Arnhem, Netherlands
Our main reason to pop into Holland was to visit with Heidi’s cousin, Ilona, and her fiancé, Andre. They hosted us for a few days at their lovely little holiday home and showed us around the charming town. Arnhem, in addition to being yet another lovely and picturesque old town (yes yet another Alt Stadt converted into a vibrant shopping district) is the site of a momentous, yet failed, battle between the British and the Germans (dramatized in the movie “A Bridge too Far”). As this is the 75th anniversary of D-Day, there was a larger than usual number of visitors interested in the military significance of this town. But we were mainly interested in finding a working windmill!
Maastricht, Netherlands
Leaving Arnhem, we travelled to Maastricht, a university city on the southern tip of the Netherlands. It claims to be the oldest city in Holland and has, of course, a very picturesque medieval town (are you seeing a theme here?) and a vibrant youthful cultural scene. BUT cool fact, this is where D’Artagnan (of 3 Musketeers fame) died in the siege to take the town on behalf of King Louis XIV. He was 60 when he died and is buried in the town. We spent the night on a barge boat, converted to a traveler’s hotel. REALLY small room (had a sink but toilet and shower shared) but REALLY neat experience. Watching Art ride his motorcycle down the ramp to park on the boat was worth the price AND it included breakfast. Bonus!
Bellissimo Travels 