Hup Holland Hup!

As a coda to my Valencia travels, I spent the following Saturday in Maastricht, an ancient river town in the very southern tip of the Netherlands, right near Aachen. Not nearly as beautiful as Valencia but also with really nice, quirky people, Maastricht has ruins of Roman and medieval walled forts on the western bank of the River Maas, spacious cobblestone squares and an ancient church with many references to seafaring and its dangers. I had no plan, so I mostly wandered around the town just looking down side streets and trying to soak in the Holland vibe. Examples of the weirdness:

- a guy, undoubtedly dared by his friends, walking through a busy shopping area in sneakers, briefs and a towel;
- the appropriately named 'Botel', a sort of floating hostel on the Maas;
- an old cathedral turned into a gigantic bookstore on the inside;
- a wall on the 'Jan(e) van Eyck Akademie' with "quotes" in graffiti from some famous people, including Picasso and Keith Haring (see picture at right);
- colorful sculptures randomly exhibited in a large square, which looked like they were made out of gobs of clay;
- a tin 'cow' that was being milked by laughing locals for water;
- the most orange clothing and paraphernalia I have ever seen.

The orange was, of course, in support of Holland's Europameisterschaft game against Russia that night, and if you should know one thing about the Dutch, it's that they love their football. I met up with a friend from Aachen to take part in the craziness in a very Dutch way: in a large bar with only standing room, due to the massive turn-out of orange-bedecked fans. Gulping small glasses of delicious Dutch beer and cheering with the locals was a great way to spend the night, but sadly the mighty Dutch national team fell to the Russians, postponing further madness until the next World Cup. Despite the fact that it'll be in S. Africa, I think the party will be in Holland...