A Good Thing About Europe

One of the best things about Europe is the old and the new sit (mostly) happily side by side. Perhaps the most famous example is the Louvre in Paris. When it is done well it really works. I had a mini-example of this in Maastricht earlier this week. We ate in a simple, traditionally Dutch bar, the Poshoorn, with is dark wooden interior and intimate warm atmosphere (excuse the trusty Blackberry camera):And we stayed in a decent modern hotel called, perhaps a little self-consciously, The Design Hotel with its minimal chic:This is a shot of the lobby. Neither of the two places were particularly expensive, or out of the ordinary, which is just the point. They co-exist happily and many people, including myself, can no doubt enjoy each one for what it does well. In fact walking directly from one to the other only heightens the effect.