I went to the velvet cave Christmas Market for a USO trip some time back. It was one of my first…read moreUSO trips and one of my only times in the Netherlands. The town was adorable. Small and quaint with cobble stone streets. But what towns aren't in Europe? The caves were decorated both inside and out. I think that was the coolest part. The market was small, so really the main attraction is the cave.

The Valkenburg Christmas market is held in a labyrinth of caves under the town which sounds unusual…read more& picturesque but it is not that exciting and a little disappointing. There are rather amateurish Christmas scenes of Christmas trees, Santas, elves,etc. with no flair. The theme changes every year. The stalls are unimaginative & some poorly lit. There are some Christmassy bits & pieces and traditional toys but strangely also some household goods. There is no thrill, no magic & little atmosphere. The Gemeentegrot (Municiple cave) was the original market but because of the success has now been extended to the Fluweelengrot (velvet cave) across the road. The caves were made when quarrying for the soft stone over hundreds of years. They also carve the stone into candle holders etc for souvenirs. There is an entrance fee of around £3 for these markets and the queues can be long & disorganised. The caves can get uncomfortably busy, when it isn't a case of stopping to look but to go with the flow. If you really want to shop try to visit when it is a little quieter or at least when all the coaches have gone. Tourist Board is in main square & helpful about parking. Now the town itself is sheer delight. There are masses of wonderful, picturesque restaurants, coffee shops & bars all twinkling with lights & candles. Many have tables & chairs outside, with some kind of heating, and it is lovely to sit people watching, snuggled up with hats & scarves, drinking Glühwein or hot chocolate topped with whipped cream. The food is good and the welcome warm & friendly. There are normally some animated Christmas decorations around the town.

I think Pinkpop is a great music festival in Landgraaf, Netherlands. My mom and I have to fly into…read moreAmsterdam first and then take a train to Landgraaf. We can rent a camping tent, two camping chairs, one table, two sleeping bags and two lanterns at FestiTent so we can camp together. And I think it could be a great adventure.

The festival is great - there are always all sorts of people of ages and classes intermixing. Very…read moreenjoyable. The only sad fact of this festival is the "rediculous expensive" hipster food. You pay 7,50€ for a tiny snack. They do seem to get more expensive each year. As there is no alternative it's kindof a "lock in" thing. You can't bring in your own drinks either, so you once you are in you're burning money faster as your ex can spend it. It is tasty, but hugely overpriced. Because there isn't a real alternative (the "fries shop" also charges 3x normal prices) people accept this but it isn't right. When I stood in queue for ice-cream I thought I was going to pay 2,5€ per scoop as well (a "credit" costs 2,5€) but they were the only one's charging HALF a credit. Very very nice.

Really easy to get to, just off the Merode Train Station and as soon as you exit, you spot the…read moretents and are swept away to Medieval times in modern Brussels. It was a good variety fair with excellent atmosphere. Not that great variety of food but really excellent for drinking. I would suggest if you have kids under 10, they would especially love.