..from France to our first stop in Holland - Maastricht - the birthplace of the Euro.

We spent a few days here, and really that is all you need. It's a nice enough historical town, but not really all that many 'special' sights to visit. So, as you can see, we spent some more time experimenting with the special affects on our camera.

Apparently this is also the birthplace of Andre Rieu (the fiddle player), but we did not bump into him.

(1) & (2) & (3) The river and the town square seem to be the focal point for most people.

(2) The water wheel pictured here is part of Bisschopsmolen (Bishops) Mill, which has been making bread and various other treats in this same facility since the 15th century.
In the 15th century it also came under the control of the Guild of Brewers, meaning that all Maastricht beer brewers also had to grind the malt in this mill.
(3) Our hotel was just opposite this square (I tried to jazz up the photo with affects - but it still looks as as dull as it did in real life)

Some samples of the historical buildings. The last one on this row is now the University and pretty much in the centre of town. Seemed extremely busy with students coming and going when we were there.