lunch at the Bulgarian cafe and had a chicken pita sandwich (apparently a traditional Bulgarian fast food item). It was delicious and cheap at €3.75. For supper I had an Indian Chicken Curry panini. That was excellent as well and was only €5.50. As I usually do, I took my own drinks to reduce my dining costs.

There were many musical activities at the show. The Floriade had several stages for their own shows and a few of the pavilions had their own musicians. Of note were the two musicians/singer at the Indonesian pavilion and the solo musician and singer at the Andes/Amazon pavilion. They were both outstanding and had unbelievable voices.

I took quite a few pictures and you can see them at this LINK. Just click on the link and then on the first picture in the album.

I spent eight hours at the show and only saw three of the five main areas and did not even see everything in each of them. The two-day pass costs only ten Euros more and is probably the way to go. The Floriade show grounds are only 50 minutes away from my home. Take A2 north and then exit onto A73 toward Venlo. You will see signs for the Floriade; follow them. Parking is at an off-site area with shuttle buses. You MUST buy a €10 parking ticket at the same time you buy your tickets or before you leave the show grounds. You need the ticket to get out of the parking area.

14 July 12

2012-07-14T22:31:00.001+02:00

Made an easier day so everyone could recover a bit. After a leisurely morning and lunch I took the crew to the Roman Bath house (Thermen) in Heerlen. It is a really nice exhibit of a Roman Bath house that operated there 1800 years ago. Heerlen was a Roman army garrison town located on the Roman supply route (via Belgica) that went from the coast of France to Cologne, Germany. After a north-south road was built, which crossed the via Belgica at Heerlen, it became a center of commerce and recreation. The whole region around where I live was Roman farmland with villas and temples. You have seen evidence of this in my prior postings.

On the way I stopped at the church in Klimmen. I have talked about this church before as well. The church tower was built on a former Roman watch tower that was used to overwatch the via Belgica, which ran across the valley floor to the immediate south. The inside of the church is designed to look like the interior of a Roman villa. It is a unique church in many ways.

The bath house was discovered in 1940 during the German occupation when residents were clearing fallow ground to plant crops. Scholars were brought in to study the site but they had only limited means to do so at this time so they reburied the site. It wasn't until 1970 that there was the time and funding (and recovery after the war) to do a full investigative dig. They then decided to build a structure over the ruins and create a museum. There is a 15 minute introductory film to orient you to what and where (in time and place) the bath house and the Roman occupation in general was all about. Then there is a walk-thru museum with items found mostly in the immediate area. Everything in the museum is authentic unless the placard says otherwise.

Set your GPS to:

Coriovallumstraat 9
6411 CA Heerlen
Nederland

Opening hours

This is the fourth time I have been here; once with my oldest son in 2001, my youngest son in 2010, and my wife in 2011. The museum has been different every time. Truthfully, I think it was far better and more complete in 2001 but it is still a nice museum. I forgot my Dutch - English dictionary in the car so there were a few things I couldn't translate but I knew most of what was there. We spent about 90 minutes there. You can still enjoy the museum even if you don't read Dutch but it certainly makes it more interesting if you do. For the introductory film make sure you ask the front desk to play the English version. Also, the description of the bath house itself can be done in several languages so ask for what is easiest for you. Take a Dutch-English dictionary if you have one. Most of the item descriptions are very short.

There is no parking right at the museum but plenty of paid parking in the vicinity. Where I parked it was €1.80 an hour. They have a cloak room and lockers if you want to get rid of a few items. I don't think you are allowed to take packs or bags into the museum. They often have special exhibits there as well. When I took my wife they were exhibiting the via Belgica and Roman road building in general. That was really interesting. There are vending machines but otherwise no food or drink there.

It is a good way to start your exploration of the Roman occupation if you have an interest in this part of the local history. There are many other places to go to see and study the Roman period.

Trip to Bastogne, Belgium

2012-07-14T11:01:00.000+02:00

The day's mission was to see the sites related to the "Battle of the Bulge" as Americans call it. Or the "Ardennes Offensive" as it is often called here. It was a cold and rainy day but that can be the perfect day to see a battlefield site. December 1944 was one of the coldest and snowiest winters in several decades. So we had a small touch of the misery the Soldiers endured during the eight week battle.

I already posted my photos on Facebook so just click on and follow this LINK to see them.

We left at 0900 hrs and headed south going through Maastricht (traffic jam) then on to Liege and south through the countryside. My GPS often comes up with some crazy routes and today was no exception. We found ourselves driving down gravel roads and small lanes. I guess that is part of the adventure. In any case, this route took us by some lesser known towns and villages involved in the battle. We passed through Foy for example and came across the monument to Easy Company, 506th PIR (Band of Brothers fame). If you remember the series, this is the location where they went forward to establish a blocking position. They were pushed back to their former positions. In the series episode, Garnier complained that "...someone took a shit in my foxhole...".

We also came across other historical markers and part of a driving tour trail. There is a bike path in the area but I don't know if it is set up to link historical sites or not. Some of the markers had before and after photos so you could see the amount of damage that occurred.

We eventually got to Bastogne (three plus hours for what Google Maps said was a 95 minute drive) and headed through town to see the Mardasson Monument built by the Belgians as a thank you and commemoration of the US sacrifice to free their country. The monument is massive and moving but is in sore need of upkeep and renovation (not something Belgium (the French speaking area anyway) is known for unfortunately). It was raining, windy, and cold but none of us was in a hurry to leave. Unfortunately the museum was closed for expansion. From what I have read the collection was moved to Brussels, strangely, until the mew museum is completed and opened in March 2013. (Note: It was supposed to open in 2012 so who knows how far behind schedule they are. There was a fire in the old museum and that might cause a further delay while they repair/rebuild that.) The new one will be at least 3-4 times larger. This created a dilemma, I needed to find a good museum for my brother-in-law Dave who was looking forward to this trip.

We drove into Bastogne for lunch and parked in what I initially thought was a free parking area. There were no signs indicating you needed a parking ticket. We walked almost all the way to McAuliffe Place (or Square) before we found a place to eat. It was a one-woman cafe and the food was edible but nothing to recommend although my sister's fried chicken wrap (or "warp" as it was on the menu) looked tasty.After we ordered I trotted back to the car suspecting that it must be paid parking and I just missed it. Sure enough it was. Parking was only €1.00 an hour so no big deal.

(Language was a challenge on this trip. We (me mostly) dealt with four languages; German, Dutch, French, and Luxembourgish (in written form). Sometimes I was using two or three languages at the same time. I speak no French (outside a few useful words) but understand some and several times I had to speak in German and they were replying in French. I have to say it was a fun challenge and we were successful.)

After lunch my sister and I had an ice cream cone at the former Australian Ice Cream Company near Mcauliffe's Square. My oldest son and I had ice cream there in December 2000 and as he often says, "it was the best ice cream in the world." The new company's ice cream was fine but not as good as the former company's. Normally that would be enough of a dessert but we walked into a bakery and I could not resist buying us eclairs. They were delicious; I could have eaten a dozen.

We attempted to find a new museum called, "I was 20 in 44" but couldn't until after I had given up. By then I was ready to move on. So we drove to another small museum outside of town. We talked to the curator after we walked through and he told us it was overflow from another of their museums located in La Roche. This was a nice but small museum. They are in the process of building a complete battlefield scene in the basement, which will be interesting when complete. He said it was too cold this past winter to work on it so they are behind schedule. Your GPS will not take you to this museum, there is a problem with the address. Just follow the map on their web site.

After this we headed towards Diekirch, Luxembourg. I have been planning to see this museum for two years as part of my camping tour of the Duchy but I always got rained out. It was a longer drive than what Google said, again, since we followed a twisting, winding road through the mountains. Other than the delay it caused though I didn't mind at all. It was a beautiful drive. Of course as the driver I couldn't see much because of the nature of the road (narrow, winding, blind curves) but I did pull over at a picnic overlook spot. That picture is on my Facebook page.

We came into Diekirch at ten minutes before five and I was hoping I remembered correctly that the museum was open until six. Luckily that was the case. This museum, The National War Museum, is fantastic. We only had an hour but you could easily spend three hours in there reading all the information and studying the weapons and dioramas. This is a very well maintained place and we all enjoyed it.

Afterwards we parked in town and looked for a place to eat. After a 40 minutes walk we weren't impressed with any of the offerings and I figured we could find a place on the road. I passed a couple dozen places and trusted my intuition to pick a good spot. I finally stopped at a restaurant attached to a gas station. The first waitress started talking to my sister in Luxembourgish and she asked if the waitress spoke English. "No" was the reply. I asked if she spoke Nederlands and she said "Nein, Deutsch". Ok, so I switched to German to order our drinks. The next waitress only spoke French but she understood German so we did that. The third waitress spoke German but obviously understood some English. The menu was written in French and Luxembourgish. What a situation!

From here it was a 80 minute ride home. The best time to go to Bastogne is the Christmas week when all the re-enactors are doing their thing. Look in the Stars & Stripes or online in late November. It does get crowded and everytime I have been there then it was really cold. But it is wonderful to see how the Belgians commemorate the battle.

New Rules for Driving in France

2012-06-13T18:54:00.004+02:00

1. Personal Breathalyzers:

Beginning 1 July, 2012, every driver operating a motor vehicle in France must have in their possession (in the vehicle) a personal breathalyzer device. It must be new, unused, and valid. Breathalyzers can be purchased at the French border and at any gas station in France.

Violation of this new law is considered a “Fourth Class Fine”. If the fine is paid within three (3) days, the fine is €90. If paid between four (4) and twenty-nine (29) days, the fine is €135. If not paid until on or after the 30^th day, the fine is €375.

2. Radar Detectors:

Radar detectors are illegal in France even when they are not in use. Possession of a radar detector in your vehicle will cost you a fine of €1,500, the detector will be confiscated, and your vehicle can also be impounded or confiscated.

Satellite Navigation systems and GPS systems that indicate where speed cameras are set up are also illegal. Possession of a SATNAV or GPS system that shows speed cameras in your vehicle will cost you a fine of €1,500, the system will be confiscated, and your vehicle can also be impounded or confiscated. If it is possible, use the software to disable this function before driving into France. If it is not possible to disable this function, leave the system at home.

3. Visibility Vests: Possession in the vehicle of “Visibility Vests” is mandatory for all occupants of the vehicle. All occupants must put on the vest before getting out of the vehicle on a road; such as for a break down or accident.

4. Warning Triangles: Possession and use of Warning Triangles is mandatory. Four-way flashers may be used in conjunction with the Warning Triangle.

The Netherlands School Vacation Schedule 2012

2012-06-08T22:16:00.000+02:00

The Netherlands is a small country, there is no disputing that. To lower the congestion and crowds during the summer school break the government divided the country into three zones: Nord Nederland, Midden Nederland, and Zuid Nederland (North, Middle, and South Netherlands). Each of these zones takes its summer school holiday on different schedules. So only one third of the country is on holiday at any given time, although there is some over lap.

This system gives you the opportunity to plan your vacation around your Dutch hosts.It also greatly impacts driving. During the Zuid Nederland school holiday period my drive to Weert every day is much easier because there are fewer cars on the road; they are all off on vacation.

The schedule rotates every year so each zone gets to have the different weeks of the summer off. So, what is the schedule this year?

Zomervakantie 2012 - Nederland

Primary (Elementary) School:

North Netherlands               21 Jul 2012 t/m 2 Sep 2012
Middle Netherlands       7 Jul 2012 t/m    19 Aug 2012
South Netherlands       30 Jun 2012 t/m 12 Aug 2012

Middle and High School:

North Netherlands       14 Jul 2012 t/m   2 Sep 2012
Middle Netherlands    7 Jul 2012 t/m    26 Aug 2012
South Netherlands                30 Jun 2012 t/m 19 Aug 2012

The North Region consists of the following Provinces:

Groningen
Friesland
Drente
Overijssel
Noord-Holland
Flevoland (met uitzondering van Zeewolde)
Gelderland: Alleen (only) Hattem
Utrecht: Alleen (only) Eemnes

The Middle Region consists of the following Provinces:

Zuid-Holland
Utrecht (met uitzondering van Eemnes en Loosdrecht)
Noord-Brabant: Alleen Werkendam, Woudrichem
Flevoland: Alleen Zeewolde
Gelderland voor de plaatsen (for the places): Aalten, Apeldoorn, Barneveld, Bergh (gemeente Montferland), Berkelland, Brummen, Buren, Culemborg, Dinxperlo, Doetinchem, Echteld, Ede, Elburg, Epe, Ermelo, Geldermalsen, Gorssel, Groenlo, Harderwijk, Heerde, Hengelo, Hoevelaken, Hummelo en Keppel, Kesteren, Lichtenvoorde, Lienden, Lingewaal, Lochem, Maurik, Neerijnen, Nijkerk, Nunspeet, Oldebroek, Oude IJsselstreek, Putten, Scherpenzeel, Steenderen, Tiel, Voorst, Vorden, Wageningen, Warnsveld, Wehl, Winterswijk, Zelhem, Zutphen

The South Region consists of the following Provinces:

Zeeland
Limburg
Noord-Brabant (met uitzondering van Werkendam en Woudrichem)
Gelderland voor de plaatsen: Ammerzoden, Angerlo, Arnhem, Bemmel, Beuningen, Brakel, Didam (gemeente Montferland), Dodewaard, Doesburg, Druten, Duiven, Groesbeek, Hedel, Heerewaarden, Heumen, Kerkwijk, Maasdriel, Millingen aan de Rijn, Nijmegen, Overbetuwe, Renkum, Rheden, Rozendaal, Rijnwaarden, Ubbergen, Valburg, Westervoort, West Maas en Waal, Wijchen, Zaltbommel, Zevenaar.

Vrijheid Urmond Historical Festival (2 & 3 June 2012)

2012-05-23T19:54:00.004+02:00

On Saturday and Sunday, 2 & 3 June 2012 there will be a historical (Middle Ages) festival at Urmond, NL. Urmond is ten minutes away from Schinnen if traffic is light. Below is the schedule and my best translation.

Zaterdag 2 juni 2012 Saturday 2 June 2012

11.00-17.00 uur (gratis entree): Vrijmarkt/rommelmarkt, kunstmarkt in theetuin van de Protestantse kerk, tentoonstelling "Urmond Toen" in Protestantse kerk. From 11:00 to 5:00 (free Entry) is a Craft, art, and flea market in the Tea garden of the Protestant church. There is also an exhibition "Urmond Then" in the church.
19.00-23.00 uur (entree 2 euro): optreden De Maasbuben in Herberg De Vrijheid op Het Bath met om 20.00 uur het spectaculaire RIDDERTOERNOOI.From 7:00 to 11:00 PM (entry is €2) Best guess is this says a musical group called De Maasbuben will play at the festival tent called Herberg de Vrijhied on the street called "De Bath" on the Maas river side of town and then at 8:00 PM the spectacular Knights tournament.
Zondag 3 juni 2012 Sunday 3 June 2012

9.00 uur: Entree open (entreeprijs 5 euro inclusief gratis consumptie; kinderen tot 16 jaar gratis entree). Start doorlopende Middeleeuwse markt.9:00 (AM) Entrance is open (Entrance price is €5 which includes one free "consumptie" [food or drink chip or ticket]; children up to 16 are free) The Middle Ages market is open to walk through.
10.00 uur: zedenpreek door Middeleeuwse pastoor (Het Bath) 10:00 Sermon by a Middle Ages pastor at Het Bath)
10.30 uur: Middeleeuwse brunch in Herberg De Vrijheid op Het Bath. Deelname alleen mogelijk na inschrijving vooraf (inmiddels uitverkocht!). Muziek door Krebbel, troubadour Sjeng Fransse en minstrelen This Middle Ages brunch is already sold out so you can skip it
11.45 uur: optocht met bezoekers, fanfare, schutterijen, ridders, notabelen, Middeleeuws volk en personages vanaf Het Bath naar de Kooipoort 11:45 Parade with visitors, fanfare (marching band), shooting clubs (usually dressed in traditional garb), knights, notables, medieval people and characters from the Bath to the Kooi gateway (can't find it on a map but I guess there will be signs).
12.00 uur: opening Kooipoort door de schout (Burgemeester A. Barske) 12:00 Official opening by Major A. Barske.
12.15 uur: optreden muziekgroep Krebbel (podium kerk)12:15 performance by musical group "Krebbel"
12.30 uur: optreden drumband St. Martinus (Het Bath) 12:30 performance by drumband St. Matinus
12.45 uur: optreden muziekgroep Kapriol' met balfolk (podium kerk) 12:45 Performance by musical group Kapriol with folk dancers
13.30 uur: binnenkomst hertog van Gulick en HISTORISCH SPEL door Middeleeuws volk en personages (podium bij kerk) 1:30 Entrance of Duke van Gulick and a historical play with Medieval characters and persons (podium by the church)
13.30 uur: optreden 2 of a kind (Het Bath)1:30 performance by "2 of a Kind" at Het Bath
14.15 uur: optocht vanaf podium bij kerk naar riddertoernooi op Het Bath 2:15 Parade from the church podium to the knights tournament at Het Bath.
14.15 uur: optreden Krebbel (podium kerk) 2:15 performance by "Krebbel" at the church podium
14.30 uur: RIDDERTOERNOOI op Het Bath2:30 Knight's Tournament at Het Bath
14.50 uur: optreden Kapriol' met balfolk (podium kerk)2:50 Performance by Kapriol with folk dancers at the church podium
15.30 uur: 2e opvoering binnenkomst hertog en HISTORISCH SPEL bij podium kerk 3:30 second performance of the entrance of the Duke and a historical play by the church podium
15.45 uur: optreden 2 of a kind (Het Bath)3:45 performance of "2 of a Kind" at Het Bath
16.30 uur: 2e opvoering RIDDERTOERNOOI op Het Bath 16:30 second performance of the knights tournament at Het Bath
16.30 uur: optreden Krebbel (podium kerk)4:30 performance or Krebbel at the church podium
17.00 uur: optreden Kapriol' met balfolk (podium kerk) 5:00 performance of Kapriol with folk dancers at the church podium
17.15 uur: optreden 2 of a kind (Het Bath) 5:15 performance of "2 of a Kind" at Het Bath
19.00 uur: sluiting historisch festival met heksverbranding op Het Bath 7:00 closing of the historical festival with a wirch burning at Het Bath
9.00-19.00 uur: doorlopend Middeleeuwse markt met diverse kramen, historische groepen, personages en activiteiten, optredens van diverse muziekgroepen, kinderspelen, ponyrijden en springkussen op Het Bath, roofvogelshow, boogschutter, ganzenhoeder etc. 9:00 to 7:00 PM continuous medieval market with diverse stalls, historical groups, persons and activities, performances by diverse musical groups, children's games, pony rides, and bouncing house at Het Bath, birds of prey show, archery, goose herder, etc.
s' Middags lezingen en tentoonstelling "400 jaar Schippershuis" in het Schippershuis. All afternoon (both days I think) of lectures and exhibit of the "400 Years Shipper's House" at the Shipper's house.

It looks like a fun two days and fairly cheap. I always suggest you carry some snacks and drinks because they tend to be very expensive at these festivals but certainly treat yourself to something there. You can't properly enjoy a fest without eating fest food.

2012 Schuttersfeest in Schimmert

2012-05-20T21:16:00.001+02:00

Today was the annual Oud Limburgs Schuttersfeest (Old Limburger Shooting Festival); held at the Schimmert Sports Field. The Schuttersfeest is a competition between the various shooting organizations in south Limburg (The Netherlands and Belgium). These clubs, called "Schutterijen" in Dutch, are remnants of the old Shooting Guilds or Militias that defended the towns and villages in the old days.

The schutterij, civic guard, or town watch, was a defensive military support system for the local civic authority. Its officers were wealthy citizens of the town, appointed by the city magistrates. In the Northern Netherlands, after the formal changeover in civic authority after Beeldenstorm, which depending on the town, was sometime between 1566 and 1580, the officers had to be a member of the Dutch Reformed Church. Its captain was usually a wealthy inhabitant of the district, and the group's ensign was a wealthy young bachelor (often recognizable in group portraits of Schutterijen by his particularly fine clothes and the flag he is carrying). Joining as an officer for a couple of years was often a stepping-stone to other important posts within the city council. The members were expected to buy their own equipment: this entailed the purchase of a weapon and uniform. Each night two men guarded their district in two shifts, from ten till two, and from two till six, closing and opening the gates of the city. At a set time each month, the schutters would parade under the command of an officer.

The idea was that, for every hundred inhabitants, three would belong to the schutterij. The Dutch Mennonites were excluded from a position in the schutterij in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries and paid a double tax in lieu of service. Roman Catholics were permitted in the lower regions. Persons in the service of the city (such as the minister, the city-physician, the teacher, the sexton, the beer-bearers and peat bearers), and the city's Jews, did not need to serve. The beer and peat bearers had to serve as the town's firefighters instead.

In 1748 the Doelisten demanded that stadholder William IV allow the bourgeoisie to appoint the militia's officers, but William refused, since in some towns the bourgeois could not even be considered as candidates for these offices. By the second half of the 18th century the schutterij were inactive (sometimes only exercising once a year and with the ill or rich buying their way out of service) and only of importance to Orangists. Patriots tried to breathe new life into the schutterij in 1783 or to create an alternative - in many cities, exercitiegenootschappen (military-exercise societies), vrijcorpsen (free corps) or voluntary schutterijen arose which anybody could join and with officers chosen democratically.

The system of schutterijen no longer worked after five hundred years, but survived the French occupation until finally king William I set up professional police forces. In 1901, the schutterijen were abolished but they still sort of exist in the Limburg region as private clubs.

Many of the clubs today proudly trace their heritage back to the authentic organizations and in many cases there was no loss of continuity. So you'll see on their signs dates as far back as the origins of the village's militia. I saw one Schutterij today with the date 1553 on its sign.

The Schuttersfeest begins with a march through the town or village. Each club is led by a young boy or girl carrying a sign indicating which guild it is. The sign usually shows their Patron Saint, town of origin, and date of origin. They are followed by the bielemannen or sappers carrying large axes. They function in the old days was to clear the way of obstacles. They wore false beards to hide their identity because these militias were often used to put down local civil unrest and riots.

They were followed by the Drum-Major and the marching band. The Drum-Major uses his staff and hand gestures to control the band; not just their music but also their marching. He indicates when to start, stop, makes turns, etc.

The band is followed by the "marketensters" who are sort of a "women's auxiliary". They carry a market basket with provisions and a small wooden keg filled with brandy or some other sort of distilled drink.

After the marketensters come the King and Queen of the guild and several of the higher officers and retainers. I didn't take any photos of them on the parade.

Last, come the "soldaten of fuseliers" (soldiers or fusiliers). They took commands from an officer or NCO of some sort who in turn took his cues from the marching band to their front.

The parade, or "optocht" in Dutch, ended at the sports field shooting grounds on the west side of Schimmert. It was an unusually warm day so as soon as they were done marching most of them stripped done out of most of their uniforms to cool off. One female was a heat casualty and fell out on the sports field. Medics immediately treated her on the spot.

The Schuttersfeest had limited food available at two concession stands and there was a large fest tent with a band, food, and drinks on site. Nearer to the shooting area was another "beer tent" but no food concessions.

Every aspect of the club was judged and scored. The king and queen was judged near the gazebo. I have no idea what the criteria were but each judging took about 20 minutes so it must have been comprehensive. They were asked a lot of questions and their outfits were closely scrutinized. All the silver plates on the king are the plates from predecessors. The next pair to be judged is standing by in the background.

The Marketensters were also judged and it was also very comprehensive. They each had to show the contents of their market baskets, answer questions, show their uniforms, and then demonstrate their process for presenting a shot of brandy to one of their soldiers. All this was done in front of two judges who were keeping score. In this picture the Marketenster was tapping a shot of brandy from her keg and then she walked over to her soldier and presented it to him to drink.

The band was judged on another field where they had more room to march and play. They were judged on their uniforms, their music, their marching ability, etc. Each group marched or did in-place drill for at least twenty minutes while they were being judged.

Lastly, the soldiers were judged. They also were judged on their uniforms, static Drill and Ceremony, manual of arms, and marching.

All the while the actual shooting competition was going on. The shooters take ten shots at elevated targets ("birds"), which are small (15mm) blocks held in a frame with ten targets to a column. These frames are 20 meters high.

The shooters use huge guns weighing 15 kilograms (36 lbs). The guns have open sites so there is no magnification of the tiny targets. They fire huge lead bullets, 12 or 16 mm in diameter (.47 or .63 caliber). Most shooters would take one or two shots and then rest while someone else held the weight of the weapon.

These are big and popular events in Limburg. If you like band music, marching, D&C (drill and ceremony), and a very unique shooting sport, this might be something you would be interested in. You can view the association's calendar at this LINK. Just click on the sub-menu "kalender" and look for a "Schuttersfeest" entry. The 75th anniversary of the Oud Limburgse Schuttersfederatie will take place on 23 September 2012 at Ellikom, Belgium. It looks to be about a thirty minute drive from Schinnen.

Price Comparing - Schinnen Commissary

2012-05-01T22:33:00.000+02:00

I tend to be a thrifty person and I always look for the best deal. So I compare prices on everything I buy. The commissary has little control over their prices; they are set at the distribution level somewhere else. Some of the prices make no sense at all so you have to be careful.

One problem with trying to compare prices is that the commissary is not consistent. Some of their products are marked in $ per ounce and some are marked in $ per kilogram. I understand how that happens but it is just laziness on the part of the commissary not to convert everything to one standard. I am fairly sure that their computerized system can do this easier than I can do it in my head. Unless you have a calculator you cannot really compare prices to get the best deal.

The commissary also utilizes the same manipulations and tricks that commercial grocery stores use. That is they move items to the ends of the aisles and make it look like they are sale. Sometimes they are indeed on sale. A few weeks ago they had a few of their energy drinks on sale for a pretty good discounted price. But today when I was there I noticed they had boxes of energy drinks out on the end of an aisle that were actually 30 cents a can MORE expensive than the normal price. A box of ten cans was "On Sale" for $14.67 ($1.47 a can) but the per can price is normally $1.19. The Shopette was selling this same product at four cans for $2.00.

Several times recently I have been charged more than the price listed on the item in the aisle. This has happened so often that I pay close attention when I am at the register. Luckily, the store policy is to go by the price on the shelf but you have to bring it to their attention.

I'm not knocking the commissary, the people there will do everything possible for you if you ask. But the misleading pricing makes it hard to stretch your shopping dollar. Also, be careful of the fake sales. They can cost you extra money. And always remember to check prices at the shopette and the PXtra as well. Lastly, don't forget that the commissary charges you a 5% tax so you have to add that to your pricing.

Are you aware that you can use coupons up to six months after they expire? (Only at Overseas Commissaries)

Saving Money on Fuel (Gas and Diesel)

2012-03-24T08:45:00.001+01:00

Have you filled your gas tank at Schinnen recently? We are approaching $5.00 a gallon gas and will certainly go over five dollars a gallon sometime soon.

                     Per Gallon          Per Liter          Change. (+/-)
Euro95          $4.928              $1.302       +0.095
Super Plus     $5.213              $1.377       +0.096
Diesel            $4.985              $1.317       +0.051

We are paying 92 cents a gallon more for gasoline than our colleagues that live and work in Germany do! How can that be justified? But what can you do?

Here are some tips to help maximize your fuel dollars.

1. Sign up for and use the Aafes "Star Card" credit card. If you buy your fuel using your Star Card you will save five cents a gallon. Don't use the card for anything else and make sure you pay it off EVERY month so you are not paying interest charges. This method will also give you a very accurate record of your fuel use and costs.

2. Clean out your car. There's good reason to clean out the junk piled in the trunk. Every 100 pounds of added weight in a car reduces its fuel economy by about 2%. That is about 10 cents a gallon (9.96 cents at the current price). Hauling a cargo carrier, bikes, kayaks or other gear atop the car for a road trip is worse, decreasing fuel economy by 5% (24.9 cents a gallon).

3. Slow down. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that for every 5 mph you drive over 60 mph you add $0.30 per gallon to the gas bill. Aggressive stops and starts waste another 33% at highway speeds and about 5% at slower, local speed limits.Take your time and slowly accelerate instead of stomping on the gas. My car, when it was brand new, was rated at 32 Miles per Gallon (MPG) on the highway; I generally get 36 MPG. I rarely go faster than 110 kph and I take a full kilometer to get up to speed when I enter the highway. I try to keep my engine RPMs under 2,000 as I accelerate. I also take my foot off the gas and start coasting about five hundred meters from the off ramp. If you stay in the right lane behind a large truck you gain at least 5-10 percent more efficiency by "drafting" in the already moving air behind the truck. These trucks are generally going between 90 and 100 kph.

4. Plan your Route. It's possible to cut down on mileage just by running a few errands on the same trip and choosing more efficient routes. You want to avoid traffic lights, stop signs, and stop and go traffic if at all possible. You can actually save gas by driving a little further if that route allows you to keep moving. Starting and stopping is why city mileage is so much lower than highway mileage. When you combine multiple errands into one drive you save fuel not just by driving a shorter overall distance but also because your car is more fuel efficient when it is warmed up to operating temperatures. So drive to your furthest location first if it makes sense to do so.

5. Car Pool. That is a Homer Simpson "Doh" statement to me. 99% of the military personnel here work at one of two places; USAG Schinnen or JFC Brunssum. Find somebody to share the ride and save a quick 50% on your fuel bill and general wear and tear on your car.

6. Check your Tire Pressure. Under- or over-inflated tires change the way the car handles, adding drag and speeding wear. That, in turn, reduces fuel efficiency by about 3%. Look to the driver's side door panel or owner's manual for information on proper inflation levels, Don't go by the figure stamped on the tire -- that's the maximum pressure the tire can handle. Tire pressure changes with temperature and over time so check your tire pressure at least every other time you fill your gas tank.

7. Turn off your Engine. Turn off your engine if you know you will be sitting still for 11 seconds or more. Eleven seconds seems to be the cut-off point. If you drive the same route to work and back every day then you know about how long a light is. One intersection in Beek that I go through every day is a complex intersection and the light is well over a minute long if it changes to red right when I get to it. I shut my car off and save a minute's worth of fuel. I do the same thing for railroad crossings. I go through three railroad crossings on my route to work and get stopped by a train at least once a week. That can be up to a three minute stop if a train goes by in each direction. Shutting off the engine saves a lot of fuel.

8. Bike once or twice a week. When I was stationed here twelve years ago a subordinate of mine and I rode our bikes to work two days a week. I lived in Neerbeek and he lived in Geleen; we worked in Brunssum. We met along the way. It was only a thirty minute bike ride (it also took thirty minutes to drive in a car) and was a nice addition to our fitness program. Riding a bike two days a week saved me 40% on my driving costs.

9. Park your car and walk. When I go to Schinnen I park my car in whatever lot is closest to where I will have to carry the most items and then walk everywhere else. If I am picking up groceries, for example, I park in the commissary lot but then I walk to the PX, PX-tra, or bank from there.

10. Take public transportation. A single person going to Maastricht, Valkenberg, or Roermond, for example, can travel cheaper by train than by driving. In some cases a couple can also travel cheaper by train. But once you are talking about the whole family going somewhere it might be cheaper to drive. You need to do the math and figure out which is best for the circumstances.

Recycling

2012-03-11T20:39:00.000+01:00

Soapbox statement: I, personally, feel that everyone should recycle/reuse everything possible to cut down on waste and damage to the environment. When recycled materials are used in place of virgin materials during manufacturing, we avoid the environmental damage caused by mining for metals, drilling for petroleum, and harvesting trees. Producing recycled white paper creates 74% less air pollution and 35% less water pollution than producing paper from virgin fibers. Using recycled cans instead of extracting ore to make aluminum cans produces 95% less air pollution and 97% less water pollution. Recycling and re-manufacturing are 194 times more effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions than land filling and virgin manufacturing.

Ok, that's my standpoint. BUT Recycling is imperative in The Netherlands to cut down on the trash you pay to have hauled away. In most towns, household trash is collected only once every other week and you are restricted to what you can fit in one trash bin. So out of necessity you must recycle.

What can you recycle? Most towns in The Netherlands pickup "Green Waste" (organic kitchen and yard waste) every other week (in between you garbage pickups). Most towns also pickup paper and cardboard once or twice a month and plastics once or twice a month. There will also be a glass recycle station in your town, possibly a clothes bin and maybe even a cooking oil receptacle. Lets look at things one at a time.

These are the rules for my gemeente (municipality) but they should be similar in your town.

Paper and cardboard (Oud papier en karton): Paper and cardboard needs to be clean and dry. Bundle the material but no heavier than 12 kilograms (a little over 28 pounds). I reuse paper grocery bags to hold my paper for recycle.Make sure that there is no plastic (tape, envelope windows, etc) mixed in and do not include waxed paper products such as milk cartons and juice containers.

Green Waste (GFT-aval): These bins are loaded by an "arm" from the truck so make sure there is 18 inches or so all around your container. Use the correct container, in my town they are green. You can include all organic kitchen and yard waste such as leaves, tree and bush trimmings, grass, weeds, etc. Do not include large bones or liquid fats and oils. Do not include cat litter. Do not pack the material in the bin, it has to be able to slide out when the truck turns it upside down. The lid must be closed completely. The bin cannot weigh more than 80 kilos (about 195 lbs)

Plastic (Plastic Heroes): You must use the special bags provided for plastic recycling. You can find a list of places to pick up these special bags at this LINK.What goes in the bag? Pretty much anything that is household plastic. What cannot go in the bag are: toys, plastic packaging with food or other product still in the container, plastic containers that held chemicals and solvents, expanded foam products such as fast food packaging, Styrofoam of any sort, plastic with aluminum foil or other non-plastic material attached.

The following items are things you will have to take somewhere. Most towns collect glass and cooking oil. Other stuff can be taken to the "Sort Center" at USAG Schinnen.

Glass: Glass is recycled as "White" (Witte Glas) glass, which is really clear glass, and "Colored" (Bunte Glas) glass. Porcelain, china, and terracotta is not glass. There is a glass bin a USAG Schinnen if you cannot find a recycle site near your house.

Metal: USAG Schinnen has containers for metal material. Do not throw appliances in these bins. Every time I dump my cans in the bin I see stuff that only a completely clueless or uncaring person would throw in the bin. This junk has to be pulled out by the Sort Center workers and that just isn't right. Microwave ovens must be taken to the sort center when the top is open so they can be handled by the workers there. The magnetron in the microwave is the problem. They take microwaves, they just have to handle them separately.

Batteries: You can drop off used batteries (AA, AAA, C, D cells and the square 9-volts batteries) at the commissary and the Sort Center. Do not throw your batteries in the general trash. Batteries contain many toxic materials that severely pollute the environment. These materials can and should be extracted from the batteries and reused.You drop off car batteries at the Sort Center but be advised that you get money back at the Car Care Center if you trade in an old car battery when you buy a new one.

Hazardous Waste: You can drop off very small amounts of hazardous waste in the Red receptacle at the Sort Center lower area or wait until the top section is open to drop it off there.

Motor Oil: If you change your own oil (from your car) you can drop off the used motor oil at the Sort Center when the top part is open. Make sure the oil is in a sturdy container. I reuse the large plastic containers that I buy cat litter in for this purpose.

Wood: If you have large wooden items to dispose of they can take those at the Sort center. Remove all non-wood material (nails, nuts&bolts, screws, hinges, etc.) and recycle those as metal waste.

USAG Sort Center:

These are some of the bins located on the bottom part of the sort center. They are available 24 hours a day but they take them up to the top area when that is open to empty and clean them.

This is the top portion of the sort center. If you have any questions ask the man in the booth to the left. He does not speak much English, which seems pretty stupid to me to hire a guy that speaks limited English to be a customer service person. But he'll figure out what you need. He is responsible for this site and will keep an eye on you so do not try to cheat and dump stuff you shouldn't.

These are the hours for the top portion of the Sort Center.

I recycle everything I can. As a result, I only have to put my trash bin out for collection once every other month. That saves the US Army money, they get charged every time your bin is collected, and saves the environment.

Small Town Touring - Meerssen

2012-03-04T00:07:00.000+01:00

Meerssen is easy to get to from anywhere in the Schinnen/Brunssum area since it sits near the junction of A2 and A79. Meerssen was also near the junction of two ancient Roman roads, which is why the town dates back to those days and beyond. One of these roads, the "Via Belgica", started on the French coast, crossed the Maas river at Maastricht, and ran past Meerssen and Heerlen then into Germany.

The first major event to occur in this small town was The Treaty of Meerssen or Mersen, which was a partition treaty of the Carolingian Empire concluded on 8 August 870 by the two surviving sons of Emperor Louis the Pious, King Charles the Bald of West Francia and Louis the German of East Francia.

Around the middle of the 10th century Meerssen was the personal property of queen Gerberga, the daughter of King Henry I. She was the spouse of Louis IV of France. In 968 she donated all her property to the abbey of Saint Remigius in Reims, France. The Basilica in Meerssen started out as a Monastery Church affiliated with the abbey in Reims and it replaced the royal family chapel that was in Meersseen for over 100 years.

The Basilica is probably the most notable feature of the town today due to its age and style. There is an excellent description of the Basilica at this LINK.

The Basilica is open most days until 1700 hrs (5:00 PM) but it is an active church so make sure a service is not being conducted before you walk in.

To the right of the church, if you were looking at it as in the picture above, there is a small strolling park that is very nice. There is a swan pond and a pathway with plenty of benches to sit and relax, enjoy the view, and perhaps have a snack or drink. Be careful if you walk in the grass, the ducks, geese, and swans have been there and there are lots of their droppings.

Across the pond is an ornate and pretty gazebo. It was completely renovated about two years ago and now would be a perfect spot for photographs of your family.

During the history of The Netherlands many outside forces, Spain, Austria, France, and various noble families and even the Catholic Church officials, bought, sold, and traded parts of what is now The Netherlands. Each time this was done, the religious denomination prevalent in the affected areas changed. Churches would change from Catholic to Protestant and back again. Since many small towns and villages only had the means to support one church building, the Protestants and Catholics often had to share buildings. Most of the time this worked out fine but sometimes it was an issue.

In 1836, Belgian King Leopold I donated money to build four Protestant churches; one each in Beek, Meerssen, Gulpen, and Heerlen. It was not completely altruistic, he was possibly trying to further divide the Catholic and Protestant people. Leopold himself was Protestant. All of these churches are called, "Leopoldskerk", or Leopold's Church. The one in Meerssen is across the street from the back side of the Basilica. I was fortunate enough to see a woman working on the church's grounds and asked her if I could go inside and look around. She said, "sure, but there is not much to see." She was right about that. The church has been deconsecrated and largely striped. Only the organ pipes and lectern remain. The building is being renovated to be a sort of civic hall for ceremonies and meetings.

Also in Meerssen is a former Jewish Synagogue.

Jewish cemetery on Tussen de Bruggen

References to Jews living in Meerssen survive from the late seventeenth century. In 1715, a Jewish cemetery was established at Geulbrugge on the road from Meerssen to Rothem (now called, "Tussen de Bruggen". Another old Jewish cemetery still stands in the former hamlet of Haasdal now part of the village of Schimmert. (I've been to this one too but it is very hard to find.) A sizeable Jewish community did not come into being at Meerssen until the 1770's. At that time, religious services were held in a private home on the corner of the Kerkstraat and the Beekstraat. By 1796, the community utilized a hall in the Steegstraat as its synagogue. During the late eighteenth century the surrounding of Meerssen was plagued by roving gangs of bandits, mostly comprised of Jews.

With the reorganization of Dutch Jewry during the 1820's the Jewish community at Meerssen was declared a regional community (Ringsynagoge) under the aegis of the Jewish community at Maastricht. The Jewish population of Meerssen remained relatively constant throughout the nineteenth century; thereafter, its numbers fell due to the general trend of migration to the more prosperous west of the Netherlands. A new synagogue, located on the Kuileneindestraat, was consecrated in 1853. Official and voluntary organizations at Meerssen included the community directorate and a women's society. The community also provided Jewish education for its children.

By the eve of the Second World War, the Jewish community at Meerssen had become so small that it effectively had ceased to function. Under the wartime German occupation of the Netherlands, almost all the remaining Jews of Meerssen were deported and murdered; only a few managed to escape death in hiding. The synagogue came through the war undamaged despite the theft of part of its contents. The Jewish community at Meerssen was officially dissolved in 1947 and administratively merged into the Jewish community at Maastricht. The synagogue was sold in 1946. What was left of its interior was removed and reinstalled in the synagogue at Maastricht. The former synagogue at Meerssen was heavily damaged by fire in 1977. Later, it was restored by the Kring van Vrienden van de Synagoge Meerssen (The Association of Friends of the Meerssen Synagogue). The former synagogue has served as a social and cultural center since 1989. A Torah scroll originally from Meerssen and later in the possession of the Jewish Historical Museum Amsterdam was returned to the former synagogue in 1996. The Jewish cemetery at Meerssen was declared a national monument and later restored. It is currently maintained by the local authorities.

Meerssen has a small but surprisingly busy shopping district. It is not especially pedestrian friendly since the roads are not closed off but the sidewalks are wide and the speed limit is only 30kph. There are a few brand name stores, grocery stores, cafe`s, and pubs in the town. The stores go beyond the obvious area of the downtown district. It wouldn't be a shopping destination for me but if you visit the town you can definitely get something to eat or drink while there.

There are many interesting buildings spread out through the town but none that are exceptionally old (by local standards). These are typical "Maasland" style buildings from the early to mid-1800's.

If you walk or drive south out of Meerssen, past the train station, across the train tracks, toward Rothem and ultimately Maastricht, you will see the Jewish cemetery on your right. If you continue straight ahead you will come to a traffic circle. Go straight through and under highway A2 and head towards Maastricht. You will pass a Gatehouse for an estate, seen here. Just a little further on there will be a road to your right that passes by the estate. This road is called Weert Straat.

Follow that over the railroad tracks and you will come to Kasteel Vaeshartelt. Follow signs to Parking (left of the main building seen here). This former home of King William is now a hotel and conference center. On the grounds is a small restaurant and what they are calling an English Garden. The garden area is open and free to the public during daylight hours.

The information sign says the strolling route would take about an hour of leisurely walking and there are explanatory signs along the way (only in Dutch I am sorry to say). But the signs have old pictures or drawings so you can at least see what the place looked like in its hay day. I walked around a little bit but I was walking to Maastricht so I didn't spend too much time here.

If you walk from Meerssen, it is a pleasant 30 minute walk at the most and it will allow you to stop and see the cemetery and the estate I mentioned above. You might walk up an appetite and then enjoy your own snack while sitting in the garden or buy something at the cafe` on the grounds.

I walked in to Maastricht and that portion of the trip is unrelated to Meerssen. Actually so is Kasteel Vaeshartelt but it is well worth the small side trip for you.

I hope you have a chance to get out and enjoy the small towns in our area.

Day Trips - Roermond

2012-02-26T10:31:00.000+01:00

I took a day trip to Roermond on Saturday mainly to see what I thought was a full-scale museum called the "Historiehuis". I saw some pictures of it online and thought it would be interesting. The Historiehuis turned out to be a large room inside the city's library at Neerstraat 11. It was a very well done exhibit but I saw everything in about twenty minutes. But luckily, Neerstraat 11 is inside the City Centrum of Roermond and so I toured the rest of the historical "Old Town", as Americans would call it.

Roermond is easy to get to by car or train. By car, head north on highway A2 and then take A73 directly to Roermond. Go to this website to find public parking and addresses to plug into your GPS. You could take a train from Beek, Spaubeek, Schinnen, or Sittard but that will cost you €11.00 - 13.00. If you are going by yourself and you intend to spend the day, the train is the best way to go. Between gas and parking costs driving by yourself would be more expensive.

You can start reading about what there is to see and do in Roermond at the Dutch Tourist bureau VVV site. Go to this LINK.

The Centrum, or old city center, is quite large and very pedestrian friendly. It is a typical old city layout though (lots of curved streets) and so you can't really go up and down each street like you can with a modern grid layout. It is nice for wandering but you'll probably end up passing by the same place more than once. The main attractions are posted on sign posts, with direction but not distance, at most of the main street corners. There is also a VVV Tourist Office located at Markt 17, 6041 EL Roermond. This is on the main market square near the old Gemeente Huis (City Hall). I didn't go in but most VVV offices have good tourist guides, maps, and books concerning the local area. You can also ask the workers questions on what to see.

I used Dutch the whole day so I don't know how well they do with English here. This was one of the few places where the people I talked to did not switch over to English after talking to them in my limited Dutch. I found everyone to friendly and polite though.

I recommend you visit both the churches in the Centrum; Saint Christopher's Church and Munsterkerk. Munsterkerk was built in the early 1200's and is a good example of a medieval church inside. The interior is beautiful. Both churches have English language pamphlets available that explain the major features of the church.

There is food of every kind and price range available here. I bought fresh squeezed orange juice and fried fish at the market and a small apple pie for dessert at a bakery later. prices were reasonable but I always carry drinks with me since they usually cost too much. There are few public bathrooms so use them when you come across them.

The architecture of the buildings is fantastic and if you like that sort of thing you can see buildings from the 1200s up to modern times and everything in between. Many of the older buildings have markers that explain when it was built, for whom, and what the building was used for (all in Dutch though).

All the major store chains are represented as well as lots of mom & pop specialty stores. Roermond also has a Designer Outlet center near the Centrum (Stadsweide 2, 6041 TD Roermond) but I wasn't interested in seeing that. The outlet centers tend to be high end clothing stores and that's not my thing.

There was a small Jewish population in the city off and on over the centuries and I saw their former school and synagogue on Hamstraat down near the train station. You can read about the Roermond Jewish community at this LINK. According to the website there is a small museum in the former synagogue. I didn't know that when I was there but I'll check it out next time I visit Roermond.

All in all I had a good time and ate some good food. There is plenty more for me to see and I look forward to visiting again when the weather is warmer. Roermond is not exactly high on the typical tourist's list of places to see but maybe it should be.

Carnaval (or Carnival)

2012-02-18T15:40:00.000+01:00

What is Carnaval or Mardi Gras?

Carnaval (Mardi Gras in the US) is a festive season typically involving a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life. The festival culminates on Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday, which is the day before Ash Wednesday. The date is dependent on that of Easter, and thus can vary from as early as 3 February to as late as 9 March. While in recent years Carnaval has grown in popularity as a raucous, hedonistic event, its roots lie in the Christian calendar, as the “last hurray” before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.

Origins of The Name

The origin of the word Carnaval or Carnival is disputed, but many believes it comes from the Italian words “carne levare”, which literally means “to remove meat”, since meat is prohibited during Lent.

Dutch Carnival Traditions

Carnival is mainly celebrated in the south of The Netherlands. The provinces Limburg and Noord-Brabant are the predominantly Catholic provinces of the Netherlands, where most inhabitants celebrate Carnival. Though some people take the Carnival traditions very seriously, most people keep it simple and just drink, sing and dance wearing a colorful outfit. (I had discussions with Dutch soldiers from outside of Provincie Limburg and they find the festivities somewhat frivolous and silly. The farther north you go in The Netherlands to more "serious" the people seem to be.)

The Carnival celebrations in Maastricht start after the mayor symbolically hands over the key to the city to Prince Carnival. For three days, the Carnival Prince has control of the city and, together with his subjects, celebrates the temporary establishment of their Kingdom of Fools. Merrymakers make their way from pub to pub and greet Prince Carnival with three cheers of “Alaaf”. It seems like each little town and village elects their own Carnaval Prince. The process begins in mid-November and you might have seen signs around your town for the men trying to get "elected" Prince.

Carnival Celebrations

From the 19th of February until the 21st of February 2012 Carnival in Maastricht will be celebrated, also known as “Vasteloavend in Mestreech”. During this three day festival all people forget their boundaries and the city center of Maastricht is filled with thousands costumed people.

On Saturday the 18th of February Carnival will be opened with performances of several Limburg artists. This is also called the “Vastelaoftrap”. The entrepreneurs from the Vrijthof, a famous and large square in the city center of Maastricht, organize this parade of artists to get in the mood for the three craziest days of the year.
Sunday the 19th of February is the first official day of Carnival. On this day the annual parade takes place through the city center of Maastricht. With dazzling decorated vehicles, costumes and music the Carnival celebrating people of Maastricht will go through the city.

The festival will take place on the streets and in the many cafés, although the authentic people of Maastricht only celebrate on the streets. Everywhere you go you see costumed people who enjoy the cosiness, music and of course a drink. People celebrate from early in the morning until late in the evening to fully enjoy these three careless days. Carnival takes place in the city center of Maastricht, but also in the local neighborhoods people celebrate in local community houses and cafés.

Are you in the mood to get crazy? Come and celebrate Carnival in Maastricht and don’t forget your costume and a good mood!

If you are visiting Maastricht during these three days of Carnival, please keep in mind that many shops are closed.

The Maastricht Tourist bureau published this flyer on the celebrations in the city.

Click here: Maastricht Carnaval

Index to Non-Tourist Subjects

2012-02-10T18:16:00.003+01:00

I've been posting since May 2011 and it is probably getting difficult to find specific subjects of interest so I'm posting an index of sorts. This index will be for the non-tourist subjects I have covered. Just click on a link below and you'll go straight to that posting. Do you have any suggestions for additional Subjects? Please send me a comment.

If you enjoy this Blog, please tell your family and friends about it.

1. Bringing your Automobile to The Netherlands

2. Electric

3. Electric Stuff, continued

4. Drinking Water

5. Banking in The Netherlands

6. Movie Theaters

7. Medical and Dental Care

8. Gasoline and Esso Cards

9. Schinnen Care Care Garage

10. Car Inspections (Netherlands)

11. Dutch Weather

12. US Radio Reception

13. German Winter Tire Regulations

14. Shopping on Schinnen

15. Winter Driving

16. Aafes Gas Prices (Belgium, Germany, Netherlands)

17. Dutch Road Hazards

Small Town Touring - Elsloo

2012-02-04T19:39:00.001+01:00

Most people that come to The Netherlands visit the big tourist attractions; Amsterdam, Delft, Kinderdijk, Keukenhof, Maastricht, Valkenburg, etc. And those are all nice places to see. But if you only go to the tourist areas you will never get a good feel for the real Netherlands, The Netherlands off the beaten path. I have been to the big attractions, several times in many cases, and enjoyed them every time. But I also like to get off the main roads and find little towns and villages and see what they have to offer. So I'm going to start highlighting some of the out-of-the-way places I have visited.

The first place I'll highlight is the little town of Elsloo. There is evidence of habitation going back 7,000 years. Digs in the area have found stone age tools and pottery. Evidence of Roman settlements have also been found. This is not surprising, man has always lived along rivers and waterways. The other attraction was the fine, fertile loam soil. It is very easy to work and the early settlers to this area followed the loam soil deposits and established farming communities on it.

Elsloo is easy to get to by heading toward the train station in Beek and then going straight past it to the next round about. Take the second exit and you are in the newer part of Elsloo. Just plug this address into your GPS and it will take you to Kasteelelsloo and you can park there for free. Maasberg 1, 6181 GV, Elsloo, Nederland.

The old, original part of the town is in the area of the kasteel, which is now a hotel and convention center. More than half of the town was destroyed when the Julianakanaal was built in the early 1930's. The buildings that remain were mostly built in the early to mid 1600's.

Kasteel Elsloo, where you will park, was built on the site of a former brewery.

There had earlier been a fortress castle in this area, to the west, but between several wars and constant flooding of the River Maas, it was finally destroyed completely. This castle had been plundered by Viking raidiers traveling on the Maas and they set up an encampment where the village stands today. The Maas has changed its route many times and the former castle is now under the Maas. When water levels are extremely low you can see parts of the foundation in the river.

The current Kasteel was built as a residence. The first Lord of Elsloo was Arnulf or Arnoldus van Elsloo and there were many intermarriages between minor nobility and aristocrats and the kasteel passed down through these various families. One of the last noble women to own the residence later married Charles de Grimaldi, the Prince of Monaco. In 1887 the kasteel was bought by Hendrikus Leonardus Jurgens, the oleo margarine magnate. He used the residence as a summer retreat. Lastly it was purchased by the town of Elsloo.

Behind the kasteel is a large botanical garden. I never seem to be there when it is open so I can't really say much about it except when I read customer comments from the hotel, they mostly said how nice the garden and strolling park were. The garden is supposed to be open on Sundays between 1 April and 1 October but only from 1400 - 1700 hrs. The strolling park is free and open to the public. I have walked in the park many times and there is a network (a maze really) of marked trails that you can walk. It is mostly on a hillside so be prepared for that. Also at the kasteel is an old water mill. I have tried many times to see that as well but always seem to miss the open times. The kasteel lies right beside the Juliana Canal and that is also a pleasant walk or a nice place to just sit and watch the birds and barges. I have eaten lunch beside the canal a couple times and it's always nice.

The Maas was a very important waterway used for transporting supplies and trade goods. The Maas flows from France to the North Sea. It is 575 miles long and drops in elevation from 1,342 feet in France to sea level. In Elsloo there was a Shipper's Exchange (Schippersbeurs) where fees and schedules were negotiated and paid. Shippers used the "Beurs" to arrange their shipping contracts. This building has very thick stone walls, heavy wood doors, and in the back of the building (now a residence) you can still see the iron bars used to protect the windows. I imagine quite a bit of money was stored here for business transactions. The yellow building in this photo is the current Schippersbeurs Musea. It is only open for limited hours but it is an interesting if small museum. You can see everything in a bit less than two hours. The museum is open:

Dinsdag (Tue) : 13.00 - 16.00 uur | Donderdag (Thu): 13.00 - 16.00 uur
Woensdag (Wed) : 13.00 - 16.00 uur | Zondag (Sun) : 14.00 - 17.00 uur

There are many interesting buildings in the old part of the town if you like that sort of thing (I do). The church there is also quite nice. Between strolling through the town, walking in the park, seeing the kasteel's garden and mill (if you are lucky), and maybe visiting the museum, I think you could spend a whole day here. Luckily I live 12 minutes away so I can come and go to see things.

On 10 May, 1940, the Germans attacked The Netherlands with no warning. Their main goal was France but unfortunately The Netherlands was in the way. The Netherlands capitulated after four days of hard fighting. One of the places the Germans went through on their way to France was Elsloo. The Dutch army blew up the bridge crossing the Juliana Canal to attempt to slow down the German attack on their close ally, Belgium.

But this was only a temporary setback for the German war machine. They quickly built a pontoon bridge to span the canal and then the River Maas. The Netherlands endured almost five years of German occupation and then the fighting as the American's and their allies came through this area pushing the Germans out of The Netherlands and eventually back to Berlin.

Dutch Road Obstacles

2012-01-24T11:32:00.000+01:00

The Dutch do some odd things, from my point of view, and one of the strangest is to purposely install road obstacles. Their idea is that by making the roads more difficult to drive on and more dangerous, that people will slow down and the roads will be safer. That is a very illogical train of thought if you ask me.

In the United States, we generally try to make our roads as efficient and safe as possible. Our goal is to move the most number of cars from point A to point B as possible while still maintaining a margin of safety. In parts of Europe, to include The Netherlands, it seems they do everything they can to impede the smooth flow of traffic.

In The Netherlands you can park almost anywhere on the street and I have come around blind corners or bends in the road only to find a car, truck, or combi van parked in my driving lane. A quick swerve to avoid a collision and I continue on my way. This by itself is so unsafe it is hard to believe it is allowed.

Many roads, when you are off the highways, are too narrow for two vehicles to pass at normal driving speeds. One of the vehicles must slow down and pull to to far edge of the road to allow the other vehicle to pass. In my area of south Limburg, there are many roads that I drive on every week where two cars cannot pass each other at all unless one goes off the edge of the road. Last summer one of these heavily used roads was closed for several weeks for construction and I figured they were finally going to widen it to two full lanes. Wishful thinking. All they did was resurface the narrow road as it was and now it is even harder to pull off and then back onto the road because it is now 3-4 inches higher than the shoulder.

But the most unbelievable safety hazards are the ones the Dutch intentionally place on the road. On the five mile drive from my house to USAG Schinnen, for example, I must navigate around no less than twelve obstacles blocking or restricting traffic flow. Below are some examples.

One of the first things you have to learn is who has the priority to go through one of these traffic restrictions. You'll learn this when you study for your Driver's License. In this case the oncoming traffic, shown by the black arrow, has priority. The reddish lane is a Bike Lane. You are not allowed to block the bike lane. If you come to this obstacle at the same time as an oncoming vehicle, you must stop and let them pass. And this makes the road safer how?

In this example there is no priority sign so you have to either be bold and just take the priority or stop and let the oncoming car go through. As you can see the bike lane also disappears so now bikes are also trying to get through the obstacle and they will generally stop for no one. At night this is a difficult road hazard to see until you are right on it. All it has to mark it is a small strip of shiny metal on the short pole.

In some places the Dutch weren't satisfied with only one hazard, they installed two or three. At this obstacle you have a post and curb stones in the middle of you lane and then what looks like a way to go around to the right. But that is also blocked by two dark grey posts (difficult to see at night) and a parked car in what looks like part of the road but is not. I had to stop so the car with priority could come through.

Dremples, we call them speed bumps and the British call them "Lazy Policemen". You will find these going into and out of every village. In most cases they are not too bad but I have come across several in the area that I have to creep over so I don't bottom out my car. After this Dremple you see two "Fake" bike lanes. They are fake because while they are marked they are not protected lanes like the reddish colored ones are.

Some Dremples are integrated into other traffic hazards. This one going into my village is especially hazardous because of an adjoining road that comes into the main road just ahead of this. I have sat here burning gas for over a minute or two as cars came out of the village. This one, at least, is well marked because of several accidents in the past.

Split Dremples rock your boat. I hate these. Only one side of your car goes over the bump and so even at a very slow speed it rocks you back and forth. This is where my groceries usually get scattered in the trunk of my car and I have to go over two of these going home from Schinnen. There is also a blind curve just ahead at a bridge so you cannot see what is coming the other way. There is also no bike lane even though this is the road to the Spaubeek Train Station just behind me.

Constricted Dremples give you two things to worry about but at least there is a bike lane here so you aren't also dodging fietsers (bikers).

Then for reasons unknown the Dutch will throw traffic islands into the center of the road. They are not meant to split the road, which is a way to increase road safety, but are just temporary obstacles like this one. If you are about to make a left turn, like I am in this photo, this is a real pain to navigate.

The most fun obstacles are the slaloms they set up so you can weave through them. They emplaced posts on the right and left because people got confused and went around the road hazard to the right. In this case my lane has priority because of the white arrow on my lane. But you will still have to dodge bicyclists here because they only have a fake bike lane and therefore there isn't enough road width for you car and a biker in your lane.

Where fake bike lanes turn into real bike lanes there will often be some sort of an obstacle to mark this transition like what is shown here. Not including the various bike lanes this is a six-road intersection including two highway on/off ramps. There are no priority traffic signs so you have to be very careful moving through here.

If the man-made obstacles were no bad enough, the lenient parking laws will get you. You have to zig zag back and forth around parked vehicles and oncoming traffic without forgetting about the bikers also sharing the road.

There are many other types of man-made road hazards but these are just the ones between my house and Schinnen. Drive carefully. As a foreigner you will always be at fault if there is an accident.

Train Trip to Maastricht (14 Jan 12)

2012-01-14T20:23:00.001+01:00

Well, now that I learned how to take the train to Maastricht (last weekend) I decided to do a city walk in the Eastern half of the city. Like most people, I only went to the Old City Center (Centrum) in Maastricht. I have been there many, many times on this assignment and my previous assignment (1998-2001). My wife and I love the old part of the city. When you go online, the western side of Maastricht is just about all you read about. So I thought today would be a good day to take the train from Meersen to Maastricht and explore the "Wyck" area.

The area I am talking about is the walled in part of the city on the right side of this picture, the East Side of the River Maas, as shown in this drawing from 1750. The bridge shown here is Sint Servaasbrug, which still stands (though much of it has been rebuilt after WWII.). There is now a road that follows the inner (brown or tan) wall shown in this drawing and two bridges where the old wall met the river.

I got off the train and walked out the front door of the train station. I wanted to first know how far it was from the train station to Sint Servaasbrug. This bridge crosses the Maas and puts you at the edge of the old city center; most peoples' destination. Well, once again there were antique venders along Stationstraat, the first 2-3 blocks of the route, and that slowed me down. I was also admiring the buildings, stopping to smell the baked goods at a bakery, and taking pictures. But otherwise, it would be a ten minute or less walk from the train station to the bridge.

This picture shows a look back toward the train station (seen in the distance) from two blocks away. I really liked the character of these buildings and the split street. The street is split like this for three blocks, as Stationstraat, and then it merges to one street and is then called Wycker Brugstraat. This is strange because the bridge it leads to is Sint Servaasbrug. But there might have been a "Wyckerbrug" across the canal/moat back when it was a walled in city. That canal would have been where "Wilhelminasingel" is today.

I walked to Sint Servaasbrug and then decided to turn left and walk along the river front. I had never been to this area so I was just exploring. I'll use the map below as a color-coded reference during the rest of this blog.

Orientation Map

The old, original part of the city is outlined in WHITE. I wandered around in there after walking along the river so I'll get back to that later.

Further up the river

View from Sint Servaas Bridge

I followed the bike/walking path along the river. NOTE: Watch out for bikes. This is a popular route for cyclists and they are moving fast. There is a walking path of sorts along the right side. You have a nice view of the main part of Maastricht from over here.

There are many interesting old buildings along the water front as well as restaurants and a few shops. Further along is a reconstructed (in 1897) section of the city wall showing a portal to the river. This was used by merchants and traders to bring supplies and goods into the city from the river. There would have been a dock and piers there in those days. It is bigger than this picture makes it look. Still further along, just past the Hoge Brug, is a reconstructed turret that was once used to guard the river. I failed to get a picture of that. Actually, there was so much graffiti and garbage there I just didn't want to take a picture. As a side note; I was saddened by the amount of trash and graffiti that I saw. Even churches have been vandalized. This is something you did not see when I was stationed in The Netherlands back in 1998-2001.

Going up river you'll come to the lovely "Charles Eyck Park" nestled between an apartment complex and the river. It is a small park filled with dozens of White (Paper Bark) Birch trees and one really weird statue. There are benches there so this would be a nice place for lunch or a snack in nicer weather. Charles Eyck was a well-know (at least in The Netherlands) artist who was born in Meersen in 1897 and died in Schimmert (my village) in 1983. You can view some of his works at THIS LINK.

As you continue along the river you will next come to the ultra-modern Bonnefantenmuseum. I have never been there but it is supposed to be a world class art museum.

After the museum the route then takes you under the Kennedybrug (Kennedy Bridge) and just after that is a memorial dedicated to the US Soldiers of the 30th Infantry Division.

The next thing to see is the Provincie Limburg Gouvernement building. The path actually goes under some of the building. This complex is shown in blue on the orientation map. This building complex houses the provincial government offices. There is a good pamphlet that describes the history and functions of the "Gouvernement" (and yes, that is spelled correctly) at this LINK. This will open an English language .pdf file. I learned quite a bit reading this.

The end of the riverside walk is after the Gouvernement building and where the "Kleine Weerd" begins. In the photo here you can see the gouvernement complex on the island and below that is the Kleine Weerd. The Kleine Weerd is a 29.6 acre nature reserve. This is shown in green on the orientation map.You are allowed to walk around but are warned to keep your distance from the wild horses that live and graze in the reserve. In warmer months it is supposed to be full of wild flowers and flowering bushes. From where the wide part of the waterway is, if you look off in the distance you can see Fort Sint Pieter. This is shown circled in yellow on the orientation map.

I didn't want to go further out of the city so I walked up to the main road and then turned left and walked on the bike/pedestrian path back toward the city. You'll pass in front of the Limburg Gouvernement building complex. This walk then leaps you forward two hundreds years as you walk through the "Cèramique" area. I show this area circled in red on the orientation map. This area is a large neighborhood of modern apartments, offices, shops, and restaurant buildings. It is very integrated so it must have all been built at one time. Every building has outdoor open space and lots and lots of windows to let in natural light. I don't normally care much for the modern look but this area was impressive.

The path will eventually take you back to the "Wyck" area and then you can explore the shops, architecture, and eating establishments. There are blocks of buildings from the early to mid-1700's, like those on the right side of this street. I didn't spend much time looking in the shops but there is everything from antiques to "Coffie Shops" for potheads.

There are other blocks further north and closer to the train station that are lovely examples of turn-of-the-century styles. Those buildings were mostly built between 1880 and 1910 +/-. This building (left) was once a Trades or Technical School and was built in 1911. I love the brickwork and the decorative coloring. It is now an office complex.

After I wandered around the Wyck for about two hours I headed back to the train station to head home. Now we all know that there are a lot of bikes in The Netherlands but you really get an appreciation for that when you walk around the outside of a train station. There must be thousands of bikes in these racks. I know that some of my co-workers have two "commuting" bikes; one at each end of their train ride. They ride a bike from home to the train station and lock up one bike. When they reach the destination train station they hop on their second bike and ride it to work.

I got on the train and headed back to Meersen and my trip was done. It was cold and a little dark, as you can tell from the pictures, but still a nice day out (and very cheap).

Aafes Fuel Prices

2012-01-13T12:42:00.002+01:00

Something I have never been able to understand is the high price of fuel at Aafes Gas Stations both CONUS and OCONUS.At one time I believed that Aafes did not pay fuel taxes but that turns out to be untrue.

"As a U.S. Government instrumentality AAFES is immune from state and local taxes unless the immunity is waived by an act of Congress. The U.S. Congress waived this immunity, with respect to motor fuel sold by AAFES, by passing the Hayden Cartwright Act, 4 U.S.C. 104. Accordingly, AAFES is required to pay state and local motor fuel taxes, as well as underground storage fees, and other costs of running a gas station. In regard to Federal Taxes, 26 U.S.C. § 4081(a) is the US code that requires AAFES to pay Federal Tax on gasoline. The state and Federal motor fuel taxes and other applicable fees paid by AAFES are forwarded to the appropriate tax agency and included in the motor fuel price to the military customer."

So it appears that our beloved Congress has stuck it to us once again to buy votes in their districts.

But that doesn't explain the high cost of fuel in OCONUS locations. See the chart below for current fuel prices in Europe:

Those of us stationed in The Netherlands pay 73.5 to 83.1 cents a gallon more than we would at Aafes stations in Germany, Belgium, or the UK (87.9 cents cheaper in Germany if you buy E10 gas, which I would.). Does Aafes buy fuel from different suppliers in each of these countries? The Netherlands sits squarely between Germany and Belgium yet the price of fuel is this much higher? I don't get it. It is 111 miles from Schinnen to Chièvres Air Base in Belgium and as far as I know Chièvres Air Base is the location of the only Aafes fuel station in Belgium. Where does it get its fuel so much cheaper than the Aafes gas station on Schinnen?

Here is another odd thing. In European fuel stations diesel fuel is always quite a bit cheaper than gasoline (diesel is cheaper to produce and handle). But at the Aafes gas stations diesel is considerably more expensive than gasoline. How does that happen? In the states they jack up the price of diesel to obtain more taxes from the trucking industry. This prevents diesel powered cars from becoming popular in the US even though they are more fuel efficient and produce more power with less pollutants than gasoline powered cars. If the same pricing system was used in the US as is in Europe (and Americans switched to diesel powered cars to the level that Europeans have) the US would use several million gallons less fuel every day and reduce our oil dependance on countries that hate us. A tax-hungry Congress is partially creating the energy crisis in the United States by artificially inflating the price of diesel fuel!

Well, we'll never get a legitimate answer to those questions (I've tried by asking Aafes and Stars and Stripes a year ago.).

Those of us stationed in The Netherlands are prohibited from buying gas at an Aafes gas station in Germany unless we are there TDY or signed out on leave. And the process of getting a fuel ration card is so involved that it isn't really worth the effort unless you will be in Germany for a week or longer. It amazes me every day to see German plated cars refueling at the Schinnen Aafes station but I am not allowed to buy gas at the Ramstein Airbase Aafes station. How is that okay? But no such prohibition exists for Belgium (to my knowledge). Chièvres Air Base has a nice PX, large Commissary, a very nice Thrift Shop (with a craft consignment section), and other nice facilities. If you haven't made a trip there it is something to think about. Chievres Garrison Plug 7870 Lens, Belgium into your GPS and take a day trip there. I never found the shops (GB Store) at SHAPE headquarters near Mons, BE worth shopping though. Keep in mind that this area is in the Wallonia section of Belgium so French is the local language. Like most of Wallonia the towns are dirty, run down, and uninviting (looking) but the countryside is pretty and there are some good restaurants if you are adventurous.

But I digress. Those of us in The Netherlands pay the most for fuel. I presume that factor is considered when setting our Overseas COLA but considering that fuel prices have not gone down much if anything lately but my Overseas COLA has dropped several hundred dollars, I have to wonder about that. I have a small car, with a very small fuel tank. I spend upwards of $45-$50 dollars a week to commute to work and my car gets 36 mpg. Keep these prices in mind when you travel, carry one or two empty fuel cans with you if you will go near an Aafes fuel station in another country, and save yourself some money.