Maastricht 12th June 2013. I have always wondered what this place was like given its importance in the history of the EC and John Major. I thought we might see some marauding, wide-eyed Tory backwoodsmen roaming the streets chanting some slogan or another about the awfulness of Europe and what a hateful place it was. 'Get us out of here, I'm a Tory' might be the correct form. As well as looking at the ordinary, visible and somewhat superficial lives of the ...

Vollenhove, Netherlands 8th to 11th June Vollenhove is not any tourist trail that I have seen. It is a small town on the edge of the Zuider Zee at its southern end. It is certainly old: some buildings date form the 17th century but many a newish although in the town centre that has not destroyed the winding streets. The roads are of cobbles, generally narrow but sufficiently wide enough to permit cars to move about. As an old town either through design or ...