Gemeente Maastricht

We awoke to another hot and (very) humid day in Maastricht. I also awoke to find that the hotel had charged me about double what I had expected for our two night's accommodation. When I approached the reception with an irate look on my face, the girl behind the desk seemed to lose her ability to speak clear English. I think she explained to me in Dutch that the money would eventually be refunded (provided I lived to reach 90).

Since the hotel is in a business precinct, there are really no other options than to have breakfast in their fancy restaurant. I have to admit there were a huge number of food selections, although I could not find most of them. It was a bit like going shopping in an unfamiliar supermarket, where nothing is where you would logically expect it to be.

Maggie tried to use the coffee machine and only ended up in spilling hot milk, coffee and boiling slop all over the machine. She brought the final messy result back to me, and then tried to pretend that she had done it on purpose, just for me.

I am not sure if I managed to eat my $40 worth of food, but I gave it my best effort. After breakfast our group all went off in different directions, each on their own search for scenic satisfaction. Michael only made it as far as the hotel door, before he somehow managed to lose his credit card. I really am beginning to think that it is not just Allan that needs a personal carer. The way we are going, I think we all need constant mental supervision.

Maggie and I managed to reach the centre of Maastricht, without leaving a continuous trail of personal possessions behind us. I headed to the Travelex office, in an attempt to get robbed blind by swapping Canadian dollars for Euro. I know I must have made Mr Travelex very happy in the process, considering the tiny number of Euro I was given in exchange for my $250 CAD.

The temperature had soared to around 30C, and the humidity made it feel like Singapore, as we staggered to the Old City. Our stamina quickly went to zero and we both looked for somewhere cool and quiet to sit. Somehow we found the Maastricht Archive building. It was quiet and they had a water cooler that dispensed free cups of cold water. I think it was the first free thing we had enjoyed since arriving in Europe.

After a rest, we ventured back outside to discover that a thunderstorm was brewing. The sky had darkened, and drops of rain were falling. Is it pure irony that the only rain that has fallen since we arrived almost a week ago, has arrived just as our ride is starting ?

The rain continued for most of the afternoon, but it did bring a welcome relief from the humidity. Maybe the rain will clear before we start riding tomorrow morning. Maybe we will see flying pigs also.Read more