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Valkenburg, The Netherlands (2019)

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.

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.

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.


Old quarry, overgrown
Old quarry, overgrown

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. 

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.

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?).

I can't imagine what it would've been like to work in such mines. Back-breaking, horrible conditions.




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