Blogs from Antwerp Province, Belgium, Europe - page 9

Ok! So it's Monday the 22nd now, but since I didn't have internet for the second half of the trip I'm just writing theses blogs now! I got back yesterday. Let's go back in time and pick up where we left off........ So Sarah and I woke up really early to go and check out the goat farm and "midget golf" only to be completely foiled. We took the bus to a super random part of town, but the walking directions that the bus website had given Sarah didn't match up with where we were at all. We walked around in the freezing cold and snow for a while, not seeing where we were, and eventually gave up on our dreams of seeing the 7 famous goats at the farm and the 100 different types of ... read more

Ola, Qué tal? aan iedereen. Momenteel nog thuis in het Land van de Eburonen, Menapiërs en Nerviërs. Buiten duidt de thermometer -2°C aan. 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 terwijl zij haar eerste stapjes zet tussen de oeroude tempels van de Maya's, Zapoteken en Tolteken. Hopla. En avant! ... read more

3rd March '09: One can fool about with blunderbusses and grapeshot for only so long. Moving swiftly from Dinant’s Citadel, Ive and I drive to Durbuy, ‘the smallest city in the world’. If asked, though, I'd lean towards it being more of a village. What constitutes a city, anyway? I used to thing it was a cathedral. Any ideas? Or the difference between a town and a village? This is your perfect opportunity to leave an erudite comment. How about the difference between a village and a hamlet?! Oh I don't know - I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not so sure. Durbuy is a pleasant spot, formerly part of Luxembourg. At this time of year, however, it warrants little more than a short stroll along the river banks. Oh, and a cappuccino served ... read more

13th February '09: Groan. We’re parked on loading bays of a warehouse on Middelmolenlaan, a street utterly devoid of character. It’s 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 AC/DC arrive tomorrow. This is the type of place, in short, that proper lorry drivers go. Incidentally, is it worth describing places any more? I recently read an article on the future of travel writing that debated this topic. In Eric Newby's day, for example, we couldn't just Google Map the Hindu Kush; we needed evocative phrases to bring the mountains alive in our minds. Now, of course, with the advent of the internet, is it more important to concentrate on the people instead? ... read more

Except there were no real hills in Antwerp... And I did not see an ant... Mosquitoes yes... The trip to Antwerp nearly wasnt.. After catching the Eurostar to Brussels, we proceeded to find the connecting to Antwerp, after much confusion we were ushered onto a train, only to be put in the first class cabin. We did not have first class tickets so I jumped off the train to have a better look.. Next thing I know the bells are ringing, Chris is screaming at me and the train was about to leave! Luckily, I managed to jump back onto the train and we rode to Antwerp in first class style.. After being picked up at the train station by Chris' Antwerp contact, we were lucky enough to be offered a tour around Antwerp that showed ... read more