Back in good old Nederland...! We had been to Maastricht twice before when we were living in Amsterdam, but it was even better than we remembered it - gorgeous little cobbled streets & squares with people biking everywhere, amazing architecture, cafes and bars, awesome shopping...and best of all the friendly Dutch.
The hotel was a charming old building right by the river with lovely character rooms - we had a drink in the room then headed out to explore and most importantly to rediscover the much-anticipated joy of beer and bitteballen after 16 years! We converted both Harv and Amelia to bitteballen immediately and then had to order a tonne of them.... Only Zo was not persuaded.
Then it was all you can eat sushi/Japanese at Tokyoto which was a big hit, especially the icecream..
The next morning was lovely and fine so after breakfast we did some wandering
I left Bill at Claire's to deal with his daughters and their pocket money, while I went to get my tooth sorted...amazingly I had found a dentist in the heart of Maastricht right in the area where we were staying who was able to fit me in. 1 x Stage 1 root canal later....
We were good enough to bring them home some late night noodles though...
On the final morning we went for a run across the bridge and around the old town. Then it was time to pack up and get on the road again...
Zoe says: Maastricht was cool because we found Pinkys which was really rare - it was a waffle place. We ended up not getting a waffle but getting a gelato instead! As soon as I saw Claire's I ran straight to it but the first day it was closed so we had to come back the next day.
Amelia says: Maastricht was spectacular and really fun. My favourite favourite thing about it was the bitteballen which is the best thing in the world. It's basically like crumbed on the outside and inside it's like a thick vegetable soup - I know that doesn't sound very appetising, but boy it is! We found a shop called Pinkys. It's the only time we've ever seen Pinkys on the whole trip - there was so much stuff which they sold including macaroons, gelato, waffles and they have jelly bean dispensers. We ended up only getting a gelato but we wanted to try much much more. The gelatos were really nice, as good as the ones in Italy! We did a little bit of shopping but I only got stuff from Zara which I'm pretty happy about as Zara is one of my favourite shops. I got some denim overalls and a pair of winter boots. From Claire's, Zoe's favourite store, I also got a London charm bracelet which has charms of a double decker bus, a black cab and the UK flag.
Harvey says: For our first stop in the Netherlands, Maastricht was amazing. I think it should have been one of the key points on our holiday - there was so much to do and just as much to see. It was a shame the ferris wheel was closed as well as the Christmas Markets, which had just finished. I liked it because it was amazing trying bitteballen for the first time - we need to get the recipe for home. There are so many shops with stuff that I liked in them. The hotel was amazing too. Dad and I both agree that the Netherlands do pubs so well.
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