Ruud and Ineke's Day In Maastricht

OUR VISIT TO THE MINERVA CINEMA IN MAASTRICHT
By Ruud and Ineke

Sunday Dec. 9th we drove in 2 ½ hours from The Hague to Maastricht to visit the Minerva cinema. We wanted to see André's Wonderland show, on the big screen, in High Definition quality. In addition we wanted to buy Dutch wine from the "Nekum Hoeve", make arrangements for the fan dinner on July 4th 2008 at café/restaurant Charlemagne and visit the tourist office to buy a few more center city maps of Maastricht (which I use to send to fans). On the Vrijthof square was the yearly Winter Wonderland: a Christmas market, some fair attractions and an ice rink. We spent a wonderful day in Maastricht!

CINEMA
The movie started at 13.30 PM and was not sold out. The images on the big screen were outstanding!! We saw a lot more than on our DVD at home! Great images, great sound! It felt strange, not to sway and sing along and applaud!!! (Nobody did, it was a cinema!). Ruud is a technical man, he wondered how the movie was projected and he asked the cinema crew. To our surprise they were willing to show us everything!! We climbed a stairway and entered the projection room. Four or five projectors played movies for the different halls. André had the biggest hall, and thus the biggest screen (about 4 x 12 meters or 12 ft x 36 ft). André provided the theatre with a High Definition professional video projector. For those who like to know more about this device, have http://www.barco.com/corporate/en/products/category.asp?catid=51
That super projector was placed on six (empty) beer crates and had a cardboard box with pipe, to lead away the hot air. The cinema did not play the movie from the DVD, but used a broadcast quality High Definition video recorder (a Panasonic HD1700, see
https://eww.pavc.panasonic.co.jp/proav/sales_o/02products/products/aj-hd1700/aj-hd1700.html for more details. We had never been before: behind the scenes in a cinema! Ineke wrote in André's guestbook about the beer crates and the cardboard box, but they deleted that part of the message!!! Probably beer crates did not belong to the magic atmosphere! But I thought it very funny: a super projector on beer crates. Simple, but it works!

WONDERLAND
We really enjoyed the two hours in Wonderland!

The quiz on our website www.andrerieu-movies.com (about Pierre Rieu playing a rotary trumpet) was a big success. Having seen the Wonderland DVD we could make more quizzes ….. For instance we could ask the following questions:
1) Did Hänsel and Gretel really jump into the water or was that a studio trick??? 2) What do you think André is shouting (being small) with that Donald Duck voice??
3) Do you know who was the lady that received the bunch of tulips (given by André)?? That same lady for who he fell on his knees and he danced with!!
4) Do you know the story about the Dutch East India Company yacht (named the Half Moon), which is showed in the pirates scene? The history of that ship (from the 17th century) is connected to the USA!! That ship has really existed! The Efteling likes to build attractions, connected with Dutch historic stories/legends.

It is interesting, so we'll tell you .......
We don't know the answer of the first question, I think we have to leave that to the magic…. (I cannot imagine they really jumped into the water….)
André shouted: "Hey, I am small, do you hear me? Hey, I am small, turn me back, (did I also hear "fool" afterwards, or was that my imagination??)….
Vrouw Holle, or in English: Mrs. Holle. She is from a fairy-tale, written by the German brothers Grimm. She uses to shake her duvet out of the window and the feathers turn into snowflakes! Hänsel and Gretel (the English language adopted the German names completely!) started their song from her house and continued at the witch's candy-house. The lovely songs are in German language. In Holland we call this fairy tale: Hans en Grietje.
In 1609 the Half Moon ship sailed into the (what is now the) New York harbor, in search of a passage to the east. The ship was captained by Henri Hudson. Does that name sound familiar?? They sailed up the (what is now called) "Hudson river" as far as Albany, and back again. They called the natives over there "the Manahatans". Also sounds familiar, isn't it?? For more information, search google under the Dutch name "Halve Maen" (info also in English).
So André is not only teaching us classical music. Since we are André fans, we know more about bulb growing, carillons, trumpets, fairy tales, geography and history! And also we got a large number of wonderful friends!! Isn't that great??

DUTCH WINE
Did you think there is no Dutch wine??? Oh, yes, there is!! The hilly landscape of Southern Limburg has some wineries. We visited the "Nekum Hoeve", a wonderful historic farm, run by two brothers: Math and Laurent Bollen. We once tasted their white Riesling wine (being on a family party in a restaurant which only serves Dutch products), and we loved it! Laurent guided us through the cellars and told us all about Dutch wine making. Of course we also tasted the wine. Next year we'll update the Maastricht Walks document on our website. We'll add a third "excursion" to the wine farm, just outside Maastricht, on the "other" side of the St. Pietersberg (from where André lives). The Bollen brothers love to guide you around!

FAN DINNER Maastricht July 4th 2008
Charlemagne is a small café at the "Onze Lieve Vrouwe plein" (square). We hired the first floor, for a maximum of 60 persons. I regret to mention that my list is already fully booked!! I have a waiting list, in case people cancel. Charlemagne crew will make a buffet with hot and cold plates. There are seats, but also tables to stand. Included three drinks (choice of coffee, tea, sodas, beer, wine), the price will be 25 Euro. In May/June you'll get more detailed information.

TOURIST OFFICE
Was closed on Sunday! No city maps. We'll wait for another chance.