Maastricht and Its Charm

Most people will name a big city when you ask them the best place they’ve ever visited. For me, its Maastricht.  I have visited this tiny Dutch town twice and each time it feels like coming home.  Maastricht is on the southern tip of the Netherlands and is known as a University town.  Normally that wouldn’t attract me all that much but its medieval architecture, friendly people, and tiny shopping streets have won me over.

The city is divided into the new town and old town separated by a river.  The old town is characterized by its cobbled streets, lively cafes and the Romanesque Basilica of St. Servatius. The New Town reflects today’s obsession with straight roads and glass buildings but still maintains the cities charm with markets and cafes.  I could wonder around all day just exploring the little streets and stores.

It is the home of Andre Rieu, the violinist known for his grand spectacles that he puts on in Vrijthof each year but also how I came to know about the city.  I was lucky enough to be at one of the concerts last summer and it was a truly wonderful experience.  If you get the chance and enjoy classical music, its a favourite.

Here’s a little trailer 🙂

As we flew into Dusseldorf, we picked up a car and after a pleasant drive we arrived in the new part of town where our hotel was.  Check out the Designhotel is you’re looking for something quirky.  After probably my greatest parallel park to date with our giant SUV, we settled into the hotel and I was ready to go see the town that puts a smile on my face.

Must see places when in Maastricht:

• Vrijthof – the town square where its always busy in summer time.  Lined with cafes, people take a break from their day to enjoy their coffee and a little snack.
• Basilica of St. Servatius – The first stone churches in Maastricht were built after the arrival of Saint Servatius in the fourth century AD. After his death, Maastricht became a popular destination for pilgrims. According to the legend, Saint Servatius was the first bishop of Maastricht and a small chapel was build on the spot where he was buried. In the centuries that followed, this chapel grew into the St. Servatius Church.
• The vineyards – now I still haven’t got to do this one but its on the list for next time. These vineyards apparently date back to the Roman times and have the finest wine Holland has to offer.  Not sure about the quality overall but the views are worth a visit.
• Violin Museum – When I was there, the Museum an der Vrijthof had a great exhibition on Andre Rieu and violin making.  I don’t believe it’s on anymore but the building is a great mix of old and new so if you’re a museum go-er, put it on your list.

• Stokstraat – this cute little street is full of shops (all prices) and restaurants.  Its not very big but the history makes it an interesting stop.

In terms of restaurants, you can’t really go wrong.  There is a large French influence so French cuisine is abundant.  If you want something lighter there are also plenty of cafe’s with small snacks and for when its super hot in the summer a McDonald’s sundae goes down very well.

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Two of my favorites from this last trip:

• Brasserie Flo – It was located right next to our hotel and perfect for a nice dinner before we headed to the concert.  French cuisine, the portions are great and we weren’t disappointed with anything we ordered. From the snails to the lamb it was all delicious.  The staff was great as well!
• Piece of Cake – Just how I imagine a cupcake store with a little cafe.  Pastel colours and cute little decorations everywhere, they have a choice of seating.  If you want there are table and chairs, couches, and even an outside courtyard for when the weather behaves. The cupcakes are not too sweet so you leave satisfied and not on a sugar overload. A great place for an afternoon stop.

I can’t wait to return to Maastricht and explore more the restaurants and neighborhoods, perhaps even a bike tour, it is the Netherlands after all!  A place where I could call home one day.

Until next time

 

Adventure: Taipei

One of the greatest parts of my job as I am sure I have mentioned before is being able to travel to new places.  I had set myself a goal of visiting at least one new place every year.  At the start of each year I think to myself, my gosh what if nothing interesting happens this year and I don’t visit anywhere new? It seems like a rather spoiled thought but the last couple of years have been great in terms of travel and it is something that brings me a lot of joy.

Recently I got the chance to visit Taipei and speak to students a little about what I do and some of the special things when working with Olympic marketing.  For the first time I don’t think that I was nervous when I thought about getting on that plane for almost 13 hours and landing in a country I had no clue about nor did I speak one word of the language. It was going to be great and my hosts had already been absolutely wonderful in setting everything up.  Only thing left was to pack my bag and go!

As everyone settled in for the night flight, I went through my little rituals.  Getting changed into comfy sleeping clothes (I could write a whole post about travel attire), warm socks, making sure I have water, checking out the film selection and then it was time to go.  Also praying you’re not stuck next to the one guy that snores the entire flight is important!

I slept most of the way there but shout out to the KLM crew I had, they were really great!

Arrival and baggage claim couldn’t have been any smoother and I was out and on my way with my guide in a flash.  First stop was the hotel for a quick refresh and then dinner with the students.  While I couldn’t read anything, I felt surprisingly calm and ready to visit the city.

The first evenings dinner included me having to stand up and introduce myself, which seemed only appropriate.  That was followed by some crazy music and pleas for me to dance.  That was an epic fail…

Lights out early to begin the adventures the next day.

One of the main things I wanted to do was visit the mountains that surround the city.  So that is where we headed.  Along the way we picked up some sweet girls (unfortunately was not able to communicate with them) and explored the mountains.  It was calm and almost soothing to be up there.  Being a very tropical climate, my hair was doing its own thing but I wasn’t too worried about that.  Thank goodness for hair elastics.

Another highlight of the trip for me was visiting a local temple and Taipei 101, the skyscraper shaped like bamboo.  I have always found places of worship fascinating and the different rituals that are performed. It was a great experience and one that I will remember for a long time to come.

While most of my time was spent in the “old” part of the city, Taipei 101 brought a completely different look and feel.  Modern and shiny, there were all the shops that one could imagine.  As true die hard tourists, we headed up the tower to see if we could grab a view of the city.  Hidden in the clouds we only managed a tiny glimpse.  More fascinating for me was the giant stabilisation system for the building in the event of an earthquake.  I’m not my dad’s child for nothing.

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For those that know me I love tea.  Well let me preface that, I love rooibos tea.  It was the first tea I was probably ever exposed to and has stayed with me since then.  I drink it when I am happy, when I am sad, cold, and any other feeling.  Luckily we came across a TWG Tea store in Taipei 101.  It was heaven in that store and of course I had to pick myself up all of the different rooibos flavours they had.  I could have spent all day there!

Of course amongst all the fun happenings, I experienced speaking to young motivated students for the first time.  It was wonderful to share something that I am passionate about with some of the future sports leaders.  They were a great bunch and I thank them for laughing at my jokes and all the effort they put into the exercise I gave them.

It was a whirlwind trip but there are some moments that I will cherish forever.

1. The “wagon wheel” treats that I tried.  Warm dough filled with yummy custard.
2. The real deal bubble tea!
3. The contrast between the old and new cities.
4. My lovely hosts (May and Claire)
5. Dumplings 🙂

If there is one thing that was a little crazy, besides the rat running over my foot in the department store, the air conditioning.  Its not only a Taipei thing but people, some of us are cold all the time and you don’t need to blast me with cold air as I walk through every door!!! That is a pretty minor thing I would say.  It was a pleasure to be able to visit a new country and explore a new culture.

Budapest: Old World Charm

I recently had the chance to visit a new city, Budapest.  It was never on my must visit list but now I can say that it should have been.  With the World Synchronized Skating Championships being held there, it was the perfect opportunity to combine my favourite sport with some touristy things.

When we arrived, it was a quick walk to the terminal and luggage pick-up.  Then we headed out to find our driver to the hotel.  The driver was great and gave us a little history of the city and where to go and what to see. Once at the hotel, the staff was wonderful from the start, shout out to The Corinthia.  The room was great and looked over one of the huge atriums of the hotel, just to feed by love of people watching.  Since food is always on my mind it was a quick change and headed to dinner in the hotel.

The restaurant was a delight and I enjoyed a lovely mushroom soup followed by Paprika Chicken and decadent dessert.  My first taste of a real Hungarian dish.  I must say that overall I loved the food and the paprika in just about everything including the butter was delightful! I will be using paprika a lot more now.

As I felt like I was coming down with something I headed to bed pretty early that night in a half hearted attempt to fight the bug.

The next day held some adventures in and around the city.  Heading up to the Castle district, we explored the old streets and the Palace.  It of course wouldn’t be complete without a nice goulash for lunch.  Side note, make sure you eat quickly or he will remove that plate before you can soak up all the deliciousness with the bread.

The evening consisted of getting a little lost on the way to the ice rink but with a little help we made it almost on time.  For once the rink wasn’t freezing since it was in a convention center but no complaints here.  Below are a few shots from the short program.

Saturday brought lots of knee pain and croaky voice.  So all full of medicine I left the hotel to continue to explore, this time the Jewish quarter and a bit of the city center.  If you know what that means, it means shopping.  The streets are quaint and the little markets are very enticing. Again with an abundance of food!

Again time to head back to the rink for the long program.  There were some great programs and of course some upsets with Russia taking home the gold.

 

All that cheering meant some dinner was in order.  Es Bistro was yummy and the waiter even spoke French, a helpful point which meant less menu translating for the group. Running for the last metro we made it back to the hotel and I just about crashed, by now the effects of the Communications@Syracuse Immersion flu taking full hold of me and my knee swelling pretty nicely.

Sunday was our last morning so we took a stroll to the Basilica.  Just in time for mass, it was lovely to see a service in another country and in such an amazing place.

Just afterwards we ran into traditional Hungarian dancers out in the square. It was a real treat to have this little glimpse into their culture.  Their outfits are very intricate and colourful.  A quick run to the Hero’s square and some photo ops and it was time to head back to the hotel to say good-bye to Budapest.

The city was truly lovely and the service everywhere was great. And most surprised by the courteous gentlemen that wait for women to pass first, hold doors, and give up their seats on the metro! Thumbs up from me. Although some buildings were a little grubby with years and years of dirt and history, the charm and culture were amazing. There is a really interesting atmosphere.  There is still a lot to see in this lovely city and I hope that I can return in the future!

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Nice Surprise

I have been MIA for a little while but its only because I have been quite busy.  Two weeks ago I got the opportunity to go to New York and was lucky enough to add a side trip to North Carolina  to visit family.

As I got on the plane to New York I realized its been 4 months since I was last in the US and since I said good bye one more time to pursue a dream here in Switzerland.  Time really does fly when you’re having fun.  Its also scary to think the next time I will be home is in December, which will be here before I know it.

The flight was wonderful as it always is with Swiss.  I managed to catch up on some movies and some shut eye.  For once immigration lines weren’t that long and I made it through without even a question.  Off I went to the JetBlue terminal for my connecting flight to NC.   I was pleasantly surprised to find some really cool and unique restaurants, not just the standard chains.  They have really made it an experience but I had to indulge in a Caribbean Passion smoothie from Jamba Juice.  I also saw the little touch-screen panels where you can order your food and they will bring it to your gate.  If only I had more time and I would have tried that.  Well it leaves something for next time.

JetBlue is one of my new favorite airlines.  The service was great and having a TV while we were stuck on the tarmac for 40 minutes was a great bonus.  Of course I had to indulge in a little Here Comes Honey Boo Boo for old times sake.   When we landed I had also forgotten how icky it feels when its humid.  Switzerland has had great weather for the last 2 months but there is little to no humidity.  First sign of humidity for me, my hair somehow grows several inches in height.

I was delighted to be able to see my family again, especially since it was a last minute decision.  I have decided I really enjoy impromptu trips and need to plan more of them.  Anyone for a trip?

I had the most relaxing weekend, spending time in the sun, going for walks, and a joy ride in the boat.

I also got to try paddle boarding for the first time, which I was a little scared of because there were lots of boats that just whizzed by, creating lots of waves.  Thank goodness for the many years of skating but within a couple of minutes I was totally comfortable on the board.  As we headed out I started to get the hang of it and we enjoyed a lovely little tour in the marshes.  Just as we were about to head back, we saw a dolphin pop up.  Instantly, every paddle boarder, kayaker, and swimmer started heading towards the dolphin.  Luckily enough for me that didn’t scare it off and we were able to see it come up several times.  It was amazing to be that close to a dolphin.  Only thing that was missing was a Go Pro so I could have caught that moment on camera.

By the end of dolphin watching I was starting to really boil in the sun and we headed back, enjoying the current making it a little easier for us.  It was a great experience and I am now hooked and can’t wait to go out and do it again.

I ended my weekend with an amazing curry dinner, with Tikka Massala, Lamb Rogan Josh, daal, and naan.  We also shared many a laugh that left me with aching abs and tears running down my face.  Its moments like that I wish I could record and watch over and over again and keep for a rainy day.

Monday came all too soon and after a much needed stop at the mall (I needed my shopping fix) it was time to catch the plane back to New York.  After making it to my hotel with my taxi driver that had no idea where my hotel was I was able to settle in to my room.  The hotel was totally up my alley with a massive lobby and super modern features.   Since I was in a part of New York I have never really explored, I headed out to explore a little.

While my exploring did include checking out some sights, I may have also done a huge drug store haul because lets face it, Switzerland is really lacking in that department.  I mean, I could spend hours in the drug store buying all sorts of things I don’t need but its great fun.

When my feet were finally killing me, I headed back expecting a quiet night but instead had a wonderful meal with new friends and ended the night on the rooftop bar, which had an amazing view.

Tuesday I attended a conference which went by way too quickly and before I knew it, I was on the plane back to Switzerland.  Before I knew it I was back at my desk and my spontaneous trip was over. I had such a great time and I can’t wait to do it again!!!