City Flats Leuven

... countryside from London to Dover is so pretty, and it isn’t that far so I am very excited about our train trip to Edinburgh for New Years. As we were driving into the Ferry Port, the tour guide says "oh it looks a bit choppy out there", not very reassuring. As you get onto the Ferry they serve hot English breakfast which went down a treat, even though the boat was swaying a lot. I remember saying to Todd, “sea sickness is all in the mind on a massive ...

... The small town of Werchter was basically overrun by the festival, being one road between the music arena and the campsites. Many of the locals had converted their garages into bars to make the most of the passing trade. We stopped in somebody's front garden / nearby bar, and had a couple of drinks to pass the time away, before heading towards the bus stop that would take us back ...

Took a trip to Leuven with my brother's friend, Andy. Saw the Stella Artois brewery and took a walk around GroteMarkt, the center of the city. They had the most beautiful library and a very impressive city hall. Also, they have the world's largest bar....over 150 feet long! All in all, I would consider it a city for young drinkers; many bars but not too touristy.

... were interested in all the different windows and what they were used for (some would allow archers to shoot through them, others that were at a different angle allowed soldiers to drop things on invaders down below). And, of course, we found more slak (snails). They are everywhere. We wandered into the Grote Markt and split a few worsten broodjes for lunch (a sausage wrapped in a croissant). Then the girls got waffles to split ...

... girls were in bed that it was an awesome evening to witness. Here were our three girls, not five days in a new country, sitting at a dinner where three different languages were being spoken. The only other child there spoke only German and the foods were all a little different in preparation than they are used to. And yet! They were amazing. Jonathan remarked back, of course they were, isn't this the exact thing you have been training them for since birth. And I suppose it is.

Had a hot chocolate and granola bar for breakfast. Stupid ****** blankets at the hostel were too short so my feet were cold all night. I wanted to see what the girls were doing ... but surprise, there weren't awake yet! Last night they mentioned needing some help with their essays and I offered to help - but only because I am a big proponent of higher learning! I walked down Rue Nueve, a pedestrian shopping street. Too bad it was ...

... that this is the 400 year celebration of Rembrandt (1606-2006). He came from a family rich in windmills. As a child, he was an expert sketcher. Later in medical school, he did anatomical drawings of corpses from criminals. He studied more and soon rose above the Dutch masters with the ability to capture light and shadows in paint. He always began with a black canvas. Though blessed with enormous artistic talent, he couldn't manage his finances. He died penniless and was ...

One of the best place in Europe for Summer music festival, i must recommend Belgium (flemish and french part). Here is an overview of Werchter, where we got VIP tickets and listen to Sting, Roxy Music, Simply Reds, Simple Minds......Just waaaaaaaaaooooooooowwwwwwwwww! http://www.rockwerchter.be/RW2007/fase2 /live.asp

We like travelling, and especially mountaineering! So the major purpose of our holiday will be "the mountains". We'll climb mountains in Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia! Between times we'll visit some interesting cities, such as Prague and Krakow. Michel, a friend of the family, who studies at university in Belgium, lives at Kladno in the Czech Republic. He rides along with us, as far as Kladno.

... and the driver was ed for sure. He was snippy and rude when we asked a reasonable question. The question was whether or not the canals freeze in the winter. \he said, "If you would listen like you're supposed to, you would know that," and he didn't tell us in the end. We have been walking since 9AM and it's now 8:00 at night. We're getting in great shape (Believe that one, and I'll tell you another one._ Tomorrow we leave ...