In Maastricht, a city named for Trajectum ad Mosam (passage through the Maas), the lure of the waters of the river Maas is undeniable. On a sunny day the waters glisten just so, and people seem to flock to cafes on the waters edge.
On such a sunny day in early October, Ole, Birgitte and I headed to the water's edge and booked a cruise on the river, complete with a tour of some of the connecting canals. The Maas, with its 1000km, has been a useful river for shipping and therefore many canals were created to develop even more shipping paths. With different water levels between the river, and the various canals our boat had to pause to go through the various locks, adjusting water levels, on the way.
On our cruise, we went through the Julianakanaal, Zuid-Willemsvaart, and then continued into the Bassin.
Julianakanaal and Zuid-Willemsvaart were channels created to expedite shipping; Julianakanaal helps connect Maastricht and Maasbracht while Zuid-Willemsvaart helps connect Hertogenbosch and Maastricht. The Bassin is a inner harbour which is one of the perfect places in Maastricht to sit and look over the water on a nice day.
It was wonderful to see the city from the water. I highly suggest a river cruise when the sun is shining in Maastricht. Since moving to Maastricht I have pleasantly surprised at how gorgeous the city continues to be, from all sorts of perspectives.
To sit in the back of a boat for several hours with such wonderful company was a perfect way to spend an afternoon in Maastricht.
Awesome!
ReplyDeleteAny chance of you heading back to the States some time soon?
ReplyDeleteZack
Hi Zack! I'm not sure yet, but I may be in the U.S. some time in the late Spring. I shall let you know when it gets settled. :)
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