Gasthof De Pastorij Leuven

... yes Mum, there was more than one) markets around the place, as well as take in the absolutely stunning architecture that surrounds them. We tried “hot dogs”, which as you can see in the picture of Todd, are not your traditional American kind, crepes (delicious!) and fairy floss (just because I wanted some). A must see in the centre of Brussels is the Mannekin Pis, which literally means the ******* man. They have outfits for him to suit every occasion ...

Well, we woke up and just like the beginning of any other week it was a Monday. We darted to the square to catch a 10 am bike tour of Bruxelles. Only to find that we have to book the tour online, you can't just show up and hop on. So instead we found the tourist information booth to be greeted with more disappointment . . . Monday's are treated like Sunday's literally. Sunday and Monday here are ...

... from the top. I shoot a pile of pictures, then we descend the same steps. ChocoStory is interesting. We look at the displays, then watch a demonstration, then buy chocolate, of course. And we are finally on our way. We aren't exactly sure what we want to do. We want to be in Heerlan in Netherlands by Saturday night, and we can go ...

... university in Belgium, and is a Dutch/Flemish-speaking town. It's also where both Marie and Yannic took language courses, and not incidentally, where they met. (Louvain-le-Neuve, where Marie and Yannic lived until about a month ago, is home to the French side of the university after they were split off due to linguistic and political tensions between Walloon and Flanders). It's an old town with a ton of charm, and I could immediately see upon arrival why Marie kept ...

... other challenge of the first day was driving a right-hand drive car on the left side of the road. I said that I would drive the first leg on the continent since the road is more "natural" to me and only the car was backwards. I didn't find it difficult to drive but passing cars was a challenge since I couldn't see around the car in front. Thank goodness I had a passenger. The most amusing aspect of driving a British car on the continent was the expression of ...

... tea and a steeper, and some real mugs (the one in the apartment were too small to actually enjoy a cup of tea in). We wandered back to the apartment so Eliza could have a late nap and I could take a long run. The girls played Polly Pockets and Jonathan worked on the computer. Then we were able to Skype (talk via web cam) to Grandma and Grandpa. The girls thought that was terrific. Emma helped me go to the grocery store and ...

... It's always only a matter of time for me! Off to Le Grand Place - I grabbed a pain au chocolat on the way. Oh baby, how I've missed you ... it wasn't the best but was still good. Off to the upper town (after getting lost). Skipped the Beaux-Arts and modern art museums. I just went inside the atrium where I spent a few minutes before walking back to the lower town. The architecture and layout of the area is a lot like Washington, DC ...

... with the most charm. Here we were enveloped by history, culture and all that the Old Continent should be. Also this wasn't a typical EU vacation with endless museums and cathedrals, but a creative itinerary which provided large fun. Total cost was $1175 plus air. Everyone's favorite stop was Bruges, but for me Amsterdam was an urban masterpiece. I found the Dutch far friendlier than other Europeans. This visit rekindled my love for the Netherlands, that tiny country ...

... verre de bière à la cerise... Two days, it's not much to discover Brussels. There is so much to see. Between museums, monuments, History, and culture. Let's say it's only a hors d'oeuvre. But I still had time (twice in fact) for a typical Belgium meal: Mussels and fries, with a cherry beet...

... told to throw our trash (soda cans, chip bags, etc) on the floor and that some workers were paid just to sweep up trash. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to throw your litter on the floor when you've been trained for so many years to throw it out right. Also, people smoke cigarrets everywhere, even in elevators. It's awful. Ignore the typos==this is a French keyboard and all the letters are in different places! Bye, Denise