We've been to a million places since I've last shared. Some were very lame and totally anticlimactic. Others were awe inspiring and unexpected. Here's a quick list, followed by details. We've visited the following cities on our journey...(not necessarily in order)
- Brussels, Belgium
- Brugge, Belgium
- Calais, France
- Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Antwerp, Belgium
- Xanten, Germany (Roman ruins, only German city starting with "X")
- Aerzen, Germany (Castle Hotel)
- Hamelin, Germany (Pied Piper town)
- Bodenwerder, Germany (Birthplace of Baron Munchhausen)
- Polle, Germany (Cinderella's Castle)
- Kassel, Germany (Where the Grimm Brothers did their thing)
- Hann. Munden, Germany (A cool frame house town, old and groovy)
- Sababurg, Germany (Sleeping Beauty's Castle)
- Trendelburg, Germany (Rapunzel's Tower)
- Hoxter. Germany (Actually, we just ate Burger King here, but what we saw was nice)
Brussels is amazing. Gardens and history all over and the Grand Place is a sight to see. We saw the Manneken Pis whizzing his way to stardom and ate obscenely delicious chocolate while touring the little Gay village they have to the west of the square. I heard an Indian tourist in the square tell his friend that Belgium was called "The Battlefield of Europe". It certainly didn't look like a battlefield in Brussels, it looked like a postcard most of the time.
Belgium is about the beer, too. Unlike Germany, however, they seem to base their beer culture on variety and flavours rather than quantity consumed. I fell in love with a high alcohol brand called Duvel. Delicious, you'd never know it was 8.5% alcohol. They go down like water and bite you in the ass. After four of those sitting on a patio off the Rue Royale, just up from the park, I stood and almost had to sit my ass back down. Like any good mule, that beer has a kick. Kierstie had a delicious raspberry brew but stuck mostly with her favoured white wine.
On to Antwerp. We got up in the morning and road tripped from Brussels to the nearby city of Antwerp. For those movie fans out there, this was the scene of the main robbery in the movie "Snatch", starring Brad Pitt and Jason Statham. It's a hub of diamond trading and Frankie Four-Fingers dressed as a Jew with his fellow robbers and took down the diamond exchange, nabbing the diamond that the whole movie was centered around.
The city itself was beautiful. A lovely square with grand old buildings and restaurants nestled in the nooks and crannies. We visited a riverside fort and walked through the streets, stopping to get coffee and what not. Very relaxed and comfortable.
On to Bruges. Quite the place. It's history and majesty all in a small town package. Again, for you movie and TV lovers, this is the site of the movie "In Bruges", starring Colin Farrell. An great movie if you haven't seen it. Also, they're filming the new series "The White Queen" here, very good show. We've been watching and it's excellent. If you like shows like Game of Thrones and The Tudors, this show is for you! We went to climb the Church of Our Lady but the line was extensive and we decided against it. Kierstie bought underwear instead, she was very happy. Note to all the women out there, Hunkemoller is the European La Senza/Victorias Secret. Kierstie loves going in there.
It was a lovely place to visit, we'd both go back and spend more time there.
I have more to share and more to tell you, there's just too much to do in one entry. I can promise that my absenteeism is a thing of the past. I started this and I will continue to make entries and add commentary. Next entry is Rotterdam and Calais.
I feel change coming. Kierstie and I are both feeling a little stagnant. How long can someone stay on vacation? We're stalled and we both know it. We're considering options and ways to move forward, I will keep you informed. This brings us to the lesson for this entry. The first step to getting out of a rut is actually acknowledging that you're in one. We did that today. Blinders are all well and good, I've worn them myself more than once, but at some point they always become counter productive. Be honest with yourself and take action if you feel the need to do so. If you ruin your life by doing nothing, you'll regret not trying. If you try and fail, at least you can say you gave it an effort. That, at least, is something to be proud of.
Night all, I missed you.
I.
