{"id":60,"date":"2018-10-29T13:43:57","date_gmt":"2018-10-29T18:43:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/?p=60"},"modified":"2018-10-29T13:43:57","modified_gmt":"2018-10-29T18:43:57","slug":"maastricht-a-city-of-all-sorts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/2018\/10\/29\/maastricht-a-city-of-all-sorts\/","title":{"rendered":"Maastricht: A City of All-sorts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It would be wrong of me to keep this from you any longer. I have been in Maastricht for over two months now and I only have five words: I don\u2019t want to leave. I bet you\u2019ve never heard that before\u2026But truly, this city has a special charm and I am beyond thankful for this experience. My first impressions of the city were that it\u2019s insanely cute, reasonably sized, with plenty to do. I have enjoyed countless afternoons exploring the cobblestone streets, each with something different to offer.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_54\" style=\"width: 594px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-54\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-54 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/77daea64-4062-43d7-8460-47a385b5787b-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Follow this Fall 2018\u2019s Office of Study Abroad &amp; International Experiences Global Correspondent, Isla Swindles, on her studies in Maastricht, Netherlands! Isla is a UMass Lowell Business Administration major studying this Fall on a UMass Lowell Partner-led in USAC Netherlands: Maastricht University.\" width=\"584\" height=\"329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/77daea64-4062-43d7-8460-47a385b5787b-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/77daea64-4062-43d7-8460-47a385b5787b-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/77daea64-4062-43d7-8460-47a385b5787b-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/77daea64-4062-43d7-8460-47a385b5787b-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/77daea64-4062-43d7-8460-47a385b5787b.jpg 1540w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-54\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Friends and I at Mount Saint Peter<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Maastricht is an international crossroads of history, economics, the arts, and so much more.\u00a0 In fact, if it wasn\u2019t for the signing of the Maastricht treaty in 1992, the European Union we know today may not exist. This eclectic city has so much more to offer than meets the eye \u2013 beautiful churches and vibrant grass fields. The city of Maastricht has always had a multicultural influence and continues to boast a truly international demographic.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_61\" style=\"width: 466px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-61 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/IMG_3190.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"456\" height=\"608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/IMG_3190.jpg 456w, https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/IMG_3190-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 456px) 100vw, 456px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-61\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Basilica of Saint Servatius<\/p><\/div>\n<p>One of my favourite things about the city is that it\u2019s super bike friendly! I ride to class, to the bars with my friends, and even carry my groceries on my bike. I feel so much safer on the roads here since the culture around cycling is completely different to in the US. Cars give way to you and respect your space on the road!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_62\" style=\"width: 352px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-62\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-62 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/IMG_4499.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"342\" height=\"608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/IMG_4499.jpg 342w, https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/IMG_4499-169x300.jpg 169w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 342px) 100vw, 342px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-62\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bike parking at the Business School<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>My second favourite thing about the city is that people really value their lifestyle. No matter the day, the terraces are filled with people sharing meals with friends and loved ones. One Sunday morning I was headed to the library and saw a group of older gentlemen playing bocce \u2013 laughing and enjoying their time together. I am not sure why, but it caught my attention to see their carefree selves happily enjoying the beautiful day together. They didn\u2019t seem to be worried about the upcoming week but truly enjoying the moment.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_66\" style=\"width: 453px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-66\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-66 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/IMG_3878-e1540838370340.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"443\" height=\"393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/IMG_3878-e1540838370340.jpg 443w, https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/IMG_3878-e1540838370340-300x266.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/IMG_3878-e1540838370340-338x300.jpg 338w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 443px) 100vw, 443px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-66\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">People enjoying the sunny day on the terrace<\/p><\/div>\n<p>There is always something going on in Maastricht. From jazz festivals, to Asian street food festivals, Maastricht is a happening city. And just a stones throw away from Belgium and Germany, there are plenty of nearby cities to explore that have their own charm but are equally as beautiful as Maastricht.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_64\" style=\"width: 886px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-64\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-64 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/IMG_4608.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"657\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/IMG_4608.jpg 876w, https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/IMG_4608-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/IMG_4608-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/137\/2018\/10\/IMG_4608-400x300.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-64\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maastricht City Hall<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It would be wrong of me to keep this from you any longer. I have been in Maastricht for over two months now and I only have five words: I don\u2019t want to leave. I bet you\u2019ve never heard that &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/2018\/10\/29\/maastricht-a-city-of-all-sorts\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":747,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/747"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60\/revisions\/67"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/maastricht-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}