VALKENBURG, THE NETHERLANDS
May 27th 2019 - May 29th 2019
May 27th:
Valkenburg has plenty of caves to visit. But it is worth noting that most (if not all) are reconstructions. But they are impressive and interesting nonetheless.
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The Fluweelengrot (Velvet cave) lies near the castle, and at the end you can go straight to the castle.
This cave dates back to before Roman times and housed a chapel that was ordered by a French priest after he was banished for not recognizing the French king at the time.
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The Castle gives you a nice view over the city of Valkenburg. The last Dutch lord blew up the castle to prevent the French from taking it. The ruins are still impressive.
May 28th:
The rain poured hard so our hiking plans drowned and there was nothing else to do but wait.
And then the waiting was over as the weather cleared up.
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From the hotel we took a long walk through the forest and fields to Thermae 2000, a wellness center. Spas and wellness centers are apparently my thing. Just soaking in the water, the warmth, it's cosy, it's relaxing, it helps clear my mind a bit. I haven't gotten used to the heat of the saunas yet, though.
They also have a theatre room with massage chairs where you can watch nature documentaries.
May 29th:
We took a long walk through fields and forests and a former quarry.
We spotted so many sweet animals, mainly goats, cows and horses.
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The plan was to go to the Roman Catacombs, but this was another reconstruction, dating back to 1911 by a Dutch man who was impressed with Rome. Because it was never really a Roman cave, we chose to go a bit further to an old mine. This, too, is a reconstruction, but ... the guide there used to work in the actual mine, so that gave the cave a bit more depth (see what I did there?).
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I can't imagine what it would've been like to work in such mines. Back-breaking, horrible conditions.
