Holland

Linda and I travelled from Luxembourg to Maastricht in the southern Dutch region of Limburg.

Maastricht has been inhabited since Roman times and has been invaded by Spanish, French and  Belgium forces in more recent times.
Located on the banks of the Meuse, Maastricht was strategically placed as an early garrison town and continued later as trading centre.
Today it is a vibrant cultural centre and boasts many industries.
An old industry was the limestone mining and this is able to be visited.

Above is an example of the artwork found on it's walls.

The caves were quarried by local's since Paleolithic times for limestone blocks and for flint rock.

On top of the cave is a local hill known as Mt Saint Peter.

Here the Dutch built a fortress.
This stronghold was built in 1702 to defend against the Spanish forces.
We did a tour the same day.

Entry door

Above is an old canon 

Maastricht itself was very nice to visit and was showing its age.

Gated entry into city centre from many centuries ago.

Below is an old flour mill grinder 

Above example is the old water wheel that runs the grinder 

Typical street scene

On our way northward we stayed in another small campground in the countryside near the small village of Boekel.
Very peaceful stay.
The following day we visited 2 sets of people who we met earlier in our travels.
Very nice to catch up with people and see where they live.
Appreciated the coffee and lunch provided.

On the way north again we boarded a ferry to cross a river.

Crossing over the Nederrijn river which is connected to the Rhine river system.

Many boats use this for pleasure and for commercial transport.

We came here to visit relations but they were not home.
We then came to Alkmaar where our European journey had begun in May.

Great to be back and able to rest up a little.

During our European trip I put on 8kg in weight from the scrawny wt of 80 kg leaving South America. It will be interesting to see what Aussie does to my waste line.
Great food and great beer. Also the lack of exercise from having a vehicle to travel in.