Throwing Axes

My what a big sword you have...

Often in life the smallest things make the biggest differences. I know this, yet I often forget or don’t believe in it until something small happens and changes things dramatically.

On the way out of The Netherlands on my way to Belgium I stopped in Maastricht a small town in the east of The Netherlands. I knew the train was supposed to take between two and a half to three hours so I settled in and watched a movie on my laptop. Every time the train would start to slow down to stop, I would listen intently to the Dutch words to see if I needed to pack up or if I could stay seated. I heard the name of my stop mentioned several times and packed up my stuff to get off, however once the train stopped it wasn’t the stop I wanted so I sat and waited. Then train made a couple more stops, which weren’t mine and then terminated and everyone exited the train. I was really confused, I had been paying attention. Had I missed my stop? I got out and looked at the map and realized that on the stop where they kept saying the name I wanted I was supposed to exit and take another train from there. I guess that’s what can happen when you travel and only know one Language. I was able to catch another train anyway and ended up where I wanted to be in Maastricht.

Maastricht is known for having hundreds of kilometers of tunnels under the city and I came to explore them. As usual I didn’t look at a map or make any plans I just followed the crowds of people out of the train station and then down the streets. When the masses turned I turned and when they went straight so did I. Eventually the crowds started to thin out and they weren’t really going anywhere and I was left to wander around on my own. I found a really nice park that also had some caged animals and lots of terrifying swans. I know from my childhood and America’s Funniest Home Video’s that you don’t want to mess with a swan.

Eventually I decided to look at a map and found one on a sign post on a corner. While I was looking trying to figure out where I was and where I wanted to be an elderly Dutch man came up to me and asked in Dutch if he could help me. I told him I was looking for the tunnels and then pointed underground. He looked at me for a moment and then replied “tunnels” with a look of understanding. He started to talk in Dutch and point down the street and then he told me to follow him and he would show me. We walked together for 10 minutes through a park and down a street and he kept talking the whole time to me in Dutch. I did pick up a few random words that sounded the same in English and I think he was telling me about the history of Maastricht and the tunnels underneath it. I thanked him for guiding me and walked the rest of the way he had pointed me.

I found a gate that was open, that I don’t think was supposed to be open and went down into the tunnels. I walked around for a little bit but I was worried that whoever had opened the gate might close it and I would be stuck down there and so I snapped some pictures, got the idea of the tunnels and headed back out.

My notebook that I bought and started using in India to write down ideas, words and directions in finally full. I have bought a replacement but I am somewhat sad to be done using this one, it has been a good companion.

Back on the train and headed for Bruges there was a man talking on his cell phone very loudly and every time he wanted to put emphasis on something he was saying he would make a very loud “Plllt” sound. I don’t know if this is a cultural thing or what it was, but it was pretty funny and obnoxious.

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10_10_09 Maastricht small