Saturday through Monday 25-27 August 2007

Waffles and Chocolate and Beer, Oh My!!

Apologies to Dorothy and the rest of the Wizard of Oz clan, but with the Summer Bank Holiday upon us we decided to lose our Eurostar virginity and took a long weekend holiday to Bruges , “The Venice of the North”.

Bruges is a somewhat magical medieval city filled with intertwining, cobblestone streets complete with narrow alleyways leading in all directions.

Like in Venice you could wander all day without a map and never really get lost. Scenery was in abundance, especially when you combine the canals with all the 300+ year old structures.

Our hotel was located near the center of the old town and was originally the 17th century residence of the Bishop of Bruges. Very interesting indeed except he must have had little tiny feet as I always had issues walking up the stairs to our room. We also received a friendly night time reminder of home... mosquitos.

You know… they say opposites attract, and it couldn’t have been more evident than this weekend. See if you agree.

Seems Amy prefers her chocolate dark, while I tend to prefer the milk and white varieties. Beer? I chose the darker Belgian beers, while Amy stuck to the blondes. Amy enjoyed the Gran Marnier truffles while I horded the Amaretto ones. I ate my frites in the traditional way with mayo, while Amy had hers plain. However, we both had our waffles the same way… with strawberries AND ice cream AND chocolate sauce AND whipped cream. Plus we were also in agreement when it came to the Belgian delicacy of steamed mussels. NO thank you.

I don’t want to make it sound as if all we did was drink beer and eat. We toured De Halve Maan Brewery and yes… we sampled their wares, but “When in Rome... ”, right? We also entered several churches including the small Basilica of the Holy Blood, located in the corner of the ornate Burg Square and the Church of our Lady which houses the only sculpture of Michelangelo ever to leave Italy during his lifetime, The Madonna and Child.

The centerpiece of the town’s landscape is the 13th century Belfry which dominates the Market Square and was our compass point from getting lost. I also added it to my “Thing That I’ve Climbed” list as I walked up the entire 366 steps or 83 metres (that’s 272 ft. in case you were wondering). I’m not sure what impressed me more: The panoramic views of the city from atop the Belfry or the elderly woman I passed as I descended, climbing the steps one at a time with her cane.

We were also afforded a bonus of sorts as we were visiting Bruges during The Pageant of the Golden Tree. Seems this parade style re-enactment of Belgian history only occurs every five years and we can say we were there. Amy and I both commented how it wasn’t a very “happy” parade with a very somber tone to the whole event. The participants/actors dressed in various Norse/Medieval style costumes did their best not smile.

It’s a shame I didn’t brush up on my Flemish as I’m sure my auditory observation of “Bring out your dead!” as these fellows walked by no doubt would have gotten a laugh from the crowd.

Wednesday 22 August 2007

No rest for the weary as so far this week we've taken the kids on a Jack the Ripper Walk on Monday, went to see the West End production of Grease on Tuesday, and ventured into Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Chinatown this evening.

...and that was just in the evenings as Steph and Jonathan, during the day, have visited Madam Tussaud's Wax museum, toured Westminster Abbey, saw the Sherlock Holmes museum, and shopped at Harrod's with plans to see the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and the almost mandatory Changing of the Guard.

Steph also became the victim of what is now officially the price of having me as a tour guide through Trafalgar Square.

Sunday 19 August 2007

Reminiscent of our football match last week, the weather chose not to cooperate, but that didn’t stop us from traveling out to view the Château de Versailles, King Louis XIV grand palace. I had decided long ago that if we ever made it back to Versailles that I would spend more time in the formal gardens, and since the palace on this day was so obscenely crowded it made for the popular choice.

Possibly the largest formal gardens ever created, The Gardens of Versailles itself could be an all day adventure. My main interest was the fountains, and they are only turned on for an hour twice a day. Fortunately, we were there for the first showing.

For whatever reasons I have always been fascinated by The Fountain of Enceladus, and it was on my list to see. Sadly it was not in operation. Regardless… this visit was far too short and while Amy and Steph might beg to differ, we just scratched the surface of what the Gardens have to offer.

It’s sad to think that as much as we tried to squeeze in, there is so much more to see and do in this brilliant city which is fast becoming my favourite place to visit. I think Steph and Jonathan liked it too.

You tell me.

Saturday 18 August 2007

This next entry is not for the faint of heart. You have been warned.

After a late night, we got an early start, and one cannot visit Paris without seeing the Louvre… as opposed to the Louvre in Wisconsin. (OK… I couldn’t resist. I promise that will be the last quote from Hudson Hawk… today)

We were afforded a bonus as either the security guards were away for tea (or coffee or wine or whatever it is French security types drink on break) or it was “Take Your Photo with the Mona Lisa” Day. Typically, photos of the Mona Lisa are prohibited, but for whatever reason today it was open season, and we took advantage.

The rest of our visit was spent viewing other Renaissance era paintings (including the other Da Vinci works), the Greco-Roman sculptures (including the Venus de Milo), and the Egyptian artifacts room.

Following a far too brief visit (like all great collections you really need several days, not just an hour or two), we made our way over to the over 800 year old Gothic masterpiece of Notre Dame.

Since the queue for climbing the towers was close to two hours our visit was limited to just its interior, which of course was magnificent. Amy really enjoys all the grand cathedrals and has to be pulled from wanting to just sit in admiration from even many of the small side chapels

We next crossed the Seine over to the Latin Quarter near the Fountain of St. Michel for a late lunch enjoying yet another sidewalk meal.

Think we’re done?? Oh contraire.

Next was a visit to the Gardens of the Rodin Museum which includes several of his masterpieces, including The Thinker.

A quick walk and we were at the Hôtel des Invalides to view Napoleon’s Tomb which rests below its golden dome.

Yet another brisk walk and we reached the foot of the Eiffel Tower. No way were we going to wait in the queues at that time of day to try and go to the upper levels so we took the standard tourist photos and sampled some crepes from one of the local vendors near the Seine.

While our sight seeing was done for the day, we capped it all off by meeting up with Marty back near St. Michel and partook in what all proper tourists should try when visiting France: a few pints in an Irish Pub.

Friday 17 August 2007

We’ve officially gone In-Seine!!

Whew… what a weekend as we took a quick, fast paced visit to Paris. Way too much to see and do in such a short time, but when did that ever stop us before?

After settling into our hotel we had a quick lunch at a sidewalk brasserie with a view of The Arc de Triomphe before venturing out to get our bearings of the city.

We decided to get our exercise in for the day by hiking up to the top of Montmartre to visit the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur. As impressive as the basilica is while looking up from the base of the hill, the views of the city after the ascent make the trek worthwhile.

We didn’t spend much time at all exploring the area surrounding Montmartre as we needed to get back to the hotel, freshen up and then hit the City of Lights while in its element.

After taking a Paris Illumination tour of the city’s main sites in all of their night-time glory, we had tickets for the late show at the Moulin Rouge.

OK… Maybe it was the fact that the place was full (which it always is) and they crammed way too many people into tight seating arrangements. Maybe it was the fact that I had to twist my neck at an awkward angle all night to see the show. Maybe it was all those dance recitals where I sat next to Sheryl and her ability to eloquently critique routines. Let’s just say… it wasn’t worthy of the hype, but… it WAS the Moulin Rouge and we can say we were there.

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Wednesday 15 August 2007

Steph and Jonathan arrived yesterday for their visit after surviving sitting in a plane for three hours with no air conditioning before they cancelled their initial flight.

But… they did make it. We have proof.

Tonight was a first for all of us as we attended our first Premiership League football match at Craven Cottage to watch Fulham FC take on the visiting Bolton Wanderers. We ended up with great seats (or so we thought… more on that in a bit) just two rows off the field level right next to the home bench.

As you can see, Steph was able to… um… make sure the substitute was stretching properly, and at one point during play Jonathan returned the ball (sorta) as it was kicked into the stands where we sat. It was good fun and Fulham won 2-1, so the fans were in good spirits.

Oh… did I mention the weather??

It rained for most of the match, and not the typical little drizzly, misty type rain we are used to in Southeast England. It rained… HARD, and while our seats were close to the action they weren’t protected by the cover of the stadium.

So we got wet.

Make that soaked, but… it really didn’t matter as we had a blast, the home side won and Jonathan got to touch the game ball. Winners all around.

Saturday 11 August 2007

Four down and three to go...

Yes... on a perfect sunny, summer day...

I chose to spend it...

in a cemetery.

Go ahead, think what you want... It's not like I don't know I have quirky tendencies.

To be more specific, I visited Brompton Cemetery, one of the "Magnificent Seven" Victorian garden cemeteries.

Started in 1840, this 40 acre cemetery is the only one that has been and remains under the care of the Royal Parks system. It shows as it if far more well kept than any other of the Victorian cemeteries I've visited. The centerpiece of the grounds is the chapel which was patterned after St. Peter's Basilica and square in Rome.

As with the other sites, Brompton had its share of interesting monuments and typical Victorian angel markers. What I found interesting was how many people visit the grounds as they would a regular park. Joggers, roller bladers, and dog walkers occupied most of the paths, as well as, people reading books sitting under trees. So... maybe I'm not that "strange" after all.

There was some "original" statuary... which is what always makes walking throughout the grounds worthwhile.

Friday 10 August 2007

Beers, beers and more beers...

What better way to spend a Friday night than at the 30th Anniversary edition of the Great British Beer Festival. As Amy was in the Midlands making sure her blondness maintained its proper proportions, I chose to venture to Earl's Court and sample all that Great Britain has to offer in terms of proper ales.

My favourites from the evening after much deliberation include the Summer Wreckage from the Titanic brewery in Stoke on Trent and Old Peculiar from the Theakston brewers in North Yorkshire.

Cheers!!

...and as a side note: I found it quite odd that in the International section the only beers representing the U.S. were selections from Sierra Nevada and Sam Adams. Come ON!!! Please tell me that the beer industry hasn't deteriorated to the point that those are the best the States have to offer.

Saturday 4 August 2007

When left is right and right is wrong...

Today while I was going walkabout in Central London taking pictures (Amy has been in Houston for business all week) I thought about all those unfamiliar with the flow of traffic here. I'll assume (insert clever adage HERE) everyone knows that it is correct to drive or cycle on the left side of the road.

Which means when nearing a street one should...

Unless, of course, the pavement instructs you to

Which is why on occasion the powers that be chose to add arrows, just in case one forgets which is the correct left or right.

...but don't assume that goes for pedestrian traffic in the tubes, because we are constantly reminded to...

Confused??

Of course... there are ALWAYS exceptions. (note car on the right side of the road)

Which...

I'm sure...



is the need for this...

OK... for the record, this is REALLY just a public work of "art" located in a round-a-bout in the Docklands area east of London.