March 7th
Time to leave for the airport. Sad that we must head to the airport for our long day of travel home. It is so great to see people traveling by train early on a Sunday morning. You see all kinds of groups. A group of girls chatting and enjoying a danish as they head out on their Sunday. A couple of business men chatting over coffee, people running between trains, and hoping to make it before the doors close. Everyone going about their day, as we sadly begin to end our vacation. Thankfully we have a few chocolates stashed for our travels. We board the train, as we pull away from Brussels; the sun is rising over the city. All we see as we chug to the airport are tall modern glass buildings, slums, graffiti, and destructed buildings. Hard to believe what you find in the city center of Brussels as you leave. Good bye Belgium, you will be missed, we will be back.
3/8/10
The Vacation is about to end, and we are so sad
March 6th
We pack up and head to grab our bus to the station. The good thing about having your blackberry in Europe is you are connected, can enjoy looking things up on the train, walking the streets, check face book, negative is being connected. Email from Delta stating time to check in, can be a real downer on the end of the trip, yet one of the best things 24 hours before your trip. Irony.
We are off to Ghent. We are not sure what we are in for after Brugge. Not many places you can go after the city of Brugge
Tram is down; city is tore up, mud and dirt everywhere. You can imagine it would be a great city center, but not ideal to visit in the current situation, oh well make the most of it.
There is plenty to see from the Belfry, to the cathedral to the church that make up the sky line. Very impressive and amazing to catch up on the history of Ghent. These are must sees. We take in the market square, and look for one more beer bar. We head to the Galvateen, there is a torture museum in the basement. Wow what humans will do to other humans when the time calls. Thank goodness that is not the way our world. The Bridge over the Canal takes us two streets lined with the homes and guild houses of the wealthy. It is an amazing site to see these built right on the canal. We wander to a local cafe for lunch. More wandering and shopping. Trish finds the perfect blue boots, finally redemption for the boots in Amsterdam. What do you mean they don’t come larger than a 39. This is almost comical. We find a couple of great shops, before heading to the station. But first we must find the Turkish Pizza we have heard so much about. Well worth the search, as good as expected and reviewed. Next time we have it with meat, not vegetarian style. Why can’t there be a Turkish Pizza place in Utah. What is the count on all the places that we need to open in Utah after this trip...................... hhhmmmm.
To Brussels we go. Check into our great hotel near the train station for an easy walk with luggage, but far enough that we don’t have any of the noise of a station. We walk the city once last time, how can an entire city smell of waffles. The aroma floats through the city. We wander around checking out the shops, people watching. It seems that there is a whole new group of tourists hitting the city today. The market is alive and busy. We buy chocolates, waffles, and frites, knowing we are going to change our diet very soon. Back to hotel to pack up and call it a vacation.
We pack up and head to grab our bus to the station. The good thing about having your blackberry in Europe is you are connected, can enjoy looking things up on the train, walking the streets, check face book, negative is being connected. Email from Delta stating time to check in, can be a real downer on the end of the trip, yet one of the best things 24 hours before your trip. Irony.
We are off to Ghent. We are not sure what we are in for after Brugge. Not many places you can go after the city of Brugge
Tram is down; city is tore up, mud and dirt everywhere. You can imagine it would be a great city center, but not ideal to visit in the current situation, oh well make the most of it.
There is plenty to see from the Belfry, to the cathedral to the church that make up the sky line. Very impressive and amazing to catch up on the history of Ghent. These are must sees. We take in the market square, and look for one more beer bar. We head to the Galvateen, there is a torture museum in the basement. Wow what humans will do to other humans when the time calls. Thank goodness that is not the way our world. The Bridge over the Canal takes us two streets lined with the homes and guild houses of the wealthy. It is an amazing site to see these built right on the canal. We wander to a local cafe for lunch. More wandering and shopping. Trish finds the perfect blue boots, finally redemption for the boots in Amsterdam. What do you mean they don’t come larger than a 39. This is almost comical. We find a couple of great shops, before heading to the station. But first we must find the Turkish Pizza we have heard so much about. Well worth the search, as good as expected and reviewed. Next time we have it with meat, not vegetarian style. Why can’t there be a Turkish Pizza place in Utah. What is the count on all the places that we need to open in Utah after this trip...................... hhhmmmm.
To Brussels we go. Check into our great hotel near the train station for an easy walk with luggage, but far enough that we don’t have any of the noise of a station. We walk the city once last time, how can an entire city smell of waffles. The aroma floats through the city. We wander around checking out the shops, people watching. It seems that there is a whole new group of tourists hitting the city today. The market is alive and busy. We buy chocolates, waffles, and frites, knowing we are going to change our diet very soon. Back to hotel to pack up and call it a vacation.
The English blokes and back to Brugge
There is a group of six English Blokes ordering all of the cold beer. The bartender has to keep checking to see if there are enough for them to all enjoy the same kind of beer. Six more __________ sorry I only have four, okay..... Six more ________, sorry I only have three. They are tearing through all the beer that has been chilled for the day. That is what happens when a great Belgium Beer bar is treated like a Frat Party. Time to head back to the train and back to Brugges. We stroll over to the train station, Chris stops for photos ops and Trish to the station. Hurry Chris no time for a sweet treat, if we miss this train, we have to wait for the next one, and we are pretty much done with this town. Back to Brugge we go.
To the hotel to drop our stuff and head out for some shopping and touring. We inquire with the Hotel owner about the Riot Police from last night. Oh that, he says,”.there are some protestors about a forest. Well I can’t really call it a forest; there are maybe 20 trees that are being taken down to build. The people are upset; here the Police don’t take any chances. Not sure why they are so upset there will be double or triple that many trees planted. Can’t really call it a forest”
We wander the streets and people watch. Come across a quiet dark bar with a fireplace and some locals enjoying their Friday night. We join them for a pint, and some conversation. The owner seems to love Jazz and good drink. We settle up the bill, and are on our way. A few doors down we find a great local Tapas place. The kitchen is shared by two chefs that own the place and plan the menus. Sharing duties between the kitchen and the front of the restaurant.. The place is packed and the only open place is the bar, we chat with the bartender and enjoy dinner of tapas. We ask if this is locals or tourists. He states almost all locals always. Not many tourists, tonight, we are 1 of 2 tables, of tourists in the bar and restaurant. The bartender asked where we were from. Always a hard thing to answer. If we say the US, they say, of course, but where. But if we state Salt Lake City, Utah are we just arrogant Americans? The response varies, so we continue to say US. He of course interested to know if we still like our president. He states I read in America his rating is falling and the dislike is very high. He also, is quick to ask how Americans behave the way they do, he still can’t figure out how our last president ever won, really how did so many people like Bush. It makes for good conversation. Dinner was lovely; everyone should enjoy some tuna tartar with wasabi ice cream at least once. There is more kava being poured than should be legal. What a great idea, start each meal kava. We ask the bartender, what the celebration is. “The seniors/last years, only 100 days of school remaining” Really this is a celebration that is official, yes indeed he had one himself, plenty of fun then, not so fun now. Here you can drink at 16 it is perfectly normal, you can’t drive until you are 18. We tell him in the US this would be mayhem. Maybe this explains the protesters from last night and all of the people with painted faces today. 100 Days.
Time to go, we say our goodbyes, and wander back to the Monks hole, from last night. This night, still very cool and interesting, but we quickly realize, it is us and a bunch of people that are celebrating 100 Days (read here, young kids), we head home to pack up. Reality is hitting, we are almost done with vacation. We talk about what we have learned, what we would do differently how many days in each place, where would we come back to, what would we pack. We have had a wonderful time.
To the hotel to drop our stuff and head out for some shopping and touring. We inquire with the Hotel owner about the Riot Police from last night. Oh that, he says,”.there are some protestors about a forest. Well I can’t really call it a forest; there are maybe 20 trees that are being taken down to build. The people are upset; here the Police don’t take any chances. Not sure why they are so upset there will be double or triple that many trees planted. Can’t really call it a forest”
We wander the streets and people watch. Come across a quiet dark bar with a fireplace and some locals enjoying their Friday night. We join them for a pint, and some conversation. The owner seems to love Jazz and good drink. We settle up the bill, and are on our way. A few doors down we find a great local Tapas place. The kitchen is shared by two chefs that own the place and plan the menus. Sharing duties between the kitchen and the front of the restaurant.. The place is packed and the only open place is the bar, we chat with the bartender and enjoy dinner of tapas. We ask if this is locals or tourists. He states almost all locals always. Not many tourists, tonight, we are 1 of 2 tables, of tourists in the bar and restaurant. The bartender asked where we were from. Always a hard thing to answer. If we say the US, they say, of course, but where. But if we state Salt Lake City, Utah are we just arrogant Americans? The response varies, so we continue to say US. He of course interested to know if we still like our president. He states I read in America his rating is falling and the dislike is very high. He also, is quick to ask how Americans behave the way they do, he still can’t figure out how our last president ever won, really how did so many people like Bush. It makes for good conversation. Dinner was lovely; everyone should enjoy some tuna tartar with wasabi ice cream at least once. There is more kava being poured than should be legal. What a great idea, start each meal kava. We ask the bartender, what the celebration is. “The seniors/last years, only 100 days of school remaining” Really this is a celebration that is official, yes indeed he had one himself, plenty of fun then, not so fun now. Here you can drink at 16 it is perfectly normal, you can’t drive until you are 18. We tell him in the US this would be mayhem. Maybe this explains the protesters from last night and all of the people with painted faces today. 100 Days.
Time to go, we say our goodbyes, and wander back to the Monks hole, from last night. This night, still very cool and interesting, but we quickly realize, it is us and a bunch of people that are celebrating 100 Days (read here, young kids), we head home to pack up. Reality is hitting, we are almost done with vacation. We talk about what we have learned, what we would do differently how many days in each place, where would we come back to, what would we pack. We have had a wonderful time.
3/5/10
Off to the North Sea
March 5th - Sadly one week has come and gone and we will be leaving for the states very soon. Back to reality, is going to hurt. Oh well off to enjoy our day. We are going to grab a quick breakfast then catch the bus to the train station, and the train to Oostend. Should be a blustery day at the beach.
We arrive a short 15 minutes after take off from the Brugge station. We wander over to the sea and walk under the cloudy skies. It is pretty impressive to see the North Sea, and walk along the water. We wander into town, and find a few pleins to check out, one named after Presdident Kennedy, which seems rather random. We are a little underimpressed with this town. We hoped for a seaside vilage full of character, what we found was that wartime destruction and post war improvements have taken most of what we had hoped to see and replaced it with charcter free modern hotels and apartment buildings.
We find Botteltje, a dark atmospheric beer bar with more beers than we could have imagined or hoped for. We enjoy a snack of olives and garlic bread, which goes quite nicely with the Hopus for Trish and the Westmalle and a Chapeau Winter Gueze for Chris. Very Sour Beer.
We chat with a local old fellow. What a character, he can't wait to tell us the story of him drinking 23 of the Westmalles you know one more and you have a case, wow I needed to take a taxi home. We can't imagine the thought, it sounds impossible.
We arrive a short 15 minutes after take off from the Brugge station. We wander over to the sea and walk under the cloudy skies. It is pretty impressive to see the North Sea, and walk along the water. We wander into town, and find a few pleins to check out, one named after Presdident Kennedy, which seems rather random. We are a little underimpressed with this town. We hoped for a seaside vilage full of character, what we found was that wartime destruction and post war improvements have taken most of what we had hoped to see and replaced it with charcter free modern hotels and apartment buildings.
We find Botteltje, a dark atmospheric beer bar with more beers than we could have imagined or hoped for. We enjoy a snack of olives and garlic bread, which goes quite nicely with the Hopus for Trish and the Westmalle and a Chapeau Winter Gueze for Chris. Very Sour Beer.
We chat with a local old fellow. What a character, he can't wait to tell us the story of him drinking 23 of the Westmalles you know one more and you have a case, wow I needed to take a taxi home. We can't imagine the thought, it sounds impossible.
Crepes Suzette and Riot police.....
March 4th
Say good bye to our cute, homey, lovable B&B, and Lut the caretaker. We drop our bags at our new Hotel and off to grab some bikes. We rent some bikes grab a sammie for later and off on a little ride to Damme. This little 14th century village is just 10 kl down the canal another 7 will get us to the border. The wind is right in our faces but we keep pushing on. Our bikes are new and roll quit well but we are still fighting the wind. We get to Damme and a cloud sets over us giving a cold welcome. We decide to have our sammie for a snack and just open a beer when the town church clock goes off. It was quite cool, unlike normal church clocks. It had a lot of bells instead of just one. It sounded like chimes going off with an actual music tune. Just an excellent way to announce/celebrate the opening of the first beer of the day and our arrival in Damme. This is a nice village but not much to do here this time of year. A quick walk around and back on the bikes. It is a much easier ride back towards Brugge.
The wind is at our backs and the sun is shining. It is a great vacation day. We pass by quit a few old windmills along the outer canal of Brugge on out return trip. As we head back to the center of town I noticed we are on the same straat as one of the beer bars. When we stopped we found it was closed. Seriously another one closed this one permanently. Right next-door was a beer store with a small tasting room in the back so we stopped in. The shop was owned and run by Rudy, a very likeable and knowledgeable guy. Rudy told us that the Kelk, beer bar next door, didn’t pay their bills so they were kicked out. But Rudy was still there with beer and stories so what do we care.
With our thirst quenched we look for a bite to eat to eat. We stop into a little kebaab place. Barry White is on the stereo. This is like the 3rd time we have heard him. He must be big in Belgium. I feel sexy just being in Belgium. Not back to the hotel, we have to drop off all this heavy beer we are carrying around. As we regroup in the hotel we lay down on the bed, not a good idea. Foe about an hour we are “stay awake, sleep, stay awake, sleep.” Rule is one of the four eyes has to be open at all times. Alright back out there we go. We are headed out to take care of a few things; checkout the train station for time on our trip to Ostende tomorrow and to drop off the bikes.
All these errands have me thirsty again, ahhh Brugge Beertje and Daisy. Just the kind of beer joint I have been looking for. These people know their beer. There seems to be a beer tasting in town or near for distributor the next day so the bar is a buzz with people that frequent the place when in town.
Okay after a few we are off again to explore a part of the city we have not yet seen. A small walk through the park in town and we arrive at L’Estaminent for dinner. Pretty unimpressive as you walk in, this place grows on you. We look at the menu, none of it in English and we are underwhelmed. The waitress finally comes by and wow, she is very helpful cute as hell and running the whole bar by herself. We decide to just grab a few beers and split a soup. The fish soup was amazing. The spices and flavor were perfect. As we were leaving we meet a Belgian woman with her husband from England. They were very friendly and we wished we were not on our way out so we could sit and talk with them.
Walk to find more beer and maybe a waffle. How does it continue to be possible to be in Belgium and not have waffles on every corner. ...
As we wander through the streets we come upon a group of people marching down the street. We can hear banging drums and what sounds like singing; maybe a high school marching band is practicing in the streets of Brugge.... We pass the group as well as the trash can drums. Seems harmless enough, as we come around the corner we are walking into a wall of what look to be riot police. They are completely covering the street right to left. We are not exactly sure what to do, Chris does a few hand signs that we hope are interpretive as should we move out of the way. They just continue to walk towards us sternly paying no attention to us, and pass right by. Two blocks later, as we have somehow found our way behind them, we see they have blocked more streets. We continue to be allowed through. We don’t see them the rest of the evening, but are sure we hear the drums in the night. This is when it would be an ideal time to speak the language, or at least interpret enough to read the front page of the paper tomorrow. We will need to investigate with our hotel clerk. Stay tuned on that one.
Still looking for waffles. We decide another dessert will have to do.
We stop in at ter halle on the square. Crepes Suzette to share and a couple of Irish coffees. Funny how a few beers and soup cost us 26 euro but shared dessert and two coffees cost us 36 euro. The Irish coffee did come with a shot of alcoholic eggnog on the side. We would come here again. Lovely place, dark and with lots of character, and we are warmed by the fire. Lovely time.
Back on the job trying to find t’Poatersgat, monk’s hole, the beer cellar of an old church. The tiny door that we had to duck to get into was finally open. About time. We enter into slightly smoky air filled room with stone walls, rock pillars with arched brick ceilings and marble floors. We can tell this is going to be a favorite. We ask the friendly bartender their hours. He states, 7 days a week, we open at 5pm and close, well it depends. Weekends 4 or 5 am. No wonder they aren’t open until 5pm. Trish has her favorite Kriek yet, we will need to come back. But tonight we are calling it and heading back to Hotel Patricius. Good Night.
Say good bye to our cute, homey, lovable B&B, and Lut the caretaker. We drop our bags at our new Hotel and off to grab some bikes. We rent some bikes grab a sammie for later and off on a little ride to Damme. This little 14th century village is just 10 kl down the canal another 7 will get us to the border. The wind is right in our faces but we keep pushing on. Our bikes are new and roll quit well but we are still fighting the wind. We get to Damme and a cloud sets over us giving a cold welcome. We decide to have our sammie for a snack and just open a beer when the town church clock goes off. It was quite cool, unlike normal church clocks. It had a lot of bells instead of just one. It sounded like chimes going off with an actual music tune. Just an excellent way to announce/celebrate the opening of the first beer of the day and our arrival in Damme. This is a nice village but not much to do here this time of year. A quick walk around and back on the bikes. It is a much easier ride back towards Brugge.
The wind is at our backs and the sun is shining. It is a great vacation day. We pass by quit a few old windmills along the outer canal of Brugge on out return trip. As we head back to the center of town I noticed we are on the same straat as one of the beer bars. When we stopped we found it was closed. Seriously another one closed this one permanently. Right next-door was a beer store with a small tasting room in the back so we stopped in. The shop was owned and run by Rudy, a very likeable and knowledgeable guy. Rudy told us that the Kelk, beer bar next door, didn’t pay their bills so they were kicked out. But Rudy was still there with beer and stories so what do we care.
With our thirst quenched we look for a bite to eat to eat. We stop into a little kebaab place. Barry White is on the stereo. This is like the 3rd time we have heard him. He must be big in Belgium. I feel sexy just being in Belgium. Not back to the hotel, we have to drop off all this heavy beer we are carrying around. As we regroup in the hotel we lay down on the bed, not a good idea. Foe about an hour we are “stay awake, sleep, stay awake, sleep.” Rule is one of the four eyes has to be open at all times. Alright back out there we go. We are headed out to take care of a few things; checkout the train station for time on our trip to Ostende tomorrow and to drop off the bikes.
All these errands have me thirsty again, ahhh Brugge Beertje and Daisy. Just the kind of beer joint I have been looking for. These people know their beer. There seems to be a beer tasting in town or near for distributor the next day so the bar is a buzz with people that frequent the place when in town.
Okay after a few we are off again to explore a part of the city we have not yet seen. A small walk through the park in town and we arrive at L’Estaminent for dinner. Pretty unimpressive as you walk in, this place grows on you. We look at the menu, none of it in English and we are underwhelmed. The waitress finally comes by and wow, she is very helpful cute as hell and running the whole bar by herself. We decide to just grab a few beers and split a soup. The fish soup was amazing. The spices and flavor were perfect. As we were leaving we meet a Belgian woman with her husband from England. They were very friendly and we wished we were not on our way out so we could sit and talk with them.
Walk to find more beer and maybe a waffle. How does it continue to be possible to be in Belgium and not have waffles on every corner. ...
As we wander through the streets we come upon a group of people marching down the street. We can hear banging drums and what sounds like singing; maybe a high school marching band is practicing in the streets of Brugge.... We pass the group as well as the trash can drums. Seems harmless enough, as we come around the corner we are walking into a wall of what look to be riot police. They are completely covering the street right to left. We are not exactly sure what to do, Chris does a few hand signs that we hope are interpretive as should we move out of the way. They just continue to walk towards us sternly paying no attention to us, and pass right by. Two blocks later, as we have somehow found our way behind them, we see they have blocked more streets. We continue to be allowed through. We don’t see them the rest of the evening, but are sure we hear the drums in the night. This is when it would be an ideal time to speak the language, or at least interpret enough to read the front page of the paper tomorrow. We will need to investigate with our hotel clerk. Stay tuned on that one.
Still looking for waffles. We decide another dessert will have to do.
We stop in at ter halle on the square. Crepes Suzette to share and a couple of Irish coffees. Funny how a few beers and soup cost us 26 euro but shared dessert and two coffees cost us 36 euro. The Irish coffee did come with a shot of alcoholic eggnog on the side. We would come here again. Lovely place, dark and with lots of character, and we are warmed by the fire. Lovely time.
Back on the job trying to find t’Poatersgat, monk’s hole, the beer cellar of an old church. The tiny door that we had to duck to get into was finally open. About time. We enter into slightly smoky air filled room with stone walls, rock pillars with arched brick ceilings and marble floors. We can tell this is going to be a favorite. We ask the friendly bartender their hours. He states, 7 days a week, we open at 5pm and close, well it depends. Weekends 4 or 5 am. No wonder they aren’t open until 5pm. Trish has her favorite Kriek yet, we will need to come back. But tonight we are calling it and heading back to Hotel Patricius. Good Night.
3/4/10
Another day in Brugge.....
March 3rd
Up and off to once again get lost in brugge. No disappiontment here, still can't figure out this town. I keep saying I know exactly where I am going, then I am 180 degrees wrong. Great to explore though. After breakfast we had some space cake( spice cake) for the Brugge experience. we were in line at the post office to get some postcard stamps. We aren't really sure what we are doing or whether we can figure it out , but we give it a go. As we are putting in out credit card and trying ti see if there is a option for stamps( if we know what that is) The women at the line says " no, this is not ATM, no cash the bank is over there." I sit there and say " we know that , what is this mahine for?" All worked out and we are on our way. We took a little boat ride through the canals. It was a little touristy but a great view. We tried to take a walk up the bell tower, but they were doing work so there was “limited view” available. The woman at the ticket window said” only a small hole”
Went to a little, old beer bar De Garre for a few and a snack. Okay place, met a guy from there who is moving to Mexico with his girlfriend. they are opening a B&B some where in the Ucatan. No website yet but his email is JDM@, that's James Morrison, You know the Doors. Good times.
We try to head to a couple of Beer Specialty bars but no luck. 3 of the four are closed. WTF.
Okay a little bell tower panarmic. Closed for work. WTF. Okay waffles to gove a little boost and sweetness. Can't find any. WTF. Okay let's head to another beer specialty bar. On the way down this back alley we see a series of doors begging for a picture. As I am taking a picture of trish in one of these doors a car comes around the corner at a very high rate of speed. I literally had to jump out of the way to avoid getting hit. Again WTF. Find the next bar and guess what, closed. WTF. Seriously , this town is cool but, get it together. We find a bar from the night before and settle in for a few beers. We are starting to develop a love hate relationship with this town.
It is said that the components of beer are vitally necessary and contribute to a well balanced life pattern. Nerves, muscles, visual sentience and healthy skin are stimulated by these, in a positive manner. For longevity and life long equilibrium, we shall drink more Belgium Beer.
We are finally getting our barrings in this town. We get a recommendation for dinner that turnedout to be great. It was a nice local place. Really delicious flemish style stew called Waterzooi. Trish had a steak kaboob sort a thing that was superbly seasoned. On the menu they had ”supplement slagroom”. We have no idea what it is or could be. It is only .20 euro and we think should we just try it. We chickened out though. Head for one more beer bar and one more beer. Another failed attempt. We had our direction right this time, just a mileage issue. We settled for a Irish Pub near our B&B. The great thing about Irish pubs in Belgium, they have a better belgian selection than Irish beers. I need one more to straighten me out before bed, I am leaning to the left. All in all a wonderful day in Brugge.
Brugge is for us, what a lovely town
We arrive in Bruges –
The difference between Bruges and other cities is that the in latter, you look about for the picturesque, and don’t find it easily, while in Bruges, assailed on every side by the picturesque, you look curiously for unpicturesque, and don’t find it easily. – British novelist Arnold Bennett, the Journals (1896-1931)
We made a slight miscalculation on the way to Brugge. We went during rush hour on the train. Wow the train station was crazy. As soon as we arrived in Brugge Trish was excited. She could tell that she was going to enjoy this town. She has a sense about these things. We headed straight for a B&B to get a room. We walked in and asked for four nights stay and were told only two nights, as Trish immediately responds we we’ll take it. She could tell she likes it. This place is adorable. 16th century house with modern decor and feel. Grand Ceilings with 11foot doors. The feeling of an artist living in our midst, like behind any of these doors we would find a studio, with numerous works in production. Trish and Luts shall be long time friends.
Headed to a local place for dinner, a bar/ restaurant with a great beer list. And oh was it ever great, and massive. Way too many beers to get our heads wrapped around, but we get a few excellent ones and a nice bite. Flemish Onion soup for Trish and a Steak and Frites for Chris. Off to explore the city. I have totaly lost my sense of direction. All of the towns seem to have a flow, but I can't figure out this one. Having great time getting lost though. A great town known as a beer town, but not very many "pubs" around. We circle a few times in dismay and wonderment and find a pub with beer and 80's music. Chat with a fellow from Canada, he has to give us grief about losing the tournament. What tournament, does he actually mean the Olympics? He is traveling with an English couple. They are much more interested in the "American couple" Cheers. Back to the B and B. good night.
3/3/10
Time to leave Amsterdam, sad to go, but looking forward to what Bruge will bring.
March 2
Woke up to a great day in Amsterdam. A little warmer than it has been and sunny. Too bad this is our last day here. Our first day was rainy and cold but the experience was great. Had pancakes for breakfast and off to pack up. These weren't no ordinary pancakes. They are thin and about the size of a fourteen inch pizza. I had bacon cheese and banana on mine, yummy. I need the fuel for the day of travel. We load up with our bags on are back and ride our bikes to drop them off, quite a site.
As we approach the train station, we are once again, amazed by the number of bikes being used for transportation. We in the US all enjoy a bike or two in the garage, but to actually use them as our mode of commuting is very different. A fabulous site.
Two things that we must appreciate as we leave the great city of Amsterdam. 1. Thanks to the Archibalds for a fabulous map, that made our travels grand. 2. Thanks Laura for the Ugg ear muffs. Amazed with th warmth. Makes for cold winter travel more enjoyable. We board our train for Belgium........
Train travel in Europe is nothing less than fabulous.
Woke up to a great day in Amsterdam. A little warmer than it has been and sunny. Too bad this is our last day here. Our first day was rainy and cold but the experience was great. Had pancakes for breakfast and off to pack up. These weren't no ordinary pancakes. They are thin and about the size of a fourteen inch pizza. I had bacon cheese and banana on mine, yummy. I need the fuel for the day of travel. We load up with our bags on are back and ride our bikes to drop them off, quite a site.
As we approach the train station, we are once again, amazed by the number of bikes being used for transportation. We in the US all enjoy a bike or two in the garage, but to actually use them as our mode of commuting is very different. A fabulous site.
Two things that we must appreciate as we leave the great city of Amsterdam. 1. Thanks to the Archibalds for a fabulous map, that made our travels grand. 2. Thanks Laura for the Ugg ear muffs. Amazed with th warmth. Makes for cold winter travel more enjoyable. We board our train for Belgium........
Train travel in Europe is nothing less than fabulous.
3/2/10
Day Two in Amsterdam, how could it possibly continue to get better.....
March 1st
The canal that seemed so quiet in the night, is loud as it comes to life with the Amsterdamites off t work and starting their day. We are slow moving but off to visit the antique/flea market. Two blocks down, and we are shopping. Trish was able to find a pair of super cute rain boots for 5 Euro. To bad she was beat to the punch and there is only one pair in a size 41 Damn. Oh well the sun is out and it is a lovely day to be out on bikes with all the locals. We duck, bob and weave our way on the bikes to the flower market. This place is a paradise for bikers. It is quite difficult to explain the feeling of biking through the streets and over the canals. You can’t help but be smiling the entire time. Everyone is biking and loving it. It is truly a way of life here. Nothing stops the bikers, rain, cold, nothing. You can get anywhere you want quite quickly. Chris seems to have figured out the streets and canals, he bikes like a local.
We saw what we can only call an Amsterdam Mini Van. This has our friends the Yorkins written all over it.
Another great site, is what we refer to as the man of the house taking his wife's car out. We saw a dapper gentlemen, with a bike that included the kid carrier on the front and darling, flashy, flowery saddle bags on the back. This is the life of being a parent in Amsterdam. Pretty sweet.
The flower market was great, we shop around and are amazed by the selection of flowers to purchase or take home and plant. Time to tourist it up. We head for the Van Gogh museum.
The Van Gogh Museum is of course amazing. There are over 200 of his masterpieces to view. He did a lot of work in a short period of time. Vincent may be one our favorite painters with his vivad use of color. We come out of the museum very low in energy. We have not eaten yet and it is getting late in the afternoon. So we zig zag our way through the strrets looking for a lttle cafe for lunch. The one we find is on a back street and cozy. Just the kind of cafe we need in SLC. IT has coffee, breakfast, lunch , good Eventhough we are now refreshed with food and beer we head back to our little houseboat to regroup and plan the evening.
We take a little nap, whynot it is vacattion,and then off to Amsterdam at night. We got a great recommendation for is indonesian restaurant for us to try. If youhave never had Indonesian food, do so immediately. Also watchout, they give a whole lot of food. We weren't sure what we ordered, so when they came and literally filled our table with small plates of food Trish and I were dumbfounded. We looked around and no other tables had quit so many plates as we did. We didn't finish all the food but it was delicious, delectable, yummy!!
Well we are in Amsterdam time to checkout the Redlight district. Not as hopping as I might have thought. I pictured more bars mixed in and happpening. Instead there is the seady area and the really seady area. Most of the bars are on the outside of this area, at least the one that aren't filled with crazy looking guys. I tried to get Trish to go to this IrishPub I saw but she was having none of it. I told her," Live sex show is Dutch for Irish Pub." Still a no go. Not real keen on these bars we decide to head back to our " home neighborhood" when we run into a great jazz bar. Live music and freindly bartenders, as well as a quit old and very freindly director of music. Eveyone there wanted to talk and discuss music. We meet the one band from Argintina and Brazil. They want us to send some photos we took while they played. This bar was hoppin with two bands switching off and no less then 5 muscicians sitting in. It was definetly a jazz "scene". The beer was flollowing as well as the jenivier, a gin like liquor. This seems to be the spot where Trish and I will live when we become expats.
The canal that seemed so quiet in the night, is loud as it comes to life with the Amsterdamites off t work and starting their day. We are slow moving but off to visit the antique/flea market. Two blocks down, and we are shopping. Trish was able to find a pair of super cute rain boots for 5 Euro. To bad she was beat to the punch and there is only one pair in a size 41 Damn. Oh well the sun is out and it is a lovely day to be out on bikes with all the locals. We duck, bob and weave our way on the bikes to the flower market. This place is a paradise for bikers. It is quite difficult to explain the feeling of biking through the streets and over the canals. You can’t help but be smiling the entire time. Everyone is biking and loving it. It is truly a way of life here. Nothing stops the bikers, rain, cold, nothing. You can get anywhere you want quite quickly. Chris seems to have figured out the streets and canals, he bikes like a local.
We saw what we can only call an Amsterdam Mini Van. This has our friends the Yorkins written all over it.
Another great site, is what we refer to as the man of the house taking his wife's car out. We saw a dapper gentlemen, with a bike that included the kid carrier on the front and darling, flashy, flowery saddle bags on the back. This is the life of being a parent in Amsterdam. Pretty sweet.
The flower market was great, we shop around and are amazed by the selection of flowers to purchase or take home and plant. Time to tourist it up. We head for the Van Gogh museum.
The Van Gogh Museum is of course amazing. There are over 200 of his masterpieces to view. He did a lot of work in a short period of time. Vincent may be one our favorite painters with his vivad use of color. We come out of the museum very low in energy. We have not eaten yet and it is getting late in the afternoon. So we zig zag our way through the strrets looking for a lttle cafe for lunch. The one we find is on a back street and cozy. Just the kind of cafe we need in SLC. IT has coffee, breakfast, lunch , good Eventhough we are now refreshed with food and beer we head back to our little houseboat to regroup and plan the evening.
We take a little nap, whynot it is vacattion,and then off to Amsterdam at night. We got a great recommendation for is indonesian restaurant for us to try. If youhave never had Indonesian food, do so immediately. Also watchout, they give a whole lot of food. We weren't sure what we ordered, so when they came and literally filled our table with small plates of food Trish and I were dumbfounded. We looked around and no other tables had quit so many plates as we did. We didn't finish all the food but it was delicious, delectable, yummy!!
Well we are in Amsterdam time to checkout the Redlight district. Not as hopping as I might have thought. I pictured more bars mixed in and happpening. Instead there is the seady area and the really seady area. Most of the bars are on the outside of this area, at least the one that aren't filled with crazy looking guys. I tried to get Trish to go to this IrishPub I saw but she was having none of it. I told her," Live sex show is Dutch for Irish Pub." Still a no go. Not real keen on these bars we decide to head back to our " home neighborhood" when we run into a great jazz bar. Live music and freindly bartenders, as well as a quit old and very freindly director of music. Eveyone there wanted to talk and discuss music. We meet the one band from Argintina and Brazil. They want us to send some photos we took while they played. This bar was hoppin with two bands switching off and no less then 5 muscicians sitting in. It was definetly a jazz "scene". The beer was flollowing as well as the jenivier, a gin like liquor. This seems to be the spot where Trish and I will live when we become expats.
Heading to Amsterdam, hoping to get lost.....
Sunday February 28th
Happy Birthday to Trish. What, more bday gifts? This is going to be a very good day. Pack up our stuff; we have a train to catch. Check some luggage at the station, grab an OJ, Jupiler and a couple croissants, and we are off and running. Three hour train ride to Amsterdam ahead of us. As we venture out into the country, it is a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the city. Old brick homes, lots of lush greenery, and open space. Nice to watch as we chug along to the Nederlands.
Modern windmills in the dutch countryside, is disappointing, we must be near Rotterdam.
We have arrived in Amsterdam.
40% of the population here uses a bicycle for their form of transportation. We shall join the masses. We walked a few canals over to Frederic’s to coordinate our house boat accommodations and the bike rentals. It is pouring rain, but that doesn’t keep us from having a grand time in Amsterdam. And we have only been here for an hour or so. We find the house boat. It is interesting to imagine living on the canal for the next few days. We enter the 12 X 40 Studio; it is away from the hustle bustle of crazy Amsterdam, and in a quiet neighborhood. But with bikes, if we be close to everything. Drop our gear, and off to pick up the bikes.
The bike shop is a short 4 canals away, we have bikes will travel. Off to explore the nooks and crannies of the town. We ride through a great neighborhood that has bars, coffee shops (with actual coffee), restaurants and shopping. We will call this home for the next few days. Lucky us.
We are zipping along the small streets beside the canals look at everything in this amazing city fly by. I'm not sure if we know where we are going but who cares, we'll find something,somewhere. Then bam. Trish runs into me from behind. No injuries so we are back on are way. This time I don't stop so suddenly and Trish watches forward more often. We grab a bite to eat at one of the hundreds of bars in Amsterdam. Great selection of beers and mediocre food. We order a Duval and a La Trappe with our club sandwich and Croquets and Frites. Which in case you are wondering, tasted a lot like Braunschweiger and gravy that had been deep fried. For Haas, yummy, for Trish, more frites please!
This is the second time we have seen clearly that the health dept in Europe is extremely more laid back than the U.S. and not for what you would think. It would seem the Heath department does not care when cats are in bars and restaurants. What is it about a Cat that causes me to be infuriated that they are allowed to be in a place of business, Haas is allergic so he has pulled his steak knife as protection. Now you take the same situation, and a dog in the same situation, and I cheer, wow they are so dog friendly I love it. HHHMMMM
Time to go, we have to log off. We just realized only three pieces of chocolate made it to Amsterdam from Brussels, time to stock up.
The drizzle comes down an in our somber mood and weather, we head to the Anne Frank house. Depressing and amazing all at the same time. We walk through what eight people called home and caught up on our history. What an unbelievable experience.
On the bikes more exploring ahead. We did the canal loop around Amsterdam. Trying to get our bearings for our tourist excursions tomorrow. We find Leidse Plein and Rembrandt Plein, stop to do some shopping and head back to the houseboat to get ready for dinner.
Where to go to dinner? Hard to choose between Lof – a place with no set menu, where the chefs are known to go to the market, spontaneously pick out whatever’s fresh and equally spontaneously figure out what to do with it back at the base. Or, Hostaria – a little piece of Italy, where the owners wait on you in a tiny room that only seats a couple dozen people. We opt for Hostaria, and are not disappointed. We ride a few blocks over in the blustery evening, for some Prosecco and Campari, while we peruse the menu. Tagliatelle with arugula and truffles for Trish and Artichoke ravioli with sage and caramelized butter for Chris. We are certain this meal is as good as or better than our meals in Italy. Top it off with Tiramisu and some koffe and we are ready to find a sports bar to watch the Olympic Hockey game between Canada and USA.
We are able to find a sports bar showing the hockey game. The bar is full of Canadian and US hockey fans. We are down one goal. The place is hoping. Between the nerves of the game and the cheering, Heinekens are going down like water. Best International hockey game since the Miracle on Ice. Unfortunately the US had to lose to Canada. Only one of us has bike lights, but time to weave our way back to the house boat. One small incident, when Trish found an open bar. As she yelled out it was open, Chris stopped suddenly. Since Trish can’t stop, she stands up and lets the bike go. Crash into Chris, and lots of laughing later, the bar isn’t open, so we carry on to the house boat. That is twice for Trish. The first time being right after the bikes on the wet cobble stone. At least this time she didn’t close her eyes. Look out Amsterdam. Great night. See you in the morning.
2/28/10
Brussels has been grand
Saturday February 27th
Second day got our bearings and sleep. Fabulous coffee and breakfast at the hotel and we are off for a walk about. 200 meter from the hotel we stop for a photo with the city as our backdrop. It wouldn't be a vacation with the Haas' without camera trouble. "Photo card full" you have got to be kidding, back to the hotel we go. Two batteries and a charger after the last fiasco yet, back to the hotel we go.
Off again, looking for the Vieux Marche' flea market and the place du Grand Sablon antique market. We stumble upon the antique market and amazed at the items for purchase. Not sure how Chris is going to get that very old record player back to the states. The neighborhood was full of antique shops and second hand stores with fabulous boutiques sprinkled in. This alone is worth moving to Europe. We could have spent a shit ton of cash.
Trish had found a must do "Ma Maison de Papier", the owner Maria was a gem, and what an enthusiast for vintage posters. Can't imagine her inventory of posters. They ranged from sports to alcohol, to publico to movies. And all can be yours starting at about 450 euro. No posters for us, so off we go.
In the area, so we decide to bite the bullet and check out Manneken Pis. Yes he was in fact in costume, gleefully doing what a boy has to do. Surrounded by a throng of tourists. We are in the tourist trap, which means tourist shops, let’s get a waffle. Check. Oh and a little something for our friend Richard. Check.
Wander through Grand Place and find a place for bier and mussels. What a find. 't Kelderke - down in the basement (cellar) of an old hotel, is a fabulous place to grab lunch. Rounded low ceilings, brick walls and tightly fit tables. Feels that you might actually be dining with the couple at the next table. Gueuze, kriek, mussels and frites. Yummy.
Time to get back at it. More places to go. Back to the top of the city. By way of the Palace of Justice. Amazed by the size of this building. But it is more impressive due to the size than actual architecture.
Church
We wander up to the Royal Palace and walk through the Parc deBruxelles.
Off to the European District. A long and I mean long walk away. Although dead on a Saturday it was still an interesting excursion. It is good to note that this district is also surrounded by pubs, fabulous residences, and trendy restaurants; I guess all diplomats like to live well. It was interesting and alarming to see what was probably a very old and interesting neighborhood, completely destroyed for office space, to earn the tag of European Capital. To see the post modern make up of the European Parliament and Convention Center while strolling through an old square that looks lost and forloan, is both sad and inspirational. Seeing all the flags was amazing. Although it lets us know how little we know. We could not say how many countries were in the EU, what they were, nor identify all the flag. Later we came up with 22 of the 28 nations in the EU.
We stroll back to the hotel, to change and go out for the evening. We stopped by the market with hopes of getting bier or wine for the room. Oddly enough the bier was warm and the red wine was chilled. I think I will stick with some gatorade.
Out for the evening we go. Strolling through the Galleries de Herbert, is a nice change for shopping. Not a Gap, Abercrombie, or Aldo in site. Instead shops to buy hats, umbrellas and hand crafted shoes.
Dinner in a great local gem of a restaurant. Great seafood. We were lucky to get in. Reservation full all night, but if could choose quickly, they sat us right now. On the way back to the hotel we stop for a few chocolates. Delicious.
Although we walked for hours and days, it is fair to say, there is much more to see and do in Brussels. We had a great time, but it is agreed, you could stay a couple more days. We can't, we must move on. Let's review ; waffle, beer, mussels, frites, chocolate. Not a bad day.
2/27/10
We have arrived
To celebrate the big 4-0(s), Chris and Trish have landed in Europe. Belgium and Amsterdam are the destinations of choice. The mindset being who could be anxious about getting older when on such a grand adventure!
The flight was relatively uneventful. Forgot what a great pour of wine they give you on an international flight. Thought it would help us sleep, but three movies later and a few dozes we are in Brussels.
Already impressed with the convenience of travel, downstairs from customs, and 12 Euro and we are bound for the city. Off the train looking for the hotel... 50 meters left, 50 meters back right, looking for a landmark or sense of direction, that is part of the fun, figuring it out. Make a guess and what a find our hotel. And only a couple of blocks from the trainstaion and very quaint. Plus the lobby has a self serve bar with a bottle of Jamisons. Who would have guessed. We were able to check in early and freshen up. Rally up, we must hit the town before we crash. We have been awake for 20 hours.
We grabbed the map and went off wandering. Really, it is quite a nice city to walk around.We stop by at the bakery for some pastry and coffee. The streets are tight but also endless cafe and bars in each street.
We wander around the Grand Palace. Great people watching. Who doesn't love a city square that sells flowers in February. Nice little hisory of the city museum, but we are fading fast. Engine must have fuel. Off to the "Bier Circus", for some Belgium strong, Belgium sours and frites. Got a little bump, wander back to the hotel, and dare I say the no no of napping on day one?
Few hours later, refreshed and ready to explore some more.
There is no shortage of cafes and bars as every street we stumble across them. All looking very inviting. We walk the city, unable to choose a stopping place. Maybe it is the haze of jet leg or maybe we are still full of the beer and frites. Brussels has a buzz about it and it was great to just get lost in the streets. Couple of hours later, we find a winner. Le Roy d' Espagne, an old Bakery Guild house turned restaurant. It was built in the 1500's and renovted in the 1905. Dark wood and low ceilings, with little window seats/tables that over look the square. It's quite and amazing place. Although oddly enough, very modern bathrooms, that will cost you .35 Euro.
Off to Bar Delerium. What a treat, all draught beer come from beer faucets dropping from the ceiling. Great selections which comulates in the two liter boot glass beer. A little crazy.
We wander back to the hotel. After returning from a big day out in Brussels we were more then impressed with the city. We felt safe walking though the streets. It's easy to navigate around with the map and there are plenty signs to get to your destination. Looking forward to a fun packed Saturday, starting with a flea market in the morning. Good Night.
2/25/10
Salt Lake International Here we come
The only problem with Starting vacation as soon as we arrived home from work last night is it makes for slow moving this morning. We had a lovely dinner at Sapa with friends then went to the State Room for the James McMurty show. He rocked as expected and Chris treated me to a Champagne toast to kick off the vacation. Thanks all that joined us for a great night out. We are off to the airport and look forward to updating the blog with our travels. We land at 8 am on Friday in Brussels.
What is Belgium known for…umm let me fill you in…the most amazing beer in the world, chocolate, mussels/frits, and waffles (well among other things). Our goal for the is to consume as much of the before mentioned food/drink as possible…while taking in all the sites.
What is Belgium known for…umm let me fill you in…the most amazing beer in the world, chocolate, mussels/frits, and waffles (well among other things). Our goal for the is to consume as much of the before mentioned food/drink as possible…while taking in all the sites.
2/20/10
Belgium Waffles to start the weekend
We started our weekend with a long list of to do's before we can possibly board that flight bright and early on Thursday. To get in vacation mode and the spirit of Belgium, we hit Bruge Waffles and Frites. Pierre was lovely as usual and gave us a few recommendations for our trip. I am ready for the taste test, they were fabulous here in utah.
Finish the packing today and take care of any last minute errands, and we should be wrapped up for our trip by end of the weekend.
Finish the packing today and take care of any last minute errands, and we should be wrapped up for our trip by end of the weekend.
2/7/10
The packing and preparations are well underway..
The countdown has begun, we leave for Europe in 18 days. Chris is of course almost packed and Trish hasn't even started. We have a long list of things to do before we will be ready.
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