Hey girl hey! I’m here to share my travel experiences with you. I grew up in a small village in the south of the
Netherlands, which has always been too small for me. On my nineteenth I went London for an internship where I lived in a hostel. I was so fascinated by all the people I met who where traveling the world, I wanted to be just like them. Now -10 years later- I’ve been to over 40 countries and currently looking for a new home in South America. My biggest dream is to start my own hostel. In this blog I will tell you about my hometown: Limburg! – XOXO Kris
Limburg, the Netherlands: My hometown
Most tourist go to Amsterdam, and some even think Amsterdam is a country. As soon as I tell someone I’m Dutch, they all say “Ooo are you from Amsterdam?”, no, I am not. The Netherlands is small, but it is bigger than just one city. I have lived in Limburg most of my life, 26 years to be exact. My town in called Sevenum and it has around 6500 people living in it. Most people know each other and their family name and people like to talk about each other. I guess you can say it’s a typical small town. Every time I go into the supermarket, I hope I don’t run into someone and need to have obligated small talk.
Dutch people who are not from Limburg, see Limburg as a different part of the Netherlands. We talk different, the dialect is strong and not everyone can understand it, we have a slightly different culture, we are friendlier and we eat vlaai. In the Netherlands, every town or city has a fair. In most towns, the fair is the most exciting time of the year. My town obviously has the best fair, with live bands and a lot of beer.
If you want to experience the real Limburgse culture you can’t miss Carnaval. The dates change every year, but it is celebrated around March. Carnaval is the time were people let their hair down, forget their enemies, like and talk to everyone. You can dress up however you want, a bit like halloween but not scary. The way people dress up varies a bit between the North and South of Limburg. In the south, they look a bit fancier and are not necessary a character. We have processions filled with decorated vehicles, preforming groups and lots more. Every year they choose a Prince Carnaval (only for males, sexist I know). This person becomes insanely popular for no reason other then he’s the prince. He and his possy have a strict program and have to attend every event. During Carnaval you only hear Carnaval’s music and everyone sings along to the songs, it creates a great ‘we’ feeling. During Carnaval people drink a lot, from Friday night to Wednesday. You get up in the morning, start drinking, go home around 2-3 AM and repeat this for 4 days.
Because the Netherlands is so flat, a bike is the perfect way of transportation. Everyone has a bike and there are bike lanes everywhere. Limburg has a lot of nature and there are plenty of bike routs you can take. I looked up a couple of bike routes that are very popular. Near my town Helenaveen, you have America en Horst. You can also your bike through a national park De Groote Peel en Strabrechtse Heide. Visit the Castle and eat ice-cream Tussen Maas en Grens. You can get the best ice-cream at Clevers. We like to eat a fancy bowl of ice-cream with extra nuts or fruits, so many options! At Clevers they have a special ice-cream with gold that costs €675!
Whenever I am having friends over who are not from Limburg or aren’t Dutch, I take them out in my parents old-timer. This is always so much fun! We drive away from the town and into the nature. There are so many fields with vegetables or with animals – Actually, every time I get off the train and smell the cows I know I’m home-. We would have a picnic in an open field, or sit on a terrace in the sun. Sitting on a terrace is a BIG thing in the Netherlands, I do miss is sometimes. You just sit with your friends talk about everything and look at all the people passing by: one of the best things in the world when in good company. If we are in Sevenum, I definitely take them to Hemelse Wijnen. This is a French wine bar with a very tasty wines. As soon as you arrive, it feels like you entered a different country, it is really cute! They have a Bed & Breakfast so you can spend the night but it’s not cheap.
Besides riding a bike, there are plenty of activities to do in Limburg. If you go to the South, there is a beautiful city called Maastricht. The houses are gorgeous, the city has amazing architecture, narrow streets, cafe’s, restaurants and shops. ’t Vrijthof is the main square in Maastricht, sit down at one of the terraces and eat a bitterbal (you can’t go to The Netherlands and not eat a bitterbal!). Maastricht has a mix between boutiques and major brand stores, which offers you the best shopping experience. If you like brands, you should visit the outlet mall in Roermond -usually swarmed by Asian tourists- and get a brand item for a knock off price.
My town has it’s own Amusement park, open every single day of the year. It has it’s fair share of rides and lot’s of fun things to do for kids. All year round, you can go skiing or snowboarding in SnowWorld, one of the biggest indoor snow resorts in the world. You can rent the gear there, just make sure you dress up warm. If you are not claustrophobic, visit the Mergelgrotten. There are different activities to do in the caves. We did a bike tour in the caves which was pretty cool. The caves are 25km long and if they turn the lights off it’s so so dark!
When visiting Limburg you have to try vlaai: a pie usually filled with fruits. Or you can have Limburgse appeltaart (apple pie) which is the best in the world if you ask me. Limburg is a safe place, especially in the villages. In some cities there is some nasty stuff going on, but not that different from any other city. If you ever visit the Netherlands come and see for yourself how friendly the people are, and walk/ bike through our beautiful Limburgse nature.
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Top 3 Activities |
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Bike tour |
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Maastricht |
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Top 3 Restaurants |
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Clevers (ice cream) |
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Tante Toer |
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Hemelse wijnen |
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Nightlife |
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Your local pub |
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Travalas Friendly |
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Favorite travel quote
‘Never stop doing things for the first time’