Mercure Mons

We arrived in Brussels and got ourselves to our hotel and dumped our bags so we could start our day in the city and see the 5th biggest Cathedral in the world! Haha. And whatever else Brussels had to offer us, not to mention the food, chips, chocolate, waffles and beer!! We had a great day walking about and being amazed with how much Belgium loved us. Haha. Then after our day was done, we headed back to the hotel, had a well deserved ...

... she became their patron saint. The city still greatly revers her and has lavish festivals in her honor yearly. The church is decorated head to toe in amazing stain glass windows of which some were lost to the air raids of WWII. The intricate, hand carved wooden tryptychs, marble statuaries, and St. Waudru's carriage fill this church with much the same awe that is commanded from the larger cathedrals. Like other cities in Europe, Mons is no disappointment. Its ...

... desk) Comic Route: The Brussels Tourism Office has a free online map of the route plus a full length guide to purchase at their main office, located in the Grand Place. www.brusselsinternational.be Tintin Boutique: Rue de la Colline 13, 02 514 51 52 Nicholas J. Klenske is a freelance writer living in Brussels. His work has appeared in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, New Haven Advocate and PreView Magazine. Contact him through www.KlenskeInk.com.

... we had, and the things we were trying to accomplish to understand why practice was run this way. The only other thing that comes to mind is that our team was made up of very high caliber players. We did not need to work on as many fundamental drills because we already had those down pat. Sure they would be fun, but with a time schedule in mind, fun wasnt always top priority. In Belgium, the players are just as talented but they ...

... to have experienced the doudou was a great one. The above is very technical and traditionally set but an easier way to put it would be... a good excuse to drink heavily for a week straight. I swear some people must have stayed out in the city for days at a time. It didnt matter whether you were there at 9am or 10pm...people were drinking all hrs of the day. We all had a great time and the last night we watched fireworks from the center of mons. We were so ...

... malls, rain, sun, color, animals, money, etc. The world itself here is much like the states. Friends go out or hang out and watch movies. People work during the week and party on the weekends. Hobbies and everyday activities are quite similar. People laugh, cry, joke, fight. You get the picture, life is life. But the way things are done, the size of life, the routines of people are very unique. Lets start with size. Everything here is ...

... about it. Revenge? What's the point? Two wrongs don't make a right. Or two pricks don't make a good sight. Yes - so the Belgians get a thumbs up for coolness from me - for their doing things on their own. And there is a lady sitting in this café place, with a little pickanese dog. Brussels - the home of every pernickety regulation in the EU book. And you can still get a dog in a café. I say that's a result.

... away so nicely over cups and cups of tea that we lost track of time, not that we were sorry. I needed to know all about the Mr. Hs of this world because I need to know where to find them! And of course there was travel talk on RTW tickets, insurance, help exchange, wwoofing, and boat trips in South America. After a very nice lunch at the Crabe Fantome with Dad and his former secretary Lisa, I took Julie back to the ...

... at the moment. And yesterday we all went to a Virtual Tourist meeting (www.virtualtourist.com) where we met Kinga and Asia again - Tomorrow i will start travelling. First i'm taking Maria with me to Hasselt, to meet Ingrid and to work a bit. Then it's off to Darmstadt to meet Claudia at the Heinerfest. I'll spend the weekend at her place and then drive back to Belgium - On July 4th I really leave for ...

... has a large collection of Flemish paintings. The whole town is a living museum, and packed with tourists. Accommodation and food are far more expensive in Belgium than in France, though people coming from Switzerland or Scandinavia find it cheap. We ate twice at The Passage, trying each of the Flemish specialties on the menu - three kinds of stew - all quite nice. We could only get a dormitory for the first night as no rooms were available. It was actually better than ...