Today, I decided to go visit the capital of Limburg...Maastricht.  What a beautiful city!  There is a lot to see here, so I actually need to return in the future to finish my sight seeing. 

First place I visited is Fort St. Pieter.  It is about 5 km outside of the city itself, up on a hill side.  It is a historic place (it dates back to the early 1700's) and overlooks the city.  It is easy to walk around, though if you want to tour inside, it is a guided tour. 

The other place I visited was in the heart of the city, the Basilica of St. Servatius.  Unfortunately, it was closed and I could not enter.  I am realizing I have to go to do sightseeing on Saturdays, as many places are closed on Sunday (who would think a Roman Catholic Church would be closed on Sundays!).

I walked around the city market a little but it was packed so it was a challenge to get around.  The buildings are in fantastic condition here, and you really feel like you are stepping back in time.  The wonderful part of Maastricht is it is on the river.  There is actually a lot of road work going on here making driving a challenge. 

I have learned recently many European cities don't allow cars into the city centres.  I think the best way to get there is the train.  When I go to Cologne in Germany next weekend, I will definitely go by train as they go directly to the city centres.  The cost of the train is 20 euros to Cologne (first class is 50 euros) and takes 2.5 hours one way.  And I really like the train (someone else is the chauffeur).

I am putting myself on a walking program.  I need to further build my endurance to walk everywhere.  I will start a lunchtime or after work for a short walk to begin and work my way up over the next 6-8 weeks. 

Until next week,

Mary