EUGEN: The Netherlands 2009
My 2009 EUGEN experience in the Netherlands can be summarized in 3 main points: hornet invasion, surprisingly interesting and fun day trips, and more alcohol than should be allowed. Now allow me to elaborate below.
Hornets, field trips and alcohol
Our camp site was on a farm in the middle of nowhere. The closest town where we could go shopping was a couple of hours hike away. The weather was very warm throughout the week and that part of the country was experiencing a hornet invasion. It wasn’t unbearable, but it was certainly unpleasant, especially during the mornings. We constantly had to fight off hornets during breakfast and had to be vigilant if wearing slippers. There were a few incidents of people getting stung and one more serious case when someone accidentally swallowed a hornet. They were rushed to the hospital and were fine in the end.
To my second point, as you may know the Netherlands is a fairly flat country. After the impressive field trips and sights I had seen in Switzerland the year before, I honestly didn’t have high expectations for the Netherlands. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the field trips and sights I saw. I will go into details in the chapters below.
Finally, I went a bit wild on the alcohol consumption during this particular EUGEN meetup. In addition to the daily beer consumption, we had an infamous night of “wine tasting”. Our friends from Slovenia had each brought quite a few numbers of bottles of wine. Apparently Slovenia has many good wines and so they decided they would host a huge wine tasting party. Suffice to say, the tasting quickly devolved into chugging bottles. That night was an absolute blast, ending in the biggest bonfire the north had seen – A little Game of Thrones reference there for any fans. However, the second day’s hangover was no joke…
The Caves of Maastricht
The first field trip I attended during EUGEN 2008 took us to the province of Limburg, the most southeasterly region of the Netherlands. Our first stop was at Gemeentegrot, or Cauberg Cavern.
Geementegrot is part of the network of limestone caves known as the Maastricht caves, or the Caves of Saint Petersberg hill. These are basically a system of interconnected old underground limestone quarries. The trip involved a a guided train ride through the dark underground complex.
Dating back to the 13th century, the Maastricht caves were originally dug to mine chalk. Over the years, as mining this rock had become less profitable, the caves took up different roles.
The walls were decorated with art over hundreds of years, which lead to them becoming tourist attraction. During times of crisis, like World War II, the caves were used as shelter for civilians and military personnel. After the war, part of the complex was turned into a nuclear shelter, which was part of our guided tour.
I had seen a few cave systems before, but nothing as massive and impressive as this multi-century man-made complex. It was truly an impressive experience. One that I would recommend to anyone visiting the Netherlands.
Three Country Border
Following our visit to the Maastricht caves, we took the bus to the tripoint in Vaals. The tripoint, or the Three Country Border, marks the border point between Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. One of the main attractions there was the Labyrint Drielandenpunt, Europe’s largest outdoor shrub maze.
We ventured into the maze and spent many eons trying to navigate its treacherous, shrubby, ever winding pathways. I’m joking. We probably spent about an hour in there. But it was definitely a fun experience! At the center of the maze we climbed up a platform from which we could see in the direction of any of the three countries. Me and my navigation group made it out safe and sound, just in time. However, some of our other companions had to cheat and climb over the shrubs to get out before the bus left them behind.
Aside from the Drielanden Labyrinth, the tripoint is also the highest region in the Netherlands by altitude. Our next and final stop for the day involved visiting the continental peak of the country, the Vaalsberg. This monumental hill sits at a whopping 322.4 m altitude! How anyone could climb such a tremendous hump is astounding!
Nevertheless, we did the unthinkable and hiked Vaalsberg. However, in some way that I can’t fully recall, we ended up in yet another man-made cave. The Dutch sure seem to like their caves.
A trip to Belgium
The second field trip I went to involved a day trip to Belgium and was only offer on one specific day. The list got filled quick and I wasn’t about to miss out on a chance to visit Belgium. In an amusing twist of events, the day before the trip we had our country of origin presentation evening in camp. For these presentations people would usually talk a bit about their home countries geology, or culture, or something down that line. It was during this evening when our Slovenian friends presented the wonders of their country to us all in the form of insane amounts of wine.
I won’t go into the details of that night, but I will say that it was an absolute blast! I was among the last standing, or should I say wobbling people to enjoy the final flickers of our big bonfire. However, this meant that I barely had a few hours of sleep before my alarm violently woke me up early next morning. I felt absolutely miserable. However, I wasn’t about to give up on the chance to visit Belgium! I could barely drink half a cup of coffee before upsetting my stomach. I zombied my way onto the crowded bus and fell asleep instantly.
My first 10 minutes in Belgium
About two hours later I woke up suddenly to the loud voice over the bus speaker letting us know that we had 10 more minutes to our destination. My stiff neck was frozen in an awkward sideways position for a couple of minutes. As I slowly got my bearings, I realized we were in a big city, going up a windy road to some sort of fortress.
I could barely focus on the outside world. My head was throbbing and my stomach was turning in all the wrong ways. I kept telling myself that I just needed to hang in there 10 minutes and then I would rush to the nearest restroom. However, that wasn’t good enough. As a cold sweat started sweeping across me and my vision and hearing were fading, I realized if I didn’t “unload” I would just pass out. Reluctantly, I grabbed the nearest empty trash bag and gave one last miserable and desperate glance to my poor unknown German companion sitting next to me. Then… well… I think I don’t need to spill it out for you. I already spilled it out for him… Oof!
A mystery city
After I got the chance to wash up and walk around a bit, I started feeling better. Even with the nagging headache and hangover after effects, I was very happy to have not missed out on the trip. The fortress we had driven up was amazing and the view of the city below was absolutely fantastic. I had no idea where I was, but I wanted to see more.
I’m pretty sure I was told the name of the city a few times, but in my state it just didn’t stick. So much so, that it took me writing this blog, to finally ask my old pal Daniel where the heck we went to in Belgium. Turns out it was none other then the capital city of Wallonia (the French region of Belgium), Namur.
We spent a good while exploring the city fortress, also known as the Citadel. Apart from the breathtaking views of the city, there were various old canons, artillery pieces, barracks and other such things to discover. There was also a geological part of the citadel tour, focusing on the foundation on which the fortress had been built.
After touring the citadel, we got back on the bus and drove to a nearby quarry on the outskirts of Namur. It was at this time when in proper Romanian fashion, me and my compatriots decided to take our lunch and nap under the shade, while everyone else went off to tour the quarry. No regrets. That nap fixed me 100%. Well, I guess my only regret was that we never got to explore the city of Namur more. It sure looked like a fantastic place to spend a few days at least.
Europe’s biggest seaport
On my third field trip, we headed to the Delta Works in the Netherlands. On the way there, we passed by Rotterdam, Europe’s biggest seaport. Even though I didn’t get to see the city itself, during our drive, I got a glimpse of the vast industrial and shipping areas surrounding it. It was quite a sight to behold. Me and my friends were eagerly awaiting to have a view of the North Sea. Instead, we were treated to seemingly endless lagoons, canals, and all other sorts of water bodies used for transportation.
On the one hand the sights seemed boring and unappealing. On the other, seeing first hand the sheer magnitude of the ongoing daily operations supplying the continent with all sorts of goods from across the world was quite impressive.
Delta Works
The Delta Works is a complex of 6 dams, 3 locks and 4 storm surges built to protect The Netherlands from flooding from the North Sea. Since a big part of the country is below sea level, flooding is a constant threat to the people living there. Completed in 1997, the Delta Works is one of the most impressive feats of hydraulic engineering to date. Apart from protecting the Netherlands from flooding, the complex also provides benefits for water quality, agriculture, shipping access and recreation.
We started off our visit at their office building with a short presentation of the complex. We also had some of the most delicious sandwiches imaginable for lunch. Oh, those salmon sandwiches were divine… I would go back there just for that alone!
After our informative presentation and… those scrumptious sandwiches, we got a first hand look at part of the Delta Works. It was truly a massive structure, or I should say, chain of structures.
At this point me and my friend Daniel finally got to touch the waters of the North Sea for the first time in our lives. It would end up being but a prelude to a future adventure further north.
Utrecht
The final field trip during my visit to the Netherlands took me to the city of Utrecht. This was part of the cultural trip, which is always held on the last day of each EUGEN. We walked the cobblestone streets of the city center, taking in the sights for a couple of hours.
Canals, coffeshops and colorful houses lined the narrow city streets left and right. The centerpiece of the city is the gothic Cathedral and Dom of Utrecht. Built in the 14th century, the Dom is the oldest and highest church tower in the country.
After our walk, we went to a Belgian bar with that had a crazy high amount of beers on tap. One more flavorful and fantastic then the other. It was during this visit I discovered how amazingly tasty Belgian beers were. To this day, they remain my favorite style of foamy alcoholic beverage.
My friends and I spent the rest of our remaining time in Utrecht enjoying our drinks and reminiscing about our fantastic week in the Netherlands. EUGEN 2009 had come to and end and it was now time to part ways. They would go back to camp for one last night, while I had to catch a train back to Germany.