"Enjoying the Burgundian Lifestyle" a Maastricht Travel Page by BillNJ

One of the consequences of the First Treaty of London in 1839 was that the city of Maastricht in Limburg became part of the Netherlands. While Maastricht is politically part of the Netherlands, its culture is more accurately described as Burgundian. In the middle ages, the Realm of Burgundy stretched from West Switzerland to Flanders. A hallmark of Burgundian culture was an emphasis on living well, and in particular, eating well.

The city of Maastricht does its best to uphold the Burgundian tradition of eating well. The main pleins (squares) of the city are filled with delightful sidewalk cafés. Here, you can eat delicious food while overlooking lovely tree-lined streets, old churches, fountains, ... and lots of parked bikes and motorcycles!

In 1992, the nations of Europe signed the Treaty on European Union in Maastricht. For better or worse, the city of Maastricht will forever be linked to this important event in the history of Europe.

During the year of the treaty, it was the Netherlands turn to be chairman of the European Council. Of all of the great cities in the Netherlands, why was Maastricht selected to be the birthplace of the European Union? I don't know for certain -- but, after my visit, I suspect that the city's great restaurants and cafés played a role in the decision.

I spent two days in Maastricht -- on a Tuesday and a Wednesday. With the relaxing atmosphere and streets filled with shoppers and tourists, both days felt like a Saturday. I can only imagine how crowded Maastricht is on an actual Saturday!