Our beautiful living room This fall my husband and I are living in Maastricht, The Netherlands, while he teaches at the University here. We're having a GREAT time- there are so many new things to see and experience! Our apartment is beautiful. It's located on the city's loveliest square, Onze Lieve Vrouweplein (Square of Our Lady). The Vrouweplein is ringed by popular cafes that feature extra outdoor seating in the center of the square. We've enjoyed many pleasant meals there, just steps away from our apartment door. It's a lively neighborhood! Often we hear musicians playing in the Vrouweplein, and one evening there were people dancing to live polka music, right below our windows! Maastricht is a lot of fun, definitely a party city.
View of Onze Lieve Vrouweplein from our apartment.
Eindhoven train station, the Netherlands. Art pops up in unexpected places in this part of the world! I was delighted to see that children's art is displayed on waste bins in some of the Dutch railroad stations. OK, so it's on a trash can...but a lot of people are getting to enjoy these artworks while they're waiting for their train. It's a great idea.
| In a park near the Rhine,in Koblenz, Germany, I found plane trees (similar to our sycamores) that were decorated with colorful splotches of paint. Another great idea (but I wonder how the tree feels about it?) |  Deutsches Eck park, Koblenz, Germany. |
In the German city of Trier we visited the Karl Marx Museum (Marx was born in Trier, and the Museum is housed in his family home). There were Karl Marx images EVERYWHERE, in and around this cool museum. As we passed through the inner courtyard of the house something bright red caught my eye: a mini-Karl Marx...totally red! So funny. This is a museum with a sense of humor.
Karl Marx Museum, Trier, Germany.
 Hindeloopen, province of Friesland. | Last weekend we rented a car and toured the countryside in the north of Holland. In one little village on the IJsselmeer (the Netherlands' great inland sea), we came upon this most unusual back yard. |
But my favorite "unexpected" art so far is this little guy on a bicycle. We came upon him when we were driving on a sand road that runs alongside a canal in a town near Maastricht. There he was, in the middle of nowhere, peddling his three wheeler through the air! This delightful little sculpture captures the spirit of the Netherlanders' favorite activity.
Peddling in the air above a canal in Susteren, Limburg province.
I've been writing a blog about our adventures here. If you'd like to read more, check it out:
http://viewfromsintpieterstraat.blogspot.nl
http://viewfromsintpieterstraat.blogspot.nl
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