Home, sweet home! After a 24 hour day, I arrived home last night, happy to have had a great vacation, and even happier to be home safe and sound! I haven't done the complete flight in one day in a couple of years and now I know why not, it is just too hard on me. Hopefully I will always have the time to break up the journey with a night's stay in the middle again. Makes a world of difference for me.
One of the first things I noticed is that when I sign on to write on my blog from home, the words are back in English now. Be sure when you go abroad you know the location of the words you need because they just might show up in an unknown language, such as Flemish. I do see how total immersion works though, even I was beginning to pick up some Flemish/Dutch words! Not that I was saying them correctly of course, but I was familiar with them. The two I almost got right were, "Goya morgan" with a few different sounds in there, meaning good morning. I also practiced the Flemish word for Bruges, Brugge, a lot. It is almost like burger but with a lot of rolling r's after the B. See, a language learner I'm not!
My withdrawal from frites and waffles has begun! Withdrawal from the chocolates...not so much since I brought those back with me, but that day will come too!
My hotel at the airport was a Sheraton and the reviews aren't all great online so I wasn't expecting much but a bed before the trip home. The room had a horrible smell in it, like a backed up sewer, or worse. I complained and was told the hotel was sold out so there weren't any rooms, I went back and insisted it was terrible and was told that housekeeping would check it out and then was told that they did and sprayed some spray and it was fine. Again I walked in and gagged. I thought about it for a while and decided that I was paying too much for that kind of odor and inconvenience and went down to demand someone come up and smell it themselves and if there were no other rooms available they could find me one somewhere else. Well that time I got a darling young girl from Portugal. She said they were indeed full, but I shouldn't have to deal with that so she offered me a room across the hall. I told her I wanted to be sure it didn't smell before I moved everything so she took me up and when I opened the door to my room she gagged and looked like she might just throw up and said something needed to be done! Yep, I'd say! The one across the hall was fine so I moved everything which was a pain, but worth it. I'd already started repacking for the flight home. Leave it to a sweet Portuguese person to make things better for me! Later I went to the airport to look around and pick up a big bottle of water for the night. I shopped around a little, but there wasn't a bit of room left in the suitcase so no buying was possible. Well I did purchase a couple of cat magazines that came with a box of kitty picture cards and everything was in French so I got one for each of our French classes. It was a tight squeeze, but I got them in. When I got back to the room and walked towards my room you could smell very strong scented spray! Pretty funny, but I bet it didn't get rid of the real problem, which I don't even want to imagine was going on. At least it wasn't my room anymore! Unfortunately the room was so hot that I had trouble sleeping but was so tired I didn't want to mess with calling down and having some technician come up and work with it so I discovered that a wet cloth helps keep me cool. Good info I'm sure.
I was up early and crossed the street to the airport. The plane was a bit late leaving but made up the time in the air so that was no problem. The flight was lovely, I was on a plane where the business class seats have been converted to make into beds and you have your own tv so that is a very nice way to travel for that many hours. I watched movies again and read and slept so that part of the journey was nice. After that it was not so nice.
But I arrived home safely and after flames coming out of my hair dryer I had a good night's sleep and although still exhausted, I did pick up my kids and we are all home together!
One more trip complete and what wonderful 'last trip memories' I have now!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
OUT OF BRUGES
What could happen when you only have a couple of hours left in your dream destination. I was quite sure there would be nothing of interest to write about...however some may think that I really don't need anything of interest to write about, I just write...however...
I went down to breakfast at the hotel and the waitress came up to me and said, "You have been to Bruges many times, haven't you?" I looked at her blankly and said I had never been at that hotel before and she said, "No but I used to work..." And I was able to fill in that last word before she did..."at Lily's" and yes, that was right! Imagine, there I am at a hotel a fair distance away from there and a person recognizes me at a hotel breakfast. Trite but true, small world! So that is the story of the day, imagine my surprise at being recognized around Belgium!
The train ride was nice, a lovely young lady helped me with the platform information and helped me with my baggage. The interesting thing is that people here seem to love the opportunity to talk to native English speaking people to practice their English. Ilsa was sweet, she is studying to be a religion teacher for high school level students. She was telling me about an incident where a student told her he was gay in class. I was impressed with how she handled it and that led to a quite interesting discussion about the life of gay people in Europe and especially in her Catholic school. She craves travel but is with a man who does not like to leave home and she had many questions about travel. She is going to Ecuador with her 70 year old grandmother in a couple of weeks and her dream is to roll the dice and go to that platform and then roll them again to see what stop to get off at. Yes, we did exchange emails and I do think I will hear from her, interested in her roll of the dice trip to come.
I got off the train at Central station rather than change trains and platforms. I wandered and was asking a quite unhelpful man some questions and finally left there and then a girl came up an asked if she could help me. She helped me decide what to do. I was quite close to the famous Grand Place and she thought I should put my luggage in the locker and go see it. So we figured out how to work the lockers with a lot of laughing, even though she read French and Flemish she couldn't figure it out either. Finally we did and she thanked me for letting her help be because she was excited to get to use her English. She said she looks for every opportunity to talk to English speaking people to practice. She has taught herself and she did a great job. Meeting her was delightful and now I'm an expert at the lockers at the Central Bruxxels Train Station!
I wandered out with only my small camera, just couldn't unpack to get to the large one. Oh my goodness, the Grand Place was magnificent!! What a sight. I did miss seeing the statue of the little boy peeing that saved the city, or something like that. But the square was gorgeous. One of the foods I'd been told to try was mashed potatoes and veggies and meat. It wasn't served in Bruges but the pub owner had given me the name of a restaurnat in the Grand Place that served it. I saw the place and went in and had a very interesting lunch, it was delicious!
I passed a store of men's ties and thought it would make a great card so I went in to ask if I could take pictures. The salesgirl was sitting on a chair doubled up in pain and said I could but she couldn't help me because she was in so much pain from her period that she couldn't move. What information to share with a stranger. I told her about reiki and she said she would try it and from the minute I touched her back she said she could feel the heat going through to her abdomen and in about 5 minutes a customer walked in and she was up waiting on him and seemed fine and thanked and thanked me. How interesting that she was so open to that from a stranger and it helped so much.
After all these adventures I went out to see how much a taxi to the airport would cost. 40 euros seemed cheap for the convenience so the driver went back into the terminal with me and got my luggage and took it to the taxi. I asked about NATO so he took me by there. It was really cool to see the whole compound, from the outsdie of course. I saw other important buildings, the EU parliament, and smbsassador's homes.
And now I am at the Sheraton where I will spend a quiet afternoon reading before my big trip home tomorrow. I am going to do it all in a day which I havne't done for a long time. So soon, I will be home and this short little jaunt across the ocean will be over.
Thanks for enjoying it with me!
I went down to breakfast at the hotel and the waitress came up to me and said, "You have been to Bruges many times, haven't you?" I looked at her blankly and said I had never been at that hotel before and she said, "No but I used to work..." And I was able to fill in that last word before she did..."at Lily's" and yes, that was right! Imagine, there I am at a hotel a fair distance away from there and a person recognizes me at a hotel breakfast. Trite but true, small world! So that is the story of the day, imagine my surprise at being recognized around Belgium!
The train ride was nice, a lovely young lady helped me with the platform information and helped me with my baggage. The interesting thing is that people here seem to love the opportunity to talk to native English speaking people to practice their English. Ilsa was sweet, she is studying to be a religion teacher for high school level students. She was telling me about an incident where a student told her he was gay in class. I was impressed with how she handled it and that led to a quite interesting discussion about the life of gay people in Europe and especially in her Catholic school. She craves travel but is with a man who does not like to leave home and she had many questions about travel. She is going to Ecuador with her 70 year old grandmother in a couple of weeks and her dream is to roll the dice and go to that platform and then roll them again to see what stop to get off at. Yes, we did exchange emails and I do think I will hear from her, interested in her roll of the dice trip to come.
I got off the train at Central station rather than change trains and platforms. I wandered and was asking a quite unhelpful man some questions and finally left there and then a girl came up an asked if she could help me. She helped me decide what to do. I was quite close to the famous Grand Place and she thought I should put my luggage in the locker and go see it. So we figured out how to work the lockers with a lot of laughing, even though she read French and Flemish she couldn't figure it out either. Finally we did and she thanked me for letting her help be because she was excited to get to use her English. She said she looks for every opportunity to talk to English speaking people to practice. She has taught herself and she did a great job. Meeting her was delightful and now I'm an expert at the lockers at the Central Bruxxels Train Station!
I wandered out with only my small camera, just couldn't unpack to get to the large one. Oh my goodness, the Grand Place was magnificent!! What a sight. I did miss seeing the statue of the little boy peeing that saved the city, or something like that. But the square was gorgeous. One of the foods I'd been told to try was mashed potatoes and veggies and meat. It wasn't served in Bruges but the pub owner had given me the name of a restaurnat in the Grand Place that served it. I saw the place and went in and had a very interesting lunch, it was delicious!
I passed a store of men's ties and thought it would make a great card so I went in to ask if I could take pictures. The salesgirl was sitting on a chair doubled up in pain and said I could but she couldn't help me because she was in so much pain from her period that she couldn't move. What information to share with a stranger. I told her about reiki and she said she would try it and from the minute I touched her back she said she could feel the heat going through to her abdomen and in about 5 minutes a customer walked in and she was up waiting on him and seemed fine and thanked and thanked me. How interesting that she was so open to that from a stranger and it helped so much.
After all these adventures I went out to see how much a taxi to the airport would cost. 40 euros seemed cheap for the convenience so the driver went back into the terminal with me and got my luggage and took it to the taxi. I asked about NATO so he took me by there. It was really cool to see the whole compound, from the outsdie of course. I saw other important buildings, the EU parliament, and smbsassador's homes.
And now I am at the Sheraton where I will spend a quiet afternoon reading before my big trip home tomorrow. I am going to do it all in a day which I havne't done for a long time. So soon, I will be home and this short little jaunt across the ocean will be over.
Thanks for enjoying it with me!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
IN BRUGES - Dream Destination Day 4
The day seemed to be a bit more normal. I had breakfast early and then went to sleep. The time change happened here last night and I was up most of the night reading. After a wonderful morning nap I headed out to do some touristy things. First on the agenda was the chocolate museum. It was quite interesting starting with the beginning of the story with the incas. I took some pictures of the story and displays but decided I would just buy a book so stopped. That was a mistake, there was no book with just the basic information. I would have read and remembered more. It was really interesting to read about the way chocolate got around the world. The Spanish originally brought it to Spain and then it made it's way to France. So many details I didn't read after that.
After that I walked a few more blocks and visited the frite museum, yes it really is a museum about potatoes and how the Belgian way of fries came about. French fries are not from France. They were offered to soldiers in the war, not sure if it was WWI or WWII, but they were shared by Belgian soldiers who spoke French so that is how they ended up with the name French fries. Now I'm curious about how the French explain the French fry. That for another time, maybe a trip to France. I wandered for quite a while and decided that lunch, at 3:30 was quite overdue. I wasn't that hungry so I decided to have a waffle. I've been wanting to try one with fruit so I stopped at another waffle shop and had one with my usual caramel and had bananas with it. The waffle itself was not as good as my Lily's waffle, but it was heavenly with the bananas! I wish my place would add that choice.
And then I wandered more and ended up getting some chocolates to take home and then headed back to the hotel. I needed to put ice on my ankle, I twisted it twice, once on the uneven cobblestones and once by missing a little step in a store. Once that was better I headed out again to get pictures of the sunset. I stopped for a small order of frites with the Flemish stew on them. Then wandered to the canals to watch the sunset. Or so I thought. I walked and walked and ended up far from my hotel in a place I'd never been before. I got quite nervous and my feet hurt and I wasn't sure how I would get back to somewhere familiar so when I saw a hotel I asked the man there to call a taxi for me. Had a nice ride back to the hotel and decided I would have to miss the sunset, my feet were so tired from that long walk.
As I was walking into the hotel I remembered I'd wanted to go to the supermarket for a drink. So I turned around and headed out again to go to the close little market. On the way there I was thinking how it was just an ordinary day today...well not for long it turned out. I went In and picked up a couple things and an American man came in. He was quite friendly and we started chatting. Eventually he shared that he lives in Austin and was here to buy a hotel which just went through. I was amazed and as we talked he told me his story. He was a troubled child, abused by a stepfather and went on to be very successful in the .com industry and aol bought his creation for 100 million dollars. Can this be true, I guess I will see, but I believe it is. He went to harvard and with mark zucker just contributed millions to a special education fund. He shared stories of his life and even if it isn't all true, which I do believe it is, what an incredibly motivational man he is! I could have been talking to Anthony Robbins in person. He gave me his email address and encouraged me to do a blog on education..He certainly had a way of discovering ones passions! And so as my last day ended in Bruges I did meet an interesting person with a great story!
Tomorrow I will pack and take the challenging train trip back to Brussels and Tuesday I will head home from this relaxing and interesting visit to Bruges!
Good night from Belgium
After that I walked a few more blocks and visited the frite museum, yes it really is a museum about potatoes and how the Belgian way of fries came about. French fries are not from France. They were offered to soldiers in the war, not sure if it was WWI or WWII, but they were shared by Belgian soldiers who spoke French so that is how they ended up with the name French fries. Now I'm curious about how the French explain the French fry. That for another time, maybe a trip to France. I wandered for quite a while and decided that lunch, at 3:30 was quite overdue. I wasn't that hungry so I decided to have a waffle. I've been wanting to try one with fruit so I stopped at another waffle shop and had one with my usual caramel and had bananas with it. The waffle itself was not as good as my Lily's waffle, but it was heavenly with the bananas! I wish my place would add that choice.
And then I wandered more and ended up getting some chocolates to take home and then headed back to the hotel. I needed to put ice on my ankle, I twisted it twice, once on the uneven cobblestones and once by missing a little step in a store. Once that was better I headed out again to get pictures of the sunset. I stopped for a small order of frites with the Flemish stew on them. Then wandered to the canals to watch the sunset. Or so I thought. I walked and walked and ended up far from my hotel in a place I'd never been before. I got quite nervous and my feet hurt and I wasn't sure how I would get back to somewhere familiar so when I saw a hotel I asked the man there to call a taxi for me. Had a nice ride back to the hotel and decided I would have to miss the sunset, my feet were so tired from that long walk.
As I was walking into the hotel I remembered I'd wanted to go to the supermarket for a drink. So I turned around and headed out again to go to the close little market. On the way there I was thinking how it was just an ordinary day today...well not for long it turned out. I went In and picked up a couple things and an American man came in. He was quite friendly and we started chatting. Eventually he shared that he lives in Austin and was here to buy a hotel which just went through. I was amazed and as we talked he told me his story. He was a troubled child, abused by a stepfather and went on to be very successful in the .com industry and aol bought his creation for 100 million dollars. Can this be true, I guess I will see, but I believe it is. He went to harvard and with mark zucker just contributed millions to a special education fund. He shared stories of his life and even if it isn't all true, which I do believe it is, what an incredibly motivational man he is! I could have been talking to Anthony Robbins in person. He gave me his email address and encouraged me to do a blog on education..He certainly had a way of discovering ones passions! And so as my last day ended in Bruges I did meet an interesting person with a great story!
Tomorrow I will pack and take the challenging train trip back to Brussels and Tuesday I will head home from this relaxing and interesting visit to Bruges!
Good night from Belgium
Saturday, March 26, 2011
IN BRUGES - Dream Destination Day 3
The day started out a bit earlier, I missed breakfast but that was okay because my goal was to finally make it to Lily's for a waffle for breakfast anyway. So when the alarm went off at 10:30 I forced myself to get up even though I was exhausted. Couldn't sleep another day
away. After all, this is Bruges! After I got ready I called the lady who I had met online who lives in England and has a house here. Turns out she was about 5 minutes away in the berg. I met her and she was so sweet and accompanied me to Lily's. Her husband had already headed there on foot, because it is over a mile away I'd decided to take a taxi there and walk back, wandering and shopping. The owner was delightfully surprised to see me so that was fun. I gave him the waffle card I'd made him and he was quite excited about it. That made me feel good. I told him it had been over a year since I'd been here and here and he said it hadn't been so when I started thinking about it, I realized he was right, I was here last June. Later I asked him how he remembered things like that and he said he always remembers special people. How sweet. Annette and Martin had something to drink and we had a great conversation about cameras, photography and how they ended up with a house here. They decided that their house is so small that they would upsize in the same area outside of London but when they saw the cost they realized they could buy a house for the same price. They considered Spain or France where other people have their homes and one day realized that since they always love visiting bruges they should just buy it here. They said they got it for the price of an extra bedroom and a garage! Sounds like a perfect place for them.
After we had a nice visit I said I would like to buy their coffees and Martin said he had already taken care of the bill and the owner wouldn't let him pay for my waffle. So he bought my hot chocolate and they told me about a place where the daffodils had bloomed and walked me to where they could show me how to get there and we parted. Next to Love Park where the swans are, there is a Beguinage, again I'm quite sure my spelling is wrong. Can't remember the exact definition of the beguines but it is worth looking up. I walked in expecting a few daffodils and the sight that met me inside the large doors was breathtaking! There were thousands and thousands of blooming daffodils with the historic building in the background. Yes, many pictures of this incredible springtime sight on that little card inside my camera!
After getting my fill of daffodils, I headed back towards my hotel. The day was a bit cold,but sunny and pleasant. The streets were packed with hundreds of tourists! I photographed my way back towards my hotel. I passed chocolate shops one after another. Most things here are either candy or lace or the standard souvenirs. I passed the little flea market by the canal but was very disappointed I'd missed the big marketplace because it closes by 1 pm. next time! By the time I'd spent hours wandering I was ready for some of those fries with gravy. The market square was packed with people and the line was a bit long. I ordered the fries I thought I'd seen but was a bit confused when it was 8 euros. I paid it and waited...I gasped when I saw what I had bought...a huge container of fries topped with a full serving of stoop, Flemish stew! Huge chunks of meat and it was quite a meal! Delicious, but so much more than I'd expected!, after somehow managing to eat it while standing I walked the couple of blocks back to my hotel and had a nice nap.
I'd hoped for a nice night to take pictures of the sunset but the clouds had moved in so it was light and then it was dark. I decided to go back to visit my friend at Lilys in hopes he would be less busy and be able to talk. He was able to talk to me and was so excited about the cards he said I wouldn't have to pay for waffles if he could get some,so I will make him some and send them. He made me another waffle and was so funny because when I went to take the picture he turned the plate around so it was the direction he wanted it. It wasn't the best shot but I took the picture and when he left turned it to an angle I liked better. I asked him the meaning of the name Lily and he said he started the business 16 years ago and named it after his yorkie. He said she died 6 years ago but he kept the name, as he should. A young couple came by with the cutest beagle and after chatting for a while they sat down and had frites. They are working in Paris for the next couple of months and will then be returning to the US with their French beagle. They had to get help with the commands in French because that is all their dog, snoopy, understands. He had been abandoned and had already been living at the rescue shelter for 2 years. I asked if it was a no kill shelter and they said it must have been because when you walk in there are 15 dogs lying around that the girls who work there said were theirs. Evidently when it's decided that a dog is too old or not adoptable these employees adopt them to keep them from being euthanized and bring them to work each day. So basically they are still up for adoption but have homes to live out their years. Loved the story!
After another walk to some previously unvisited streets I stopped into a restaurant for dinner. Ordered a steak and had a nice conversation with a French couple next to me who were here for the weekend. They had 2 suggestions for future trips for me, one to la Rochelle in france and one to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Great! Finally I have some new places to put on my list! And I was able to help them a bit too, now they will be visiting the Musee d'orsy and having the best hot chocolate in the world AND they have never heard of giverny so they will be going there too. So nice I could help some French people enjoy a bit more of France!
And that, my friends, was day 3 In Bruges. Maybe I'll be back for the ice sculpture show at Christmas!
away. After all, this is Bruges! After I got ready I called the lady who I had met online who lives in England and has a house here. Turns out she was about 5 minutes away in the berg. I met her and she was so sweet and accompanied me to Lily's. Her husband had already headed there on foot, because it is over a mile away I'd decided to take a taxi there and walk back, wandering and shopping. The owner was delightfully surprised to see me so that was fun. I gave him the waffle card I'd made him and he was quite excited about it. That made me feel good. I told him it had been over a year since I'd been here and here and he said it hadn't been so when I started thinking about it, I realized he was right, I was here last June. Later I asked him how he remembered things like that and he said he always remembers special people. How sweet. Annette and Martin had something to drink and we had a great conversation about cameras, photography and how they ended up with a house here. They decided that their house is so small that they would upsize in the same area outside of London but when they saw the cost they realized they could buy a house for the same price. They considered Spain or France where other people have their homes and one day realized that since they always love visiting bruges they should just buy it here. They said they got it for the price of an extra bedroom and a garage! Sounds like a perfect place for them.
After we had a nice visit I said I would like to buy their coffees and Martin said he had already taken care of the bill and the owner wouldn't let him pay for my waffle. So he bought my hot chocolate and they told me about a place where the daffodils had bloomed and walked me to where they could show me how to get there and we parted. Next to Love Park where the swans are, there is a Beguinage, again I'm quite sure my spelling is wrong. Can't remember the exact definition of the beguines but it is worth looking up. I walked in expecting a few daffodils and the sight that met me inside the large doors was breathtaking! There were thousands and thousands of blooming daffodils with the historic building in the background. Yes, many pictures of this incredible springtime sight on that little card inside my camera!
After getting my fill of daffodils, I headed back towards my hotel. The day was a bit cold,but sunny and pleasant. The streets were packed with hundreds of tourists! I photographed my way back towards my hotel. I passed chocolate shops one after another. Most things here are either candy or lace or the standard souvenirs. I passed the little flea market by the canal but was very disappointed I'd missed the big marketplace because it closes by 1 pm. next time! By the time I'd spent hours wandering I was ready for some of those fries with gravy. The market square was packed with people and the line was a bit long. I ordered the fries I thought I'd seen but was a bit confused when it was 8 euros. I paid it and waited...I gasped when I saw what I had bought...a huge container of fries topped with a full serving of stoop, Flemish stew! Huge chunks of meat and it was quite a meal! Delicious, but so much more than I'd expected!, after somehow managing to eat it while standing I walked the couple of blocks back to my hotel and had a nice nap.
I'd hoped for a nice night to take pictures of the sunset but the clouds had moved in so it was light and then it was dark. I decided to go back to visit my friend at Lilys in hopes he would be less busy and be able to talk. He was able to talk to me and was so excited about the cards he said I wouldn't have to pay for waffles if he could get some,so I will make him some and send them. He made me another waffle and was so funny because when I went to take the picture he turned the plate around so it was the direction he wanted it. It wasn't the best shot but I took the picture and when he left turned it to an angle I liked better. I asked him the meaning of the name Lily and he said he started the business 16 years ago and named it after his yorkie. He said she died 6 years ago but he kept the name, as he should. A young couple came by with the cutest beagle and after chatting for a while they sat down and had frites. They are working in Paris for the next couple of months and will then be returning to the US with their French beagle. They had to get help with the commands in French because that is all their dog, snoopy, understands. He had been abandoned and had already been living at the rescue shelter for 2 years. I asked if it was a no kill shelter and they said it must have been because when you walk in there are 15 dogs lying around that the girls who work there said were theirs. Evidently when it's decided that a dog is too old or not adoptable these employees adopt them to keep them from being euthanized and bring them to work each day. So basically they are still up for adoption but have homes to live out their years. Loved the story!
After another walk to some previously unvisited streets I stopped into a restaurant for dinner. Ordered a steak and had a nice conversation with a French couple next to me who were here for the weekend. They had 2 suggestions for future trips for me, one to la Rochelle in france and one to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Great! Finally I have some new places to put on my list! And I was able to help them a bit too, now they will be visiting the Musee d'orsy and having the best hot chocolate in the world AND they have never heard of giverny so they will be going there too. So nice I could help some French people enjoy a bit more of France!
And that, my friends, was day 3 In Bruges. Maybe I'll be back for the ice sculpture show at Christmas!
Friday, March 25, 2011
IN BRUGES Dream Destination -Day 2
Well, sleep did not arrive for me until the early morning hours. I believe this is jet lag. I set the alarm and got up for breakfast and was disappointed there were no waffles. Just as I was finishing my meal, a lot of Americans walked in. And what do you know, there was a couple from Denver! We chatted for a bit and I Found it interesting that they were going to be here for 3 days until they left for their river cruise. The rather interesting thing is that I asked what river that was and neither had any idea what river they were going to be on. They are going to see the tulips. I just wouldn't imagine that people would fly halfway around the world and not even know what river they would be sailing on. One never knows.
I was planning to get out for pictures but fell asleep and had a faint recognition of the bells and nothing else for hours. Shortly after 1 the front desk called to ask if I was going to get up so they could clean up. About 2 I finally was up. After a shower I felt better and headed out for another adventure. I stopped by the store to tell my new friend Tanja I would meet her at 3:30 when she got off work. I wandered and had some frites with my new favorite sauces and tried to find the frite and chocolate museums. Apparently I went the wrong way but enjoyed wandering, knowing I was not on a time schedule to get back to the ship. I met Tanja and she was hungry and got her fries at the different stand than I have ever gone to and she let me taste them, delicious! She had a beef and gravy topping and mayonnaise and I can't wait for lunch today...it's 7 hours later here in Belgium with the time change to come tonight. Then she said she would like me to meet her mother who can't walk well because of her two new knees. So i said we didn't have to walk and she called her mother to meet us. While waiting she took me to, in her opinion, the best chocolate shop in town, Dumond. She used to work there and was greeted warmly and the mother of the family who owns the shop proudly showed me pictures of the family with Rick Steves. There were articles up about them. When we left she handed me a box of chocolates that she had bought as a gift for me! so, so sweet. And she had another little bag with a candy for us to eat then. We visited over a glass of iced tea as she told me about meeting her wonderful boyfriend. When her mother arrived we walked to the haagen ads store for a waffle and although good, it was not a Lily's waffle...later today I will go there. After that and listening to their conversation in Flemish they invited me to join them for dinner! I was so touched and they insisted so I decided it would be a pleasant way to spend the evening. She warned me that her father did not speak English but they had called him and he also welcomed me to their home. Then she told me that she wanted me to know that when she showed me pictures of her family I would see that her brother was married to a man and her sister to a woman. Yes, I was in for an interesting evening!
A delightful evening in a traditional Belgian home! However, we did not have Belgian food, we had the most delicious Holland pasta. We took a bus to the neighborhood and I was even more charmed by this city. They live in a house that is very narrow, like the rest of the architecture of the area. Their home was built around the 50's because the area had been bombed in the war. Across the street are homes that have been there 300 years! Tanja's boyfriend was already there, he drives from holland every night when he finishes his job an hour and a half from here to be with her. What a wonderful young man he was. She always helps her mother with dinner but her father told her he would help so we could take their dog, boomer, out for a walk. So Boomer, Yaap (her boyfriend)and she and I went to a little park behind the house and then walked a couple of blocks. Yaap is a contractor so he was telling me about the homes and how they construct them and redo them. We returned and looked at some things on the Internet and did the usual adding of friends so we can Skype and stay in touch. Tanja showed me the house she and Yaap have bought in Holland and it is lovely. They are so excited about their home and have been saving stamps from shopping at a store so they can buy their pots and pans for half price, which means only 250 euros for them! They were both so cute about finally getting to buy them this weekend.
Finally we had dinner and the sauce for the pasta was a Dutch recipe and absolutely delicious! I can't even describe it but it was a beef with vegetables in it. I had to have a tiny second helping and was wishing I were hungrier, it was so different and delicious! After we talked a while I said I was tired and so Yaap and Tanja drove me home in his car. Lots of cheek kissing and warm goodbyes and some new Belgian friends! Actually I commented that if I bought a little flat in Bruges I could leave some things here and wouldn't need to take luggage back and forth. Tanja was immediately on the Internet looking for places. A small home in their area would be about 150,000 euros and a remodeled lovely flat near the center of town would be 99,000 euros. Darn, no weekend home in bruges for me!
And so day 2 in Bruges, my day with a Belgian family, is over and I think that this trip is going to end way too soon!
They dropped me off and I walked to a supermarket a block from the hotel for a large bottle of water and then came in and went right to sleep! And here I am, awake in the middle of the night.
I was planning to get out for pictures but fell asleep and had a faint recognition of the bells and nothing else for hours. Shortly after 1 the front desk called to ask if I was going to get up so they could clean up. About 2 I finally was up. After a shower I felt better and headed out for another adventure. I stopped by the store to tell my new friend Tanja I would meet her at 3:30 when she got off work. I wandered and had some frites with my new favorite sauces and tried to find the frite and chocolate museums. Apparently I went the wrong way but enjoyed wandering, knowing I was not on a time schedule to get back to the ship. I met Tanja and she was hungry and got her fries at the different stand than I have ever gone to and she let me taste them, delicious! She had a beef and gravy topping and mayonnaise and I can't wait for lunch today...it's 7 hours later here in Belgium with the time change to come tonight. Then she said she would like me to meet her mother who can't walk well because of her two new knees. So i said we didn't have to walk and she called her mother to meet us. While waiting she took me to, in her opinion, the best chocolate shop in town, Dumond. She used to work there and was greeted warmly and the mother of the family who owns the shop proudly showed me pictures of the family with Rick Steves. There were articles up about them. When we left she handed me a box of chocolates that she had bought as a gift for me! so, so sweet. And she had another little bag with a candy for us to eat then. We visited over a glass of iced tea as she told me about meeting her wonderful boyfriend. When her mother arrived we walked to the haagen ads store for a waffle and although good, it was not a Lily's waffle...later today I will go there. After that and listening to their conversation in Flemish they invited me to join them for dinner! I was so touched and they insisted so I decided it would be a pleasant way to spend the evening. She warned me that her father did not speak English but they had called him and he also welcomed me to their home. Then she told me that she wanted me to know that when she showed me pictures of her family I would see that her brother was married to a man and her sister to a woman. Yes, I was in for an interesting evening!
A delightful evening in a traditional Belgian home! However, we did not have Belgian food, we had the most delicious Holland pasta. We took a bus to the neighborhood and I was even more charmed by this city. They live in a house that is very narrow, like the rest of the architecture of the area. Their home was built around the 50's because the area had been bombed in the war. Across the street are homes that have been there 300 years! Tanja's boyfriend was already there, he drives from holland every night when he finishes his job an hour and a half from here to be with her. What a wonderful young man he was. She always helps her mother with dinner but her father told her he would help so we could take their dog, boomer, out for a walk. So Boomer, Yaap (her boyfriend)and she and I went to a little park behind the house and then walked a couple of blocks. Yaap is a contractor so he was telling me about the homes and how they construct them and redo them. We returned and looked at some things on the Internet and did the usual adding of friends so we can Skype and stay in touch. Tanja showed me the house she and Yaap have bought in Holland and it is lovely. They are so excited about their home and have been saving stamps from shopping at a store so they can buy their pots and pans for half price, which means only 250 euros for them! They were both so cute about finally getting to buy them this weekend.
Finally we had dinner and the sauce for the pasta was a Dutch recipe and absolutely delicious! I can't even describe it but it was a beef with vegetables in it. I had to have a tiny second helping and was wishing I were hungrier, it was so different and delicious! After we talked a while I said I was tired and so Yaap and Tanja drove me home in his car. Lots of cheek kissing and warm goodbyes and some new Belgian friends! Actually I commented that if I bought a little flat in Bruges I could leave some things here and wouldn't need to take luggage back and forth. Tanja was immediately on the Internet looking for places. A small home in their area would be about 150,000 euros and a remodeled lovely flat near the center of town would be 99,000 euros. Darn, no weekend home in bruges for me!
And so day 2 in Bruges, my day with a Belgian family, is over and I think that this trip is going to end way too soon!
They dropped me off and I walked to a supermarket a block from the hotel for a large bottle of water and then came in and went right to sleep! And here I am, awake in the middle of the night.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
IN BRUGES - Dream Destination Day 1
Brugges, my dream destination, how lucky can one be? Not the easiest place to get to but I'm here, safe and sound. The flight was good, seemed short since I watched 3 movies. Should have slept! In my area on the plane there was a lady headed to a conference in Brussels. There was a cute older couple headed to a river cruise from Amsterdam after spending 2days in Belgium with friends. There were two men who told me about an international summit at NATO and one of them was Belgian so he wrote down foods and restaurants to try on my day in Brussels. He warned me about the 2 days of demonstrations going on when we got there. Panic set in with this not so brave traveler with that news. He said I would be better off on the trains rather than trying to get around by car. Still wasn't too reassured!
As I got off the plane there were all kinds of men waiting, looking quite important with signs with names on them. I was so surprised since that was a strange thing to see, people greeted right at the plane since that hasn't happened for years. As I waited I listened and realized that my plane was filled with very important people from the US arriving for the summit. Everyone was being addressed as senator this and senator that. Would love to somehow see pictures of the important Americans attending, one was the man in front of me on the plane. I realized how flying is the great equalizer, no one knew what important people were with us on that flight. It was a lot to take in at one time and I went up and introduced myself to the American ambassador, wasn't that happy to meet me I must say. But he was busy trying to get our important dignitaries safely out of the airport. I than noticed thar surrounding all of the men were bodyguards, nice looking young men carefully watching everything around this group of men. Quite an interesting sight! Welcome to Belgium!
I made it to the train at the station under the airport and successfully got to the stop where I had to change trains. I managed to get my luggage off the train, none too easily I must say. Then the being alone became a problem. The screen had no trains listed going to my next stop, which would be Oostende or krokke. I asked some people sitting on a bench if any spoke English. The women stared at me but I was quite sure they did, I'm sure I wasn't to impressive hauling my suitcases off the train and then standing there in bewilderment. There was a young man who said he did and I explained my predicament to him. I had no idea where to go and couldn't get my luggage up or down steps. He was wonderful and took me to the steps and said to wait for him. What choice did I have. He was gone a bit and came back and told me he found a train for me and to follow him. I kept asking him if he really had time to help me and he insisted he did. So he took one of my suitcases and down the steep stairs we went, walked a ways through the station and then up an escalator and he had me on platform 9, where the next train left from with a stop for Bruges. I asked if he was Belgian and he told me he was Afghani. I have met very few Belgians since I arrived!
He left me at the top of the escalator and rushed back to get his train where he had been sitting calmly waiting when this old lady came bumbling, lost, off a train. I thanked him profusely for his valuable help and he was all smiles as he left. So many kind people in the world, seems like I am out to find them all! I rolled my luggage to a bench and there were 3 young men sitting there. Again I asked my standard question, "does anyone speak English" and the first young man said he did so I asked him how I would know if the next train was mine. He said it wasn't but it was his so then another young man said he was going to Bruges to change trains and he would be happy to help me. And so my friendship with Patrick began! What a delightful man he was! He has been all over the world and works for an international company. He speaks many languages and seems to be putting that ability to good use. He is from Germany and was telling me that his 2 1/2 year old son already speaks 3 languages, German, French and Flemish. Amazing! We had a delightful hour long ride, most of it next to a sweet, quiet young lady who was on her way to Germany for a few days. That was agatha and quite possibly I will be hearing from her too. I explained the new camera and my business and they thought it was great. I showed them my card I have with me to give the man at my favorite waffle place. I explained that he had made the waffle especially for me with 2 piles of whipped cream on it and although delicious, it didn't make for the best picture! Patrick said something like "so you basically flew halfway around the world to get another picture of a waffle with only one bit of whipped cream?". Yep, pretty much, I responded! Cute kid! Hope I do hear from him, great young man! Finally we reached Bruges and he had only 2 minutes to catch his next train so we said a hasty goodbye, he took my larger suitcase off the train, leftmit by the at airs and ran for his train. Another pleasant part to my journey! And the trip had barely begun!
Got to my hotel finally and was shown to my small room. It is fine, nothing special, but clean, safe and really 5 minutes walk from the main square. If you saw the movie "In Bruges" then you saw the square I am near and I love hearing the bells in the belfry ring, as they did all afternoon. I headed to the square for a quick lunch before a much needed nap. Lunch, well it was frites with 2 new toppings. I always get the tataare topping, but the Flemish man on the plane told me his favorite was Andalus so I tried it and loved it too. Then the man at the frite stand said he thought I would like the americaine sauce and it was delicious too so I had some of each. After enjoying those while sitting in the square I went back to ask directs to a supermarket and his directions were pretty funny...go down that street and turn that way and the that way and then that way and walk a long way and it is on the right. I thanked him and left and there was a lady behind me laughing. We started talking and she was an American author who lives in England now. She had a dressed up stuffed Teddy bear peeking out of her pack so I asked if she wrote children's books about the bear. No,no, she writes adult books but is part of a Teddy bear group and it is her first visit here where her bear is going to meet other bears and their people. We chatted and she gave me her card and I started laughing. Her name is Mitzi!, I thought that was great, us Mitzis are quite different from the mainstream, it seems!
Ah, but the day is not over yet! I did find the store and bought a large bottle of water and then happily crawled into bed for my much needed sleep after 24 hours awake!
Upon awakening it was getting to be dusk so I got up and headed out with my new camera, feeling quite awkward with that big thing around my neck. Walked out the door of the hotel onto the quiet little side street and right across the street I saw a lady with a huge round camera lens and remarked in true Mitzi style without thinking, my you have a big one! The lady, in a British accent, smiled and said she was not sure how to take that! She was with 3 others and we all laughed and I told her it was my first outing with my big, heavy camera and I felt so conspicuous. She crossed the street and we had a delightful conversation! Turns out they were here for the day to take pictures, they are all members of a photo club in glastonbery, England I think it was...yes, more new friends! Might visit them for a photo trip sometime.
After our visit they headed to services at Yves, I believe it is where each evening there are services for fallen soldiers of the war at Flanders. I would like to attend that sometime since my grandfather was in the area in WWi. And so we said goodbye and my first photography shoot began with my new camera. I found a lovely, colorful store that is everything sweet. They give you samples and their sweets are delicious. I left with a few of the very expensive cookies,,,and some wonderful photos! The people in the store were delightful and one of the young girls has offered to meet me tomorrow afternoon to show me around town some. She is so cute, Tanya is quitting to move to holland, for love she told me. I was talking about. How the 'in Bruges' movie was so dark compared to how I saw this beautiful place and she told me her brother was in the movie, small part, but how fun. They were telling me about how they changed things here to make the movie and had the Christmas lights up in summer. Great visit and we all exchanged emails and I headed out.
Now you may think that was enough for a day, and my feet were quite sure the day should be over, but I am in Bruges and the sun was setting so how could I stop? I walked to the canal and watched people setting up cameras on tripods. I asked what was going on and it was an adult education photography class preparing for night shots. They couldn't have been in a better place. I saw 3boys playing on some bars and asked if I could take their picture, they loved it! The boy who was11spoke quite good English and after a bit the 10 year old got brave and he decided it was safe to try his English out and he did pretty well. The 8year old was so adorable, he so badly wanted me to understand his Flemish that he spoke so slowly. I could have just hugged him because he so wanted to talk to me too. We wandered along the canal for quite a while and they wanted me to go a couple of blocks to Love Park with them, where the swans are, but by then I was in pain from so much walking so I had to tell them no. They walked towards my hotel with me until it was time to be home, their mothers had said to be back by 8 pm. What a delightful time I had with them, I love kids whatever country they are from! NOW the day MUST be over, but I haven't had dinner yet! I walked a very short distance from my hotel to a Flemish pub and had a delicious dinner of Flemish stew in a beer gravy with frites/fries. I passed on the rabbit stew and chose beef for mine. For dessert I ordered the sugar crepe. That is my favorite way to eat them ever since I saw them in etretat, France. I was quite seriously corrected by the pub owner and told it was NOT a crepe, but a Belgian pancake! I will not make that mistake again! There is quite the rivalry it seems between the Flemish and French of Belgium.
And now 24 hours had passed since I'd woken up in Washington DC and it was the end of a long, long, absolutely wonderful day!
One more note, I always spell brugges with the double g, but more often than not, it is written with a single g. I asked the Belgian man on the plane to explain that to me. Here is the explanation: the French way it is usually written is with one g and it is one syllable with a soft g. The Flemish way to spell it is with the 2g's and it is pronounced in 2 syllables with the g's being hard like in gate. Brug(gate) ga.
And that my friends is the end of my story. Back to sleep now...more to come tomorrow!
As I got off the plane there were all kinds of men waiting, looking quite important with signs with names on them. I was so surprised since that was a strange thing to see, people greeted right at the plane since that hasn't happened for years. As I waited I listened and realized that my plane was filled with very important people from the US arriving for the summit. Everyone was being addressed as senator this and senator that. Would love to somehow see pictures of the important Americans attending, one was the man in front of me on the plane. I realized how flying is the great equalizer, no one knew what important people were with us on that flight. It was a lot to take in at one time and I went up and introduced myself to the American ambassador, wasn't that happy to meet me I must say. But he was busy trying to get our important dignitaries safely out of the airport. I than noticed thar surrounding all of the men were bodyguards, nice looking young men carefully watching everything around this group of men. Quite an interesting sight! Welcome to Belgium!
I made it to the train at the station under the airport and successfully got to the stop where I had to change trains. I managed to get my luggage off the train, none too easily I must say. Then the being alone became a problem. The screen had no trains listed going to my next stop, which would be Oostende or krokke. I asked some people sitting on a bench if any spoke English. The women stared at me but I was quite sure they did, I'm sure I wasn't to impressive hauling my suitcases off the train and then standing there in bewilderment. There was a young man who said he did and I explained my predicament to him. I had no idea where to go and couldn't get my luggage up or down steps. He was wonderful and took me to the steps and said to wait for him. What choice did I have. He was gone a bit and came back and told me he found a train for me and to follow him. I kept asking him if he really had time to help me and he insisted he did. So he took one of my suitcases and down the steep stairs we went, walked a ways through the station and then up an escalator and he had me on platform 9, where the next train left from with a stop for Bruges. I asked if he was Belgian and he told me he was Afghani. I have met very few Belgians since I arrived!
He left me at the top of the escalator and rushed back to get his train where he had been sitting calmly waiting when this old lady came bumbling, lost, off a train. I thanked him profusely for his valuable help and he was all smiles as he left. So many kind people in the world, seems like I am out to find them all! I rolled my luggage to a bench and there were 3 young men sitting there. Again I asked my standard question, "does anyone speak English" and the first young man said he did so I asked him how I would know if the next train was mine. He said it wasn't but it was his so then another young man said he was going to Bruges to change trains and he would be happy to help me. And so my friendship with Patrick began! What a delightful man he was! He has been all over the world and works for an international company. He speaks many languages and seems to be putting that ability to good use. He is from Germany and was telling me that his 2 1/2 year old son already speaks 3 languages, German, French and Flemish. Amazing! We had a delightful hour long ride, most of it next to a sweet, quiet young lady who was on her way to Germany for a few days. That was agatha and quite possibly I will be hearing from her too. I explained the new camera and my business and they thought it was great. I showed them my card I have with me to give the man at my favorite waffle place. I explained that he had made the waffle especially for me with 2 piles of whipped cream on it and although delicious, it didn't make for the best picture! Patrick said something like "so you basically flew halfway around the world to get another picture of a waffle with only one bit of whipped cream?". Yep, pretty much, I responded! Cute kid! Hope I do hear from him, great young man! Finally we reached Bruges and he had only 2 minutes to catch his next train so we said a hasty goodbye, he took my larger suitcase off the train, leftmit by the at airs and ran for his train. Another pleasant part to my journey! And the trip had barely begun!
Got to my hotel finally and was shown to my small room. It is fine, nothing special, but clean, safe and really 5 minutes walk from the main square. If you saw the movie "In Bruges" then you saw the square I am near and I love hearing the bells in the belfry ring, as they did all afternoon. I headed to the square for a quick lunch before a much needed nap. Lunch, well it was frites with 2 new toppings. I always get the tataare topping, but the Flemish man on the plane told me his favorite was Andalus so I tried it and loved it too. Then the man at the frite stand said he thought I would like the americaine sauce and it was delicious too so I had some of each. After enjoying those while sitting in the square I went back to ask directs to a supermarket and his directions were pretty funny...go down that street and turn that way and the that way and then that way and walk a long way and it is on the right. I thanked him and left and there was a lady behind me laughing. We started talking and she was an American author who lives in England now. She had a dressed up stuffed Teddy bear peeking out of her pack so I asked if she wrote children's books about the bear. No,no, she writes adult books but is part of a Teddy bear group and it is her first visit here where her bear is going to meet other bears and their people. We chatted and she gave me her card and I started laughing. Her name is Mitzi!, I thought that was great, us Mitzis are quite different from the mainstream, it seems!
Ah, but the day is not over yet! I did find the store and bought a large bottle of water and then happily crawled into bed for my much needed sleep after 24 hours awake!
Upon awakening it was getting to be dusk so I got up and headed out with my new camera, feeling quite awkward with that big thing around my neck. Walked out the door of the hotel onto the quiet little side street and right across the street I saw a lady with a huge round camera lens and remarked in true Mitzi style without thinking, my you have a big one! The lady, in a British accent, smiled and said she was not sure how to take that! She was with 3 others and we all laughed and I told her it was my first outing with my big, heavy camera and I felt so conspicuous. She crossed the street and we had a delightful conversation! Turns out they were here for the day to take pictures, they are all members of a photo club in glastonbery, England I think it was...yes, more new friends! Might visit them for a photo trip sometime.
After our visit they headed to services at Yves, I believe it is where each evening there are services for fallen soldiers of the war at Flanders. I would like to attend that sometime since my grandfather was in the area in WWi. And so we said goodbye and my first photography shoot began with my new camera. I found a lovely, colorful store that is everything sweet. They give you samples and their sweets are delicious. I left with a few of the very expensive cookies,,,and some wonderful photos! The people in the store were delightful and one of the young girls has offered to meet me tomorrow afternoon to show me around town some. She is so cute, Tanya is quitting to move to holland, for love she told me. I was talking about. How the 'in Bruges' movie was so dark compared to how I saw this beautiful place and she told me her brother was in the movie, small part, but how fun. They were telling me about how they changed things here to make the movie and had the Christmas lights up in summer. Great visit and we all exchanged emails and I headed out.
Now you may think that was enough for a day, and my feet were quite sure the day should be over, but I am in Bruges and the sun was setting so how could I stop? I walked to the canal and watched people setting up cameras on tripods. I asked what was going on and it was an adult education photography class preparing for night shots. They couldn't have been in a better place. I saw 3boys playing on some bars and asked if I could take their picture, they loved it! The boy who was11spoke quite good English and after a bit the 10 year old got brave and he decided it was safe to try his English out and he did pretty well. The 8year old was so adorable, he so badly wanted me to understand his Flemish that he spoke so slowly. I could have just hugged him because he so wanted to talk to me too. We wandered along the canal for quite a while and they wanted me to go a couple of blocks to Love Park with them, where the swans are, but by then I was in pain from so much walking so I had to tell them no. They walked towards my hotel with me until it was time to be home, their mothers had said to be back by 8 pm. What a delightful time I had with them, I love kids whatever country they are from! NOW the day MUST be over, but I haven't had dinner yet! I walked a very short distance from my hotel to a Flemish pub and had a delicious dinner of Flemish stew in a beer gravy with frites/fries. I passed on the rabbit stew and chose beef for mine. For dessert I ordered the sugar crepe. That is my favorite way to eat them ever since I saw them in etretat, France. I was quite seriously corrected by the pub owner and told it was NOT a crepe, but a Belgian pancake! I will not make that mistake again! There is quite the rivalry it seems between the Flemish and French of Belgium.
And now 24 hours had passed since I'd woken up in Washington DC and it was the end of a long, long, absolutely wonderful day!
One more note, I always spell brugges with the double g, but more often than not, it is written with a single g. I asked the Belgian man on the plane to explain that to me. Here is the explanation: the French way it is usually written is with one g and it is one syllable with a soft g. The Flemish way to spell it is with the 2g's and it is pronounced in 2 syllables with the g's being hard like in gate. Brug(gate) ga.
And that my friends is the end of my story. Back to sleep now...more to come tomorrow!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
On the Road Again!
Actually I think it would be 'In the Air Again' to be exact. Sponteneity (can't spell it but am pretty good AT it!)struck with the thought, how could I have a new camera for my travel photography, and not travel? The answer is/was clear, time to take off again! The trip from hell in December, hovering about Budapest low on fuel with nowhere to land, has somewhat faded from my memory and it is time to make new memories and have a different 'last trip' to remember. Contemplated several options and decided to do something new, something I've not done before. I chose a place I'd like to see in more depth and am heading there alone. Not Portugal and no César to accompany me. I will miss that but one doesn't stop because things change, I'm just going to look ahead and see what comes along.
So I packed my bags, including my Mary Poppins/Pearlman purple (probably periwinkle) purse, along with some layers of clothing as deemed appropriate for my destination and here I sit in Washington DC waiting for my new adventure. It's cloudy here and I wish I would have gotten up earlier so I could take the bus into D.C. and see the cherry blossoms blooming on the mall. Might see how quickly I could take a trip into DC, had no idea they were blooming when I got in at midnight last night and just looked outside to see some around the hotel blooming. Have several hours before my plane leaves for my big adventure. It is cold and cloudy here,but no rain or snow even though thunderstorms are predicted. Last time I flew through here we were delayed 3 hours because of snow and ice...and that was the last trip...the trip from...no matter, new memories are in the making.
I'm headed somewhere I love. I will be going to an airport I've never been to before and then hauling luggage onto a train and then after a train change, luggage in tow, I will be arriving in my desired destination. At that point I am told a taxi will be able to take me to my hotel. This alone is an adventure, not to mention what is to come. I've never attempted trains alone for very far and never with luggage. And all of this in a different language. Yes, evidently I was up for an adventure when I planned this getaway!
My camera is packed in it's case, deemed the last camera case you will ever have to buy (of that I'm sure) and is in my carry on suitcase, taking up a lot of the room I usually fill with clothes. But as an official travel photographer I guess that goes with the territory, and I am hoping for nice weather so I don't have to figure out the camera and case raincoat thing! I have no doubt that amazing photos await me!
So this time, no cruise, no César, no help getting to my destination. I'm nervous, of course, and excited about my decision. It's a short trip, a week from beginning ot end, but if it goes as I expect, it will only be the first time to do this, far from the last time!
And so, next time I write I will be In ?????????? :-)
So I packed my bags, including my Mary Poppins/Pearlman purple (probably periwinkle) purse, along with some layers of clothing as deemed appropriate for my destination and here I sit in Washington DC waiting for my new adventure. It's cloudy here and I wish I would have gotten up earlier so I could take the bus into D.C. and see the cherry blossoms blooming on the mall. Might see how quickly I could take a trip into DC, had no idea they were blooming when I got in at midnight last night and just looked outside to see some around the hotel blooming. Have several hours before my plane leaves for my big adventure. It is cold and cloudy here,but no rain or snow even though thunderstorms are predicted. Last time I flew through here we were delayed 3 hours because of snow and ice...and that was the last trip...the trip from...no matter, new memories are in the making.
I'm headed somewhere I love. I will be going to an airport I've never been to before and then hauling luggage onto a train and then after a train change, luggage in tow, I will be arriving in my desired destination. At that point I am told a taxi will be able to take me to my hotel. This alone is an adventure, not to mention what is to come. I've never attempted trains alone for very far and never with luggage. And all of this in a different language. Yes, evidently I was up for an adventure when I planned this getaway!
My camera is packed in it's case, deemed the last camera case you will ever have to buy (of that I'm sure) and is in my carry on suitcase, taking up a lot of the room I usually fill with clothes. But as an official travel photographer I guess that goes with the territory, and I am hoping for nice weather so I don't have to figure out the camera and case raincoat thing! I have no doubt that amazing photos await me!
So this time, no cruise, no César, no help getting to my destination. I'm nervous, of course, and excited about my decision. It's a short trip, a week from beginning ot end, but if it goes as I expect, it will only be the first time to do this, far from the last time!
And so, next time I write I will be In ?????????? :-)
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