Because of the Coronavirus this year I skipped going on vacation (to another country). But because I really wanted to get out of my house for a few days, my boyfriend and I decided to make a trip to the Dutch city Maastricht. We were able to travel by train and stay in a cute hotel for two nights. During the days we explored the city and one of the things that were high up on my must-see list was the bookstore Dominicanen. By many people, this bookstore is claimed to be the most beautiful of all bookstores in the Netherlands. And after stepping inside, I now know why.
The bookstore is set up in a 7oo years old Dominican church. A church that has a historical background and has even been a shed for some years, since 2006 it was renovated into a bookstore. The building is beautiful and from the inside, you really see the old architecture in which it is built. Besides that, there were still old paintings on the walls and it is extraordinary to stand there looking up to and just enjoy the beauty of it all. In the centre of the church, a two-story 'book tower' is build, with two floors with books. From here, you could still see the height of the church.
Because of COVID-19, the experience wasn't as optimal as it could have been, and just browsing and looking at the books wasn't really easy to do. I would suggest visitors come early in the morning and not at the weekends because when we returned on Monday it was a lot less busy. This, besides a bookstore, is also a touristic hotspot, so many people do not come here for the books. I was also a little disappointed with the limited collection of English books. But then again, I live in the Netherlands and it is expected that most people come for Dutch novels. I would have loved to see more than 3 shelves of English books, I missed a lot of recently published books that I definitely would have bought if they were sold.
In the back of the church, there's a little café where you can drink a cup of coffee. We skipped this because it was very hot inside so we didn't need a hot drink. But it is a special place to enjoy coffee. Also, you can just enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of a bookstore while enjoying coffee which is always a good combination.
Because of the limited English books I only bought two. These are high up on my to-read list, and I did want to bring home new books. Like I said, I would love to see a bigger collection of English novels. But that might just be me :).
I hope you enjoyed this post, I really liked the days I spend in Maastricht. It was fun to still have some sort of vacation even though we are dealing with the Coronavirus. I will see you all in the next one!
Love,
Julia
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