http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Belgium en-us Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:40:30 +0000 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:40:30 +0000 Ola Qu tal aan iedereen. Momenteel nog thuis in het Land van de Eburonen Menapirs en Nervirs. Buiten duidt de thermometer met 2C op de buitenthermometer. Kleine Luka ligt te slapen in haar bedje. Katrien legt de laatste hand aan haar magnus opus. Dus ik heb effe tijd om een travelblog te starten zodat de Bonnie's Oma's Bompa's en Vava's van deze wereld hun kleindochter kunnen volgen http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/Antwerp-Province/Antwerp/blog-463908.html Too many languages swimming around in my head Polish Spanish Dutch English and now French all in 3 weeks. Irsquove found myself saying ldquoGraciasrdquo to Polish people ldquoDziekujerdquo to Dutch people and now I have to think of the few random French words I knowOn the last Monday of my trip the three of us Dad Wanda and I took the train into Belgium to Brussels. It was http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/Brussels-Capital-Region/Brussels/blog-460058.html My Battle With Sean The AZ of BeerWe need to have a talk about Sean. And no I don't mean that American guy that's married to our friend Tegan Sean is my Irish GPS. Sean and I started out getting along fine and he always sent me in the right direction while I laughed at the funny way he said ldquoLeftrdquo and ldquoRightrdquo and ldquoCongestion Chargerdquo.But one day there wa http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/West-Flanders/Bruges/blog-459762.html Day 5 8 AM. I was loitering out on the sidewalk in the spitting rain. Nearby a small group of people huddled together beneath a shallow overhang in front of the hostel entrance. It was cold. The morningrsquos coffee was starting to wear off. After about fifteen minutes of soaking up the atmosphere it finally arrived. A red and yellow minibus plastered with the label lsquoQuasimodo To http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/West-Flanders/Bruges/blog-459423.html Day 4 Finally a chance to sleep in. At about 830 in the morning I awoke from my restful slumber. The room had its own private shower so I scrubbed off yesterdayrsquos filth in private and made my way to the room where breakfast was served. The cafeteria was littered with small clusters of older middleaged hostellers quietly chatting over tea. cheap pricks My morning fare companion http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/West-Flanders/Bruges/blog-459422.html Tues 1st Dec Arrived in the Netherlands at 11.30am saw a paddock beside the motorway enroute that was part of Germany. Met Marjolein's mother who had made salad rolls for lunch. Had a chat exchanged some gifts and then had some homemade cake YUMThen her father piled us all in the van and took us sightseeing. Went to a very large American War Cemetery 8000 graves. Finished the day off b http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/West-Flanders/Ypres/blog-458424.html Following a successful girls climbing trip I decide to join Dan his two kids India and Sasha Celine Joost Jacco Lee and Paul on the weekend of September 12 climbing in the Ardenes region. We even stay at the same guest house. On the way down I rode with Celine and Jacco. Celine was driving. I met them quickly at Rai station after work.We decided to skip climbing in Yvoir on Saturday and head http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/Namur-Province/Namur/blog-458417.html 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 brotherinlaw is 3rd generation We selected an escorted tour package that included AmsterdamWindmills and Tulips what funMy husband had bee http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/Brussels-Capital-Region/Brussels/blog-458153.html BrugesWalk through townKatie and I spent our first day in Bruges exploring the small city. We went into the basement of the Crown plaza to see the ruins of an ancient church. Then we went to a church that claims to hold some of Jesus's blood. We were there for some ceremony for they take it from it's special spot on an alter to another place on the pulpit so people can touch it and pray. It was in http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/West-Flanders/Brugge/blog-457752.html 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 Compigne France for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning mdash the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month 1918. The date was declared a national ho http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/Brussels-Capital-Region/Brussels/blog-452439.html Let's have everything ready for the 18th of Novembre http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/Brussels-Capital-Region/blog-450973.html 13th February '09Groan. Wersquore parked on loading bays of a warehouse on Middelmolenlaan a street utterly devoid of character. Itrsquos drizzly and cold the sort of weather that makes you tuck jumper into jeans without caring a jot about looking foolish. The warehouse is empty until the containers of equipment for ACDC arrive tomorrow. This is the type of place in short that proper lor http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/Antwerp-Province/blog-447403.html Martin and I were fortunate to be in Antwerp for the 2nd Indian Customers vs RTD cricket match. A couple of training sessions before the day meant we actually got to touch a cricket ball and for me a couple of swings of a cricket bat in the nets... Despite my duck I managed not to let any balls pass me when fielding but alas didn't get to show them my Sandy's special flipper as I didn't get http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/Antwerp-Province/Antwerp/blog-446992.html This past weekend I took the train from Brussels to Marbehan which is a small town in the Belgian Ardennes. My uncle and Sylvie who live in Paris came for Brassigaume which is a beer festival in Marbehan and they rented a house and invited me to stay for the weekend. The Belgian Ardennes consist of several small towns that are all quite close to one another and the house that my uncle and Sy http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/blog-446436.html Got up this moring and Rob checked on Garycat who was fine he was in his wee igloo so had obviously had a comfortable night. Headed into the restaurant for a full cooked brekkie was awfy guid set us up for the dayrsquos driving. After that we just got our stuff oot the cabin and parked our butts in the lounge area played some cards Rob tried to teach me Bragg but I decided afer 5 mins it wa http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/blog-446409.html Up early moring to finish packing up finally finished the car jigsaw puzzle then went to Asda for the travel supplies then to the Crooked Glen for some lunch. After that we went to my brothers hoose to see The Bear stayed there for half an hour playing with her and got cuddles and an Eilidh style kiss haha Was sad saying goodbye to her will miss her so much but her aunite Beni will get her d http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/blog-446406.html 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 tha http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/Brussels-Capital-Region/Brussels/blog-445785.html My Thanksgiving in Brussels was tons of fun I decided to cook a huge Thanksgiving dinner for the other interns from ISB two of whom are from Belgium and had never celebrated Thanksgiving before. We had dinner on Sunday night and I made chickens I searched all around for a turkey but its impossible to find one in Belgium unless you order it well in advance stuffing mashed potatoes sweet po http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/blog-445537.html 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 w http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/Brussels-Capital-Region/Brussels/blog-444079.html 11th February '09Anybody who puts a tea break in the middle of a concert is a star in my book. Therersquos nothing worse than needing the loo an hour into a show and having to stand there like a lemon crossing your legs.. The first half closes with 'we donrsquot need another hero..' and ldquopyrordquo dangerous stuff mere mortals donrsquot understand. The pyrotechnic boys are cloth http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Belgium/Antwerp-Province/blog-444018.html