Skyline of Maastricht, St. Servaasbrug.
Text & Photo © JE Nilsson, CM Cordeiro, Sweden 2015
Something I had not expected to do much in Maastricht was shopping and marketing. But as circumstances have it, it was one of the more entertaining daily activities outside of the post-doc programme at Maastricht University that filled some hours of each day.
There are several ways to sightsee in the city. One that caught my attention was an old yellow School Bus, that toured the city streets. Bicycle rentals from hotels or hostels are also available, else the city centre of Maastricht is quite small and walking can get you to many places of interest within minutes.
A memorable place of interest where I had spent quite some hours browsing its shelves on different floors was the Domenica bookshop. The building is a 13th century Dominican church converted by Merkx+Girod Architecten into a gorgeous bookstore, whose contemporary space is sometimes used to showcase creative arts projects.
At the time of visit, the 7th edition of the FASHIONCLASH Festival MAFAD (June 11-14, 2015) was ongoing, with the cathedral bookstore acting as a platform showcasing for a new generation of designers. The outfits were from the mini-collections of 3rd year graduating students focusing on different themes such as the ‘modern warrior’, ‘independent woman’, ‘innocence of the ’60s’ and ’20th century work wear’.
The School Bus that takes you on a tour of the city, at Stationstraat, near the central station.
Beautiful woven baskets on bicycles, a signature transport found at the heart of Maastricht.
Domenica bookshop, a cathedral that houses books, at the Vrijthof. At this time, the cathedral bookstore was also hosting a fashion exhibition with mini-collections from 3rd year graduating students of the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts and Design (MAFAD).
Street sign at the Vrijthof, Maastricht in Netherlands.
Bordering one side of the Vrijthof to its shopping streets are a row of cafés, restaurants and pubs that are open till late.
Food vendors in Maastricht tease and entice visitors out of their temporary kitchens. Well, at least the dessert loving visitors.
A staple go-to for that dessert fix.
Street food. An ice-cream and dessert stand at the Vrijthof, Maastricht.
Nothing lacking. There are several places to go to for ice-cream and gelato. Though personally, I found myself walking three times around the block to find specifically, an espresso ice-cream. Found it.
Outdoor dining in summer is popular, regardless if you are a visitor or a resident.
City Hall at Markt Maastricht. This is about fifteen minutes of strolling from the central station. Its wet market days are Wednesdays and Fridays.
There is a distinct café culture in the city, where you can find a café on almost every street corner. Here, at Markt Maastricht.
An eclectic selection of European foods. Food from Asia is not difficult to source either, with an Asian grocery store just about 100m from the market square.
Gorgeous.
The bustle of marketing usually begins at 9 am in the morning.
City Hall.
A beautiful sight in the market in summer are these summer fruits.
Available at the market are a variety of Dutch farm house cheeses.
Textiles and fabric for any of your household needs from curtains to cushion covers, and even a skirt or two.
Bags, looking like candy.
Whilst traditional in producing handcrafted goods and cuisine, Maastricht is no doubt a fashionable city, with plenty global value chain stores located along these streets.
In a vintage shop.
A hearted café latte to round off that day.