Europe - Day Five

Today started with a delightful breakfast at our hotel, and then off to run around town for a couple of hours in the daylight!

We found the Our Lady's Church and went inside to see the famous Madonna statue by Michelangelo. 

It's still an active church - many people come here to pray.

These doors reminded me of the cathedrals in Ireland.  Loved them.

Beautiful stained glass.

I loved this poem.  A bunch of poems were displayed in the entryway.

We went back to Market Square to see the actual market taking place - such gorgeous arrays of produce and flowers!  It's pretty cool to think this is where the people who live here actually do their grocery shopping! 

Oh!  And the stinky fish market - there were only a few vendors here today.  I can't imagine what this place smells like on a summer morning! 

We wandered through un-countable chocolate shops, beer shops, and lace shops (and of course, sampled some chocolate and bought some lace)...  So much to look at!  The church courtyards and canals were especially beautiful in the morning light.  Have I mentioned I really liked this place?

A map of the town - done in lace. Crazy!

Our Lady Church and Courtyard.

On our way back to the hotel to board the bus, we found this man playing his instruments.  The bowl-type thing on his lap is a "hang drum" and it sounds like a steel drum - but he plays it with his fingers.  Then the didgeridoo is the long tube he blows through (think Austrailian world-music, if you haven't heard one of these before - or youtube it!).  And then, of course, he adds some bells on his ankle to lighten the sound.  The music he produced was haunting, mesmerizing, and simply beautiful.  I could have listened to him all day.  (Here's a link to some other guys playing on hang drums, and the guy in the middle is holding a didgeridoo...  although I'm not sure why he isn't playing it!)

Next, on the bus as we head to Paris!

So many springy daffodils along the roadsides!

Arriving in the city, we drove right by the Eiffel Tower - to find out our hotel was a block from it!  So cool.  We had some time to get settled into our rooms at the Mercure Paris Hotel and take a quick nap, before getting ready for our evening on the town. 

We gathered back at the bus to take a nighttime tour of the city - getting to see all the monuments lit up!  I didn't take many pictures during this tour - because we didn't get off the bus, and it was raining outside.  Both factors don't make for good pictures...  So here's just a few of some cool lit up buildings - "Paris by night!"

We ended the tour at the restaurant where our whole group would eat that night.  "Les Noces de Jeannette."  And what a fun night it was!  We sat a table with Connie and Jeff, and Jim and Vera - once again, so fun!  In the midst of trying new foods, laughing at stories, and having several glasses of wine - we were entertained by an accordian performer!  Jim knew all the old World War songs she played and began singing along... then people at other tables started singing...  It was so fun, like something right out of a movie.

Our menu...

A lovely table... with lots of wine!

Vera and Jim.

Connie and Jeff.

Me and the hubby.  (No idea what I was laughing at...)

Our incredible accordian player.  So energetic and fun!

My first time trying escargot.  Not bad.  Don't know if I'd order it again, though...

Duck in Orange Sauce - DELISH! 

After dinner we headed back towards the Eiffel Tower.  We parked the bus on a terrace a short ways away, with a perfect view - and waited til the perfect moment...  When the Tower sparkles!  Totally unexpected and so cool.  The whole tower shimmers for 15 minutes.  A sight to see!

Once the sparkling stopped, we all reboarded the bus and headed back to the hotel.  Most people went in to go to bed, but we decided we weren't ready.  We went for a walk with another couple, John and Brenda, to the Eiffel Tower...  then for a much longer walk through the parks and into the surrounding neighborhoods.  (This was our first taste of the "romantic" atmosphere of Paris.  Goodness, people were making out EVERYWHERE!  In the bushes, on statues - literally, by dumpsters...  Really?  By a dumpster?!)

By the time we got back to our room, it had been a very long and busy day.  But just thinking about all the things we saw in one day, was pretty amazing!

Europe - Day Four

It's my birthday!!!  And I woke up in Amsterdam... and will be heading to Belgium.  That's my kind of birthday.

Today, we woke up to have breakfast in Amsterdam before getting on the bus to travel through Holland's (Wanna know the difference between "Holland" and "The Netherlands"?  Holland is a region of The Netherlands.  Now ya know - a little piece of trivia that finally made sense to me.) open fields, criss-crossed with canals and windmills to reach Belgium.  We stopped at a truck stop for a quick lunch and potty break - and found Kinder Eggs (chocolate eggs with toys inside them!  We got some to bring back for my confirmands and nieces and nephews.  Apparently, they're not sold in the USA, because our kids can't be trusted to not stick the small toy parts up their noses!  Ha ha ha.  So true...)  The one we kept for ourselves has an artist Smurf in it - perfect!

While traveling on the freeway in Belgium, we went right past an old concentration camp...  Breendonk.  It gave me chills and a sense of nausea just driving past...  A quick reminder of the reality of evil in the world (even when on vacation).

We made our way to Brussels, where we got to stop for a picture or two at the Atomium, which was built in 1958 for the World's Fair.  Each of the "balls" house exhibits and the top one hosts a restaurant!  How do you get up there?  The connecting "legs" have escalators inside!  (We didn't get to go in...  I kind of wish we could have!)

Next we went into the city proper of Brussels - and what a beautiful city!  Even the modern business areas were beautifully landscaped; had crisp, clean architecture; and just gave a feeling of being a very well cared-for and respected city.  We were able to park the bus and venture off through the streets to end up at the 17th-century Grand Place, a square and old area of the city that was surrounded by the decorated guild buildings.  An amazing place - something out of a fairy-tale.  Ornate, gorgeous buildings.  Cobblestone streets and courtyards.  Flower vendors.  Artists.  Pigeons.  I felt like I was in a movie.  So cool.

We followed our tour guide through the streets to see the "Mannekin Pis" - a famous fountain of a little boy peeing.  Yep.  It was as underwhelming as it sounds.  He's the size of my head.  The fountain is smaller than our hotel bathroom in Amsterdam.  Yep.  Small.  And TONS of tourists snapping pictures.  Silly.  But yes, I snapped one, too.

Then, we headed off in search of lunch.  We walked up and down the narrow streets - and saw a lot of restaurants that seemed more expensive than we were willing to spend on lunch...  We checked the fancy places on the square to see if we could get our first Belgian beer over lunch - but they seemed way too ritzy for lunch.  So what did we do?  Well...  It was my birthday afterall...  We headed to a Belgian waffle stand, got a yummy waffle with nutella and Belgian chocolate drizzled on it; headed to a small pub and got some frites (french fries - but better) with mayonaisse to go; and headed back to the square to sit on a curb to people watch.  It was perfect.  I loved Brussels.

Mom - do you see the "Bobby" in the background?  Did you know Bobby was a Belgian toy?!  And Smurfs, too?!  Who knew?

250 Belgian Beers sold here...  I believe the "Alleluia Chorus" is playing in my hubby's head...

My birthday lunch.  Can life get any better?

Do I look as mischievious and spoiled as I felt?

I loved all the carvings and sculptures on the buildings...  even the creepy gargoyles!

First flower vendors I've seen this year!  And look what comes next... We drive right by the Godiva Factory on the way out of the city.  Why didn't we get a tour there?!

But that was just the beginning.  Then we headed to the medieval "hidden pearl" - the city of Bruges.  The hubby and I both fell immediately in love with this town.  We arrived at our hotel (Hotel Novotel) and were thrilled to find it inside the walls of the old city.  Winding, cobblestone streets; chocolate and lace stores galore; hidden courtyards with sweet little cafes...  This is our kind of place!  We had just a little time to put our things in our room before our guide took us all on a walking tour of the town.  I asked Monique to point out a good place for mussels and beer for my birthday dinner - and she quickly turned to the whole group and had them sing to me in the courtyard outside our hotel!  So cute.

(The group singing "Happy Birthday" to me...)

Our hotel room - so spacious compared to Amsterdam!  And the view outside our window, right into residential side street.

Swans making a nest by Lover's Lake.  And below is us entering the Beguinnage (the convent).  No pictures inside the walls...  But a beautiful place - all the buildings were white and green, simple and perfect.  The courtyard was a green grass lawn with shade trees and daffodils in bloom.  We weren't aloud to talk - so it was silent.  I could sit all afternoon in there...  So peaceful.

More views of the buildings and churches on our walking tour...

We saw ancient churches, a convent (which was one of the most beautiful, peaceful places I have ever been), canals, swans, quaint old homes, wide open market squares...  I loved it.  I would come back here any time.

After the tour, the hubby and I decided to do some more wandering on our own.  We ended up joining Jim and Vera, and Connie and Jeff for beers at a bar that had over 450 Belgian beers!  The hubby was in heaven!  We all sampled a few...  It was a great way to kick off my birthday!  My favorite part?  While the other end of the table was talking beers, Jim and Vera told me the story of how they met and married.  I want to be like them when I grow up...  So sweet and fun.

"Cambrinus" - a pub with 450 Belgian beers to try!  Uff da!

The Beer Bible.  All 450 beers - names, alcohol content, their origin...  Too much to take in all at once... 

After we sampled a few beers, Mike and I eventually wandered back to the seafood restaurant, Breydel De Coninc, that Monique had recommended.  It was small, dimly lit, and perfect for a romantic dinner.  We had mussels - which were fabulous!  Frites - yummy.  And chocolate mousse for dessert.  Along with some more Belgian beers, of course.  Which made for an interesting walk back to the hotel...  Ha ha ha.  Between the winding streets, the courtyards, and the canals...  It was very easy to get turned around and lose your sense of direction!  We enjoyed our walk - but it took a LONG time to find our way back.  Just another fun adventure in Belgium!

My after-dinner coffee, complete with sugar cubes, cream, a cookie, and a Belgian chocolate egg.  Delish!

One advantage of getting lost - seeing beautiful things we didn't see during our daytime tour... 

Lover's Lake at nighttime.  The white building on the left is the entrance to the convent.

We did eventually make it back to the hotel around 11:30pm.  A perfect day.

Things I am thankful for today:

1.  Leaving Amsterdam - time for something new.

2.  Brussels - great city!

3.  Eating waffles on the square.  Yum.

4.  Making new friends.  Craig and Debra from Arizona.

5.  Watching people.

6.  Brugges - so pretty and romantic.

7.  Belgian lace - beautiful.

8.  Monique, our tour guide - she's been really great.  Upbeat.  Fun.  Good suggestions.

9.  A group of 46 people celebrating "the youngin's" birthday.  Too funny.

10.  Getting lost at night - the perfect place to do it.

11.  Being asked if we're on our honeymoon.  I like that.