To celebrate my older sister's 60th birthday we decided to go to Belgium In April 2006. (Mindset was who could be sad about getting older when on such a grand adventure! Our husbands are both of Belgium descent, my husband is first generation American and brother-in-law is 3rd generation) We selected an escorted tour package that included Amsterdam-Windmills and Tulips! what fun! My husband had been to Europe when he served in the Army (stationed in Germany) but for the rest of us...this would be our first trip across the Atlantic! First stop, Amsterdam! Amazement at all the bicycles was con [View Full Entry]

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November 11th is Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) in Belgium and it commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning — the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" 1918. The date was declared a national holiday in many allied nations, to commemorate those members of the armed forces who were killed during war. I attended the Armistice Day ceremony in Brussels that occured at the Place of Congress at [View Full Entry]

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Look up forgetfull in the English dictionary and there might be a picture of me, if there isn then somone should write to them and say that my picture needs to be added; granted you can find it with that spelling. I have now lost or forgotten, at various places, one of my lighters, swiss army knife, one of my chapsticks, passport, bottle of advil, and now to add to the list all of the posters that Ive bought along the way. DAMN! that last one really chapped my hide. The lost and found doesn open until Monday, so the soonest [View Full Entry]

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They warned us that the long study tour would be exhausting, and they weren't kidding. All the academic visits that we did are like a blur, so I'll just highlight the parts of the trip that I like best/remember best. Day 1 is nothing but driving. Really. I wake up at the crack of dawn and a bus full of my classmates departs Copenhagen at 0845. We drive south, cross to Germany on a ferry, turn west, stop in the Netherlands for dinner, and arrive in Brussels at 2300. Our hotel is called Maison du Dragon ("dragon house") and it is [View Full Entry]

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As we found out our last night in Brussels, 5 Duvels seemed like a good idea at the time, particularly when two were free, not so much when you have 3 hours sleep and then have to catch two planes..... Anyway, we arrived in Brussels after two days in Antwerp at Brussels Central, a train station only a short way from our hotel. The only problem was finding a road sign to identify exactly where we were. As the rain grew heavier and heavier, we gave up at headed to the taxi queue. After giving the drivers the address of the [View Full Entry]

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After our brief two night stay in Antwerp we caught the train back to Brussels. A sure sign we were nearing the city of Brussels we passed the red neon glow of the red light district. The girls barely covered in their seductive lace outfits, in a little room, the windows facing the street of onlookers. Some girls just seemed to pace their window while others sat in the corner. Some even interacting and teasing potential clientele through the glass. I found the whole experience not to dissimilar to that of a puppy attempting to impress a shopper through a pet [View Full Entry]

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Hi Everyone, I know these blog entries seem to come few and far between. We are finally feeling settled here and it has been a very busy summer. For those of you have been asking for an update here goes…. We are really enjoying Brussels and living in Europe. This expat lifestyle is a never ending learning experience, most of them great, a few not so great but we will focus on the good stuff and the fun: A couple of weeks ago was the 25th anniversary of Marc joining his company, so the site leader and his wife took Marc [View Full Entry]

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Joined Heather and family for a foray into Belgium. Had been to Brussels once before in my teens (travelling down to Strasbourg on a school trip) and remember the Grand Place and the Mannekin Pis well. Visited a lot more this time, including Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp and Mechelin. The Flemish (Dutch Belgian) and Walloon (French Belgian) split is quite distinct. There was a lot going on in Brussels this particular week, including a no car day on the Sunday when we arrived (quite weird, bit like Day of the Triffids at first, until the cyclists came out). The next weekend was [View Full Entry]

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Dias 30 a 32 - Ir a Bruxelas é como viajar no tempo. Não para o passado, devido aos seus prédios históricos, mas para o futuro. O futuro de uma Europa que não dá a devida importância ao seu maior problema: a imigração. Se Londres é a cidade com maior quantidade de imigrantes e a Antuérpia com a maior diversidade de países, Bruxelas deve ter a maior proporção de imigrantes. Apesar de estar em na região de Flanders, oitenta por cento dos habitantes falam francês, o que facilita a vinda de imigrantes das antigas colônias francesas, como Argélia, Marrocos e Senegal. [View Full Entry]

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……and chocolate….and mussels? Of course you did and we are happy to report that they are each quite kind to the palate. Our travels in Belgium took us to Brugge, Gent and Brussels; we had hoped to see Antwerp but that will be saved for a future trip as we ran out of time. What we learned while in Belgium is that they have focused their talents and have become world class producers of beer and fine chocolates. They are the BEST!!!! Seriously, there can be no debate here. The beers and chocolates that we tas [View Full Entry]

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