Hotel Tropical Durbuy

... sun was setting, and I was pretty tired, so I drove to Bastogne, and checked in to a hotel I like to use there, the Melba. It’s not expensive, right in the center of town, and has free wifi. Bastogne, of course, is where American troops, surrounded by the last-gasp German Arden Offensive (the Battle of the Bulge) around Christmas 1944, refused to surrender. When a German officer was sent in blindfolded to ask the Americans to surrender, General Anthony McAuliffe replied “ ...

During our stay in Spa we had the most scary, horrible, unpleasant experience ever in a restaurant.

The restaurant to avoid is "Le Bouchon Gourmand", the owner does not hesitate to insult customers, lock them into the restaurant if there is a dispute on the bill, and claim more money than is due.

See more on www.bouchon-gourmand.blogspot.com

We woke up in Aachen this morning and decided to drive through the back roads to Belgium and pay a visit to Bastonge, were thousands of soldiers as ell as civilians died during WWII's Battle of the Bulge. The only real reminders are a Sherman Tank sitting in the middle of town and and the memorial ...

... s cafeteria, with airport-like security systems. One of the Polish women has an EP job, so was able to get us in.
As Florinda went to work each day, I was free and given the roam of the flat and my own keys.
I had briefly been in Brussles some years ago, but didn't remember much. I spurged and took the hop on/hop off sightseeing double decker bus tour, to get an orientation to the city, learn a few facts and to also use as a form of public transportation. I got ...

... and a keychain…sigh…

We got back on the road pretty late due to the sightseeing and we only travelled along backroads until we got onto the first of a series of Autobahns that we’d be travelling on for most of the day due to Amsterdam, our final destination. Every now and again we took short cuts to get from one Autobahn to the next and the GPS did its best to get us ...

... of the Army. I wish them all well.

One thing I decided today in seeing the perimeter of Bastogne. While Easy Company was made famous with the Band of Brothers Series, I decided that E Co. was a symbol for all the Companies that suffered the hardships in and around the Bastogne area in the in winter of 1944. Each and everyone one of those men suffered in their own way that winter. And many are still suffering today. And for that reason, we need to continue to honor them.

... and good time.

Tattoos of memories
and dead skin on trial.

For what it's worth,
it was worth all the while.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.


It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

It's something unpredictable
but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

... don't like it too much when I go out a lot, but after 6 months am hoping to change host families, bu I have to find the host family myself (that's what Yvette said to me anyway, because she doesn't have another host family for me). So they said they'd ask around to see if they know someone who wants to host an aussie, but so far no luck :( On the way home because we ate lunch so early I was dying of hunger so decided to buy frites, but didn't know what size. Thought I ...

... class, I read a passage out loud :) yay me. Went to breakdance class and it was exhausting, probably the first time i've sweat since arrival, and we were all dead after it! That night there was lettuce on the table, so I went for it and made a full on salad because I'd bought cucumber and capsicum and veggies, man it was what I'd been craving. I'm starting to get a little over the food here, there's nearly no vegetables or vitamins, just so much grease and oil ...

... navstevy, vecerime spolecne, chodime spolecne behat a poradame ruzne akce. Je tu uvolnena nalada, legrace a vstricnost. Projekt naseho KAPu je organizovani spolecnych veceru s nemocnymi detmi, starymi lidmi a handicapovanymi lidmi. Prvni organizujeme pristi utery, zitra mame konferenci a momentalne se ucime delat z dlouhych balonku pejsky, protoze je spolecne s Kot e clown budeme na jedne sportovni akci rozdavat detem. Uz umim udelat pejska tremi chvaty! Blednete zavisti, amateri.