MAGICAL MAASTRICHT AND LIMBURG FOOD TOUR (christmas market in europe)

In this episode, Michelle and Alex are exploring what the Netherlands has to offer, starting with eating the food (traditional Dutch and Flemish foods) and seeing the sights in Maastricht, including Magical Maastricht Vrijthof (a magical christmas market in Europe).
Episode 24 · Filmed on December 8-9, 2022 · Maastricht, the Netherlands
📸 Follow us on Instagram: / buncharted
🎥 Follow us on TikTok: / buncharted
00:00 Introduction
01:01 Cafe Local (kroket lunch)
02:22 Book Store Dominicanen
03:05 Sint Servaasbrug
04:22 De Bisschops Molen (fruit pie)
05:43 Thoughts on Maastricht
06:38 Café Sjiek (zuurvlees)
08:49 Christmas market (Magical Maastricht Vrijthof)
10:57 The most magical ham sandwich
12:24 Wrap up
---
WHO IS BUNCHARTED?
We're Michelle and Alex, a travel-obsessed American couple living abroad in the Netherlands.
In 2020, we quit our jobs to travel the world, and... yeah, that didn't happen. So in 2022, we decided to make an even BIGGER change, packing up our lives (and our cats 🐈), moving from Austin, Texas, to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. Subscribe for new videos like this every week!

[@palantir135]

Wie sjoèn os Limburg is. You really should visit the Gerendal in Limburg; especially in may/June when the wild orchids are flowering. There’s a wild orchid ‘garden’. After that visit the botanic garden at Sjaloen castle. The Geuldal around Epen and the water mill Volmolen are great too. You can find Zoervleisj at AH Streekgenoten. Also try Koempelpastei. The south of Limburg is known for its food. Try Limburgs zuurdesembrood.

[@ChaufMT]

Welcome to the Netherlands and of course my beautiful Maastricht. I would advise you to visit it again in summer. You will enjoy it and it's surroundings (Jekerdal with chateau Neercanne, Sint Pietersberg, bakker Hermans). The Kennedybridge is named after his because of his assassination and his positive impact he had. And if you like mustard, try Lowensenf. It is sharp.

[@rachellewijsen1770]

I loved your video about Maastricht! I live here, there are some things worth mentioning! The dressing you had at café local actually was a sauce for your croque monsieur, it was curry. Not a salad dressing XD Great seasons to visit Maastricht would be (carnaval season, coming up 18th, 19th and 20th of february, love the ambiance! Also in August I especially like Maastricht. We have Andre Rieu weekends (where we have a big concert for 4 weekends maybe even five, with Andre Rieu. And in the end of August, we have Preuvenemint. Absolutely love the festivity. It's where all restaurants come together and where you can taste different foods and get absolutely drunk, but in a fun way. Although it has because a little pricier over the years. Still worth seeing it. I hope you enjoyed Maastricht though, It's a small city, but makes it unique! But summers are deffinitly my favourite season for the city!

[@mrnobody043]

Hi, i'm from Maastricht. By the way, i don't think it was a salad dressing with your croque madame. Here in Maastricht we usually serve a little curry (from the Hela brand) with grilled cheese sandwiches. Oh and it wasn't a fruitcake, it was a "vlaai" as we call it. It's sort of like a pie, but different.. :) There is a huge variety of these vlaaien. Oh, the sweetness in the zuurvlees comes from apple molasses. It looked pretty quiet on the Christmas market, it usually is a lot more crowded. I think most people are trying to save some money because of the crazy high gas and electric bills. I hope you enjoyed your stay, i wish the both of you a merry Christmas in advance.

[@buncharted]

i edited out the entire section where we realized we translated pie incorrectly as cake 😂 merry christmas!

[@mhjmstultiens]

​@@buncharted If you haven't tried yet, besides "abrikozenvlaai" also try "kersenvlaai". Even though it's basic it's extremely tasty. My personal favorite. ;)

[@Makaveli13Xroy]

We do love our americans and lots of Street names and buildings are named after Famous Americans ; in my local town (which is only like 20 km from Maastricht) we have a Block oF Flats and each flat is named after a diff Presidents; we have the "Kennedeylaan (Kennedy street) Roosevelt laan *Roosevelt street* and so on ! theres a BUNCH of streets and Squares named after Martin Luther King

[@Meppeler1971]

the last sandwich called: Broodje beenham met honingmosterd (honeymustard)

[@prairiepirate]

Oh yay! You went to that bookstore! I built a version of it in Minecraft last year, so I know its details without having ever visited.

[@buncharted]

WHAT! really??? that's awesome!

[@darylleavy]

Can't wait to visit Maastricht as I have been living in the Netherlands for a year now, it has been on the list to go for a good while 😅 This video is the push I needed to go 😊 Hope you guys have a great Xmas and New Year 🎉

[@buncharted]

we LOVED maastricht - a lot! (i assume that comes through in the video, haha) merry christmas and happy new year to you too :)

[@wimschiphorst8541]

Sour meat or sucade meat or simmer meat takes quite a bit of time to get it nice and tender, soft. And for a Dutchman from the west, the dialect is difficult to understand. And if you like the Carnival than the south is the place to be.

[@meggyfelder]

Nice to see your reaction of the christmas market of Maastricht. Next time you should visit the christmas market of Valkenburg. That is very close to Maastrict. The market has been voted 7e in the top 10 best christmas markets of Europe. It is located in multiple caves, witch makes it extra special.

[@ITonSite]

Maastricht owns Amsterdam :)

[@Hensepens64]

As always I enjoyed your VLOG very much. We Dutch are not perfect, far from it, but the way you enjoyed Maastricht made me proud that wexare not doing that bad (at least the people in Maastricht/Limburg). For both of you .. happy holidays and a great and enjoyable 2023....

[@buncharted]

happy holidays and happy new year to you as well :)

[@Jake_N96]

I've been following your channel since August, since I wanna move to the Netherlands after my exchange year, here in the states from the UK and absolutely love it! The casual presentation style is amazing! Just caught that you guys are from Ohio, and just shocked at what the chances are. All your videos are very informative and I really hope I can spend next xmas there too! Also if you have any recommendations in Ohio, or Toledo area to check out while I'm here? Keep the videos coming and have fun living there!! Happy holidays!

[@buncharted]

hey - thank you! we're from cincinnati so we don't know a whole lot about toledo except that it's on the way to detroit :)

[@gebkleinhans2665]

I am from Leiden and the only special foods they have are Leidencheese (cheese with cummin seeds) and hutspot (mashed potatoes, onions and carrots) with bacon.

[@Dutch1961]

Next time you're in Maastricht I recommend you have diner at the Fitz Roy restaurant in the Boschstraat. It isn't cheap but the food is delicious and the sevice is really excellent.

[@T.R.L.H1991]

Maastricht is great. I'm born in Limburg. But live in Papendrecht, South Holland. Love too see my b-place.

[@buncharted]

we’re right by you in dordrecht! 👋

[@fbabarbe430]

JF was a president who was very popular in W-Europe..He stood for a new democratic and dynamic elan. He inspired Europeens to be more confident . That spirit we needed after the tauma's of the war and the sober time of reconstruction.

[@ricardomeertens9165]

Local from maastricht here, nice video! You didnt talk about our funny dialect 🤣🤣🤣 cant miss that!

[@aadmannee3928]

A classic specialty of my hometown Rotterdam is definitely Uierboord (roasted cow udder). I remember it being sold as street food at the market, but nowadays it can be harder to obtain. Butcher Ooteman (Oude Binnenweg) still sells it. Eat it warm, cut in pieces, with a bit of salt.

[@buncharted]

i’m scared 😅 what does it taste like??

[@urbandiscount]

@@buncharted rubbery ew-ness. people ate that kind of offal in history because poverty was a real thing in 19th century Rotterdam. I don't get the nostalgia for it.

[@thierryparte2506]

My grandma always cooks zuurvlees for christmas or as we in the South would call it zoervleisj

[@Makaveli13Xroy]

fritje zoervleisj ! Lekker manne !

[@queercastlimburg]

Sour meat contains, among other things, cumin, bay leaf, Syrup and gingerbread, vinegar

[@ceebee3867]

Hi guys, just discovered your channel and loving your videos. Just read somewhere that you're moving to this region 🤗 It's definitely has the best scenery but a completely different vibe than Randstad.

[@buncharted]

as much as we love maastricht, we just moved to dordrecht :)

[@ellaaaii6461]

The sandwich you were eating with ham is very populair here. Its called ‘broodje beenham’ de sauce is not curry but it often comes with honey-musterd sauce. Thank for this new video!

[@buncharted]

ahh! thank you for this! that sandwich was so tasty - we must find more :)

[@HPBrowningBoy]

You will find JFK streets and bridges across The Netherlands. During the 60s and 70s it was very common to name streets after him. He was respected a lot in Western Europe for his stance against the Soviets and for the 'free world'. Nothing really to do with WW2. However you will find a lot of WW2 related stuff as well as you start exploring the Netherlands more. There is a large American cemetery near Maastricht in Margraten. My home town of Sittard was liberated by the Americans and both my grandmothers still remember their liberators fondly. Tips: visit Valkenburg, also close to Maastricht. They have limestone caves and a medieval castle ruin. Small town but very pretty! There is a famous Christmas market in the caves of Valkenburg every year (tickets sell out fast!!!). Or take the 'Miljoenenlijn', an authentic steam engine museum railroad through south Limburg. Also, if you guys are into theme parks you should visit Efteling. It has the very best theming of rides and a lot of them are based on Dutch folklore, everyone in The Netherlands has childhood memories from this park and it always makes a great conversation topic. Enjoy your stay in our small country :)

[@buncharted]

thank you for the insight and the tips!

[@w.5725]

Close to Maastricht is the biggest American War Cemetery near the town of Margraten. 8000 American soldiers are buried there. Its not a fun topic, but for us the dutch, very important part of history. Meaby its something you can do before 5th of may, than we celebrate Liberation day or we call it Bevrijdingsdag. Its the end of the second world war for the Netherlands. Anyhow i love your movies and you 2 are a fun couple. Makes me laugh alot. Keep on going. Cheers

[@Fukkeduck]

I went to the JFK school in Maastricht when I was a kid.

[@Wielie0305]

I love Limburgs zuurvlees! Ordered it even when we were in Maastricht last weekend. It’s really good on top of fries. We are going to make it on the first Christmas Day for friends and family. You know we have 2 christmas days right? Was not really impressed by the Christmas market on the Vrijthof. Maybe I just don’t like Christmas markets. I do like Maastricht though. Vibe is good and the people are nice. One of my favorite cities as is Den Bosch and Groningen.

[@buncharted]

it was a small christmas market but it had VERY good food :) we’re checking out den bosch in january. i’m not sure when we will make it to groningen but it is definitely on our list to check out!

[@kubrabenelli9117]

Wow, kroketten for breakfast...

[@ElMariachi1337]

Kinda hard to pick a specific dish from Amsterdam besides the FEBO, but I'd say slagroom ijs from vd Linde is one of those iconic ones here. Gotta try it when it's a bit warmer though, preferably in the summer. And for the Q&A: How are you guys experiencing the cold here especially last week ? To be fair it used to be a lot colder back in the 80s/90s when I was a kid. Way more snow and ice skating. Happy olidays!

[@buncharted]

oh wow - i just googled it. i'm an ice cream fanatic, so we will *definitely* need to try this! happy holidays to you as well :)

[@geekuyl6942]

Broodje warm vlees met pinda saus bij Dobbe. Of broodje halfom. Of broodje tartaar met ei en ui... Nou begin ik trek te krijgen. Hot meat bun with peanut sauce at Dobbe. Or halfom bun. Or raw minced beef sandwich with egg and onion. Now I'm starting to get hungry.

[@prankster1590]

Try the Special Amsterdam Spacecake. Makes you fly on happy thoughts

[@DJPaultjeD]

Ya'll should go to the Christmas market in Valkenburg, it's INSIDE the marl caves and is friggin awesome! Anyway, love the channel, new sub from me!

[@buncharted]

welcome :)

[@maikelhendriks2432]

Like someone said in one of your other video's... Come visit Nijmegen during the 4 day march (the walk of the world). Bet you won't be disappointed!

[@eriktabbers3599]

Many countries don't eat horse meat but it's actually really tasty. Horse steak ( paarden biefstuk) is really good for example. Not surprising you like it if you like meat alot. Good you tried.

[@davevanbeers6944]

If you are looking for a decent English bookstore in the Netherlands I’d say go to the American book center (ABC) in The Hague. Walkable from the central station. I love Maastricht, good food, nice people, very walkable. Vlaardingen has as specialty Iron Cookies. Also if you ever need a bit of help translating stuff from Dutch to English, I’ll gladly help. 😊

[@buncharted]

oooh, we will have to find some iron cookies! thank you for the translation assistance 😅... you can see in the video that we struggled with translating the fruit pie (originally thinking it would be a fruitcake!).

[@levisiem4145]

Not sure if it was sarcasm but how did you guys haven't had any Chocomel yet???

[@buncharted]

i know, i know! we finally got around to it 😅

[@peterkeijsers489]

Too bad you only visited Maastricht in this province. There are a few more interesting cities in Limburg, like Heerlen, Sittard-Geleen, Roermond, Venlo, Weert... each with their own signature. Roermond and Venlo are mostly Germany-oriented (lots of German shopping tourists in those places), while Weert leans more towards Brabant in experience. And then there are the numerous tiny villages all across the province, with the southern part being mostly hills. You should check the whole province out for a genuine feel of the province (it's the least Dutch-feeling province in the country).

[@buncharted]

we are nowhere near done exploring the netherlands. we definitely want to see more of limburg! we looooooved maastricht!

[@eddys.3524]

Question : Where does the channel name "buncharted" come from? Has it a meaning, for I did not succeed to find one.. BTW Not giving Santa a poffertje definitely puts you on the naughty list for the next two years... at least

[@buncharted]

great question - we'll definitely answer that one in the Q&A video! and sorry, santa! 😅

[@caskoevoets8713]

No andre rieu??

[@marcostarmans5444]

If you like zuurvlees so much, I can make you some, cause I'm a Limburger living in Rotterdam.

[@joycez3032]

That's curry sauce for your tosti,not for your salad😅

[@thierryparte2506]

I grew up next to Maastricht and although it has a good market it's a shame you missed out on Aachen just across the border in Germany that's probably the best I've ever seen better than Köln

[@buncharted]

i’d love to visit aachen! we’re looking to maybe move to limburg later this year - we loved it so much. so maybe we’ll be back very soon :)

[@urbandiscount]

Americans and non-US history. Also, that sauce was meant for your tosti

[@frankvandenbosch6527]

Maastricht has the Best food in The Netherlands

[@buncharted]

i'm inclined to agree with you :)

[@miatx6818]

Maastricht is not the oldest city in Netherlands Its Nijmegen

[@cornelbruggemann1203]

That’s a discussion that has no winner. But trajectum ad Mosam ( Maastricht ) and Noviovagum ( Nijmegen ) date from almost the same time when the Romans named them. Maastricht however already was a Celtic settlement so we believe that we are the oldest city

[@rafheuvelmann8442]

Maastricht Dood

[@Paul_C]

Please do not wear heels when visiting Maastricht, your ankles wouldn't like it...

[@r.a.h7682]

Fries suikerbrood