Maastricht has been lifted out of its winter dormancy to an eruption of spring colors.
Since I arrived here in January, I’ve come to enjoy life in the Netherlands. I could, however, have gone without the perpetual misty rain and overcast skies.
As the weeks pass, it has really begun to feel like spring. A two-week bout with pneumonia left me to appreciate a lot of the sunshine and budding trees from my dorm room, but it will be nice to attend my last several weeks of class without a raincoat.
By the time Easter Weekend arrived, my sickness had passed and I was finally able to return to my life as a functioning human being.
Here in Maastricht and much of the rest of Europe, Christian holidays carry a bit more importance within the context of public life than they do in public universities in the United States. At places like IU, many would find it unusual for Good Friday or other Christian celebrations to warrant a day off from school or work.
In Maastricht, three of the school holidays for the second half of the semester carry religious significance. Students are given Good Friday and the Monday following Easter as holidays, as well as two days in May in celebration of Jesus Christ’s ascension and one day in June for Whit Monday or Pentecost.
Ascension Day and Whit Monday are both nationally recognized holidays, while Good Friday is considered an observance.
On Friday, I traveled with a friend to Brussels to visit the Bois de la Cambre, a large public park on the edge of the city. The park felt like a more isolated version of New York City’s Central Park, and it was a peaceful refuge within close walking distance to the hustle-bustle of the city.
Brussels itself is a fun city certainly worthy of a day of exploration. During my travels through parts of Belgium this semester, I’ve thought that the country lacked a culture that was truly its own. Parts of Belgium feel a lot like the offspring of France and the Netherlands rather than a distinctive country.
My brief few hours in Brussels did a lot to change that impression. The city’s Victorian architecture has a lot of character, and trendy cafes, restaurants and bars can be found on nearly every street corner.
It still does not strike me as a week long vacation destination, but Brussels has plenty of activities for a long day or a short weekend.
After a day in Brussels, I returned to Maastricht for the remainder of the weekend.
I went to Catholic mass Sunday morning, and I had to check the internet to make sure I hadn’t mixed up my weekends and been celebrating Easter a week early. Based on the chaos I’ve seen during other Dutch celebrations like Carnival weekend, I expected Easter Sunday to be a huge, flamboyant celebration.
There were no pastel colors, no Easter egg hunts for children and absolutely no indication that it was one of the church’s biggest holidays. The Dutch love celebrations, but when it comes to religious observances, they generally remain just that — religious observances.
dkilcull@indiana.edu
@daniel_kilc
