Savour life
In restaurant Rantrée – also on the side of town – wine from Limburg is standard fare. ”Not everyone seems to be aware of this yet, but our province offers wonderful, largerly organically-produced local wines,” explains host and sommelier Jennifer as she pours me a glass of Clos d’Opleeuw Cuvée Prestige. And in addition to this lovely Chardonnay, I’m served a delicious veal cheek croquette. Perfect. ”We like to savour and enjoy life, and you can really sense that,” says Anja while she adjusts her scarf – because dressing well is a part of savouring life, too. So it doesn’t come as a surprise to find boutiques selling luxury fashion labels lined up in the famous historic Stokstraat area. And sure enough, even that line of business now has its eye on Wyck. Hermès, merchant of Parisian leather goods, recently opened a new store across the river. But not everything is expensive in Wyck. In fact, most isn’t. New, trendy, affordable hotels are opening all over the place, such as the low-budget yet sophisticated Kaboom Hotel; clad in stylish white, outfitted with luxirious Auping beds, and staffed with gentlefolk. The ‘new’ part of the city also harbours galleries and theatres in old factory buildings. The drama group Toneelgroep Maastricht, for instance, occupies a place called the Bordenhal in the Céramique area. While former churches and convents that were desecrated during the reign of Napoleon have also been repurposed all over town. The opulent Kruisherenhotel – in the ‘old’ Maastricht – is a perfect example of this. Located in a 15th-century convent, it calls itself ‘a design hotel between heaven and earth’. After enjoying my breakfast under its high arches, I go to the bathroom and find myself hesitating; the glass walls of the stall are open towards the old convent hallways. What’s more, there’s a bible verse from Genesis 3:7 written on the glass: ‘And they realised they were naked.’ Fortunately, there’s also a small addendum by hotel staff: ‘But don’t worry, no one can see you.’ I have no reason to worry, as I’m still enchanted from having experienced Maastricht in all its multifaceted glory.
