Belgium, Revisited...

The fun part about having visitors over is the opportunity to see things that were missed on an earlier visit. So, when my brother David came for a visit from California last week, we too, saw things for the first time. We had an action-packed week, so I will only recap the highlights not previously written about in our blog.

Ghent

If you recall from my previous post of Ghent, I had every intention of one day going back to visit Gravenstein Castle. Gravenstein was built by Philip of Alsace, count of Flanders, shortly after returning from the Crusades in 1180 with images of similar crusader castles in Syria fixed firmly in his mind. According to local legend -- supported by Gallo-Roman artifacts uncovered in excavations -- the count built atop foundations originally laid down by Count Baldwin "Iron Arm" in the 800s. (I always find it quite amusing the "nick-names" men give to one another). One of the more sinister rooms inside this castle was its well-equipped torture chamber. In it were relics such as a small guillotine with the original blade, spiked iron collars, racks, branding irons, thumb screws (ouch!) and other weapons and suits of armor. Outside, we climbed the ramparts of the tall buildings in the center and were rewarded with a great view of Ghent's towers.

We also visited the Ghent Town Hall, the Stadhuis. It's the result of several building/rebuilding campaigns and expansions. This explains the variety of styles of the building (I found the black and gold pillars of its exterior visually interesting...) Here we obtained a guide book which led us through 20 different areas in the building. One of the more celebrated rooms here is the Throne Room, which housed the inauguration of Emperor Joseph II.

In addition, you will notice that the pictures of Ghent (slideshow - coming soon) look very different from our previous pictures. This is because the town was in the midst of a huge summer festival, with its' streets lined with stages, bleachers and vendor tents everywhere. It was here where we stopped to buy purple cone-shaped candies being sold on various carts throughout town. We were told it was a Ghent specialty made of Arabic gum, flavored with a red fruit. (the taste reminded me of grape jelly bean).

Lunch at Chez Leon near the Grand Place (the original flagship restaurant established in 1893)

Imagine my delight when we stumbled across this restaurant while looking for a place to eat. Since I've been meaning to try this famous Belgian restaurant after reading about it in several guidebooks, it was a "no-brainer" to stop here. In addition, David had yet to eat his "mussels in Brussels". So, David had moules au vin blanc (mussels in white-wine sauce), Ray had a pork filet, I had the deep-fried mussels (yummy) and the girls had spaghetti bolognese and poulet-roti. This is a great place for families since children eat for free. I was especially happy that David enjoyed this local specialty (along with a few beers, of course).

Efteling

Many of you know that David is an amusement park and rollercoaster fanatic (I mean aficionado). So, it was natural that David, DS, PS and I went to Efteling Amusement Park located in Kaatsheuvel, The Netherlands (Ray was on a business trip to Japan). Only a 1-1/2 hour drive from Tervuren, we spent the day from opening until closing (10a-9p) exploring this unique and enchanting park. What I found so charming was its' fairy-tale themes with enchanted forests and extensive pathways to browse through. You could spend a few days here just exploring the park in detail. Plus, there were numerous thrill rides to keep David, DS and even PS satisfied. This park that appeals to all ages -- quite evident since we all enjoyed our day here.

Efterling had a unique self-service hot vending machine adjoined to a few of its restaurants that contained a huge selection of deep fried snacks, with a variety of different fillings. David tried the "Groentensnack" which consisted of vegetables. Just pop in your money (1.70 Euros) and out comes your selected snack. I was surprised how fresh, hot and delish it was! My only disappointment was that I could not get back to it before the park closed!

Waterloo

This return visit enabled me to see Napoleon's Farmhouse Headquarters, now a museum where he spent the night before the infamous battle. Although it was closed, I was able to take a peak in the back garden where I found an ossuary erected in 1912. It contained bones of soldiers found on the Waterloo Battlefield during different excavations. Its inscription at the top means "often for the Emperor, always for the Fatherland." I must say it was quite eerie to see the remains of soldiers, who gave their lives for their country, in a pile like this. I can only hope that visitors who see this will remember their sacrifice and the cause they fought for.

Bobbejaanland

Another amusement park on David's "to-do" list was Bobbejaanland. Located in Lichtaart, Belgium, this park was founded by Bobbejaan Schoepen, a Flemish entertainer who enjoyed international popularity in the 50's and early 60's. Tired of touring, he decided to build his own music theater and started draining a 30 hectare marsh that he bought in 1959. In December 1961, Bobbejaanland amusement park was born. Again, we spent the entire day here (9:30a-7pm) enjoying attractions that are unique, fun and very thrilling. DS enjoyed this park even more than Efteling because the rides were a bit more challenging.

We had a lot of fun while David was here and on Friday, we were sad to see him go. The girls just LOVE their Uncle David, so tears were flowing when they realized he was leaving. They quickly cheared up, however, when I reminded them that GM and GP will be coming to visit in September!

A Day in Luxembourg

The Sunday before last, we took advantage of the dry weather and crossed the border (yet again), to this time -- Luxembourg. Bordering Belgium, France and Germany, Luxembourg is a short 2-hour drive from Tervuren. Interestingly, Luxembourg is the world's only remaining sovereign Grand Duchy and is ruled by its Grand Duke.

The city's history dates back to the year 963, when Siegfried, Count of the Ardennes, had a castle named "Lucilinburhuc" built on a rock overlooking the River Alzette. It was the famous French fortress builder Vauban, who, at the service of Louis XIV, later turned Luxembourg into one of his masterpieces, known as the "Gibraltar of the North".

In addition, Luxembourg is the wealthiest country in the world, per capita. This was evident when we spotted a beautiful Rolls-Royce Drop Head Convertible on its way back to the city. I learned from car guru Ray that this car was valued at $400k.

Upon arrival into Luxembourg City, we took a driving tour and passed such sights as the Bocks, The Old Fortress, Adolphe Bridge, Constitution Square, and Luxembourg Cathedral. We commented on how beautiful, lush and green the area was. This driving tour was actually Ray looking for a good place to park.

When we finally parked our car, we took a short stroll through the city and stopped for lunch at Le Beaujolais, a local pizzeria. We were pleasantly surprised how much English was spoken here. It made our menu selections so much easier. An outdoor table enabled us to enjoy the weather, outdoor entertainment, and watch the many people walk by.

After lunch, we boarded the Petrusse Express, a train that took us on a 50-minute tour through the lower towns of Grund, Clausen and Pfaffenthal, as well as the rest of the scenic Petrusse Valley.

We do our best to see as much as we can while traveling. This is not always an easy feat with two small children. For the most part, we have done very well and the girls have been excellent traveling companions. On this day however, PS was too tired for any additional sight-seeing, so our day was cut short and we left to go home. Luckily, since Luxembourg is a considerably small country, we got a good taste of the area in a short period of time.

4th of July in Belgium

4th of July in Belgium?! Yes, I was quite delighted when an American friend I met invited us over for a 4th of July Bar-B-Que. I was a little homesick prior to the holiday when I realized I was missing the get-together's with my gal-pals in L.A., and although we did not see the Wilson Park fireworks from Kor and Jodi's house like we normally do, what a nice surprise when Amy invited us over... We had a wonderful evening (on the 5th, actually) celebrating with good food and lovely company.

As you can see, the girls had a blast playing with friends and getting VERY wet!! In fact, PS and DS were having such a great time that tears were flowing when it was time to leave!!

Thanks Amy and Justin for a wonderful "American" holiday!

Father's Day in Belgium

This blog entry is quite late, but DS and PS had such a great time preparing for Father's Day that I had to post this.

Normally, on the weekends, Daddy is up with the girls while Mommy sleeps-in. So, on Father's Day, the girls woke up early, let Daddy sleep-in, and DS and PS helped Mommy make Daddy's Father's Day Breakfast!

This was just a little something for someone who does SOO much for us girls. Happy Father's Day (again) Ray! Ditto to you, GP!

Holiday time in Europe

Summer is officially here in Europe. Which means EVERYONE goes on vacation (I mean, holiday). And not just for a few days at a time. When Europeans go on holiday, they are SERIOUS. 2 week holidays are considered short, with trips of several weeks to a month commonplace. In fact, my boss here in Europe and several of my co-workers are all out on 6-week vacations abroad...!!!

From the last week of June (when all the kids are out for summer) through the end of August, families, couples and friends all make plans to go on holiday. It's a mass exodus out of the cities to all of the vacation hotspots. The south of France, Switzerland and anywhere warm near the coast are all popular destinations.

And, it's very strange to have virtually no traffic during my morning and afternoon commutes. Although the traffic on my drive is normally light, sometimes it feels like I am the only one not on holiday.

Our work schedules also are affected during the summer months. Meetings are cancelled and many activities are postponed. And nobody seems to think its a big deal (except one guy from the US!) It is a very strange feeling for someone, like me, who revolves around deadlines.

Which is not to say its all play and no work in the office (just in case my U.S. boss happens to be reading this!). Its just very different.

But something I think I can learn to enjoy...

Ray

Tervuren Park

We are lucky to have a beautiful park down the street from our home in Tervuren. This park has plenty of open space, grassy areas, a bike path and a lake with ducks and geese. Its a perfect place to enjoy the nice weather we have been having in Belgium (so far) this summer.



The girls love nothing better than to be pulled in their little trailer, complete with blankets, snacks and juice boxes and see the park. And its great exercise for mommy to pull 60+lbs of dead weight around the park...


And, we have found a wonderful shop close by that serves great sandwiches on fresh Belgian bread! Our picnics at Tervuren Park is just another thing that we will miss dearly when its time to come back to LA.

Doing Dusseldorf...

The nice thing about living in Brussels is that we are right at the "gateway" to Western Europe and many countries are very close by. And, although we had just visited Cologne the weekend before, we headed back to Germany for another weekend getaway.

Just a short two-hour trip across the border lies Dusseldorf, Germany. (Actually, across two borders, because you cross just briefly into the Netherlands, on your way into Germany...)

We were also surprised to discover that Dusseldorf has the third-largest population of Japanese in Europe, just after London and Paris. In fact, the first nihonjin arrived in Dusseldorf way back in 1905...

During World War II, Dusseldorf was a prime target for Allied bombers due to its industrial centers and the city was practically leveled from the daily bomb raids. As a result, nearly all of the historical buildings in the city were lost and later rebuilt following the war.

First stop on our agenda was "Nordpark", which houses the Aqua Zoo. Following a nice lunch outdoors at the adjoining Cafe Restaurant, we spent a few hours visiting the marine exhibits and other interesting wildlife at Aqua Zoo.

Then, we checked into our hotel and tried to go swimming in the hotel pool, but unfortunately, PS was too young to use the facility. She was sooo sad that she was turned away, but the promise of a special snack helped her get over her rejection. DS and daddy still enjoyed the pool though!

The next day, we went to Old Town, Alstadt. There we saw famous Dusseldof landmarks such as St. Lambertus, Schlossturm (castle tower) and walked along the Rhine Promenade.

Speaking of St. Lambertus church, it has a tower that twists and curves, supposedly due to being constructed from lumber that was still wet. Although we are not sure if this is entirely true, it is an interesting tower to see, and you can't help but wonder how DID they get the wood to curve like that?...

There is also an area in Rheinpark that is known as the "longest bar in the world", due to its many bars and pubs lined up one after another. We found a restaurant called "Ham Ham" which specialized in (you guessed it!) pork! Here we are enjoying a nice German meal of Weinerschnitzel and roast chicken.

Dusseldorf is really a very pretty place, with lots of nice restaurants, shopping and things to see.

Jo's obsession with waffles means that she wants to try waffles at the different places we visit. We tried the ones from a local waffle/crepe shop in Dusseldorf, but we found that Belgian waffles still rule! At least we know that we won't have to drive two hours for a good waffle!