Bocholtz, Vaals and Mechelen

A hilly landscape with beautiful stream valleys, steep slopes and rich soil consisting of fertile loess, silex and limestone, that can only be in Limburg. Make sure your calves are oiled, because the Vijlenerbos has extensive slopes and height differences of up to 100 meters around the three-country point. Tourist Vaals, located between the Snow Mountain and the Vaalserberg, is characterized by the presence of the Three-Country Point: where the three borders of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany meet. A few meters away from the concrete monument that marks that special point is also the highest point in the Netherlands, which is 322.5 meters above sea level. Because Vaals is virtually merged with the German city of Aachen, the village can also be seen as its suburb. More than a quarter of the residents of Vaals have German nationality and in the village you hear a mixture of Limburgish and German. Along the way you will pass the Onderste Molen in Mechelen, which grinds on the Geul. This beautiful watermill was used as a flour mill, but it also generated electricity. The original mill was built in 1215 and was then called the Commandeursmolen. Later, after a restoration, the mill was renamed the 'Lower Mill'. The mill was made fully operational in 2005 and now runs on a voluntary basis.