Category Archives: The Netherlands

Pieterpad: Valkenburg to Maastricht

July 13, 2025Travel, Hiking, The NetherlandsValkenburg, Pieterpad, Maastricht, Mt. St. Pieter, André Rieu, Hotel Les Charmeskarenfranza

July 10 – All good things must come to an end. Today is our last hiking day. 12.75 miles planned.

This sign in the stairway of our hotel summed up our Netherlands hiking experience. Not only is there never an elevator, each hotel assumes that because we are hikers we won’t mind walking up to the top floor!

Heading into the suburbs before Maastricht, which go on a long way

The Dutch are so meticulous – have you ever seen such a perfectly trimmed weeping willow?

Crossing the bridge over the river Meuse

Many people stop to offer a prayer to the Virgin here

Passing out the other side of the city on the way to Mt. St. Pieter

Elevation! There’s Maastricht down below

Ta da! We are at the end of the Pieterpad! Another couple who had just completed took our picture.

Back to the city, we checked into Hotel Les Charmes, a delightful place where all the tables are made of old suitcases

The streets were super crowded this evening, and traffic was blocked to facilitate the free concert by hometown hero violinist André Rieu. We were told that he is the most famous violinist in the world.

Snaking through the crowd, we managed to find our restaurant. As a reward for a job well done, we treated ourselves to a spicy Singapore pho dinner, filled with seafood. Yum! We did it!

A Day in Valkenburg

July 12, 2025Hiking, The Netherlands, TravelValkenburg, wall artkarenfranza

July 9 – Returning to Valkenburg gave us a sweet sense of deja vu – this is the town where we holed up for eleven days while recovering from COVID way back in 2023. We stayed longer in this town than just about anywhere we’ve ever been. We walked every corner of Valkenburg while regaining our strength.

Here is where we learned to love Albert Heijn supermarkets – Jim has carried his Albert Heijn discount card in his wallet for two years, and was so happy to use it again!

So we didn’t feel the need to explore this lovely town, filled with sidewalk cafes and bustling with tourists. For us it felt like coming home.

We stopped by the Marx Motel, just to make sure it was still there

I couldn’t stop myself from snapping away at the old wall ads on every street

I see they still haven’t refurbished all the wall art

…and the mosaic bench in front of the library

It was a lovely trip down Memory Lane, and yes, we did visit the Albert Heijn. We are feeling nostalgic – our Pieterpad hike ends tomorrow.

Pieterpad: Sittard to Valkenburg

July 11, 2025Hiking, The Netherlands, TravelSittard, Valkenburg, wall art, wood carved animalskarenfranza

July 8 – We had an early breakfast and hit the road for our penultimate hiking day. The weather continues cool and cloudy. 15.5 miles planned.

Navigating out of the city – here’s our trail sign

We were immediately climbing a shady, quiet road that featured the stations of the cross on both sides

And then it was back out to the farm fields. Who knew Holland grew so much wheat?

Now, here’s a crop we haven’t seen – cabbages!

Oh my goodness – an animal carved out of a fallen tree trunk. What do you think it is? A boar? A badger?

And here’s another – a large chipmunk, or perhaps a small bear?

I guess you figured out that I love sunflowers

That church spire means we’re passing the town of Puth – we won’t actually go through it, but it lets us know we’ve gone 4 miles

We walked beside a busy highway for a while

A larger than Harvey sized rabbit in a field of potatoes. Thanks to whoever took the time to carve these along the roadside for our amusement!

The little mayor welcomed us back to Valkenburg

Pieterpad: Susteren to Sittard

July 10, 2025Hiking, The Netherlands, TravelSittard, Susterenkarenfranza

July 7 – Happy 85th birthday, Ringo Starr – peace and love! We said goodbye to Marijke and Ruud, and Ruud drove us back to the little Lourdes chapel so we could pick up right where we left off yesterday. Seven miles planned for today.

Same chapel, different day. It may rain later, but right now, the weather is cooperating. The high today will be in the low 60s. We’re wearing our long pants today!

Doesn’t this tree look like it should have Keebler elves?

These cows ran rushing toward us – maybe they thought we would feed them?

And then these chickens rushed toward us – we are feeling very popular today!

A little stand offered snacks and souvenirs to hikers, and a bench to rest on. On the Appalachian Trail back home, townspeople often set out treats for hikers, called Trail Magic. This stuff is for sale, so it’s not quite as magical.

And now the sky is blue – no rain for us after all!

We looked at a Pieterpad bench detailing distance traveled and distance yet to go, and I realized it is in German, not Dutch…

For one block, we are walking in Germany, then we turn the corner and are back in the Netherlands

We are staying at de Limburg Hotel, an historic place on the main square

Right next door is St. Michaels church, so we peeked inside

Much of the signage has to do with St. Rose of Lima, the patron Saint of Sittard

This little lion near the entrance commemorates the day in 1938 when an escaped circus lion entered the church and strode boldly up to the altar

Many of the statues here are music related

Happy to be here, but tired – tomorrow will be our penultimate hiking day

Pieterpad: Montfort to Susteren

July 9, 2025Hiking, The Netherlands, Travelancient Roman coins, chapel of St. Anthony, Lourdes chapel, Montfort, rain, Susterenkarenfranza

July 6 – Today dawned gray with rain forecast all day. The temperature was in the low 50s and the high for the day was expected to be in the low 60s. Nine miles planned for today.

We passed the Montfort castle on our way out of town

The farmer is watering the crops even in the rain

A fairy house in a hollow tree with a Buddha inside

A little memorial to the Canadian airmen who lost their lives here in WWII

Another trove of ancient Roman coins was discovered here

Here is where an ancient Roman hammer was found. I assume the actual hammer was not this big

This is our endpoint for today, the little chapel to Our Lady of Lourdes – the second one we’ve seen in this country. We waited here in the rain for Ruud to pick us up and bring us back for one more night at the B&B Botervleig. I am chilled to the bone. Can’t wait for a hot shower!

A Day in Montfort

July 8, 2025Hiking, The Netherlands, TravelB&B Botervleig, castle ruins, gardens, Montfortkarenfranza

July 5 – Unlike the other places chosen for a zero mile rest day, there is not a thing to do in Montfort, except to visit the one grocery store. The grocery store does not accept either our VISA or our Mastercard, (only local debit cards), so we are lucky that the town has an ATM.

Unfortunately, we will not be here long enough to enjoy Montfort’s annual Ass Festival

Our hosts Marijke and Ruud run an absolutely top notch B&B

This is our breakfast area in the back garden.

A crabapple tree bursting with fruit. Marijke makes her own jams, preserves and fruit smoothies, which we sampled at breakfast

A pear tree, and there is also a mulberry tree (that the yellow jackets really adored)

How many eggs would you like for breakfast? Fresh eggs are so delicious, not at all like ones we get at the store.

Montfort is known for its castle ruin, but the castle is not open today. Lucky for us, Ruud is a member of the board supervising the restoration of the castle, and he offered to give us a private tour.

The castle was built in the 1200s by Henrik van Gelre, a rich bishop who bought up all the surrounding land. The stones for the castle had to be imported from Belgium – floated down the river then hauled overland.

A recreation of van Gelre’s skull. As you can see by the big chunk missing from the back, he came to a bad end.

“Tis but a scratch.” No it isn’t – your arm is off!”

Walking through the castle basement, Ruud explained that this castle was huge by the standards of the time.

Surrounded by marshy water, an enemy army could only approach from one side

The walls were angled so cannons could shoot without hitting the opposite tower – ingenious!

Artifacts uncovered during the recent dig

Prisoners were dropped through the hole in the ceiling and left in the small, dark space

There is much reconstruction left to go. Unfortunately, at some point the original stones were sold to make other buildings, so new brick is being used.

The gardens are also being restored to original specifications

For supper, I tried the local specialty of Zoerfleis – a cross between my Oma’s sauerbraten and North Carolina barbecue – pulled beef, marinated in vinegar and spices. It was delicious!

Pieterpad: Swalmen to Montfort

July 7, 2025Hiking, The Netherlands, TravelB&B Botervleig, gooseberry pie, Montfort, Pieterpad, Swalmen, wall artkarenfranza

July 4 – Another clear and cool day, with temperatures again in the ideal 70s. 14.6 miles planned today.

The nice thing about our customized app is that you know your exact mileage right up to the door of your lodging, instead of a guidebook’s mileage to the town center, plus who knows how much longer til you can actually put your feet up! I’m liking the GUIBO app.

Is the corn as high as an elephant’s eye on the Fourth of July?

We had to walk along the road for a while in an industrial area

The first sunflower we’ve seen, all by itself

This man was looking for buried treasure with his metal detector and a spade. He said he was searching for ancient Roman coins, but all he was finding was old bullets.

It is the Basilica of St. Odilien, but it was not open for us to visit

Near the church is a memorial for those from this town who “died due to war violence”. Many of the names are female. Were they victims of a bombing? Killed for resisting? Sent to a camp? We’ll never know.

This farmer really loves to sculpt his shrubbery

We came to the place where a treasure trove of Roman coins were found. It is thought that a Roman soldier buried them for safekeeping, then never returned.

And now we are in Montfort. Here is the only wall art we found

…and here is a statue of a man and his dog

And now we are at the B&B Botervleig, where we will sleep for the next three nights. Our host Marijke met us with homemade lemonade and a huge slice of gooseberry pie. I think we’re going to like it here!

Pieterpad: Venlo to Swalmen

July 6, 2025Hiking, The Netherlands, TravelPieterpad, Swalmen, Venlokarenfranza

July 3 – What a difference a rainstorm makes! We bid adieu to Villa Anna, and stepped out into the 56 F morning – a forty degree drop in one day! A beautiful clear day, with a high in the mid 70s and 15 miles planned.

More quirky statues as we walk out of Venlo

Getting out of the city. Which way do we go now?

Today’s signage was the most confusing so far…do we follow the red and white, or obey the X?

A noisy wood chipper came by to widen our path

This is St. John of Nepomuk, also known as the Bridge saint, as he was killed by being thrown off a bridge. He has his finger to his lips as he was martyred for refusing to betray the confessed secrets of the queen.

An exquisite supper – Jim had the stuffed peppers, and I had pasta and burrata. I’d not had burrata before: it is a cheese globe of mozzarella on the outside, which you break open to find soft creamy stracciatella inside. What a treat!

A Day in Venlo

July 5, 2025Hiking, The Netherlands, TravelGiselle Kuster, hot weather, Museum of Modern Art, Venlokarenfranza

July 2 – Well, we managed to get some sleep in our very warm room, and enjoyed a nice breakfast with some very crabby Germans who obviously did not sleep well either. Today’s temperature is expected to be 98 F for the second day in a row.

This is a planned zero mile rest day in the city of Venlo. We are happy not to be hiking, but wondered how to spend the day without cooking our brains. We ventured into the city to see what there was to see before the temperature got too hot.

Jim wanted to meet with his online group today, but our hotel has no Wi-Fi, so we looked for a place that might accommodate a Zoom call.

We went first to the bibliotek (a library should be a good resource no matter where you are), but they had neither Wi-Fi nor air con.

Most area restaurants had Wi-Fi but no air con, and did not appear to be places that would allow us to sit for an hour holding a meeting. We finally came upon the Museum of Modern Art, which had a little cafe where we could sit as long as we kept buying lemonades. Here are some things we saw in the city:

We stopped in the St Martinus Basilica, where it was dark and cool. This bishop must have been very famous, as his gloves and shoes have been preserved

Pretty carvings at the steps of the pulpit

The Museum of Modern Art. Light on your feet? Twinkle toes? Name this piece of art!

The museum featured the works of Giselle Kuster. She started out painting realistically…

I like an elevator with a sense of humor

When we left the museum at 4:30, the sky was turning dark and the streets were almost empty due to threat of the impending storm. It was 99 degrees F. We hustled back across town, and reached Villa Anna just as the sky opened and the rain poured down.

Pieterpad: Broekhuizen to Venlo

July 4, 2025Hiking, The Netherlands, TravelBroekhuizen, hot weather, Pieterpad, Venlo, Villa Annakarenfranza

July 1 – We have been watching the weather all week, as the temperatures continue to rise way beyond what is usual in the Netherlands. We chuckled when a heat emergency was declared at 80 F, but today will get up to 95 F, and we are not chuckling now.

We asked for the earliest breakfast time, to take advantage of the coolness of the morning, but it’s looking like we’ll be taking a miserable walk.

We reviewed today’s route, and saw that we are scheduled to walk by an Albert Hjein (Netherlands best grocery store!) at about mile 5 of our 12 mile day. This gives us a place where we can direct an Uber, if Uber exists out here where there is no city.

It took a minute, but yes! Uber is available, and Rajik will come for us in 14 minutes! O happy day! A 7 mile day is doable in any heat.