D'orangerie

“A night with André Rieu.”

Thursday 4th of July 2019, Maastricht, late afternoon. First we had to queue in the underground parking lot nearby, before we can check in at d' Orangerie, a hotel within walking distance of the towncenter and the Vrijthof. The hotel has it's own parking lot, but as we made a last minute reservati… more

Thursday 4th of July 2019, Maastricht, late afternoon. First we had to queue in the underground parking lot nearby, before we can check in at d' Orangerie, a hotel within walking distance of the towncenter and the Vrijthof. The hotel has it's own parking lot, but as we made a last minute reservation, they hadn't any parking space left. That night we attented a concert by André Rieu. Our room on the third floor only was accessible by stairs, so we had quiet a workout. For free! A good condition helps a lot! The room under the roof was spacious (1 double and 1 single bed), with a marbled bathroom and a kitchenette. Freshened up, we're going out. It 's still early, the concert is at 9:00. So there's time to have dinner. Amadeus, a brasserie with a terrace on a cosy square, just around the corner of the Vrijthof, offers good food. As the evening went by, more and more people made there way to the concert. But we don't have to hurry and checking in at the gates went smoothly. On the premises, piccolos dressed in bright red uniforms acted as hosts and hostess. On the restaurant terraces along the Vrijthof, pretty full house everywhere, people booked dinner - concert arrangements. The ambiance started to grow as a colorful dressed up fanfare marches up and down the market square, playing catching music. Fans came from over the world, we had Germans and Spanish sitting next and in front of us. But also Americans, even New Zealanders. Until…People started to cheer as André Rieu and his orchestra made his big entrance. Popular Viennese Waltz music made the air swinging, the crowd got in the mood, one song after the other. After the break, over 100 ballroom dancers made their entrance while the orchestra played the blue Danube. Breathetaking scenery! As the end came near, the crowd was asking for an encore, more then once. If that was not enough 'The Vrijthof People' came on stage, imitating the famous Village people. The audience went wild, singing and dancing, a firework of gold coloured confetti above their heads. We had a good time at the Vrijthof! Around half past midnight the concert was over and for us time to go to bed. Friday morning, after a comfortable night sleep, we had breakfast downstairs. The buffet turned out to be surprising, with an extensive choice of coffee or tea, fresh fruit and fruit juices, different breads, muesli, yogurt, processed meats and cheese, omelette and boiled eggs, preserves and syrup, tomato mozzarella and smoked salmon. You cann 't wish for anything more to start your day!

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