Crowne Plaza Hotel Brussels Airport Diegem

... had no hostel and no way to get to Brussels on Friday, but this was when I freaked out a little. Like you would expect, the one time we really needed a chocolate place, we could not find any. So we speed walked back to the Mannequin Pis, and luckily found those chocolatiers open in such a touristy area. I bought an unhealthy amount of chocolate, and later picked up a sweet beer mug as souvenirs.

Continuing our walking tour, we wandered to the Palais ...

... doesn’t sound like me, does it?

We arrived at the train station, where I was finally able to bust out with some Spanish to get our tickets switched to the correct day and time. Besides all the "ouis" that kept popping up in my conversation instead of saying “sí,” I basked in the glory of being coherent in a language other than English. After a three hour bus ride, we were finally in ...

... this narrow road, again, my mouth was probably gaping open in awe....I think to myself, this must be the place that Disney used to model Walt Disney World after. I mean, it looks like a Fairy Tale town. I felt like I was in fairy tale. Everything here is so beautiful, so ornate. The buildings are so ancient you just want to reach out and touch them. It's almost like you can feel their history. I come upon an old bridge across the canal. I look down the canal and see there is a ...

... if ever in Burges! Very nice people and a wonderful atmosphere...really gives you a true Belgium experience. Frites (french fries) was our last endeaver of the day before we hopped back on the bus and headed home. They were really very good...I had a werid tatar sauce on top of them, that I would never think to put on fries, but all in all very good! The train ride home was a long one, but I slept most of the way so it was wonderful!

... it to feel like this. I have a real sense of nostalgia of the last 4 years and a slight sense of sadness to be leaving the friends and experiences behind. But I also feel a growing excitement and disbelief at the fact that I'm embarking on this journey. As for the sadness, one of my friends said, maybe that's just beer ...

... the hills I've climbed in Digne and elsewhere. It wasn't what I'd call a difficult hike-what killed me (or, more specifically, what killed my legs, hips, and feet) was the distance! This was, fortunately, broken up by a couple of planned snack breaks (where they sold drinks, chips, and gaufres, dry, sweet waffles) and a lunch of soup, hamburgers, and hot dogs. The scenery was beautiful: there was mud on the ground instead of ...

"Somebody has a case of the Mondays!" And unfortunately, that somebody is me *frown* So today not only marks our first return to studio in just about two weeks, it is also a day of celebration for those Italian futbol (soccer) fans, which just so happen to be EVERYWHERE! We got back from Amsterdam just in time to catch the game, and I must say that it was exciting - except for the ...

Et voilà. Twee maand verlof genomen. Reisbestemming en -gezelschap gezocht. Vlucht geboekt. Al een paar interne vluchten en hotelletjes vastgelegd. Dagschema opgesteld. Zonet bij Maai en David chinees gaan eten - met stokskes. Zelfs dat ging vlot ! We zijn dus klaar. Klaar voor zes weken China - the land of the ...

... wear at a happy hour just outside of the European Parliament. This trip is so surreal! I still haven't gotten the picture from the meeting with Condi...and I dodn't get to meet Bush because I am non-essential personnel but oh well. Ok well I just wanted to check in before I took off on another whirl-wind adventure around Europe. Cheers