Kurt

Kurt de Gante

Kurt

Hello everybody,

I'm Kurt, nearly 40 years old and living in Belgium.

I always wanted to see the world and explore other countries. Until now I've done a few -rather small- journeys. But to my feeling there are still a lot to places to explore ;-) I'm the kind of traveller that has done a different kind of trips: in group, alone, with some friends, with my wife (and kids), multiple day trekking in the mountains, city-trips, cultural trips, lazy vacations, ...

For the moment, my kids are too young to take them far abroad. That's why -in 2011- I decided to write down some of my travel-experiences in a travelblog. In that way it feels like reviving the experience ;-) Unfortunately I don't have everything documented when I was on the road, so I hope the memories comes back when I try to write down my old trips.

See you.

Jaipur: Amber Fort, Palace of Winds & Raj Mandir cinema

Asia » India » Rajasthan » Jaipur February 20th 2014

Wedding

Kurt de Gante

The road from Agra to Jaipur was completely in line with what we had already seen in India, namely crowdy, chaotic and full of surprises... If you compare the traffic with the traffic-rules in Europe, the first thing that comes to your mind is something like "This situation is crazy!". But after a while, you can see that there is a system in it. One of the tricks is even written on most of the trucks: "Blow Horn". Since the local drivers all have the same driving habits, they can avoid -even if it is just at the last moment- accidents. Not entirely true... in Jaipur we once saw an accident. After they both checked if their vehicles were still working, they just continued their way. When we got closer to Jaipur, we saw a change ... read more

Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, bazaars and Keoladeo Ghana National Park

Asia » India » Uttar Pradesh » Agra February 18th 2014

Taj Mahal

Kurt de Gante

Needless to say that the visit to the Taj Mahalwas one of the highlights of our trip. I can tell you that it was not a disappointment indeed! What an excitement to see one of the most beautiful buildings of the world with my own eyes. These experiences are the reasons why I travel. The best time to visit the Taj Mahal is early in the morning when the sun is rising. At that moment you can see color change of the marble. There was some fog the morning when we wanted to go, so we visited the Taj around noon. If you see pictures of the Taj Mahal, you can't imagine that the surroundings are so big. You pass a gate and gardens before you can see the Taj Mahal. There are two mosques besides ... read more

The largest dolmen of The Netherlands, treetop walkway, raptor show and walking in the woods

Europe » Netherlands » Drenthe » Borger August 20th 2013

The largest dolmen of The Netherlands

Kurt de Gante

The environment of Borger is known for the many dolmens around. We visited one of them, the largest dolmen in the Netherlands. The kids were impressed by its size (22 meter long). Next to the dolmen there is the "Dolmen Information Center" with inside a replica of an extinct mammoth (although our youngest daughter wasn't convinced about the fact that he was'nt real ;-). Outside you can see how the people used to live there. We have done several walks in the woods. The one that impressed us the most was the one among the treetops at the "Boomkroonpad".... read more

Groningen and Emmen, spotting the differences with my hometown

Europe » Netherlands » Province of Groningen » Groningen August 15th 2013

Groningen

Kurt de Gante

It's always funny to notice the differences between Belgium and Holland (despite the fact we're neighbors). Especially when you're travelling with kids, these differences are quickly noticed by the little ones. It's very nice to see their amazement. For me it's one of the things for which we travel, namely discovering new things and cultures. One of the things that's quite typical for Holland and can't be found in Belgium (as far as i know), is the "Kroket uit de muur". In fact, these are vending machines where you can buy hot snacks like croquettes, burgers,... These are quite popular. Another difference is the huge amount of cyclists in city-centers. It's nice to see that in cities like Groningen, there is so much attention to environmentally conscious traffic. In Belgium you will find much more cars ... read more

Strolling around in Cologne

Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Cologne December 15th 2012

Cologne

Kurt de Gante

Besides visiting the Christmas Markets, having a good sleep (now that we could, without the kids...), spending some money at the shopping streets, we also strolled around in Cologne and did a little sightseeing... First, we visited the Cathedral and its environment. We crossed the Rhine at the Hohenzollern Bridge. The bridge itself was full with love padlocks, symbolizing the everlasting love . After a walk to the Chocolate museum, we tasted there the delicious chocolate cake in the adjacent Chocolate Grand Cafe. We also went to the Rudolfplatz and saw the home of "Eau de Cologne 4711" I especially liked the fact that there are so many outdoor shops in Cologne. One of them was four floors high. In the basement you could even test canoes... in the water...... read more

Christmas markets in Cologne (Köln)

Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Cologne December 14th 2012

Heimat der Heinzel

Kurt de Gante

It's almost impossible not noticing the Christmas markets in Cologne (Köln). There are six of them ... Each with its own character. Cologne is known for its Christmas markets. Though not our main reason for visiting the city, we definitely wanted to visit them. And, I have to admit it (though I am not that keen on Christmas markets), it was much better than expected! The one that impressed us the most was "Heimat der Heinzel" (Home of the elves). The market is located in the heart of the Old Town and was full with beautiful stalls. We were impressed by the variety of colours and the hidden "Heinzelmännchen" (the gnomes who are said to do the work of the people of Cologne at night). The "Weihnachtsmarkt am Kölner Dom" is located just beside the Cologne ... read more

Laon

Europe » France » Picardy » Laon June 7th 2012

City center of Laon

Kurt de Gante

During our vacation, we spent a short visit to Laon. Laon is the capital city of the Aisne department. The city itself is located upon a hill, which made it strategically important. You can still see the fortified walls around the old city-center. There are several medieval buildings to see, including the cathedral Notre-Dame of Laon, Church of St Martin, ... From the hill you have a distant view over the valley. Though we didn't see it, the town has a cablecar system between the medieval town uphill and the railway station downhill.... read more

Voie Verte de l'Ailette & Abbaye de Vauclair

Europe » France » Picardy » Chamouille June 5th 2012

l'Abbaye de Vauclair

Kurt de Gante

La Voie Verte de l'Ailette (the greenway of the Ailette) is an 8km walk near the lake Ailette. During the walk you can discover different themes alongside the road. If you complete the walk you'll reach the remainings of Abbaye de Vauclair (abbey of Vauclair). Originally we did not intend to do the complete walk. But since the kids didn't get tired when time (and kilometers) passed bye, we decide to walk until the end. At that time we didn't thought at the fact that we had to walk the whole way back ;-) The first village we passed bye was Neuville-sur-Aillette. Apparently, there is a museum over there. But since we were heading for a walk, we didn't stop there. At the lake there were several cabins, where you can discreetly watch the birds and ... read more

Merlin's Castle at Pierrefonds

Europe » France » Picardy » Pierrefonds June 4th 2012

Merlin's Castle

Kurt de Gante

It's not always easy to convince our kids to discover some culture. Since they're so young, they would rather spend their time on playgrounds ;-) But when we told them we were going to visit Merlin's Castle, they were very excited. And when we mentioned the rumors of a dragon inside the castle, they definitely wanted to search the dragon! The official name of the castle is "Château de Pierrefonds" (Castle of Pierrefonds). But it is better known as Merlin's Castle because it served as Camelot for the BBC series Merlin. Some say it's the most beautiful fortified castle in France. Pierrefonds itself is a rather small village of which the main attraction is the castle itself. It has a nice center where we strolled around and eat a little bit. In this way we were ... read more

Christmas market, city centre & merveilleux de Lille

Europe » France » Nord-Pas de Calais » Lille December 10th 2011

Lille by night

Kurt de Gante

The first thing that took our attention when arriving at Lille was the big wheel at the city center. It was even hard to miss :-) Besides the big wheel there was a huge Christmas tree. There were a lot people in the city centre. We heard a lot of dutch-speaking people, sounds logical with the Belgian border so close-by. The Christmas Market was bigger than expected. It was nice, with the usual things that you can typically find at those markets. We bought some presents, and I took a few pictures of nice decorated market stalls (or is it rather kitsch...). We visited the city on foot, but it is also possible to rent bikes. The style of the houses looked very Flemish to me. There are a lot of nice shops, we especially remember ... read more

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