Lover of Wine – Travel along on our adventures – DAVID & JANEEN

We left Maastricht and motored all evening until we reached Cuijk.  This is a town in the northeastern part of the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands.  It resulted from a Roman settlement on the west bank of the river Meuse and has a population of just under 20,000.  As this was Sunday, there really wasn’t a lot to do anywhere and the Mystery Cruise found a small windmill, a brewer to taste some beers and monastery to visit in this town.

The original windmill was constructed in 1860 and was operated for generations of the same family grinding grain for the local farmers. 

Over the years things hadn’t been maintained and in early 2000 it was fully restored using parts from dismantled windmills around the country.  In 2012, the municipality of Cuijk took over the mill and it is now operated, under a lease arrangement, by the grandson of the last full time miller. 

The stairs where a bit steep and worn for sure – but Janeen was able to peek at the top of the stairs.

While visiting the windmill, we also samples 4 or 5 beers produced in the local Monastery.  Apparently, these brewers are one of the last brewers making beer in an operating Monastery.  Beer has been brewed in Brabant since time immemorial by monks and in the area around Land operated by the Monks of St. Agatha.  The current brew masters are all volunteers and are trying to take the new beer, Toebes, in such a way to the revive the historic craft, and give a new dimension to the experience of a cozy special beer.  The brewery combines nostalgic flavors with current trends. They have designed and built a 300-liter brew kettle ourselves. They brew many different beers and take the season into account. A good beer starts with a good one raw materials, and Toebes opts for biological malts and hops for the beer.

After visiting at the Windmill, onto the bus and off to the Monastery for a quick walk around. 

The Monastery of Saint Agatha was founded around 1371 with many missionaries being trained in this monastery.  It is the oldest inhabited monastery in the Netherlands, although there are fewer than a dozen residents. 

 

In June 2006, after a renovation of the monastery, some rooms were taken into use by the Center for Dutch Monastic Life, which houses the heritage collections of many monastic communities. The Center chiefly houses monastic archive documents, but also preserves and provides access to related books and artifacts.  The Order of the Holy Cross themselves also house their heritage collections in Saint Agatha.  There was a small chapel and library.  One of their significant areas is a collection of books – many written by the Monks during the early years and are available for scholars to review and research.

We finished up with Antwerp and began our journey to the town of Maastricht – a city on the southern tip of the Netherlands.  Maastricht was developed from a Roman settlement with a medieval river trade and religious center. In the 16th century it became a garrison town and in the 19th century an early industrial center.  

The place is distinguished by its medieval-era architecture and vibrant cultural scene.  A major claim to fame resulted from site where the Maastricht Treaty which, was the originating document that has resulted in the European Union, was signed here.  It is also considered to be the birthplace of the euro (currency).  Maastricht has 1677 national heritage buildings, the second highest number in the Netherlands, after Amsterdam. The city is visited by tourists for shopping and recreation, and has a large international student population.

We started a walking tour just off the boat and past many of the historic points. 

Certainly not as vibrant as Amsterdam or some larger cities in the Netherlands, it is never the less brimmed filled with nice shops, restaurants and things to see.

Nice shops and a small mill along the way.

Our late morning ‘treat’ was provide in a the Kruisherenhotel Maastricht a grand hotel which was developed using a former monastery and adjoining Gothic church.  The setting was lovely and the central courtyard, where we had our ‘treat’ was beautifully decorated.  After our treat of “Limburgse vlaai” we returned to the ship for the afternoon. 

Dinner was off the ship in a Michelin-starred Château Neecanne a few minutes outside of the city center.  The Château Neercanne has a panoramic view across the Jeker Valley and straddles two countries – Belgium and The Netherlands. 

Renowned for its restaurant, it also houses a network of Marl Caves offering a unique venue for our evening’s meal. 

The dinner was excellent.

After dinner, back to the boat and an evening of entertainment and good times.

Belgian chocolate – Today we ventured into Antwerp to visit the Chocolate Nation.  A large building which celebrates all things chocolate – ok, really Belgian Chocolate.

Why Antwerp for the home base for Chocolate Nation? It all started with the first chocolate factory of Belgium, which opened in 1831 in Antwerp. Belgian chocolate, as you may already be aware, is highly regarded to the present day, in particular thanks to the craftsmanship of Octave Callebaut.

 Established in 1911 by Octave Callebaut in Wieze, Belgium, his chocolate company used the same factory building his grandfather Eugène Callebaut founded as a family-run brewing and milling company called ‘De Ploeg’ in 1850.

Octave Callebaut’s chocolate recipes quickly found liking by numerous chocolatiers, bakers and pastry chefs. As a result, Chocolaterie Callebaut PLC was established in 1930. A clear focus towards the professional market took shape and the company from then on dedicated its activities to supplying and servicing chocolatiers, confectioners and bakeries.

 Using Callebaut as the beginning point, the Chocolate nation does feature the history of many other brands and artisans.  While in Brussels, we learned the history of Jean Neuhaus who developed the praline in 1918 – a decadent chocolate cream ganache center inside a chocolate shell, the original filled chocolate.  I confess, that we really like Neuhaus Chocolate and have had friends who are visiting Belgium bring some for us. Our visit started with an overview of the cocoa plantations at the equator and followed the cocoa bean to the world’s largest storage port of cocoa in Antwerp. A giant fantasy machine demonstrates how chocolate is made and how the velvety taste is created. Along the way, of course, there were samples to taste displays to see and questions to be asked and answered.

Going from room to room we were told short snappy bits of information about the production of cocoa and making of chocolate.  At the outset, we were each given a small handheld audio device which we use to scan various points in each room for more information or descriptions.   It is a simple museum, with lots of information, and took about 1 1/2 hours to go through. At one point, we were given a small spoon and allowed to taste various melted chocolate, from white to rose to milk to dark. Using the spoon, we could go round the room tasting the chocolate, sometimes several times over! Yummy

 Naturally, after the tour, we ended up in the gift shop which had LOTS of different selections to choose from – but where do you stop?  How much chocolate does one family need?  It seems the answer to this question is “a lot”.

 

OK, we had CHOCOLATE and now it was time for a walking tour with a snack stop along the way.  Back on the bus and off to the parking lot for a walk around (not in) the Het Steen.  

This is a medieval fortress in the old city center of Antwerp and was built between 1200 and 1225 as a gateway to a larger castle of the Dukes of Brabant which was demolished in the 19th century. As the first stone fortification of Antwerp, Het Steen is Antwerp’s oldest building and used to be part of its oldest urban center. The words “Het Steen”, translated from Dutch mean “the rock” in English.

From here we wandered around the old part of the town on our way to the City Center and our snack waffles.  Our stop was to be The Waffle House in the center of town next to the church.    Based on the receipts of their grandmother, four siblings joined forces and opened the shop in 2018 and have been pushing out waffles ever since.  We had the option of cherries, banana’s or strawberries on our waffles – along with a dollop of wipped cream.

After or treat, Janeen and I wander around looking for the perfect gift to take home.  

She was able to find a couple and back to the bus we went.     

Thursday morning – a beautiful day in Rotterdam.  Our adventure today was to prove very interesting and different.  First off, we loaded onto our coach and did a quick tour of the city ending up in the more or less downtown area.  From here we headed to the roof of a building to see what they are doing on it and to view the city in general.

Many of the buildings are relatively new, as the city of Rotterdam was pretty much destroyed in WW II,so there are not as many historical buildings to visit.  As the skyline has developed, there is a movement afoot to do something productive with the roofs and try and recapture some of the rain water that falls.  Our adventure today was to see what is happening on a couple of these roofs and to learn about the progress they are making in reclaiming rainwater.

Our first stop was on top of a seven-story building where a garden has been created.  We took the elevator to the top, plus some stairs, and found a coffee shop with the ‘garden’ around it.   Called Op Het Dak, it is quite a unique spot.  The indoor area, which seats about 45 people, leads out to a green and lush rooftop terrace where organic vegetables, edible flowers and herbs are complemented with dining tables and a great view of the Rotterdam skyline.

After visiting the roof, we stopped on the first floor (2nd floor for those of you in the US, as the ground floor of buildings in Europe are “0” not 1) where we went out onto a walkway that crossed over the street, went around another building that included a section to the old railway area.   The old railway station and the tracks are being modified to create a green area with various trees, bushes, flowers and other lovely spots.    

Sitting about 20 feet above street level, the narrowest and longest roof park in the Netherlands is being designed. Hopefully the final design will be inviting and be filled with colorful and fragrant landscape.

It is being constructed on the old rail line where the old train tracks will route visitors through the diverse landscapes of the park, hopefully connecting various neighborhoods in the area.  The “airpark” will offer space for walking, relaxing, grabbing a cup of coffee or a bite to eat, and even community gardening. Still very much a work in progress it reminded us of the New York’s High Line Park which was created from old elevated train tracks.

On the way back to the boat, I noticed this wall painting going on. I don’t think anyone else on the bus noticed it, or at least they didn’t mention anything. Kinda neat really.

After visiting the various gardens we headed back to the boat for some R&R and to get ready for our “Orange” night.

Orange is the national color of the Netherlands, for the House of Orange-Nassau that has been the reigning monarch here for nearly 500 years.  It’s common to wear orange at national celebrations such as King’s Day (April 27th each year).  The Mystery Cruise decided to have its own little Orange Party and it includes a Silent Disco in the Lounge.

Everyone was given a headset – and there were three different music channels to choose from. Thus, if you start to sing along, it could very well be a different song from what someone next to you is listening to. Very funny at times.

Tomorrow we head to Antwerp to have some chocolate!

Tuesday nights ‘reveal’ had Rik dressed up as Johannes Vermeer and Barbara dressed up as the subject of The Girl with the Pearl Earring, one of Vermeer’s most famous painting. So, that meant we were on our way to The Hague and a visit to the Mauritshuis Museum.

As were leaving the port, we pasted by the Noah’s Ark – see the giraffe on the right side…not sure where it was found, but it seems to be fairly intact.

During the morning sailing, Rik did a presentation on the history of the Netherlands and the various components that make up the country.   After lunch, we boarded the coach for a trip into town with a brief stop to sample a local treat – some ‘pancakes’ at Restaurant Oma Toos.  These light fluffy pancakes sprinkled with powdered sugar were very tasty and a nice treat.

Before going to the museum, there was a short walking tour highlighting some of the area around the museum including a stop at the Peace Palace. One of the most photographed buildings in The Hague and the icon when it comes to peace and justice is the Peace Palace.  The donation from Andrew Carnegie from the US resulted in the founding of the Carnegie Foundation in 1`903 and the creation of the Peace Palace.

There was also some interesting street art installations.

The art museum in The Hague houses the Royal Cabinet of Paintings which consists of over 800 objects – mostly Dutch Golden Age paintings.  These include works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Jan Steen and others.  Originally the 17^th century building was the residence of count John Maurice of Nassau.  It is now the property of the government and is listed in the top 100 Dutch heritage sites.

Johannes Vermeer, lived from the early 1630’s until his death in 1675.  He created paintings that are among the most beloved and revered images in the history of art.  Although only about 36 of his paintings survive, these rare works are among the greatest treasures in the world’s museums.  Vermeer began his career in the early 1650’s by painting large-scale biblical and mythological scenes, but most of his later paintings – the ones for which he is most famous – depict scenes of daily life in interior settings. These works are remarkable for their purity of light and form, qualities that convey a serene, timeless sense of dignity. Vermeer also painted cityscapes and allegorical scenes.

Clearly the hightlight of the museum, at least for our group, was The Girl with a Pearl Earring.  It is an oil painting on canvas which was completed around 1665. It depicts an imaginary young woman in exotic dress and a very large pearl earring.  

The painting represents a young woman in a dark shallow space, an intimate setting that draws the viewer’s attention exclusively on her. She wears a blue and gold turban, the titular pearl earring, and a gold jacket with a visible white collar beneath. Unlike many of Vermeer’s subjects, she is not concentrating on a daily chore and unaware of her viewer. Instead, caught in a fleeting moment, she turns her head over her shoulder, meeting the viewer’s gaze with her eyes wide and lips parted as if about to speak. Her enigmatic expression coupled with the mystery of her identity has led some to compare her to the equivocal subject in Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa  (c. 1503–19). Unlike the Mona Lisa, however, Girl with a Pearl Earring is not a portrait but a tronie, a Dutch term for a character or type of person. 

There are a number of very interesting works in the museum including several by Rembrandt including The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp in 1632, an interesting painting of two African men from 1661 and a self-portrait completed the same year he died in 1669.

After our visit to the museum, we went back to the boat and relaxed for the evening.