It’s been a very long time since I sat down to write. The summer of 2021 felt like an opportunity to start living again. Take back what the pandemic took away from me. My freedom to meet with family and friends. My freedom to go to the beach and later for drinks. Also, my freedom to travel. Now that the days are getting shorter and colder, it is time to think back on those summer days, and write about them, starting from my first trip out of the island – Maastricht.

Back in July, I finally got to meet my friends again in their hometown of Maastricht, in the region of Limburg, the Netherlands. I have been to this city several times, so we took the opportunity to also visit some surrounding villages. I had already written about Maastricht a few years back, but I always find this city fascinating. There’s always a new place in town to visit for food or drinks. Being out on the road after what felt like an eternity, I also didn’t mind visiting the same bars I had been to before. 

Valkenburg – the neighbouring little town

This town in Limburg, which is known for its hilly countryside (a rarity in the Netherlands), is a short drive away from Maastricht. It is quite a touristic town, with a long avenue full of restaurants with different cuisines, while also offering its share of history, including castle ruins and parts of the city walls. If the weather is beautiful, like the day we visited the town,  I suggest you go uphill to Agogo. Hop on the cable car and enjoy the view of Limburg from up high. Once you reach the top of the hill, there are a variety of activities, such as mini golf, laser tag, and if you’re up for it, tubing downhill on a tire. Perfect for a sunny Sunday afternoon!

Eifel National Park in Germany

Maastricht lies very much in between Belgium and Germany. So with a few hours driving, you can hop to either of these countries. And so, we spent one of the days over in Germany. First we visited the national park in Eifel, which is a region close to the river Rhine, and is the perfect place for a nice hike in the forest. Gravelled pathways and wooden walkways make it easier to walk around the park while taking in the views and the enchanting sounds of nature. 

Monschau – Germany

Following our short hike, we drove to Monschau for lunch and a nice stroll along this beautiful, typical German village. With a stream passing through the village, timber houses, cobbled streets and German taverns, this village is the perfect example of what I love about Germany. It transcends that fairytale feeling which makes you feel as though you stepped into a Disney movie.

Climate change is real

Just one week after I left this beautiful region, severe rainfall and floods hit Limburg, Germany and Belgium. The intense rainfall led to devastating flooding of the Rhine and other rivers in the area. That means that thousands of people had to be evacuated from their homes, several buildings were damaged and at least 222 people lost their lives. Studies confirm what we already know. This climate crisis will lead to similar tragedies on a more frequent basis. What we also know, but many fail to accept, is that this is all human-caused. 

We might feel helpless when faced with such events, as the situation has gotten so out of hand that we have no idea where to start to make things better. But I always believe that all it takes is to make the first step. Instead of taking your car to go to work, get on the bus. Instead of updating your wardrobe every year, reuse your clothes. It took a large amount of water and resources, as well as hard work, to make the clothes you’re wearing. Make all those resources worth their while. 

And there is so much more that we can do. All it takes is a bit of thought, because if we continue to not give two hoots about our way of living, then this world won’t be a nice place to live in. 

Maybe if these floods happened in another part of the world, I wouldn’t have given much thought about it, and I wouldn’t be writing about it here. There is so much going on around the world, that sometimes you phase out the negative stuff and keep going. But having just been in the area and experienced the beauty of it, and then watching the news and getting updates from my friends about this, was heartbreaking to say the least. It also hit too close to home. 

What I’ve taken from all of this is that we all need to live in the moment. Take in the beauty around us, live in a responsible and sustainable manner. Do your bit to make the world a bit more peaceful while enjoying the view of the places you are in. We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow or next week. All we got is now. So soak it all in, take a deep breath, and smile!