Tuesday, March 25, 2008
More snow
I mentioned in the last post that I took a picture from our back window after last night's snow. Well here it is!!
Dinant, Namur and Let It Snow!!!
Yesterday was a holiday here in Belgium (Easter Monday), so Carl had the day off from work. Chuck and Sue are in Wallonia right now, so we decided to take a train south to Namur, where the four of us met up and together went to Dinant for the day.
Dinant is a small town in the southern Ardennes region of Belgium. It's in a beautiful setting, nestled between the Meuse River and the surrounding cliffs and hills - this is the hilly part of Belgium! At the top of one of the cliffs is the Citadel, a large fortress originally built in the 11th century that overlooks the town. We climbed the 408 steps to the top (there's also a cable car, but we decided we could use the exercise), where there are incredible views of the valley and guided tours of the Citadel grounds. It was a really interesting place, and has been the setting for some pretty brutal battles stretching all the way from the 1400's up to World War I.
After the tour and a "beer break" in the Citadel's café, we took the cable car back down the cliffside, where we went to one of the brasseries in town for a late lunch. The food was GREAT, one of the better meals we've had in Belgium in fact. While we were eating it also started to snow, and it has been snowing off and on from then until now, in Dinant, Namur and Brussels! In fact, it's snowing even as I write this! Last night we got about 1 1/2 inches (close to 4 cm) after we got home, and it was one of those really pretty snows that coats everything. I took a picture of the view out our back window this morning - so pretty! This is the first (and probably will be the only) time we've had accumulating snow this winter, so even though I'm ready for Spring, I'm glad we got one good snow before the warmer weather arrives.
Anyway, after lunch we returned to Namur and walked around a bit, and of course took one more beer break. With all these beer breaks you might think that we were getting a bit saucy, but we were definitely pacing ourselves and savoring the excellent beer! In each region of Belgium there are distinctive beers that are often available only locally, and since all four of us are amateur beer connoisseurs, we really enjoyed sampling the local offerings and sharing them amongst ourselves.
After our final beer break we walked back to the train station - in heavy snow of course! - and took the train back to Brussels and home. Chuck and Sue have one more day in Wallonia, but tomorrow they'll be here in Brussels until they fly home Sunday morning. I think they're having a really good time despite the weather, and we hope it will continue here in Brussels!
Pictures:
#1: The town center from across the river, with the Tower of Notre Dame (the big church) and the Citadel in the background)
#2: No, Carl and Sue aren't performing an acrobatic feat here - this is one of the bunkers in the Citadel that was bombed during World War I, and as a result was shifted a good 23-30° off center. It's a very odd feeling to stand in there, throws off your balance entirely!
#3 and #4: Views from the Citadel, overlooking the town and Meuse River
#5: Chuck, Carl and I playing in the snow in Namur!
Dinant is a small town in the southern Ardennes region of Belgium. It's in a beautiful setting, nestled between the Meuse River and the surrounding cliffs and hills - this is the hilly part of Belgium! At the top of one of the cliffs is the Citadel, a large fortress originally built in the 11th century that overlooks the town. We climbed the 408 steps to the top (there's also a cable car, but we decided we could use the exercise), where there are incredible views of the valley and guided tours of the Citadel grounds. It was a really interesting place, and has been the setting for some pretty brutal battles stretching all the way from the 1400's up to World War I.
After the tour and a "beer break" in the Citadel's café, we took the cable car back down the cliffside, where we went to one of the brasseries in town for a late lunch. The food was GREAT, one of the better meals we've had in Belgium in fact. While we were eating it also started to snow, and it has been snowing off and on from then until now, in Dinant, Namur and Brussels! In fact, it's snowing even as I write this! Last night we got about 1 1/2 inches (close to 4 cm) after we got home, and it was one of those really pretty snows that coats everything. I took a picture of the view out our back window this morning - so pretty! This is the first (and probably will be the only) time we've had accumulating snow this winter, so even though I'm ready for Spring, I'm glad we got one good snow before the warmer weather arrives.
Anyway, after lunch we returned to Namur and walked around a bit, and of course took one more beer break. With all these beer breaks you might think that we were getting a bit saucy, but we were definitely pacing ourselves and savoring the excellent beer! In each region of Belgium there are distinctive beers that are often available only locally, and since all four of us are amateur beer connoisseurs, we really enjoyed sampling the local offerings and sharing them amongst ourselves.
After our final beer break we walked back to the train station - in heavy snow of course! - and took the train back to Brussels and home. Chuck and Sue have one more day in Wallonia, but tomorrow they'll be here in Brussels until they fly home Sunday morning. I think they're having a really good time despite the weather, and we hope it will continue here in Brussels!
Pictures:
#1: The town center from across the river, with the Tower of Notre Dame (the big church) and the Citadel in the background)
#2: No, Carl and Sue aren't performing an acrobatic feat here - this is one of the bunkers in the Citadel that was bombed during World War I, and as a result was shifted a good 23-30° off center. It's a very odd feeling to stand in there, throws off your balance entirely!
#3 and #4: Views from the Citadel, overlooking the town and Meuse River
#5: Chuck, Carl and I playing in the snow in Namur!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Brrrr!!!
We're having a bit of a cold snap here in Belgium, and over the past several days we've seen our share of rain, small hail and even snow, interspersed with short "teases" of sunshine - sometimes all in the same hour. The weather here can be STRANGE!!
Unfortunately the lousy weather coincides with the visit of our friends Chuck and Sue. We had hoped that the warmer temps and occasional sunshine that we'd had for several weeks would continue while they were here, but no such luck! They're taking it in stride though, and we enjoyed an overnight visit with them in Bruges on Friday/Saturday. Today they headed south to the Wallonia region, and tomorrow we will meet them in Dinant to spend the day with them and visit that town - for more on Dinant, read my post from January 31st. We're excited as this will be our first visit to Wallonia, and hopefully we'll be able to take some good pictures despite the weather! On Wednesday they return to Brussels to spend four nights here before heading home. They are our first guests and we are excited to show them our new (if temporary) home!
In other news, we have booked a trip to Switzerland in late April. We'll visit Geneva and Lausanne, and will also take a train to Fribourg to finally meet my "blog buddies" MizK and Kasia (you'll find links to their blogs on the right of my page). The three of us met online through our blogs and I can't wait to finally meet them in person, along with their spouses!
Well that's all for now - I hope to have some photos and commentary on Dinant for you tomorrow night or Tuesday though, so stay tuned! Oh, and Happy Easter!
Unfortunately the lousy weather coincides with the visit of our friends Chuck and Sue. We had hoped that the warmer temps and occasional sunshine that we'd had for several weeks would continue while they were here, but no such luck! They're taking it in stride though, and we enjoyed an overnight visit with them in Bruges on Friday/Saturday. Today they headed south to the Wallonia region, and tomorrow we will meet them in Dinant to spend the day with them and visit that town - for more on Dinant, read my post from January 31st. We're excited as this will be our first visit to Wallonia, and hopefully we'll be able to take some good pictures despite the weather! On Wednesday they return to Brussels to spend four nights here before heading home. They are our first guests and we are excited to show them our new (if temporary) home!
In other news, we have booked a trip to Switzerland in late April. We'll visit Geneva and Lausanne, and will also take a train to Fribourg to finally meet my "blog buddies" MizK and Kasia (you'll find links to their blogs on the right of my page). The three of us met online through our blogs and I can't wait to finally meet them in person, along with their spouses!
Well that's all for now - I hope to have some photos and commentary on Dinant for you tomorrow night or Tuesday though, so stay tuned! Oh, and Happy Easter!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
We did it!!
Today was the big day as far as our marathon training is concerned. It's the longest training run we do to get ready for the race, and it's 32 km (20 miles), so it's a big deal and the date has been looming on our training calendar for some time. Well we did it - YEAH!! Although it wasn't easy and our leg muscles are pretty sore - you'd laugh if you saw me try to get up after sitting down for a while - we feel great overall and are thrilled to still be injury-free! We now head into the final 3-week "taper down" phase of the training, with about as much confidence as two first-time marathoners can have of their ability to finish.
Race day is Sunday, April 6th, so keep an eye out for a celebratory blog post and hopefully some pictures (if I'm able to get someone from our University of Kent group who isn't running to take some with my camera). In the meantime, I've got a couple of amusing "after" photos from today. Carl finished before me and I told him to take his own picture before showering, so that's why his pic is just a head shot - he looks tired, doesn't he? As for mine, they were taken about 30 minutes after I finished, and I was just acting goofy...I might not look tired but believe me, I was (and still am)! Safe to say we'll both sleep REALLY well tonight!
Race day is Sunday, April 6th, so keep an eye out for a celebratory blog post and hopefully some pictures (if I'm able to get someone from our University of Kent group who isn't running to take some with my camera). In the meantime, I've got a couple of amusing "after" photos from today. Carl finished before me and I told him to take his own picture before showering, so that's why his pic is just a head shot - he looks tired, doesn't he? As for mine, they were taken about 30 minutes after I finished, and I was just acting goofy...I might not look tired but believe me, I was (and still am)! Safe to say we'll both sleep REALLY well tonight!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Beautiful Barcelona!
We returned from our weekend trip to Barcelona yesterday, and the word that best describes our stay there is "WOW!" What a lovely, modern, clean, and friendly city! It truly surpassed our expectations, and I would dare say that it is now one of our favorite cities anywhere. I had long desired to go there and had built it up somewhat in my mind, so I was worried that I might be a little disappointed. I was worried for no reason though, because it was just beautiful!
Here's some of the highlights:
A must-do, even if it is touristy, is to walk along Las Ramblas, a almost mile-long pedestrian promenade full of tourist shops, restaurants, street performers, flower vendors and caricature artists. It is a bit of a haven for scam artists and pickpockets because of its popularity with tourists, but we experienced no problems whatsoever. Just east of Las Ramblas is the Barri Gòtic, the oldest part of the city with narrow, alley-like streets that open onto quaint little squares. It's the perfect place to wander and "get lost" for a few hours!
The famous Sagrada Familia cathedral is another stop on the tourist trail. The outside is much more impressive than the inside, at least at this point. Even though the project began way back in 1882, it is still under construction , and from what I read it won't be finished until at least 2026 - yikes! It was designed by the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, and it has an incredibly unique style as far as religious buildings are concerned. One façade is very ornate, while the other has a much more modern, geometric look. There's supposed to eventually be a third façade as well, but it hasn't been started yet. When you go inside you have the option of taking an elevator to the upper level for another 2 Euro, but the line was so long that we didn't think it would be worth the time.
We visited one of the most incredible indoor/outdoor markets I've ever seen, located just off Las Ramblas. There we purchased the ingredients to assemble a picnic lunch, which we enjoyed on the patio of the guesthouse we stayed in with our friends Carl and Margaret (Margaret is a fellow student at the University of Kent, and they were visiting the city at the same time).
The Parc Güell, perched high on a hill overlooking the city, was well worth a visit despite the uphill walk to get there. It was also designed by Gaudí, and combines interesting architecture, sculpture, decorative tilework, gardens and sweeping views of the city and the Mediterranean. The whole place has a rather whimsical feel to it, making it about the most unique park I've visited. We hiked even higher above the park, to the top of the hill where there is an overlook about 267 meters (800 ft.) above sea level. Gorgeous views!
There is a long waterfront promenade that straddles the city and the beach, and it's a great place to wander, people-watch and admire the scenery. There's also a good choice of restaurants and a large shopping mall.
One might not expect this from Spain, but it's obvious that this city is run very efficiently. On Friday evening around 7PM, in one 45-minute stretch I saw three city workers cleaning the sidewalks - that's three of them working individually in different places, not all together! The metro service is also about the most efficient I've seen anywhere. Not once did we have to wait more than 4 1/2 minutes for a train, and we rode it at all hours, and on Saturday.
The food, the wine - both were terrific! The restaurant prices were also very reasonable - much more reasonable than here in Brussels, in fact!
Picture #2: View down a narrow street in the Barri Gòtic
Picture #3: The entrance to Parc Güell
Picture #4: View over the city from the top of the hill, above Parc Güell - this is the center one of three panoramic shots I took
Picture #5: Part of one of the façades of the Sagrada Familia
Here's some of the highlights:
To sum it up, I would highly recommend this city as a destination for just about anyone. It's not quite as full of history as London or Rome, but what it lacks there it makes up for in atmosphere, cuisine and natural beauty.
Picture #1: The four of us out for the eveningPicture #2: View down a narrow street in the Barri Gòtic
Picture #3: The entrance to Parc Güell
Picture #4: View over the city from the top of the hill, above Parc Güell - this is the center one of three panoramic shots I took
Picture #5: Part of one of the façades of the Sagrada Familia
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
BIG NEWS!!
We got some really great news yesterday - Carl has been offered a four-month paid internship! It's with an organization called Post Europ, which represents the interests of postal organizations throughout Europe. The position is called Web Communications Assistant, and it will give him a chance to gain some valuable experience in a new field. He'll also be able to meet a lot of people, make some good connections and (who knows?) perhaps even secure a full-time job afterwards!!
He starts next Thursday, and will typically be working 7 hours a day, four days a week. Fortunately his new boss is a very understanding lady, who is willing to be flexible regarding our scheduled trips to Paris and Normandy. That's a relief, because we have already made non-refundable payments towards both of them, not to mention all the marathon training!
So needless to say, Carl is very excited about this new development - and we're both excited to have a little money coming IN as opposed to all of it going OUT!! :-) Perhaps we'll have a nice dinner in Barcelona this weekend to celebrate!
He starts next Thursday, and will typically be working 7 hours a day, four days a week. Fortunately his new boss is a very understanding lady, who is willing to be flexible regarding our scheduled trips to Paris and Normandy. That's a relief, because we have already made non-refundable payments towards both of them, not to mention all the marathon training!
So needless to say, Carl is very excited about this new development - and we're both excited to have a little money coming IN as opposed to all of it going OUT!! :-) Perhaps we'll have a nice dinner in Barcelona this weekend to celebrate!
Monday, March 3, 2008
Odds-n-ends
Wow, has it really been over a week since my last post?? Sorry for the lull, but I guess it's been a quiet week as far as news and events are concerned. I do have some things to mention now though, so here they are!
The marathon training continues. I completed a GRUELING 18 miles (29km) yesterday, and OH MY!! I don't think I've ever felt my legs hurt so much! My calves in particular were painful towards the end. I guess it was cramping but it basically felt like someone was grabbing them and squeezing as hard as they could - not a pleasant feeling! I suppose this is how the marathon will feel towards the end, but I hope that all the excitement and adrenaline of the event will help distract me from it. Anyway, I'm feeling much better today and still have no injuries to speak of other than general soreness, a few small blisters and some chafing where my sports bra has been rubbing against my skin. Nothing serious, so I'm plugging away with less than five weeks to go now! Carl is doing fine as well, but unfortunately some nasty stomach issues interrupted his run yesterday. He's feeling better now though, and is still on track and looking forward to the big day. The biggest training run of all is Sunday the 16th, after that it tapers down as we lead up to race day. It's the home stretch, thank goodness!!
We're off to Barcelona this weekend, so keep an eye out for a report and pictures - we've never been to Spain before and we actually have some friends going there with us, so we're very excited!! We also have another trip planned that I don't believe I've mentioned yet, to Normandy the first weekend of May. It's a group trip being coordinated by our French instructor, and it was such a good deal that we couldn't pass it up! It's a three night trip and will take us to Beauvais, Rouen, Bayeux, Mont St. Michel and of course the D-day beaches.
Spring is on its way here in northwest Europe, a few trees are showing the first sign of leaves, and a small (I think maybe cherry?) tree in one of the yards behind our apartment has some lovely pink blossoms, which I've photographed and added here. The days are getting longer, a major improvement over the 8-hour days of December, and the first signs of Spring are all around! With that, it looks like the visitors are beginning to arrive as well. Our friends Chuck and Sue from Portland will be here in less than two weeks, my mom and stepdad are coming for two weeks in May, and it looks like my dad & stepmom will arrive just after that. So if any of you reading want to come and see us while we're here, better plan it soon! You can come whenever you like of course, but as far as our ability to be tour guides May is pretty full, but the second half of April, all of June and the first part of July are still open - so let us know! :-)
The marathon training continues. I completed a GRUELING 18 miles (29km) yesterday, and OH MY!! I don't think I've ever felt my legs hurt so much! My calves in particular were painful towards the end. I guess it was cramping but it basically felt like someone was grabbing them and squeezing as hard as they could - not a pleasant feeling! I suppose this is how the marathon will feel towards the end, but I hope that all the excitement and adrenaline of the event will help distract me from it. Anyway, I'm feeling much better today and still have no injuries to speak of other than general soreness, a few small blisters and some chafing where my sports bra has been rubbing against my skin. Nothing serious, so I'm plugging away with less than five weeks to go now! Carl is doing fine as well, but unfortunately some nasty stomach issues interrupted his run yesterday. He's feeling better now though, and is still on track and looking forward to the big day. The biggest training run of all is Sunday the 16th, after that it tapers down as we lead up to race day. It's the home stretch, thank goodness!!
We're off to Barcelona this weekend, so keep an eye out for a report and pictures - we've never been to Spain before and we actually have some friends going there with us, so we're very excited!! We also have another trip planned that I don't believe I've mentioned yet, to Normandy the first weekend of May. It's a group trip being coordinated by our French instructor, and it was such a good deal that we couldn't pass it up! It's a three night trip and will take us to Beauvais, Rouen, Bayeux, Mont St. Michel and of course the D-day beaches.
Spring is on its way here in northwest Europe, a few trees are showing the first sign of leaves, and a small (I think maybe cherry?) tree in one of the yards behind our apartment has some lovely pink blossoms, which I've photographed and added here. The days are getting longer, a major improvement over the 8-hour days of December, and the first signs of Spring are all around! With that, it looks like the visitors are beginning to arrive as well. Our friends Chuck and Sue from Portland will be here in less than two weeks, my mom and stepdad are coming for two weeks in May, and it looks like my dad & stepmom will arrive just after that. So if any of you reading want to come and see us while we're here, better plan it soon! You can come whenever you like of course, but as far as our ability to be tour guides May is pretty full, but the second half of April, all of June and the first part of July are still open - so let us know! :-)
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