Final Full Day in Brussels

Posted on by
Reply

Yes, it was our final full day here. Not only in Brussels. Not only in Belgium. But all of Europe. Am I sad? A bit. Could I have spent more time in Europe? Absolutely! I could easily become a full time traveler. But that can’t be, and so it goes.

I haven’t yet reported on any mishaps, primarily because nothing of note has really happened. Yes, there was a train strike, but that was easily taken care of. Yes, we had to switch from train to bus partway through a ride, but that, too, was easy to do (even though I think they should refund some money due to the train being late and paying for better seats. But our electric toothbrush did stop working. That was annoying. And — horrors! — I ran out of dental floss. But gee, guess what you can buy in Europe if necessary? We bought our little travel toothbrushes which will get us through the remainder of the trip, and Dan says I can use some of his floss, generous man that he is.

Anyway (note, NO “anyways” from yours truly) we woke, readied ourselves, checked the weather ahead of time, donned our rain jackets, and went out. First on our agenda was breakfast, but we just figured we’d get that as we walked out of this area. We were headed to a park. Parc du Cinquantenaire to be precise. It was a decent walk away (the man at the hotel desk had said we could take the Metro, but we much prefer walking when possible). Out we went, and into one place that, as it turned out, only had larger breakfasts than we wanted. So onward! We did find a place on the outskirts of the center, touristy area, and had our rolls and coffee.

Then more walking. We went past a ton of construction, and also past familiar spots like the park from two days ago and some important looking buildings.

And then the rain came. First it was just sprinkles and I wasn’t concerned. (My Woolx pants dry quickly, and with my hood up I was fine: Dan wasn’t as certain for his clothing.) However we did agree the park was probably a bad idea (who likes a soggy park?), and figured we’d go elsewhere. And then the rain came down more. We huddled under a protected space and checked out where another destination of the day was, because it was something indoors. Ah, how convenient! The Metro was right in front of us and it would take us nearby that spot. So down we went and, using our watches, the gate opened, unlike the other day when we tried.

We got out at the Midi station (which is where we’ll need to be tomorrow to catch our train) and at that point the rain had subsided so we could easily walk. The area was clearly not as nice: lots of garbage around, so much run down, and I wondered if we should have checked about the safety of the area, but things I’d read said our next stop was not to be missed.

And then we arrived: it was the Cantillon Brewery & Museum. For a mere 8€ each we could take the self-guided tour. What fun it was! Now, for those of you not at all interested in beer, you might want to skip the next (very numerous) photos. But some may find it interesting.

First we did the tour:

Then we got a tasting of three beers. Very small pours, which was fine by us. And very tasty! The beers (“Lambic” beers) were quite interesting — the first seemed like a cider to me, the second a beer but different than anything I’ve had before, and the third, a raspberry flavor but not overwhelming and awful like the things we’ve had in the states. All were enjoyed, but sadly we couldn’t purchase anything as we have no room in our checked bags for such things.

On the way out I took photos of the bottled beers that I saw.

Then it was time to leave.

When we exited the building the weather was nice so we opted to walk back to lunch, figuring we’d eat somewhere near to the hotel.

We did fairly well, not spending too much or eating too much. That’s two days in a row. Award time.

We walked a bit more after lunch (and by that time the rain was back, but not a ton of it), saw another church as well as other things.

A bit more of a walk.

Then the “award” for our good behavior.

Back at the hotel we enjoyed our treats, and did blogging and reading. Research for dinner was also done by one of us because she likes to plan. We thought a Belgian meal might be the way to go for our final night here: I am not sure we will be able to return in our lifetime, so it just seemed right.

First, though, I packed up as much as I was able to pack. I want to have a very easy time of it when we wake far too early tomorrow morning. We have a 7:17 train to catch, which means a ride to the train station prior to that. Our train ride isn’t long, but it takes us to an airport where we catch our flight.

Then it was time for our whopping one minute walk to dinner. Our reservation was for 19:00, and we walked in the door at 19:00. For me that is just perfection! I had already decided I wanted moules-frites for dinner, but that didn’t stop me from thinking maybe I wanted chicken or fish instead. Thankfully Dan reminded me of what I said only an hour prior and yes, I had the mussels. First was the appetizer and pictured below is Dan’s meal as well. The mussels were quite yummy and now I have had my fill.

After dinner we went to a little shop for a short visit, and then back to the hotel. Dan has suggested a 5;15 wake up call. Works for me, the worrier that we will be late, so 5:15 it is!

Tomorrow night we will be in a different country. Tonight we will attempt sleep.

Goodnight!

Venturing Out

Posted on by
Reply

We woke this morning and after getting ready, leaving our tip for housekeeping, and going down the elevator, we reached the hotel doors, they opened and — oops! — rain! So back up we went to get our rain jackets. Then back to the elevator.

Oh but WAIT! I’ve yet to report on our elevator. The first time I entered it I nearly walked into myself! The back wall is like an extremely clean mirror, but rather golden. (Hey, that means I’m a golden girl, I suppose. Hm. Okay, not as funny as it should be, but oh well.) Dan nearly walked into himself this morning. Funny!

We then walked the little jaunt to the train station. It’s much quicker when you only have a daypack rather than a daypack and a backpack. Nice!

We bought our senior citizen round-trip-even-if-you-don’t-need-that tickets for 8.50€ (we do actually need the round trip today) and boarded the train on spoor (track) 2 once it arrived (it was about ten minutes late, but who’s complaining?). The ride wasn’t terrifically long and only had one stop before our final destination.

So then we arrived.

Hello Gent! Or Ghent.!Or Gand! (You choose which language you prefer — it was even Gaund in English in the past, or so I’ve read.)

Once again we marveled at the bikes. (If you recall, I took a photo from the train when we passed through Gent (or Ghent, or Gand, or even Gaund … and I promise to stop my silliness now) on our way to Brussels. Well, this time we could really get close.

I always look forward to seeing what the train stations look like.

When we got outside the station (where there was not a drop of rain to be felt!) what did we see? More bikes. And more, and more. I think I saw more bikes here than I did in Amsterdam, but that could be because it was raining so much there I didn’t really look around to see where they were keeping them. Who knows?

We had about a twenty-five minute walk to the older part of town. Again, easy-peasy with no backpacks.

Then it was just a bunch of walking around, and eventually finding a place for a bite. As is the norm, we wandered quite a bit to find that perfect lunch. Looking for high quality, not too many people, but not barren because that would mean it wasn’t good. Not too expensive, but cheap would mean, well, cheap. We really do laugh at ourselves when we are doing the food search thing! We actually managed to find a spot, though, and also managed to keep the cost down with our lunch this time. (Thus, a reward will later be found.) Mind you, it wasn’t an epicurean delight, but it was just fine.

After lunch we walked …

… until we reached to St. Bavo’s Cathedral.

From there we ambled over to Graffiti Street. (I apologize if there are any offensive words or images … I may have missed something! I do try to avoid certain things.)

Then over to Gentse Sint-Niklaaskerk (St. Nicholas Church) where, sadly, the Calvinists of earlier time had a way with things and destroyed a lot. I’ve seen that at other places as well. Hurts my heart to think of what “we” did. We did a bit of photography but it looked like a small group of people were worshiping, so we didn’t do much. There was no priest, and it appeared to be led by two elderly women. I’m not sure if it was a scheduled service (doubtful) or just that a group of people came and wanted to do what they were doing. In any case, we didn’t stay long.

Then we walked to Sint-Michielskerk (Saint Michael’s Church). It was in the midst of some major renovations, but still they were allowing people in. (Most work so far appeared to be on the outside.) There was a recording of what I can only assume were nuns singing and oh my did that monophonic music get monotonous … but it’s “sticky”: I had it in my head for nearly our entire walk back to the train station!

At that point we decided it was time to go back to Brussels.

We got to our spoor (spoor 10 if you are curious but then it was spoor 10 even if you aren’t curious) and the train was right there waiting for us. We had a very uneventful ride, although the man across from us had his bare feet on the seat in front of him which I found a bit odd, and the young woman sitting across from us asked me to watch her pack as she left for a few minutes which I thought risky on her part, but I suppose two older people looked like grandparents to her and what grandparents could be dishonest and steal anything?!

Back to Brussels.

Back to our room …

WAIT?! What about that treat we deserved for spending less and eating less for lunch? So yes, we dropped by a chocolate shop and bought our treats. But our treats only came to 6€ so I think we were still being pretty good … for us, at least. The family purchasing a big bag of things right before us spent 124.25€ on their treats. (I actually suspect they were gifts they were taking home with them.) I’d share a photo of our chocolate treats but we ate them and I only thought about the photo after the fact.

Then it was blogging and catch up with email time.

Next up? Dinner time. No worries this time! I looked up places nearby, we chose an Italian restaurant, and we were there after a whopping 20 minute or so walk. Our dinners were yummy. I only remembered to take photos after we began eating and pasta is not terrifically photogenic, but so be it.

So that’s that. We are back in our room, I’ve uploaded photos and videos, and it’s early — only 21:40. Too early to try to sleep after all that food, so I guess I’ll play a few games or do a jigsaw puzzle. But for now I wish you all a very good night (even though for most readers I suspect it’s not yet quite that time).

Ciao!

Tuesday in Brussels

Posted on by
Reply

So with no plans at all, we woke and sat around for a bit on our various devices before going in search of a light breakfast. (I still can’t quite wrap my head around the difference in a breakfast in Belgium and a breakfast in Spain or Portugal: it’s more than twice as much here — it’s more like the US.)

Um … did I say light breakfast? Oops.

But hey, we will just skip lunch. That will make up for the yummy breakfasts we had. Besides, it was 10:40 by the time we ate, so lunch wouldn’t be needed. Right?

After that we went to check out a few of the “must sees” we had on a list. I will end this group of photos with the first of those. We arrived at the fountain to find tour groups there, and when they left some people just had to get their photo taken with the little guy (Manneken-Pis) Funny the things that become tourist attractions, don’t you think?

Our walk continued. I saw another marker for a Camino. (From here to Santiago de Compostela is one very long Camino!)

Right after that we heard music. There was piano. There was saxophone. I’m not sure if the video will catch the music much but we’ll see after I post it!

And then it was … well duh! Look where we are! Heh.

We continued our walk until we reached Église Notre-Dame au Sablon (Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon).

We went inside and of course I took a lot of photos.

From there we walked through Egmont Park and over to the Palace.

And then we saw a changing of the guard. (Posting more than you might care to see, but I won’t know you skipped some so you’re off the hook. Breathe easy! But darn, I can’t turn you in the the palace police!)

When we walked through the park across the street there were tons of students and most were sitting around eating, but some were filling out something in a little booklet. I suspect they were all out doing some sort of assignment. I’m just guessing, though. Maybe they were writing poetry. Maybe they were reporting on pesky tourists.


It was windy, and we both were hit hard by our allergies. (Later on I got a closer look at a tree in bloom and my guess is that was the culprit.)

The walk continued, and we reached a viewpoint right near what we believe to be a police headquarters or some such thing. We walked along the side of the building, thinking it would take us to the street. Nope. Dead end. I told Dan the people in the building probably get a laugh at all of us tourists thinking that goes out to the street and we all have to turn back, retracing our steps (the final photo in this collection).

We walked by a botanical garden, or so it seemed. Going inside though, I read something that said it was no longer a botanical garden, which had moved elsewhere, because of the damage due to so much construction in the area. (It did appear to be nearly surrounded by construction.)

I had seen a church in the distance so I suggested we walk there. As we walked we saw wasn’t in the most lovely part of town. There was more garbage, and it was just rather dirty. Arriving at the church we found it wasn’t even open. I suppose I should have looked it up before walking all that way!

At that point Dan set up his map so that we’d make it back to our hotel, and off we went.

No lunch, of course, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have frites and beer, right?

In addition we had been such good children all day long — no whining about the distance we’d walked, no saying, “Are we there yet?!” — we decided a treat was in order. Or maybe it’s just that we had had one kind of waffle in Bruges and we wondered what these ones (in the Brussels style) would be like. Obviously they were extremely nutritious because there is banana on them. For the record I did not order mine with cream, but some guy sitting across from me shared his.

We came back to our hotel room for a bit. I managed to blog and even get photos up. I still puzzle over the whole issue with photos: sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. I’m not sure if it’s a WordPress issue, a connection issue, or an iCloud issue. I’m sure that is incredibly interesting to all readers. Or maybe not.

We already had figured out where we’d eat dinner tonight, believe it or not. It wasn’t your typical Belgian dinner, but instead we went for Thai food. I’d seen a good review for this spot, and it was nice and close. When we got there it was easy to get a seat inside, so I’m sure it was meant to be! The food was good, and it was nice to have a change of flavors. And yes, I took a photo of my dish: I liked the elephants, and I wonder if the other part that looks like wrinkled skin is deliberate or just an old plate. It does look like elephant skin to me.

Back to our hotel we went. The crowds were certainly out at this point!

I still had three pieces of chocolate from yesterday’s purchase, so I shared with Dan and that sufficed for our dessert. Truth is, one piece of this rich chocolate is often all I can handle!

Tomorrow we very well may take a day trip somewhere. We have two options, and I think I know what we have chosen, but I’m not absolutely certain. Stay tuned!

Goodnight for now!

Off We Go (Again)!

Posted on by
2

We are (soon to be were) staying in a place with no blackout curtains and, in fact, the room is incredibly bright in the morning because the white, rather cheap, blinds seem to bring in tons of light. I love light, but the light wakes us up earlier than we are currently used to. I think this hotel could use blackout drapes or they could put a curtain up between the sleeping area and the living area and all would be well. It’s not a huge issue, but I’m surprised they haven’t thought of that! I think they should hire me. My only requirement is that payment would be a week’s stay. That’s not asking too much, right?

But so our day began … earlier than usual, but that doesn’t mean we got dressed and went out earlier. Nothing is open, after all, so we couldn’t get any coffee aside from the coffee provided in our room. ​

While we waited to get out for our morning breakfast Dan worked on his computer (I’m assuming he was updating his journal) and I packed. I just like to be ready incredibly early, as you must know by now. I also did a few of my games (the Wordle steak continues, and I have a mini-streak with Connections). While all this was going on the dove’s cooing had an addition: somewhere close by construction is going on. Loudly. That’s one way to get us out of the room! Dan just had a few things to do (he doesn’t seem to want to go out in his pjs), and then out we went.

We went a different direction, away from the historic center, and had our breakfast in Antoine’s. Surely you know it. Or not. I had my cappuccino as well as carrot cake. Yes. Cake. Don’t judge. (Or is it too late to make that request?) We’ve noticed cake being served at breakfast while on this trip, but this was the first time I tried some. It wasn’t as sweet as our carrot cake at home, and it was quite good.

After breakfast we walked just a bit, investigating this new (to us) area. Nothing remarkable, but I always enjoy a walk.

Then back to our room so Dan could do his journaling — something I thought he was doing earlier. I was wrong — unbelievable, but true. Or maybe too believable. Hm?

Finally it was time to get to the train station. Not that our tickets are for a specific time. Our senior tickets apparently are for any time after 9:00, and if I understand correctly we could even go to our next destination and come back here for the same price as a one way ticket. The price for any senior ticket is 8.50€ which seems like quite the deal. (And did I already write about that? Oh probably ….)

We checked out of the hotel, thanked and said our goodbyes to the owner, and went to the metro station. Dan had done his research: we weren’t about to pay that over 30€ fee again! It was fairly easy to find our (underground) train, and we boarded. Due to Dan’s research we knew we could use our watches to pay. Or so he, and later I, read. We tried a number of times and couldn’t get the machine to read things. I tried my phone. Nope. So we just gave up and figured we’d explain our issue to the person who checks for tickets. That person never came. Whew! But honestly (I mean honestly!) we would have been happy to pay. Dan reread the instructions later on and we did follow them completely! (But maybe this makes up a little bit for the costly taxi ride?)

Reaching the train station we found out what track we needed to reach, and looked a bit for a possible lunch spot, but nothing appealed so we just waited by our track. It wasn’t a long wait in any case.

We got on our train and the ride (probably about forty minutes) went just fine. After we exited the tunnel at the station I noticed it was raining. Of course our weather apps said no rain today. I did see a few young men play the ticket-taker-avoidance game, but that was actually unnecessary: no one ever checked out tickets. A young woman came by at one point, leaving us a card in Dutch. We had the same thing happen on our way to Brugge although that time it was a young man. The card (run through the translation app) says they are from a different country and goes on a bit and of course they want money. Eventually they come back, waiting and hoping for money, and then they take the card back. Here in Belgium we do see people sitting down with signs asking for money, but aside from the two on the train I don’t recall anyone actually coming up to us. Oh … but I may have neglected to correct myself about earlier: I think I wrote that no one came up to us (but was it in Spain, Portugal, or both?) and should have updated that since later some people did get a bit more forward about asking for money. Sad times for so many.

I did take only a few shots before, during, and after the train ride. And yes, I still love trains!

And then we arrived at our final European destination.

Hello Brussels!

We decided we could handle the 1/2 mile walk to the hotel, so we made our way there. So much to see already!

We checked in, and since the room wasn’t ready we dropped off our packs and went to find lunch. We ended up on the Grand-Place, which is a major tourist spot, but of course it’s something one must see. When it began to sprinkle we decided we just had to get in to the nearest decent place and that’s just what we did. The man who seated us (perhaps the owner … he seemed like it) was very nice and quite funny. That seems to be the norm in this country. after lunch we walked some more.

Shorty after these photos we were walking but Dan stopped suddenly because a woman was taking a photo of her friend. Another couple — younger than us, but who isn’t? — ran up to join the photo as a joke. Then Dan pretended he was going to as well and the person taking the photo gestured (I don’t think she spoke English and I’m guessing she spoke a kind of Chinese) as if to say, “join them!” So we both did. I’m sorry, now, that I didn’t think to have her take a photo with my camera a well. Darn!

Just a bit more walking transpired and only a few photos were made.

When we got back to our hotel we could get into our room. It’s a fine room, and while there is noise outside it’s not at all bothersome in the room itself. Oh, and the amenities basket has four “vanity kits” this time. I’m trying not to read anything into that, but I’m vain enough to think it has something to do with me.

But let’s talk about showers, shall we? I can’t tell you how many showers I’ve used that leak water outside the shower on to the bathroom floor. It drives me bonkers. Yes, more bonkers than I already am. Really.

And yes, I took a shower and did a small amount of laundry. Dan napped. Later I continued with today’s entry. (And again we have a problem with loading photos. It’s odd since I do have a good connection at this hotel.) Dan showered. And did some laundry. He even used his little portable clothesline and hung things up in the shower.

That is how exciting we are.

Eventually we decided it was time to do the dinner hunt. We both had looked up restaurants online, but hadn’t decided what we wanted or where we’d land. I just knew I did not want fries again. So off we went. And we saw so many restaurants: Indian, Thai, Italian, French, and the doesn’t-quality-as-decent-food McDonald’s and KFC. Of course there were other places as well. Nothing, as I told Dan, was calling out, “Patty, Patty, Patty”, so we kept walking. (He’s a patient sort, I must admit!)

Finally, as we were heading back the way we came, I suggested going down a side street. There we did see a place that looked nice (and they had duck!) but I thought it was too expensive. Dan, being wise and all, reminded me that things were just going to cost more here. Belgium is most definitely not Portugal or Spain! So while we walked by the “duck place” we went right back and were taken inside to a table for two. Decision made.

My duck was different than I’m used to. It was between two layers of potato, and there was a sweet sauce around it. And wow … vegetables! I don’t think I’ve had broccoli on this trip before, nor cauliflower. What a treat! Dan had the seared ahi. Here they really cook it through a lot more than at home, but I tasted it and it was yummy. (I took two photos of Dan as well and it is so very odd but they have disappeared! I know I took them … I even showed them to Dan. It’s a mystery, but I guess no one will ever see them. Rats!)

Then, because one must do what one must do, we had to buy chocolate for dessert. From there the walk back to our hotel was quick.

As I type this I see Dan has devoured his. I ate on of mine (I have three left). I’m not sure if that means he won or I did. I’ll have to think on that.

And now it’s getting late and I’m tired. I’m not sure yet what tomorrow will bring, but you can bet I’ll write about it and post our adventures tomorrow night. I’m predictable that way.

Bonne nuit!

Sunday in Antwerp

Posted on by
Reply

I really should be more careful about planning trips: having our only full day in Antwerp on a Sunday might not have been the smartest thing to do. Still, we found things open (and were surprised that an organ concert would occur at 11:45 in the morning at a cathedral!).

(Side note: I feel rather short here. There are a whole lot of tall women in Antwerp, it seems. Go

And now to our day: We woke (obviously — I wouldn’t be typing this if I never woke up) and I did a search on coffee shops because a number aren’t open on Sunday. I saw absolutely zero that opened before 8:30, and most opened at 10:00. So the 8:30 choice was our first destination. By the time we got there it was after 9:00, but since that was our destination it’s where we went. We of course had our coffees and extremely healthy rolls. I laughed at the note at the bottom of the menu.

Then the church bells went off. For a long time. I only recorded them for a short while, but you get the idea.

Following that we walked toward the water. First on our list was the Het Steen Castle. I had read that it was something to be seen on the outside, but that we could skip the inside tourist bit, so that’s what we did.

Right next to the no-longer-really-a-castle was this area that is being worked on. It’s rather large, and we wondered if it was the area that was bombed during WWII. (Dan had read that they got hit hard near at the river.) I’ll have to read up on it, but I can tell that eventually it’s going to be a huge spot and I think it’ll be quite nice. Odds are we will never see it, though. There is a memorial with a lot of names to those who died in the war (or wars?) And there is a larger memorial with a statue as well. Anyway, I’ll just post all that I took from that area here and from our walk back into the old district.

We walked to St. Paul’s, but there was a mass going on so we couldn’t enter. (We did hear the organ playing for a bit, though.)

Then more walking …

Until we reached a place of utmost importance.

From there we crossed the square and went into De Kathedraal (Church of Our Lady) because I had read there would be an organ recital at 11:45. I wasn’t sure which organ would be playing at first (there is one in the back of the cathedral and one toward the front) but when we figured that out we sat in seats where we could see the organ — but of course we couldn’t see the musician until the end, when he took his bow. Prior to the start someone came and spoke to us. In Dutch. Now maybe he said, “Don’t applaud until the end.” I don’t know, but I sort of hope so since that’s what happened. We heard six works, including one by the organist himself, Wannes Vandrhoeven, but there was absolute silence between the works and I wasn’t going to be the one to break that silence! (I used to have to do that on occasion at concerts at UCSC when I was teaching there: students were too afraid to applaud until someone started it. But that was not my job today.)

After the recital we spent some time inside the cathedral.

Then we walked over to Het Elfde Gebod (The Eleventh Commandment). I had read that it was a very old place, and one should get a drink there. We actually had lunch as well. It is definitely a place with character. Lots and lots of character.

From there we went a direction we hadn’t gone before, just to see what we might find. It included signs that made me smile, so I include them here.

Then, in keeping with our tradition, we went back to our hotel for some blogging and siesta time. Plus coffee and chocolates. When we got to our room we saw that it had been tidied just a wee bit. I thought if we didn’t put the little tassle on the outside of the door it would mean we didn’t need housekeeping, but I might have misunderstood. The room was barely in need of cleaning, but oh well.

While we were in our room I decided to file for our late train money. Heh. Never mind. Renfe says I get no refund and seems to imply the train wasn’t late. That’s so not true, but how can one argue? So much for the train guarantee. But so it goes — I can’t let that ruin a fabulous trip, can I? Nope. That won’t happen! I’ll just have to have an extra piece of chocolate. Chocolate fixes so many things!

We did purchase train tickets for tomorrow from the Antwerp Central Station to … well you know I’m not going to say! You have to wait for that. Besides, maybe something will happen and we won’t get there. You never know!

After hanging out in our room for a bit we decided to go to dinner. We’d looked online for suggestions, and yesterday I’d gotten some from the owner of this place where we are staying, but what he suggested was over what we wanted to pay, and what we saw online didn’t scream “HERE” to us, so we just opted to walk back to the touristy part of the area and see what we found.

We found Italian food.

Yep, we ate pasta in Belgium. But hey, I’ll just bet the Belgians eat pasta as well, so whatever. I ordered the penne arabiata and, indeed it was angry. As in spicy. But good spicy. Dan had something with shrimp that was spicy as well, but I think mine won. At the end of our meal the waiter brought is limoncello for free, so who can turn that down? (And having it again made me wonder what I’m doing wrong with the stuff I made at home, as it isn’t nearly as good.)

Dinner was good, but, well, um … okay, okay, I confess we also had gelato. Because. (That’s the only good reason I can give you but isn’t because enough?)

As we were getting our gelato two men from the area were buying theirs and somehow we ended up chatting. They were quite friendly. One told us he had visited the states when he was younger and enjoyed it but, and he apologized then to me for what he was going to say, he was disappointed because he was at “that age” and he met no girls. It was pretty funny!

Finally back to the hotel we went. I only took this one photo and earlier the statue holding up his fingers was holding something. Something that wasn’t part of the statue — it just looked like some pipes or something to me, but perhaps it meant something to the person who put it there. Who knows? This time that was gone so someone must keep an eye on things and remove any additions! (I think of those orange cones on the statues in Glasgow.)

We don’t have to pack tonight since we don’t have to check out until 11:00. But of course I’m already nearly packed because control freak me does that. When we are on a trip I always set out whatever I’m going to wear the next day after getting in pjs, and then I pack everything but toiletries and pjs. It’s just how I operate. I’m goofy that way.

As I type this final bit I am hearing horrendous pounding, which I am assuming is music of some sort and I’m hearing the bass and/or drums. I can’t tell if it’s above us or somewhere outside, but I am hoping it doesn’t continue for too long. I do have one advantage over some people, though: if it keeps on going I’ll just sleep on the side that means my nearly deaf ear is exposed and I probably won’t hear a thing. It’s that silver lining thing.

Goodnight for now … and see you when we reach our next destination!

PS The pounding has stopped!

Goodbye Bruges

Posted on by
2

We began our day with our 7:00 alarm because we were meeting up in Jan and Greg’s room for pastries and coffee (thanks, you two!). They needed to get on the road early, as they had a long drive ahead of them. We then said our goodbyes until next time (which happens to be this coming November, but not in either their neck of the woods — as in Heidelberg — or ours). I’m just so very glad we could meet up for this brief time!

We didn’t yet have our train scheduled, but it appeared easy to figure out (wish I’d investigated this prior to our Brussels to Bruges train because I think we paid quite a bit more than necessary … hindsight!). Dan was (I think) writing in his journal so, since I was packed once we brushed our teeth (I’m the carrier of the toothbrush and toothpaste: it’s a tough job, but I am willing to go the extra mile) I sat around a bit. Dan suggested I go out on a walk while he packed and that sounded like an excellent idea to me.

I went out our hotel door and, for the first time, turned left instead of right. Flowers were there, calling out to the camera, and then I continued on my way. Obviously we didn’t explore nearly anywhere close to the All of It in our area. Ah well. Too late now!

Dan met up with me while I was walking (we use “Find My” to locate each other — it’s very handy on trips like this!), and we walked only small bit more and then went back to the room so we could gather up everything and go to check out. Then we only had to wait for the cab.

The drive to the train station was uneventful, Dan paid the driver (who mentioned a tip, which is the first time we’ve been asked, I think), Dan paid said tip, and then into the station we went.

We had time to spare (very good for my stress level), so we bought lunch there, sat and ate that. Not bad for train station food!

When it was close to time went up to track #9. Shortly after the train arrived, and in we went. We are in second class (gasp!) and it is absolutely fine. I only took a few photos — train photos are just so meh. You’ll see a photo of my backpack between seats. I just wanted to show that and explain that the racks above are frequently incapable of holding our packs (or people’s roller luggage) and I was shown some time ago about putting them between seats. Just a little fyi.

We arrived at our new city …

Hello Antwerp!

Dan said he’d read about the train station: the trains tunnel in so they could keep the old station above. It’s very cool!

We called a cab, having decided we hadn’t quite figured out the tram. That was a costly mistake! For the short ride (but somewhat traffic-filled) we spent over 31€. Ouch! I commented on the expense and the driver (very nice man from Afghanistan — he told us he had worked for the US, British, and Belgians during the war and I’m betting he had no choice but to leave his country. Maybe Dan will clarify if I’m getting this wrong!) showed me the posted notice on the window and explained they raised the price because drivers had been (if I understood him correctly) kind of vying for rides and it was unpleasant. Or something like that. I didn’t tell him that paying 31€ for a short ride in a slow moving machine was unpleasant as well. What good would it do?

And then to our hotel. Or inn. Or whatever this is called. Our room is huge. And nearly everything is just out in the open — the tub, the shower, and it has a mini-kitchen (as if we’d cook). Thankfully the toilet has a solid door. Call me old and boring, but I prefer to have more privacy. I had written to the place when I was figuring out where to stay because the best room, on the top floor, clearly had a toilet that was fully visible by anyone else in the room. No thanks!

We ate our little chocolates that were on our bed — hooray, marzipan! — sat around a bit, and eventually decided it was time to explore. We are just outside the old part of the city and, in fact, Dan says this is the fashion district. I do hope they don’t kick us out! We walked outside and … yikes is it warm here! I’m a fan of upper 50°s and 60°s. But 77°? No thanks! Alas, I will have to cope.

There are some astounding buildings, and the most so is the church near the square, the Cathedral of our Lady. It’s nearly impossible to get a photo it’s so tall. We haven’t gone inside yet, but I’m thinking that might happen tomorrow. We continued our walk until we decided a snack was in order.

From there we ambled our way back to our room. It’s going to take me some time to adjust to this heat, I think.

We took a rest in our room, and eventually decided we should get dinner. In all honesty I could have skipped dinner after our snack, but I know I’m odd that way. As we left the hotel I noticed a man going out was carrying an umbrella. Really?! Well, turns out there actually was a chance of rain, the weather had cooled slightly, and it was pretty comfortable outside.

Now there are so very many places to eat, but us being us, we really couldn’t figure out where to go. Being in the tourist section so much is overpriced, and other things are rated poorly. Eventually we just decided to go to a burger place called Manhattn (yes, really), and have chicken burgers. Believe it or not I’ve had so many fries I opted for the cole slaw instead! I’m hoping that tomorrow we choose something a little more interesting, but I think a train ride and a cab ride and just being a bit out of it meant we had little energy to really get creative or adventurous.

Back to the hotel we went. You can barely notice the door to this place, and yes, there are stairs, but there is also an elevator. We are superior in case you are wondering. (Deluxe costs more.) I like being superior in my humble sort of way. The last photo below is looking down from our floor. Just because.

It’s now only a bit after 21:00, and as I’m rather full I’ll have to try and stay up longer or I’ll not sleep well at all. I’ll sign off here, though.

Goodnight!

Final Full Day in Bruges

Posted on by
4

After our typical slow start we went in search of breakfast. We found a table for four at the Verdi Restaurant … or maybe we were in the Tea Room. Who knows? I had a simple breakfast of two rather sad slices of toast (I thought they would be a bit nicer than they were, but whatever) and a cappuccino. While we ate we heard (no surprise) snippets from Verdi operas. Outside were what appeared to be very musical frogs.

From there we opted to go in search of the loading spot for a boat tour on the canal.

We bought our 15€ each boat tickets and waited for our “ship” to come in. The tour guide spoke several languages, but I must confess I could barely understand him even when he spoke in English between my bad ear, the mic, and the general noises nearby. So it goes. It was a pretty ride, and we saw a few things we wanted to later check out.

After the ride we were planning on finding a place to sit and enjoy a beer (it’s’ Belgium, after all), but first we saw a church so we opted to go in. We soon found out it was a church-turned-museum. We looked around a small amount, but then opted not to pay the fee to see more and went back outside.

Walking more, we ended up at a place we had seen from the boat tour. Beers and Padron peppers were ordered and enjoyed. We had hoped for fries, but it didn’t appear that they had them. This meant we would “have” to take another stop somewhere later to get those. As we sat there the sun would come and go, but no rain! The people sitting in the next table over offered to take photos for us (on Greg’s camera: mine are from Dan and his nice long arm that can manage to get us all into the frame). Then “we” (primarily Greg and Dan) chatted with them for a while. My bad ear was aimed toward them, so I missed some things, but I believe the woman was from the Netherlands and the man from Germany. I could very well have gotten that wrong, though.

More walking transpired, and of course more photos were taken.

We entered one area where we were instructed to be quiet. It was a place where, in the 13th century, emancipated women who dedicated themselves to God resided. It is still a place for nuns and single women. It was so very quiet there, and quite peaceful.

Now, keeping in mind that we had not gotten our much deserved fries, we found a place that would serve them. You’d think it would be easy, but some places didn’t have them, so we walked until we found a place. It was … um … interesting: bras were hanging from the ceiling and many coasters were signed and on the walls. I suspect some women offer up their bras and maybe it’s for a free beer or something. Who knows? No beer for Jan and me this time: the one from earlier seemed stronger than we expected, so sparkling water was our drink of choice! I should have taken a photo of the bathroom area out back but neglected to do so. (I wasn’t interested in the ceiling with bras, nor was I willing to sacrifice mine. Breathe a sigh of relief if you’d like!) But back to the bathrooms — one sign pointed to the right and read, “Women are always right,” while the other pointed left and read, “Men to the left.” Yep! Truth.

More walking, and then we entered the Sint-Salvatorskathedraal. I had seen it on the map and it showed a few photos that made it seem rather interesting. And it was. We saw a few things there that were in yesterday’s parade, a few organs, and of course lots of stained glass.

By that time it was nearing 16:00, so we decided it was back to our hotel for a bit of rest. I even managed to sleep a bit. And suddenly it was time to leave for our dinner at Curiosa. I had booked dinners for both nights here because of the festivities yesterday and the warning from our hotel that restaurants fill quickly on weekends. Sure enough, we we got to the restaurant it said it had no openings, so I’m really glad I had made reservations. The place was, as far as I’m concerned, quite special. It was down some steep stairs, very quiet, and not all that many tables were there (and some never did fill up). As far as we could tell the server was the only person working. Was he also the cook? We wondered! The food was delicious and the ambience lovely. And the huge thing? I didn’t have to struggle to hear conversation! I’m just sorry I didn’t take a photo of the place itself, as it was really fun.

Before going back to the hotel we picked up a few pieces of chocolate. I decided to hang on to mine — I’m too stuffed to eat another bite! We also took some final photos.

Tomorrow we sadly must say goodbye to Jan and Greg. This has been a whirlwind of a visit, but I’m so very glad they drove here to meet up with us!

Goodnight … and tuned for tomorrow’s city!

Thursday in Bruges

Posted on by
4

(Note: slow internet may mean some photos aren’t working at this point. I will try to fix things when the connection is better.)

Once we got moving (long after Greg had already gone out and investigated) we went to find breakfast. Not much was alive at this time of day, on a holiday in Bruges. It’s Ascension Day, and later today there would be the Heilig Bloedprocessie or Procession of the Holy Blood. Many places were closed, and they were setting up a huge stands in the market square and putting up barricades for the whole route. But we walked, found the place Greg had seen earlier, and bought our pastries and coffees. Goodbye low prices. Belgium is not cheap! But the pastries were delicious, and our server was quite delightful, very friendly and ready to joke around with us. No food photos below, but just some from our walk and yes, there is a Tupperware store here.

Then we walked. And walked. It wasn’t a sunny day in Bruges and, eventually, it was misty enough that one might call it rain. My glasses certainly thought so, and I neglected to wear a raincoat or hat, nor did I bring my umbrella. Ah well. At least it wasn’t freezing.

One thing you have to learn in each city is whether a pedestrian has a right of way or a vehicle. Here it appears the vehicles do, so one has to be a bit careful when out walking.

We did find a special little spot for the boys. (HAH!)

Someone had written that the church where we saw this (St. Anne’s) was the “strangest in the city”. Hm. We couldn’t enter so if it was about the inside we didn’t see it, but maybe it was because of the “facilities” for the men attached to it? Dunno!

More walking …

We finally thought it was getting wet enough that we wanted to find a lunch spot. After wandering through extremely tourist centered places we got to a place Greg had remembered from earlier (maybe yesterday?) and it was really nice inside, warm, and the food was tasty, although there was much to much of it and they made it clear on the menu that there was no sharing! Still, it was good to be inside, we finally got some nice photos of each other, and it was a relaxing, though rather expensive, time. When we went to pay I suggested we put it on two cards, splitting it in half, and the guy we were going to pay said, “No splitting. Welcome to Belgium!” I couldn’t tell if he was being blunt or funny, but it was clear that we are in a different country and the thought of splitting or sharing was now out of the question. At least in some places. I am having to readjust due to the expense of it all. And to think we go from this to New York, where it will, most likely, cost even more! I think I’d rather move in the opposite directions so I wonder if I need to think of that when planning the next trip. Hmmm.

We went back to the hotel for a bit of a rest, and since it had been cleaned I could grab a photo or two of our room.

Then it was out to see if we could catch some of Heilig Bloedprocessie. And, indeed, we could. From start to finish, in fact. It is a fairly amazing thing to see, and you can read about it, if you are interested. It begins with police, but soon moves to various Biblical events, starting with Adam and Eve, and ending with the resurrection. Eventually it moves to other things, including various dignitaries and priests and more. It is a fascinating thing to watch, and the number of people, instrumentalists, animals, costumes … well, let’s just say I was rather amazed. I took gobs of photos and videos.

I could add more, but I suppose that’s enough for now.

We decided to go back to our rooms to freshen up for a very brief moment. Since the room had been cleaned I finally remember to grab a few photos.

Soon it was to to go to dinner. We’d been warned that this particular day could mean difficulty in finding a spot to eat so I had made reservations a few days ago at a place called Breydel DeConinc. What a wonderful meal it was! I would say I ate too much but that’s getting boring so I won’t tell you I ate too much even though I did. You’re welcome.

Taking a small bit of time we looked at the nearby square.

Shortly after the detour, we walked back to the hotel, and enjoyed some wine at Jan and Greg’s premier room. (Ours is simply too plain, small, and humbling so we dare not offer to serve glasses here. 😉 ) I mean REALLY … this room …

I’m not sure what’s up for tomorrow. A canal boat ride? Some churches? Something else? Who knows? This is a fun city just to roam in, so that works too.

Bonne nuit!

Goodbye Bilbao … Hello …

Posted on by
Reply

Today was definitely a very late start day. The locals were eating when we went out, which hasn’t been the norm. Maybe we are learning to relax a bit? Heh.

We wound up at the Plaza Nueva, and enjoyed our coffees and choices of breakfast food. I’ve no clue what Dan had, but my croissant was so large he had to do me a favor and finish it for me. (But the angle from which this is taken makes his treat look rather small and it really wasn’t quite like that. Honest!)

We had asked the desk if we could have a late checkout due to our later, 16:55 flight, but that was denied, but they told us they could hold our luggage for us, so that worked too. Up to our room we went, and did a variety of wasting time kind of things, and packing (but hey, I had already done that … some other person had to do a lot more. Hah!) before we went downstairs prior the checkout time of noon. We got to the desk at 11:58. No one was there. Okay, can’t be our fault if it’s after noon, but yours truly always gets uptight about time. When someone finally showed up she immediately knew our room number. I have a feeling she had us pegged for annoying tourists or something, but who knows?

Then we took a walk in a direction we had yet to go, and ended up climbing up a hill for a pretty good view! We spotted the funicular we took the other day (final photo).

Then back to the hotel. We figured we could eat at the airport lounge, saving a bit of money as well. We collected our luggage, grabbed a taxi (not literally), and took a short but somewhat costly ride to the airport. (I do wonder if Uber would have been less, and we knew we could take a train and then a bus but we went for simple and easy.)

We checked our larger bags (required not only because of our trekking poles but because this plane said we wouldn’t be allowed as much carryon luggage), and went through security in pretty much no time, even while we had to take all electronic devices and cameras out of our bags and I had to remove my sweater and scarf. But hey, shoes could stay on.

Up to the lounge we went, and food was had. Even the lounge had 0.0% beer. It appears it’s everywhere.

We had gotten to the airport with a lot of time to spare, so that meant blogging, resting, and time for coffee and sweets too.

Finally on to the plane we went. And oh my, the woman to my left, who spoke English much better than we could speak French, had a long story to tell about her car rental and getting charged for damage. She was a character, for sure.

The flight was non-eventful, and since I was in the middle seat I didn’t get photos, aside from before the woman arrived and when she went back to talk to her partner.

We landed, got out of the plane, bought an expensive bottle over water (nearly $4!), and … hello Brussels! But not for long. We had a long walk to the baggage area, collected our bags eventually, and walked to the train we needed to take. With help from a very kind young man we got tickets, first to the south Brussels station and eventually to our next destination. Oh … and three of the photos below (the last three) are of bikes … like SO many bikes. I am not sure if you can see them, but I’m hoping you can make them out. This was at the train station in Ghent, I think.

Hello Bruges!

We took a cab to our hotel, and then … hooray … after getting to our room we met up with Jan and Greg (for those who don’t know, my sister-in-law and my brother). Let the fun begin! Sadly I didn’t even think to take a photo of them or our room, but after getting to our room, the “upgraded executive room” or so we were told, we went to theirs. Now wait a minute! Theirs is much, much larger than ours! What is it? The presidential room or something?! Hmmm.

We enjoyed glasses of wine, some chips, and devoured the remainder of Greg’s breakfast sweet since we hadn’t managed to get any dinner. (Thanks, Greg!)

Now, back in our room, it is late and we are ready for bed. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. (Internet is extremely sketchy here, so I can’t promise posts will get through … time will tell.)

Welterusten!

Final Full Day in Bilbao

Posted on by
2

We woke at our rather typical late time. It’s so funny, because Dan simply can’t sleep in at home (I can) but here? No problem! He did a bit of laundry and I contemplated my luggage: aside from two very small items I purchased there is nothing new, yet the bag is more packed than ever. I think I need to take everything out and redo it all before our flight tomorrow.

Yes. Flight. Stay tuned for our next, and final, European destination!

Once Dan was done with laundry and all we went out to get breakfast. (I wonder if I’ll feel the need for breakfast when we get back home: I really prefer to wait and eat after my walk, but is this becoming a habit?)

Breakfast was in the same place as yesterday. We found it, but only after Dan got 45 degrees off and I came to the rescue. I get a bit gleeful when Mr. Direction gets off and I figure things out! No chocolate croissant this time, but this other delight, full of butter. Not just plain old butter, as it turned out, but very, very sweet butter. Oh … and this little bird was there, as it was yesterday. Maybe a resident? (Sure, might be a different bird, but I prefer to think this is its home.)

Back to our hotel, we then packed up our cameras and readied ourselves to walk to the not-the-Getty, or “Gettyheim”, or maybe (could it be?!), the Guggenheim. (And don’t laugh, but I wanted to type Gettysburg at first. Okay. Go ahead. Laugh!)

We had an hour before out 11:30 entrance, so we didn’t exactly hurry over, and we did take some photos. The first thing we encountered were these bikes and I just think this is lovely. (Well, except some goof got her finger in the first photo!)

And the more photos … that tube like think takes you down to the Metro, I think. (We’ve not used it, but what else would it be?)

This building intrigued us and I would love to know more about it:

And more walking which did take us to the Guggenheim.

The above is for you, Lisa! 🤣

Mostly, for the interior, I’ll let photos tell the story. In the past I’ve not shared photos of artwork, as it never does it justice, but since many might not get to Bilbao, I will do so this time. I did limit myself, though, so there aren’t a zillion photos.

I really am now a fan of Helen Frankenthaler and I’m embarrassed to admit I’d not heard of her before.

Next up was the Richard Serra The Matter Of Time installation. The first one you go through is a rather lengthy bit of traveling yet when you reach the center it’s a large space. Nearly everyone I saw enter after I reached the center had a smile of surprise — it was fun to see. Others were tighter spaces all the way through, and I thought it was not only about the structures, but about the comfort or discomfort of passing by other people. Light and shadow were also fascinating.

Maybe all of that isn’t as interesting if you haven’t experienced them live and in person … I wonder! There was also a room with photos of other installations and … wait!? … on in the Bronx? It just looked like something in the street, but now I’m curious.

Okay, I’ll stop with those now (although there was another image and the info said that it was destroyed by the US government which I wondered about.)

Then we moved on to another installation. I sat down and watched. Eventually Dan went behind it and, as it turned out, he started a new trend. No one knew you could do that! (Later, when we saw it again, no one was behind it any longer. I don’t think people realize you can do that. They need a Dan to help them out!)

From there it was time for lunch. Museum lunch. That means it’s not cheap, but we did manage to avoid the more costly restaurant there and instead did the bistro. (They have a very expensive restaurant on the outside of the museum as well. Think we’ll skip that, too!)

Back out for more …

Rooms with art by Tarsila Do Amaral:

Then a Sol Lewitt which always makes me think of our daughter-in-law Lia Lowenthal, a fine artist herself, and do check out her jewelry.

Now not all art appeals to everyone, and we did enter a pop art room that just wasn’t something that grabbed me. But hey, I don’t like the Franck d minor either, so whatever. Maybe I’m clueless!

The next exhibit was a 1 minute light show in a small room.

But now I’ll just post the small remainder of what I shot inside.

Yep, that was it. We also went outside at just the moment some fog or some such thing was billowing out from underneath the sidewalk. Shortly after it stopped. I didn’t see any write-up about it, though, so I’m not sure what it was about and I’m too lazy to google it at the moment.

Side note: google … what a funny thing that it has become a verb. I just think of, “Barney Google, with his goo goo googly eyes.” I suppose I’m showing my age to some but, trust me, that song is much older than old me!

After 5 1/2 hours at the not-the-Getty, aka the Guggenheim, we then walked back to our hotel.

And a fun thing to see —

When we got back to our hotel we didn’t nap, but we relaxed and started our writing. Meanwhile, beneath us, it sounds like a saxophonist is practicing. Poorly. Some buskers are pretty good. This one? Nope. Nope. Nope. It’s rather painful, to be honest. But at least I can recognize most of the tunes. Sort of. Maybe. And to think they made the bassoonist leave. It’s not fair!

Finally … dinner! We went first to the breakfast spot and had some pintxos there. A nice place, friendly people who put up with our attempts at Spanish, and good food.

Then, to do things the proper Spanish pintxos way, we went to another place to finish up. Another big yum! Dan has been so cooperative with my photo taking and I’m grateful. Notice his exciting 0.0% beer. Again. He’s being a very good boy.

Then back to our hotel we went. (Okay, truth be told another gelato was enjoyed, but I’m not going to tell you that. Got it?)

I leave you with a goodnight photo from our little balcony.

Or make that two:

Adios!