PSG Welcome Guide 2012 - 2013 - UWC Maastricht

Staat 55, Herculeshof 39-41, Markt 57, Mosae Forum 139, Voltastraat 19 and
Wyckerbrugstraat 32-36,
Media Markt: This is a large electronics shop where you can buy nearly everything from DVDs
to refrigerators. It is at Franciscus Romanusweg 2 and on week days open until 9pm!
V&D: Vroom & Dreesmann is a mid-range Dutch department store. They sell a wide range of
goods: clothes, cosmetics, watches, jewellery, electrical items, stationary, luggage, toys, books,
CDs and DVDs. You can also buy household items, kitchenware and furniture. V&D is located at
Grote Staat 5-15. There top floor restaurant (self-service) La Place is a great place to eat!
Xenos: This furniture/novelty/grocery store is a great and affordable shop. Xenos is located on
the first floor of the Entre Deux shopping centre at Spilstraat 6c 20.
SHOPPING HOURS (OPENINGSTIJDEN)
On weekdays and on Saturday shops are open until 18:00. On Saturday some shops have their
doors open until 17:00. Mondays shops open at 13:00. Hairdressers, bakeries and butchers are
mostly closed on that day. From Tuesday until Saturday shops open up at 09:00. On Thursday
evening the shops are open until 21:00.
This is another great web which shows you where and when shops are open for business:
www.opentot.nl. You just enter your city or postcode and then select supermarket, bouwmarkt
(diy shop), electronica, drogisterij (chemist), tuincentrum (garden nursery), warenhuis
(department shop), wonen (living) to see which shops near you are open for business.
Be aware, shops in neighouring Belgium and Germany has slightly different shopping hours, so
please do check before you set off! In Germany some shops are only open on Saturday
morning!
SHOPPING SUNDAY (KOOPZONDAG)
On the first Sunday of the month, the shops that are located in the city centre are open from
12:00 until 18:00. For further details, including extra Sunday “koopzondagen”, click here.
SINT NICHOLAS (SINTERKLAAS)
December 6 th is St. Nicholas' birthday when, according to legend, this fourth-century Saint gave
gifts to children. Dutch children still receive chocolate coins around this time. Throughout the
centuries, Sinterklaas has been considered the patron saint of children, as well as of traders.
Consequently, on 5 December he brings them gifts that are discreetly dropped off in a sack on
the doorstep of each household. During the evening, families exchange small gifts.
Despite the initial similarities with Santa Claus, Sinterklaas lives in Spain, not at the North Pole.
Santa Claus flies in from the North Pole on his sleigh; Sinterklaas and his white horse arrive in
the Netherlands from the south of Spain on a steamboat. Santa Claus squeezes down, and then
back up, chimneys himself; Sinterklaas has a whole crew of helpers named "zwarte piet" or
Black Pete.
Sinterklaas arrives in Maastricht middle of November. Children greet him by singing Dutch
Sinterklaas songs (Sinterklaasliedjes). Once Sinterklaas has arrived, children can leave out
their shoe at night in hope of receiving a small gift when they have been very good.
You can also pay Sinterklaas a free visit at his local residence in Sint Truiden, near Hasselt
(Belgium). At “huis van Sinterklaas” children can see for themselves where Sinterklaas sleeps,
how ginger nuts (kruidnoten) are made, follow a lesson at the Black Pete school, etc.
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