Ibis Centre Antwerp

Saturday night, we went out in Brussels to Delirium bar, which had a huge selection of beers to choose from. We sampled Cactus beer (green and tasted like limes), apple beer, mango beer, and various dark and light beers (don't worry, the group of 6 of us split all these). My two selections where the favorites of the evening – a dark beer from an abbey that I picked mostly because its description included the word "chocolate," and a light beer that ...

... Anyway, so in Breda, I started using my compass. Unlike when I used my compass to get to Rotterdam, the roads to Antwerp didn't always go in the direction I wanted it to. So I ended up going too far east, and then figured out a road that went southwest (or maybe just west, I don't remember) to get me on a road that went straight down south to Antwerp... or something like that ...

... better. Big beautiful windows, lots of light, great area, wood floors, modern building with a lift and bigger than we thought it would be. So that's our week of blunders and wonders... I am sure both will continue to occur as we learn to understand the culture and the country at a deeper level and hopefully become more fluent in French. Thanks for reading and please keep in touch. We miss you and hope to hear from you soon! Luv, Kara:) Visit Klenske, Ink.

... It was quite a hike to get back to the right spot. I arrived at the main square - the hostel directions said to "Go to the cathedral and go to the left and the hostel is right there." What the heck??? I had to ask four people and the final person literally had to walk me to the doorsteps of the hostel. It's several sidestreets behind and to the left of the cathedral. Despite good reviews and a proudly-displayed poster saying it was voted one ...

... the woman actually asked where we were going next and if they could come along. That is where my prof drew the line...but all in all it was really quite funny watching this couple. After Rubens house we headed back to the train station destined for Brussels. And this concludes day trip #2 of Art 361...next weekend Amsterdam!(well at the time I am writing this, it was actually this passed weekend..sorry I am a little behind in my blogs)

... was slow, we stayed inside, it was rainy and grey and cold. We played again the board game and later when Mathilde was back by the evening we ate a good meal with her mother and watched Brokeback Mountain. Which was quite a deception! 'what are you doing' Ok the acting was cool, but I didnt like the way they were picturing them putting their life priority. So what they couldnt be together and it was sad. Millions of Gay or Hetero couples are on the same situation. -----------

... became much more busy and before we knew it we came across the Mannequin Pis. The Mannequin Pis is Brussels' claim to fame. As the name suggests it is a statue taking a ****, a little boy to be more precise. The silhouette of this little boy is often seen on signs that people put up their toilet door. We were to find that all of Brussels tourism centered around this statue. Luckily enough around the next corner we found the square, officially called the Grand Place ...

We weren't quite sure how much we would like Antwerp- we knew next to nothing about the city. First impressions, however, were good. We trekked down a long busy boulevard lined with shops and cafes into the heart of the city and our hostel. The hostel itself boasted high ceilings, its own bar, and a quaint patio garden in the back. The staff was both welcoming and ...

... serious Hunt for Red October (the first being for dinner and lodging the previous night). When we had left LaRoche around 4:00 it was a bustling little tourist town - like the beach towns on the East Coast. When we returned at 8:00 they had rolled up the sidewalks. Everything was closed, there was nobody on the streets, the place was deserted. Although it was true that there were plenty of rooms available, we had a hard time finding one that ...