THIS CHRISTMAS MARKET IS UNDERGROUND! 🎄 (valkenburg kerstmarkt 2023)

In this episode, Michelle and Alex explore the beautiful and unique town of Valkenburg, located in the southernmost province of the Netherlands (Limburg), along with their extremely unique Christmas Markets (kerstmarkten), which are housed within a series of historic underground caves.
Episode 110 · Filmed on December 3, 2023 · Valkenburg, the Netherlands
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0:00 Introduction
0:44 Station Valkenburg
1:21 Lunch (Bie Geurten)
1:49 Dutch food 1
2:16 Dutch food 2
2:42 Santa's Village
3:13 We're starting early...
4:31 Who says the Netherlands is flat?!
5:01 Wilhelminatoren
5:36 Exploring! (Grendelpoort)
6:08 Exploring! (Oude Kerk)
6:27 Exploring! (Kasteel Den Halder, Geulport)
7:00 A video idea for 2024...
7:18 Old advertisements around town
7:40 Valkenburg Castle Ruins
8:20 Velvet Cave (Fluweelengrot)
10:17 Our thoughts on the caves...
11:16 Our thoughts on Valkenburg...
11:53 POFFERTJES!
12:10 Wait, what?
12:54 Dinner (Eetcafe Minckelers)
13:13 Our beloved mustard soup
13:39 Best zuurvlees in Maastricht?!
14:22 Wrap up
#netherlands #expatlife #valkenburg #christmasmarkets
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WHO IS BUNCHARTED?
We're Michelle and Alex, an American expat couple living abroad in the Netherlands. 🇳🇱
In 2020, we quit our jobs to travel the world, and... well, that didn't happen. So in 2022, we decided to make an even BIGGER change: to pack up our lives (and our cats 🐈) and move from Austin, Texas, in the United States, to the Netherlands. Subscribe for new videos like this every week!

[@Paul_C]

Those concrete benches were designed for a particular exhibition, and the people actually liked them. Then all of the Netherlands started installing them. Normally they are decorated by those who paid for them. However, they eventually became a promotion tool for charity too. You'd be hard pressed to find them all. ❤😊

[@buncharted]

it’s a fun little treat to find them when we visit a new city :)

[@emielverschuur8395]

Did you know that the caves of Valkenburg run partly under a cemetery? the best thing about Valkenburg is visiting the caves in the summer when it is very hot outside it is nice and fresh in the caves so visit them again, but highly recommended during the summer

[@DutchKev88]

If you want to have the real cave experience, you should go to the caves near Maastricht: Grotten Sint Pietersberg❤

[@jpfoto64]

the caves are hollowed out by by removing the mergel (type of stone). but did you know that it also is the base of the expression being "uitgemergeld". it means somone is realy skinny from lack of food. like for insteance verry skinny models.

[@ShadowDrakken]

Puerto Rican music was the last thing I expected in Netherlands XD

[@user-xi6nk4xs4s]

Bij veel Nederlanders en Buitenlanders is Valkenburg bekend van de Cauberg, maar daarvoor moeten jullie misschien een keer terugkomen, maar dan op de fiets ;o). Not surprised with the Christmas market experience.

[@gauss850]

The best Christmas markets are in Germany and Eastern Europe. Munster and Dusseldorf have good ones and are not so far away from the borders. Sometimes the NS have special prices for train trips to Dusseldorf.

[@pergoumans8668]

6:42 the Geulpoort is actually a modern interpretation of the medieval city gate on that location. It was built in 2014, along with a lot of other developments, to enhance the medieval character of the city.

[@Loesters]

Limburg (Zuid!) is the best and most beautiful of all provences in the Netherlands. It is not typical Dutch and we love that. We have hills and grandeur. Guess where I'm from. 🎉

[@renzelammers5127]

Ik ben als kind jarenlang met mijn ouders en zussen op vakantie geweest in Valkenburg, wat leuk om zo veel herkenbare punten terug te zien

[@paulthiel5145]

That erwtensoep (snert) is wayyyy to runny. Should be thicker and should have the consistency of wallpaper glue 😁

[@buncharted]

agreed! we were just trying to be polite 😅

[@paulthiel5145]

@@buncharted 🤣

[@lbergen001]

Hoi Michelle en Alex, het is weer een leuke video geworden👍👍. Ik vind Limburg een hele mooie provincie, maar zoals jullie ook al aangaven, is Valkenburg veel te toeristisch. Dat is een beetje jammer.

[@buncharted]

geen probleem, want maastricht is heel mooi :)

[@EdwinHofstra]

Valkenburg is al eeuwen toeristisch. Het was de gewoonte je naam en visite datum in de wanden van de mijn te krassen (niet langer toegestaan) en ze hebben er teruggevonden tot 1440.

[@meneersjonnie]

You can even mountainbike in the caves, its fun try it !

[@tubularap]

5:18 - "There's got to be something at the top ..." - :Yeah, not us." Great banter. Thanks for sharing your joy.

[@rboltong040465]

IF you want to see a Weihnachtsmarkt which is not so typical, the you need to go to Monschau. By car you have, driving from Heerlen/Kerkrade a special treat driving up the Himmelsleiter. A section of German Autobahn which looks like a stairway to heaven.

[@rudievandehaar6255]

next year try the Dickens market in Elburg, it wil be just in one weekend.

[@miran4471]

Ik geloof dat hij nu in Deventer is .

[@hcjkruse]

​@@miran4471Deventer has the largest Dickens festival in the world, the Dickensfestijn.Other towns try. I live in Deventer and participated in the festival for First Aid.

[@hcjkruse]

There is such a bench in Schiedam Nieuwland near the Schravenlant lyceum next to the tram tracks. Another one in a corner of park de Worp in Deventer.

[@huub1297]

Valkenburg is een leuke en gezellige toeristenplaats. De kerstmarkten zijn inderdaad commercieel, maar dat zijn ze enkele uitzonderingen daargelaten, overal. Op woensdag en zaterdagavond is er telkens een kleine kerstparade door het centrum van Valkenburg die jullie ook gemist hebben. Jammer dat jullie niet Thermae 2000 vlakbij bovenop de Cauberg bezocht hebben. Een andere tip of leuk idee is de grote en sfeervolle kerstmarkt in Aachen, Duitsland, met voor mij een absolute "must do" als de reibekuchen van Fuhrmann eten. Eventueel kunnen jullie dat combineren met een bezoek aan de dichtbij gelegen grote indoor-skipistes in Landgraaf, Nederland. Een nadeel is daarbij wel dat die skihal niet met de trein bereikbaar is. Deze skipistes kunnen jullie ook op het internet dagelijks live bekijken om alvast te zien of het iets is waar jullie van houden.

[@renevaanhold]

Mijn advies voor volgend jaar is het Dickens Festijn in Deventer. Deventer wordt dan omgetoverd tot een 19e eeuwse Engelse stad. In het Bergkwartier komen ruim 950 personages uit de boeken van Charles Dickens tot leven. Heel erg leuk en gezellig!

[@vanderquast]

The Dickens Festival in Deventer is my recommandation for next year 😊

[@bertschalk1798]

Remember when we accidentally met in Vaals last summer ? We were staying in Valkenburg for a full week then and visited the "gemeentegrot". We took the ride there (guided tour in an electric vehicle) as opposed to the walking tour. We really enjoyed that so whenever you go back there, I can surely recommend it !!

[@buncharted]

haha of course we remember! thanks for the tip! i think we definitely should go back and see the caves properly

[@daimyx]

My hometown!

[@Ryan598]

Nice video

[@ParaJansuh_Gaming]

Münster in Germany very close to the Netherlands 🇳🇱 is the first and best Christmas or Weihnachten market I've ever been. I still wanna go back there before Christmas or in the summer. I was there in 2013 says my tas I've got from the glühwein stall.

[@daphneschuring5810]

We have been there a couple years ago and is was great! ps In Dordrecht we used to have the biggest Christmas Market of the Netherlands but they stopped 😭. Bugger had dus in het Nederlands moeten schrijven.

[@buncharted]

we just went to the smaller one in dordrecht today and it was still very nice! 🎄

[@bartvschuylenburg]

You should go back to Valkenburg in summer. And rent a set of e-bikes to cycle the landscape between Valkenburg and Vaals.

[@bartvschuylenburg]

Oh, and there is a beautifull German town not that far across the border (30 km south of Aachen) named Monschau. It’s touristy as hell, but still a great place to visit. There are permanent Christmas stores there and the Christmas markets there start out in September or so.

[@bartvschuylenburg]

And I’m forgetting to say that the Christmas market at de Zoutsloot in Harlingen is very popular in Friesland. And so is the Christmas market in Dokkum.

[@jonnemichielse6850]

We always really enjoy watching you. Today the 2 of you were so funny, we laughed so hard!

[@buncharted]

thank you! we had a lot of laughs making this video

[@mariovanstiphout6593]

You have to visit Valkenburg in the summer. Then you also can visit the steenkolenmijn.

[@ClaudiaRoxx]

There is a Christmas market in the Koepel Cathedral in Haarlem as well, haven't visited yet myself but looks also very beautiful

[@buncharted]

i saw some shots of it on instagram - it looks very nice!

[@davidderuiter726]

You should come back to the caves, they are really cool to visit. There are plenty of them.

[@charlescorbee9498]

It is also possible to bike through the caves on a guided tour during the year. Maybe that is more appealing to you

[@tinyp70]

Valkenburg is een prachtige stad, maar de kerstmarkt in de grotten vonden wij ook een beetje teleurstellend. Voor echt mooie kerstmarkten moet je in Duitsland zijn.

[@tiaxanderson9725]

I totally get what you were saying, no hate, but I love it when Alex drops ancient wisdom such as ".. it feels more Southerney" while having traveled 100 to 150 km to one of the literally most Southern places to visit in the Netherlands xD Also, I think it's one of the things I love most about living here; can't find your food? Instead of being stuck in traffic, just pop on over to the next town or city! There's lost of room for improvement, even there, but only a few places really mimic this feeling.

[@buncharted]

i said more southern european... like i meant the mediterranean parts of italy or spain, not more southern in the netherlands :) we're still quite north even at the southernmost part of the netherlands! and yes, i agree with you - it's one of the things we love about living in dordrecht. there's no pho here, but there's plenty in rotterdam, and it's 15 minutes on the train!

[@josbiesheuvel]

Maybe you should visit the old city of Deventer. There is around this time of the year a Charles Dickens festival . Must see.

[@AndreasAntoniusMaria]

You choose the “ wrong” cave, the Muncipal “ Gemeente grot” cave is larger and you”ll get a more intense cave experience! There is also the cave Mergelrijk uphill ( got A bit of climbing to do) which also includes entrance to the Thomas Diden groeve ( there is no better cave). Poor preparations? Next summer you could visit het Heuvelland by bus 57, goes through many Tiny village: very un Dutch experiece, visit the villages and then take the next bus! Weekdays Every 30 minutes, don’t visit sundays! And prepare a bit before you undertake such a tour. Picking the worst cave in Valkenburg is A bit regrettable..

[@w.vandenhelder7849]

De Kerstmarkt in Bourtange is aan te raden. Misschien niet zo zeer omdat hij anders is als anderen, maar meer omdat de omgeving erg mooi is (de markt is binnen de vesting)

[@lbergen001]

Zeker een aanrader!

[@hcjkruse]

Boertange and nearby Sellingen are worth a visit. A car might be useful because public transport is a bit less in that area.

[@MarceldeJong]

My family used to own a “stacaravan” in nearby village Schin op Geul and we used to visit Valkenburg at least once a year, but mostly in the summer. As a 6-year old (I’m 43 now) I once tried to ride my bike up the Keutenberg, but with a climb of 20% I had to admit defeat and finish it on foot. The Netherlands definitely isn’t flat there! :) Never knew about the Christmas market though. I guess it’s a relatively more recent thing.

[@AndreasAntoniusMaria]

Sinds 1988

[@aislingbooks]

Het is interessant dat je dit zegt over de grotten van Valkenburg, omdat we kaartjes hadden gekocht, maar na het zien van een paar vlogs teleurgesteld waren door wat we zagen: een stelletje veel te dure gecommercialiseerde kitsch gekocht door een overvolle groep toeristen. Nee bedankt. Ik vond jullie wandeling door de mooie stad wel leuk. Bedankt dat je ons dat ook hebt laten zien. En, ja, poffertijes zijn altijd heerlijk. Eet smakelijk

[@aislingbooks]

Misschien gaan we volgend jaar wel naar de kerstmarkt van Salsburg. Het ziet er echt interessant en cultureel schattig uit met heerlijk eten.

[@marcovtjev]

Afaik the Düsseldorf Christmas market is supposed to be one of the biggest. There might be busses to it from Roermond.

[@Dutchbelg3]

Christmas markets are actually really commercial. But the christmas decorations in some cities usually makes up for it. Like ehhmm Antwerpen? Antwerpen has a delicacy that is popular: All possible versions of fruity, nutty and chocolatty jenevers 🙂 !!!

[@ronschellekens5111]

I can recommend Antwerpen for the Christmas markets. With all the old buildings, it gives me a mideavel vibe.

[@bartlucassen9145]

Totday we had : gluhwein✅chocomel ✅and poffertjes ✅ in Kempen Germany, just over de border nearby Venlo. Beautiful Christmas market!

[@buncharted]

💪💪💪

[@dutchlion8952]

If you guys are ever gonna be near kerkrade than lett me know. Is meschien eens leuk voor jullie om de straat te zien waar rechts Nederland is en links duitsland En btw love the video,s

[@meggyfelder]

This was exactly as espected😂 I lived in Valkenburg and totaly agree with your opinion. Love the city but to many tourist and the markt itself is not that interesting. I personaly like the markets in Germany mutch more

[@spacegerrit9499]

Put some Amaretto in that Gluhwein next time. Works wonders 😂

[@Ryan598]

I live in Dordrecht to

[@buncharted]

👋

[@jotummers9366]

Try to get cards to the Oktoberfeest Sittard. This is special. You just need to like beer..... Also the Carnaval in these cities in the south is special. Limburg was the last province added to the dutch country.... from the french. So it's a bit different. (and we are proud of being different.....;-)

[@buncharted]

we’re planning on going to the sittard oktoberfest this year 😄

[@jotummers9366]

get your cards in time.....@@buncharted And maybe have a look at the carnaval. It doesn't cost anything to look at parades.

[@ElMariachi1337]

Ik had het al lichtelijk voorspeld de vorige video dat de grotten een beetje tegen zouden vallen ... Dat was namelijk ook mijn ervaring een paar jaar geleden. Maar goed wel weer een ervaring rijker. Fijne feestdagen alvast!

[@buncharted]

fijne feestdagen :)

[@prutteltje1300]

Valkenburg literally means Falcon village (city)

[@Harrypjotter7]

When will the two of you go skiing in snowworld? Would love to see that (Landgraaf) you can rodel there to!

[@buncharted]

we’ve never skied before 🙈

[@Harrypjotter7]

@@buncharted well, what are you waiting for 😅 just beining there is a great thing.

[@dutchdilemma]

Ok you wanted Dutch so here it goes. Als je een mooie mergelgrot wil bezoeken ga dan volgende keer naar de Jezuïtenberg. De monniken gingen op hun vrije dag de grot in om kunstwerken te maken. Van kleine beeldjes en schilderijen tot hele kamers! Persoonlijke favoriet: de eetzaal met beeltenissen van Ollie B Bommel. (Een stripfiguur uit de jaren 60/70 die erg van eten hield net als jullie) het duurt niet lang en er is op de locatie geen eten. Maar goede gelegenheid om weer eens zuurvlees te gaan eten?

[@Nomisteaks80]

De Kerstmarkt in Praag :)

[@buncharted]

i just saw another youtuber go there and it looked pretty awesome!

[@claudiazaatable]

Ik raad de Duitse kerstmarkt van Centro Oberhausen aan.

[@D.J.Themeparkvideos]

The gemeentegrot is much, much better than the fluweelgrot. You can go inside on guided tours by foot or by tram. I recommend the on foot guide. You really missed out, i think.

[@buncharted]

i don’t think the guided tours are happening right now, in lieu of the christmas markets

[@davevanbeers6944]

Maybe try and visit smaller local markets? But do a few to compare?😊

[@buncharted]

love that idea :)

[@Roggen45]

I have to agree about Valkenburg, the city in itself is beautiful, love the vibe and the many cafes and restaurants, but the caves around xmas are to hyped up in my opinion, few years ago i visited all the way from Groningen around xmas and yes the caves were a let down for me. None the less had a great time in the city itself!❤ In the North we usually go to close by German cities for xmas markets, like Bremen, Oldenburg, Essen, Emden Düsseldorf etc.

[@ikke5212]

😉😊😊

[@Harrypjotter7]

Het is een eindje rijden, maar colmar is mooi met kerst en iets minder ver monchau in Duitsland

[@Rienie]

Omg I’m famous😂🎉 my BF high fived me when you mentioned me 🤣

[@Un4_given]

De mensen die ik ken gaan gezamelijk met een bus naar een kestmarkt in Duitsland. Duitsers pakken meestal wat meer uit. Andere plekken in Nederland: jullie zijn wel eens in Zwolle geweest, maar ook in Giethoorn? Het is mega toeristisch maar misschien leuk om te filmen (als je mag filmen).

[@buncharted]

ja, we zijn naar zwolle geweest (en we hebben een zwolle video), maar we hebben niet naar giethoorn. in 2024 willen we graag!

[@ShadowDrakken]

Do you guys know of a good travel planner for touring in Netherlands? Hoping to spend 1-2 weeks there in 2024, and would love to have it planned for us so that we don't have to figure out and hunt down things on our own without knowing what's even available to do/see/eat/enjoy :D

[@buncharted]

we might be able to help you with that :) www.thatch.co/@buncharted

[@lbergen001]

What are you interests?

[@ShadowDrakken]

@@buncharted awesome! that's more than I could have hoped! =^_^=

[@miran4471]

The best erwtensoep is self made, with hamlap( draadjesvlees) ,and rookworst and spek .😊

[@buncharted]

i definitely preferred the erwtensoep that michelle made at home in our dutch winter food video!

[@TheemoviesHD]

you shut try friet/patat stoofvlees with mayo

[@nicoanker1343]

Hi Alex and Michelle. Do you like dutch fries?

[@buncharted]

natuurlijk! 😄

[@MichelBaek]

Michelles velvet cave? Moist? Alex is being naughty. Don’t expect places to be perfect experience. I have seen other American expat couple on KZbin go to the caves. They also had high expectations and were a little disappointed afterwards. Be positive but don’t think it’s like a romantic movie. Life ain’t perfect. Only friet met zuurvlees is perfect 😜. ❤❤❤

[@antoinesteeghs7313]

Zuurvlees is a “ my moms thing….” Ask 10 Limburgers and all 10 willsay, yes very nice in a restaurant but my moms is the real thing… nobody will agree what is the best recepy because all their mothers have the best … Look at the map and you will see that Valkenburg and Limburg is wedged between Belgium and Germany. Between the Ardennes and the Eiffel , so you can expect the atmosfeer of the Eiffel in this part of the Netherlands

[@ialrakis5173]

I think most restaurants don't find the really thick erwtensoep elegant enough to serve. While talking about 'christmassy' drinks 🙂 haven't seen it on a market yet but it has all the right spices... scalding hot milk with a decent spoon of honey and some green Chartreuse liquor

[@disneyinfluence9052]

Beste kerstmarkt van NL is het Dickens festijn in Deventer ♡

[@peterkeijsers489]

Was the zuurvlees made with beef? Or with horse meat? Coz nowadays most zuurvlees is made with beef, but traditionally it should be horse meat.

[@buncharted]

in this video and the last video, they were both beef. but in our first maastricht video, it was horse. and tbh it’s way better with horse!

[@ilex471]

You asked if we could recommend a Christmas market. Well, until covid, there was a really nice one in Dordrecht, but the organiser lost interest after last year's one was cancelled at the last minute, because they still feared there would be another lockdown, so alas, no more Christmas market in Dordrecht. The only ones where I have been myself are in Germany. In Cologne, there are several markets scattered all though the old city, and in Oberhausen, there is a rather large one around the huge shopping mall Centro-center.

[@buncharted]

the small one in dordrecht this weekend was nice though - good selection of crafts and food!

[@ilex471]

@@buncharted I was in the city center very briefly yesterday, and I didn't know there was a christmas market. In former years, it was one of the largest in Holland.

[@dahemper]

If you've seen one christmas market in the Netherlands, you've seen them all. We suck at it. I've been at that cave market and would rate it 0 out of 5 poffertjes.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

Luikse ballen, mislukt. Grot bezoeken? Mislukt. Luik bezoeken? Mislukt! Het gaat niet over rozen.... haha.

[@floreswoestenburg9367]

Andere vraag: hoe gaat het met Nederlandse les?

[@buncharted]

goed! dankjewel :) in onze volgende video spreken we een beetje nederlands!

[@NL-001]

How come that my post are gone two times?

[@buncharted]

i haven’t seen any of them 🤷

[@1walkgirl]

That is also the reason why I after 1995 never went back to the cave markets, too much mainstream stuff back then also, plus too many anoying peoples who stagnate my enjoyment 🙂

[@bartobruintjes7056]

Zuurvlees is called Hachee in the Netherlands and is made throughout the Netherlands and not just specifically in Limburg.❤

[@EGO0808]

With all due respect and Maastricht maybe as an exception, the Dutch christmas markets aren’t half as attractive to visit, as the German ones imho. When we still lived in the Netherlands, we always took the car in the weekends in December to drive to Aachen, Cologne, Oberhausen, Dortmund, Duesseldorf, Bremen, Hamburg and so forth, as thier markets had so much more vibe and authenticity to it. I think Valkenburg is the most overrated market in The Netherlands. Having said that, the hiking you can do along the river De Geul and in the forests surrounding Valkenburg are just gorgeous.

[@davidc.w.2908]

I went to the Valkenburg Christmas market once and wish I hadn’t. I agree with you about the vibes in the cave. I went into one and skipped the rest of the day too. If someone recommends you to got to Trier in Germany during Christmas….don’t go there during Christmas. Everything is closed even the restaurants. I drove there one day and drove back the next…