August 25, 2012
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(written on 6 May 2013)
Now doesn't that look idyllic? This isn't Amsterdam but the name of this place is almost spelled the same. It's Amstenrade, and it's not even close to Amsterdam - at least not on the scale of this tiny country. I took a train to Limburg this morning to visit my family there. It had been a while and with Daniel staying with me in the next couple of weeks, as well as with my holiday to Barcelona coming up very very soon (i.e. Wednesday), I figured that this would be a good time to visit.
The weather was still nice so in the afternoon I cycled from my parents' place, Munstergeleen, to a city about 10 miles southeast; Heerlen. Now, Heerlen is a bit of a strange place in Limburg. It became a big place at the time when the coal mines in Limburg were operational and it even has Roman background because it was the crossroads of some major Roman roads. Coriovallum, as it was called then, disappeared and in modern day Heerlen there's not much to remind you of it. Most people in Limburg would agree with me (I think) that modern day Heerlen has a rather provincial (dare I say drab) feel to it. Unlike Maastricht or Sittard, with their charming town centres, Heerlen mostly has architecture from the mid 20th century.
The other association I have with Heerlen is that I spent quite some time there when I was in a relationship with someone who lived in a student house there. I won't go into that here, but let's just say that the entire experience hasn't endeared Heerlen more to me in any way.
In the evening, after I'd cycled back to Munstergeleen, we visited my sister and her kids, and as always that was a very pleasant way to spend an evening in Limburg. The picture was taken on the way back to Munstergeleen.
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