Wim and I took the train from Leuven to visit Riemst, the town he grew up in. We were planning to take a train at 10:30 but some plans changed and we needed to catch the 10 o’clock train instead. This meant kicking it into high gear, dashing out the door, realizing I didn’t have the key for my bike, dashing back up and realizing I DID have it, hopping on the bikes and booking it for the station. We locked the bikes and ran to the train just in time. It was a relief but I was dripping sweat. No joke. (Thanks Gozo for teaching me how to sweat!) His mom volunteered to pick us up from the train station which was a delight because she also gave me a tour of Tongeren, the town she grew up in. The whole country side of that area was lush and green and I thought it was beautiful. The church in Riemst is over 900 years old and the whole area just oozes history. I loved it.
Wim’s mom took us to their home so she could make us lunch which was really nice considering she is in the mid
st of some painting and renovations. It was nice to have a mom fuss over us and it was great to see them interacting together. It really made me miss my own mom but also made me even more happy to be there. There’s just something about being around moms that isn’t like anything else. I was really grateful she took the time out of her day to spend it with us. It was soothing and nice in that calming way mothers have. I could’ve sat at that table drinking her coffee and sharing stories for a week. But Maastricht was calling and Mrs. Peumans offered to drive us there so we headed out.They had said that crossing the border from Belgium to Holland you would notice the difference in architecture despite the fact that they are only 9km apart…and man was that true. I couldn’t believe the difference. Gone was the monochromatic red brick look and in its place were similar buildings but with more color, subtle differences in the windows and the roofs…of course, one thing didn’t change. The rain. Ugh. We headed for the square in Maastricht where there was a holiday carnival set up in the center, complete with ferris wheel. Unfortunately you had t
o pay to get in so we decided against it. We opted instead to head to Wim’s favorite place for coffee in the world. It’s a huge book store and coffee shop inside of an old cathedral. It’s the most ingenious use of space I think I’ve ever seen. And the coffee isn’t bad either! I got another Nocciolato to compare it to the ones at the place in Leuven. It was prepared different, coming with the flavor and coffee pre-mixed rather than having to stir it yourself. But it was still delicious and warm and it was a perfect way to escape a downpour. Wim and I particularly enjoyed people watching in this space as there were so many different kinds of people to check out here. As Wim is a fellow book lover, it didn’t take much arm twisting on either of our parts to go check out the selection of books before we decided the rain had let up enough to move on.
Our next stop was at a place where I could try “pofferties” or little, mini pancakes (maybe the size of a .50 cent piece.) We went to a place that was the equivalent of a malt shop though Wim said there it would be called a “tea room.” They sold pofferties, ice cream, waffles…all kinds of treats. The pofferties were served with powdered sugar and melted butter. Delightful. I could’ve eaten about a hundred of them. Thankfully for this fat American we ordered the single portion each which is only 6 a piece. Whew.
Onward through Maastricht and by then it had stopped raining. Wim needed to make a detour to a store in a mall where they sell the coffee he needs for his espresso machine. We passed from here through a more high end boutique area and saw a storefront window for an undergarment designer who decided to dress up the mannequins like pirates. That was bizarre and awesome and I made sure to take pictures for my pirate lovin’ friend Areyl. We were near the canal so we went across it on one side so I could take some pictures and get a view of the other side of Maastricht before the sun finished setting. We then went back along the other side of the bridge so we could check out another store back the way we came and then we turned around and went back finally over the bridge to the other section of Maastricht. By then the sun had set and so we got to see the Christmas lights hanging over the streets and in the trees all lit up. We walked through an area where the campus was and got to see a part of a photo exhibit of World Press photos in their library. (We wanted to go in and see the whole thing but the building was closed.) www.worldpressphotos.org.
It was quite cold once it was finally dark and so we wound up our visit and headed to the train station in Maastricht to head back to Leuven. Jan was making us dinner and the train ride would be more than an hour. Unfortunately after we bought our ticket at the station they made an announcement that the train we wanted was cancelled. We had to sit in the bar at the station (because sitting at a bar is such a bummer!) and have a beer while we warmed up and waited for the next train. Poor Jan having to work making dinner around us trying to get home. Agh. He still managed to make a really nice pesto pasta with broccoli and it was great to get inside to a warm meal after another full day of sight-seeing outside in the cold and rain. Wim and I stayed up again talking for a very long time. You’d think that we’d get tired of it but there’s something to be said for knowing it could be years before you see someone again. It’s like you don’t want to waste one moment, even if you might run out of things to say. Thankfully that was never really an issue – we always had something to gab about.
Our next stop was at a place where I could try “pofferties” or little, mini pancakes (maybe the size of a .50 cent piece.) We went to a place that was the equivalent of a malt shop though Wim said there it would be called a “tea room.” They sold pofferties, ice cream, waffles…all kinds of treats. The pofferties were served with powdered sugar and melted butter. Delightful. I could’ve eaten about a hundred of them. Thankfully for this fat American we ordered the single portion each which is only 6 a piece. Whew.
Onward through Maastricht and by then it had stopped raining. Wim needed to make a detour to a store in a mall where they sell the coffee he needs for his espresso machine. We passed from here through a more high end boutique area and saw a storefront window for an undergarment designer who decided to dress up the mannequins like pirates. That was bizarre and awesome and I made sure to take pictures for my pirate lovin’ friend Areyl. We were near the canal so we went across it on one side so I could take some pictures and get a view of the other side of Maastricht before the sun finished setting. We then went back along the other side of the bridge so we could check out another store back the way we came and then we turned around and went back finally over the bridge to the other section of Maastricht. By then the sun had set and so we got to see the Christmas lights hanging over the streets and in the trees all lit up. We walked through an area where the campus was and got to see a part of a photo exhibit of World Press photos in their library. (We wanted to go in and see the whole thing but the building was closed.) www.worldpressphotos.org.
It was quite cold once it was finally dark and so we wound up our visit and headed to the train station in Maastricht to head back to Leuven. Jan was making us dinner and the train ride would be more than an hour. Unfortunately after we bought our ticket at the station they made an announcement that the train we wanted was cancelled. We had to sit in the bar at the station (because sitting at a bar is such a bummer!) and have a beer while we warmed up and waited for the next train. Poor Jan having to work making dinner around us trying to get home. Agh. He still managed to make a really nice pesto pasta with broccoli and it was great to get inside to a warm meal after another full day of sight-seeing outside in the cold and rain. Wim and I stayed up again talking for a very long time. You’d think that we’d get tired of it but there’s something to be said for knowing it could be years before you see someone again. It’s like you don’t want to waste one moment, even if you might run out of things to say. Thankfully that was never really an issue – we always had something to gab about.
I love reading your posts!! Especially the ones about Belgium now hahaha! But one important detail: my mother did NOT grow up in Tongeren. It's considered an insult by people from Riemst :-) She grew up in Val-Meer, a part of Riemst :-)
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