Carlton Hotel Antwerpen

... Justice and finally swung back towards the train station. Overall, I'd have to say that Brussels was actually not as cool as Bruges – I mean, it was still awesome to be there, don't get me wrong, but Bruges seemed so much more consistently attractive. Brussels had pockets of historic buildings and cute streets, but there were some parts that were definitely not as nice (including a red light district that we accidentally discovered one night walking ...

... plaatsen in de buurt van strategische punten zoals Antwerpen voor het noorden van het land en Luik voor het zuidoosten van het land. Als de hoofdstad Brussel belegerd werd kon de regering zich terugtrekken in Antwerpen, dat als nationale refuge werd beschouwd. Tijdens de bezetting door de Duitsers gedurende Wereldoorlog II moet Antwerpen zich al snel overgeven en tijdens de bevrijding (1944-'45) vallen er V-1 en V-2 bommen op Antwerpen en omgeving.

... hostels were full, so I was forced to stay in a budget hotel. But today I simply wandered the streets, admired the architecture, toured my first church of Europe, and ate some waffles (which are eaten during the day or evening, not in the morning like in the US; they are also twice as delicious as American "Belgium Waffles", in fact, ours don't even count.), and some great fry's with this crazy curry sauce. Any ways, the ...

... Amsterdam hot on our minds. There are places in Brussels with over 4,000 kinds of beer on tap. Belgium is of course known for its chocolate and beer. We never had either. Instead we got back on the train and headed to the Netherlands. I'd like to return to Brussels with a bit more time...

... lineup as long as I keep hitting well. Fantasy stats for Sunday's game 1/4 1 Run 2 RBI 0 SB Even tho I was 1/4 I hit the ball hard everytime up. My first AB I hit a line shot into right field for an RBI single with the bases loaded. My second AB I hit a one hopper real hard right at the SS. Third AB I dribbled a grounder to the SS after swinging at a low curve ball. My fourth trip to the plate I had bases loaded again ...

Go to Brussels and eat. and eat. and eat some more. The Christmas Market in the Grand Place took my breath away. The Belgians encourage me to use my ****-poor French, and they understand me for the most part, which is quite a confidence booster. Fin.

... it has affected her life, and how sad she is over her lack of connection (apparently her mom turned her back on a lot of traditions after a falling out with her grandmother, who lives in Sweden now). Apparently her Jewish grandmother stayed in Germany through WWII as a ballet dancer? Or that might have been the language barrier, there were bits where I didn't quite understand what was going on. But it was interesting regardless. So after that night, I woke ...

... those senseo coffee makers), and orange juice. These guys were just so nice and hospitable that it made the breakfast that much better. We had a long day of travel and we needed to leave early so the guys drove us to the train station and dropped us off to we could avoid the torrential rains pelting Antwerp. If I thought the 45 minute walk in was bad, that would have been much worse. Off to Cologne

... he could sing and play. I think he is homeless but I don't know for sure but he definitely looked it, not really what I would think a bar would want pestering their patrons. It's weird but he was actually good and people ended up singing with him, gave him money, and the guys we were talking to even bought him a beer. It was a fun night! The next morning, over our normal breakfast of bread, cheese, and a very special delicacy - Nutella - I told Chris the bars from last night were ...

... military cemeteries and memorials exist in this area. It seems like every field has another military cemetery. Some are quite small, like the one we happened into while riding our bikes, while others, such as the Tyne Cot Cemetery are incredibly huge - especially considering that the cemetery is usually for a particular group of soldiers from a particular period of a particular battle. It's just overwhelming how many people died. Melanie got to see ...