London Calling

Keith had Monday July 21 off work for Belgian National Day so we decided to take advantage of the long weekend and went to London. Both of us have been before but separately. Actually our previous visits were yet another in the long line of eerie events that happened to us before we met. We both were in London at the same time in 2001 but didn't know each other at that point. So this time we got to experience it together. We took the Eurostar through the Chunnel, the high speed train is awesome! We made it there in two hours, normally five by car. We couldn't have asked for a better weekend, no rain and great temps. We also ended up with a great hotel. So far we have been very impressed with the Best Westerns all over Europe. They aren't the typical chain you find in the states (yes, I now refer to the US as the states) but instead are independent hotels that have been bought. This one was right near Hyde Park and had just finished being renovated so it was really sleek, especially nice given how small London hotels rooms are. It also had a underground station about a block away so it was really convenient for getting around the city.

We found a great pub to eat in Friday night when we first arrived but were quickly disappointed to find that the beer there truly does not compare to those in Belgium. It was funny to look around and see that locals were drinking Belgian beer. Saturday we took advantage of our energy levels and fresh feet to do a lot of walking. We took "The Tube" to the furthest location we were interested in - Tower Bridge, and just walked most of the way back along the Thames. We stopped for lunch at a riverside restaurant to enjoy a beer and fish & chips. It was just fantastic to be out and about taking it all in. The main thing that hit both of us was how weird it was to suddenly be able to understand everyone's conversations around us. It was almost overwhelming to be hearing so much of what other people were saying. Since it's usually in French, we've both learned to tune so much of that out.

We did a lot of the standards but avoided some of the things we had done before. For instance we skipped the inside of Westminster Abbey since we'd done it before and admission was 12 pounds each. With the conversion of 1 pound to $1.96, $24 a person just didn't seem worth it. We thought the euro was bad....the pound made the trip crazy expensive!

We skipped theater tickets for the same reason, just way to expensive, but we took in a movie instead. We went to the Empire Theater and saw WALL-E. Not only was the movie fantastic but the theater was incredible. The hall and the screen were enormous, a converted theatrical stage.

The next day we were off to see the changing of the guard, we had both seen the palace before but not the ceremony. As the guide books warned the crowds were crazy. Ironically without knowing it we managed to get a spot right in front of a lot of the action. And thanks to a very clever gift from Kevin and Stefanie, a wand to extend your camera, we were able to get pictures and film that others weren't. At one point a man standing behind me actually reached his hands around my body and put his hands over my face to take a picture, I obviously was not too happy with him. Let's just say my body language passed through any possible language barriers :)

Not only was the changing of the guard a tourist nightmare, but Harrods was a mad house. Keith had never heard of it, and although neither of us are big shoppers, it's still a landmark that I thought he should see. I am still amazed by their toy area, it must be a spoiled kids dream. We also hit up Hanley's, largest toy store, although it really didn't seem to compare to F.A.O Schwarz in NY. They did have a life size Lego Indian Jones, which made the trip worthwhile.

We found a great place for dinner just around the corner from our hotel. It was a Chinese place that was a lot like PF Changs, but without the large chain feeling. The best part was that they served dim sum and any one who knows me, knows that I love Dim Sum! I was in heaven. Keith was also in heaven because we found Starbucks on every corner, just like home. Beligum doesn't have any (well I believe there are two...both in Brussels) so we had Starbucks every morning.

We spent our last few hours on Monday walking around Hyde Park before catching the train back home. We checked out Kensington Palace, watched the many dogs playing with their dog walkers, and strolled through the gardens. On our walk back to the hotel from the park we passed a real estate office for the Kensington area. WOW. One Two bedroom flat was renting for 1250 pounds a week!!! Not a month but a week!As much as I might enjoy living in London, I think for those prices I'll stick with good ol' Belgium!

Places to Go, People to See

So we're a little behind on our blogging, hope to catch up with it a bit this week. Two weekends ago July 12 Keith and I had a pretty full agenda. Saturday we headed about 40 minutes east of our little town to another little town, Namur. The highlight of the town has to be the Citadel, sitting atop a large hill, very impressive. The hill top provided some fantastic scenic overlooks. Some fortress though, we read in our travel guide that it has been sieged and occupied more than 20 times. It turns out on the inside they have a lot going on including medieval reenactments, etc. but we were both in the passive tourist kind of mood and skipped on a lot of the inside stuff. We both thought it might be a good reason to come back. The town itself was charming as usual with great open markets and cafes, perfect for strolling. As most know, neither Keith or I are all that interested in shopping but I have to admit it's fun to discover the unique shops, so we haven't done much buying but still fun to look.

Sunday was extremely satisfying, we made a trip up to Brussels to the Monument for Jewish Martyrs. My co-worker back home had told me before I left that she had discovered that she had family members names on the walls at the memorial and asked if I would be willing to get a rubbing and some pictures. It was really exciting to find their names, get rubbings, and take pictures. I guess it just felt great to be able to do that for someone.

We also headed back to the nice movie theater to see Kung Fu Panda, I still can't get over the ten minute intermission, so weird! But fun to see a movie in a real theater instead of at the base.

On Tuesday we were back in the car heading to Leuven, which is about an hour east of us, just outside Brussels to meet up with a former professor of mine from grad school who was here for a conference. Small world I guess, back home she moved from NOVA to Georgia so we haven't seen each other in a long time, it just takes moving to another country! She has significant experience living abroad so we had a good time picking her brain for travel ideas. She confirmed that Budapest is a must see. So many places, so little time!

Independence Day Weekend

July 4 obviously isn't quite the same in Belgium as it is back home, but I will admit that NATO did a rather good job of helping us Americans celebrate out here. The party started at noon on Friday and ended around 11:00 pm with a fireworks show. They had a massive tent with food, beer, and music. I ate a home cooked hot dog off the grill under an American flag while listening to a band play some Credence Clearwater Revival. For a little while I forgot where I was...

On Saturday a coworker and I left the wives at home for a guy's night out at a casino in a town about 45 minutes away. There are four or five "casinos" here in Mons, but they only have electronic games, no table games. This casino was small, but fairly nice. There are several interesting differences between this place and a Vegas casino....first, instead of just walking in the door, you have to get registered and they take your photo. Second, no free alcohol! But at least the beer was at least reasonably priced. The games themselves are even a little different. In Blackjack, people surrender constantly. I thought this was quite funny considering the military reputation of France. Also, in Roulette, there is only one zero instead of two, and if it comes up when you have your money on a color you get half of it back. So, your odds of winning out here are actually much better. As a matter of fact, I walked out of the casino about 400 Euro on the plus side (about $550), not a bad night's work!

On Sunday Elizabeth and went to a local park called The Paradisio. It's a cross between a garden and a zoo. There is a petting zoo where you can feed goats and pigs, aquariums with sharks and octapi, and a monkey jungle where the monkeys run free around you. The park is beautifully landscaped, and it just makes for a wonderful place to walk around on a cool summer Belgian day. The park is about 10 km from our house, so we decided to pick up the season pass...

Overall, it was a wonderful Independence Day weekend...a little different from what we're used to, but different experiences are why we moved here!