Sunday means trip to Leuven. Leuven is a city near Brussels. In the morning we went to the flea market that they have there only on Sundays. This one was much bigger and had more of a variety that the one in Brussels. The most enticing part was all of the food. The fruit and the olives, big bunches of each thing. How could you not want to eat it all! The way that it is displayed it to die for! It makes me want to cook!
Afterward we headed to the center of town and saw Stadhuis (Town Hall, also called the wedding cake, see the pictures) and Sint-Pieterskerk (collegiate church of Saint Peter). Then we walked through Oude Market (really a street called the longest bar in Europe because the whole stretch of the street is all bars), people were gathered watching a world cup game. We wanted to go the botanical garden so we went down Monderbroederstraat until we got to Kruidtunn, the botanical garden.
I truly enjoy photographing flowers and plants. Check out the link with date 6.20.2010 to see the flower pics.
After all on the flowers our tummies were a rumblin’ so we ate at Bar Louis. It was a calm laid-back place where you could watch the world go by.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Walk through Woluwe 6.19.2010
On Saturday me, my mom, and Tim headed out to Chievres, an Army base. We went to the BX/PX and commissary and visited my parent’s pets that are in the kennel there until they get their permanent place.
In the afternoon Tim had to go to the Chiropractor for his first visit. Here, there is no receptionist, just the doctor. The doctor does everything. It was going to be awhile, so the doctor told my mother and I that we should take a walk at Parc de Woluwe.
So we did. The pond was beautiful and the swans and ducks were not shy at all. It was a nice walk with my mom.
In the afternoon Tim had to go to the Chiropractor for his first visit. Here, there is no receptionist, just the doctor. The doctor does everything. It was going to be awhile, so the doctor told my mother and I that we should take a walk at Parc de Woluwe.
So we did. The pond was beautiful and the swans and ducks were not shy at all. It was a nice walk with my mom.
Long walk through Brussels 6.17.2010
Wednesday we really didn’t do any thing because my sister got sick in the middle of the night and kept her and my mother up, so I had to make them food and what not that day. I found some places I wanted to go to on Wednesday also.
On Thursday we ( me, my mother, and sister) got up early and caught the metro (and bus) to the flea market in Brussels. It is located in Place du Jeu de Balle and is there every day from about 8a to 2p (or as they would say in Brussels 8:00 - 14:00) There was a lot of old junk there and a lot to dig through! People who love garage sales would be in heaven at this flea market. Out of all of the old junk some how I found something that suited me perfectly…..a giant wooden penis! And I got it for only €5!
After the flea market we walked down Rue Blaes until we got to Place de la Chapelle were there was a nice church and a great little Frite stand were I had a Mitraillette. It’s a type of baguette sandwich, but they add frites on top (think hamburger with French fries on it).
We walked on and passed this castle looking remnant. We can’t figure out what it is called, but it looked pretty cool. We arrived at Place de L’Albertine and walked through Mont Des Arts. The building that houses the Musical Instrument Museum was very interesting. Then we wandered through Parc de Bruxelles. After sitting for awhile we decided that we wanted to visit our favorite bakery before heading home. That was our first mistake.
When we go off of the Metro, we couldn’t get on the right bus because the EU had all of the streets in the area blocked off for some type of function. So we had to walk, SOME PEOPLE started go in the wrong way, I won’t say who! But, we eventually got there. When it was time to leave, we were going to catch the bus because of all of the walking that we had to do all day, but no, the EU spoiled our plains yet again! So more walking. But it was okay because we got to go through the park Cinquantenaire again and I got some really beautiful pictures of roses and other flowers. There all on the plants here that bloom have SOOOOOO many blooms on them. It’s beautiful!
On Thursday we ( me, my mother, and sister) got up early and caught the metro (and bus) to the flea market in Brussels. It is located in Place du Jeu de Balle and is there every day from about 8a to 2p (or as they would say in Brussels 8:00 - 14:00) There was a lot of old junk there and a lot to dig through! People who love garage sales would be in heaven at this flea market. Out of all of the old junk some how I found something that suited me perfectly…..a giant wooden penis! And I got it for only €5!
After the flea market we walked down Rue Blaes until we got to Place de la Chapelle were there was a nice church and a great little Frite stand were I had a Mitraillette. It’s a type of baguette sandwich, but they add frites on top (think hamburger with French fries on it).
We walked on and passed this castle looking remnant. We can’t figure out what it is called, but it looked pretty cool. We arrived at Place de L’Albertine and walked through Mont Des Arts. The building that houses the Musical Instrument Museum was very interesting. Then we wandered through Parc de Bruxelles. After sitting for awhile we decided that we wanted to visit our favorite bakery before heading home. That was our first mistake.
When we go off of the Metro, we couldn’t get on the right bus because the EU had all of the streets in the area blocked off for some type of function. So we had to walk, SOME PEOPLE started go in the wrong way, I won’t say who! But, we eventually got there. When it was time to leave, we were going to catch the bus because of all of the walking that we had to do all day, but no, the EU spoiled our plains yet again! So more walking. But it was okay because we got to go through the park Cinquantenaire again and I got some really beautiful pictures of roses and other flowers. There all on the plants here that bloom have SOOOOOO many blooms on them. It’s beautiful!
Ikea, Mall, and beer! 6.15.2010
On Tuesday the 15th my mother and I started out the day by picking my younger sister up early from her last day of school. We planned on getting lunch at the local Ikea. This Ikea is bigger than the one in Round Rock TX. Trying to get there using the GPS was straight comedy! It was telling us to turn on streets that weren’t there and to keep right and to keep left at unnecessary times. I swear we could make an extremely successful comedic movie on just that subject alone! Especially with my mother’s driving!
When we finally made it to Ikea, the first thing that I noticed was that the parking lot was completely different. (See pictures with date 6.15.2010 to the right of the page) No paint, just fancy bricks! I think I liked it. A couple things that are different when you go out to eat here is that the cups are smaller, there is no ice, and you have to pay for water. (water enriched with minerals). The no ice thing is hard for me! I like ice ALL the way to the top!
After lunch my mother dropped my sister and I off at the mall so that my sister could get a dress to go out in Friday night (we later found out that we couldn’t go because the trip my sister is going on to Italy got moved up to leave Friday night). Another difference: no sale racks. They only have sales once a year here and the rest of the year items are full price.
My sis and I took the bus home and went out for a raspberry beer later on that evening, some guy with a unibrow wanted to take a picture with us. We obliged.
When we finally made it to Ikea, the first thing that I noticed was that the parking lot was completely different. (See pictures with date 6.15.2010 to the right of the page) No paint, just fancy bricks! I think I liked it. A couple things that are different when you go out to eat here is that the cups are smaller, there is no ice, and you have to pay for water. (water enriched with minerals). The no ice thing is hard for me! I like ice ALL the way to the top!
After lunch my mother dropped my sister and I off at the mall so that my sister could get a dress to go out in Friday night (we later found out that we couldn’t go because the trip my sister is going on to Italy got moved up to leave Friday night). Another difference: no sale racks. They only have sales once a year here and the rest of the year items are full price.
My sis and I took the bus home and went out for a raspberry beer later on that evening, some guy with a unibrow wanted to take a picture with us. We obliged.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Straight off the plane.
So my first day in Brussels was pretty fun and definitely tiring! As soon as I got off of the plane my parents whisked me to the Grand Place (after a quick stop to the apartment to put my luggage away) in an effort to keep me awake so that I could acclimate to the time change easier. We got there by bus and the underground. As we walked down to the underground the smell or urine hit our noses. I said, “It smells like urine.” My parents said, “yeah” nonchalantly. That made me laugh on the inside. I like how they just accepted that that was the way it was and didn’t complain like Americans would have. As we walked though the tunnels to get to underground, a man played an instrument that was a wooden box with strings strung across it. He struck the strings with the sticks that looked like backscratchers. The music sounded middle eastern and was quite pleasant.
After ridding the underground, we stopped at some shops and I had my first Belgian waffle. It was divine. It was thick and chewy and it had fresh strawberries on top. Then I saw the Grand Place and some human statues trying to make a quick buck, when the one I took a picture with found out that I was from America he immediately said Barak Obama. That was kind of weird, I mean did he just say that because I was black??? Then we walked to Mannenken Pis which is a statue/fountain of a little cherub-like boy pissing. I’m glad that I got to see the real thing, I have a family friend that use to watch me when I was a wee lass that had one similar pissing into her pool.
Then we found Jeanneken Pis which is a statue/fountain of a little girl poppin’ a squat! I liked that even more! Finely people who have a scatological sense of humor like me! By the time that we sat down to eat lunch I was fading fast. It was so hard to keep my eyes open and my mom said that I looked stoned! Hmmm…..I wonder why she knows what that looks like? I did get to try some frites (like French fries) with mayonnaise and it was quite tasty. The mayo was different than American mayo and complimented the potatoes very well.
I got to get some comfy pants from a tent market and visited a chocolatier. We got back on the metro (underground) and then walked the rest of the way home. I tried to stay awake, but only lasted until 6pm in the middle of painting my nails. Lights out!
If you want to see pictures of some on the places that I went, go to the like to the right of the page labeled: FIRST DAY PHOTOS
After ridding the underground, we stopped at some shops and I had my first Belgian waffle. It was divine. It was thick and chewy and it had fresh strawberries on top. Then I saw the Grand Place and some human statues trying to make a quick buck, when the one I took a picture with found out that I was from America he immediately said Barak Obama. That was kind of weird, I mean did he just say that because I was black??? Then we walked to Mannenken Pis which is a statue/fountain of a little cherub-like boy pissing. I’m glad that I got to see the real thing, I have a family friend that use to watch me when I was a wee lass that had one similar pissing into her pool.
Then we found Jeanneken Pis which is a statue/fountain of a little girl poppin’ a squat! I liked that even more! Finely people who have a scatological sense of humor like me! By the time that we sat down to eat lunch I was fading fast. It was so hard to keep my eyes open and my mom said that I looked stoned! Hmmm…..I wonder why she knows what that looks like? I did get to try some frites (like French fries) with mayonnaise and it was quite tasty. The mayo was different than American mayo and complimented the potatoes very well.
I got to get some comfy pants from a tent market and visited a chocolatier. We got back on the metro (underground) and then walked the rest of the way home. I tried to stay awake, but only lasted until 6pm in the middle of painting my nails. Lights out!
If you want to see pictures of some on the places that I went, go to the like to the right of the page labeled: FIRST DAY PHOTOS
Sunday, June 13, 2010
On my way...
It’s the day of the trip. I am in a plane descending to Atlanta. My next plane trip will take me over the Atlantic for the first time. I leave behind my love and my pseudo-dog-child amalgam. It is hard to leave the ones that I love, harder than I though. Way harder than I thought. But adventure is knocking at my door. A chance for an experience, a new experience. My Achilles’ heel.
I got a window seat. I look out over America, I see the planet Earth from above the clouds. I see amazing beauty. I see something good and well in the universe. I want to reach over and kiss the sky!
I remember when I was a little girl I would lay on the ground with my back to it. I would stare up at the big puffy clouds and commune with the universe. I wondered what it would feel like to be completely naked and free floating around in the soft clouds. I would occupy my mind with what it would feel like to experience complete innocent freedom. Naked. Exposed, but unconcerned.
This is a time that I will truly strive to live in the moment. To stop, and look around me. To notice big and small. And I will smile. And have no worries.
I got a window seat. I look out over America, I see the planet Earth from above the clouds. I see amazing beauty. I see something good and well in the universe. I want to reach over and kiss the sky!
I remember when I was a little girl I would lay on the ground with my back to it. I would stare up at the big puffy clouds and commune with the universe. I wondered what it would feel like to be completely naked and free floating around in the soft clouds. I would occupy my mind with what it would feel like to experience complete innocent freedom. Naked. Exposed, but unconcerned.
This is a time that I will truly strive to live in the moment. To stop, and look around me. To notice big and small. And I will smile. And have no worries.
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