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We got up this morning, rearing to go to Paris. Jos drove as they wanted to go too after not having been in the City of Lights for a couple of years. I have to say the trip through Belgium and Northern France was very nerve-wracking, since it was raining and of course other drivers were mindless drones and still driving like maniacs. Under normal circumstances Paris was four hours away but seemed much longer. We left right around ten am after Han had returned our rental car and got on the ring road (Boulevard Péripherique) a little after 2:30pm.
Before our 2-day trip to Zeeland we were sleeping on blow up mattresses in Jos’s stunning gallery, but Han was having quite a difficult time bending his meniscus torn knee, getting up off the floor. So when we arrived back from visiting Carly in Middleburg on Wednesday afternoon, Ria had a wonderful surprise for Han in that an actual single bed had been set up in place of the blow up mattress.
We settled in and began to relax a little and just enjoy the days with Jos and Ria, me getting to know them better, Han and Jos playing guitar and singing, me getting to watch some English speaking TV, eating delicious meals together prepared by Jos and a little wine. I always thought Han was an excellent cook, but even Han had to admit that Jos has him beat. We surely did not go hungry.
Was not looking forward to traveling through Belgium so soon, but to get to see our dear friend Carly is and was very much worth it. She was my maid of honor in our St. Maarten wedding ceremony on the beach for our friends who could not travel to the states. It has been quite some time since we last saw her. Probably like nine years or so.
We once again had a stressful, yet thankfully uneventful drive through Belgium on our way to Middleburg Nederlands.
We stopped at McD’s for a quick lunch. I kid you not, I have eaten at more McDonalds than I ever have in the states. The ones here in Europe do not make my stomach want to leave my body and they are all along the major highways. Besides that, they always have free wifi to connect to the world, find directions and make hotel reservations on the road.
We were both so happy to see Carly and her beaming smile. She has the loveliest of spirits and hippie vibe going on. She is truly one of the most outstanding unique individuals I know. Very true to herself, sincere and the real deal.
After catching up some, walked through and into the lovely town centre of Middleburg. Carly lives so close to everything, yet her street is exceptionally quiet.
Please see all the pictures. The rentals and homes for sale are quite reasonable, the area has everything you can imagine to offer in stores and restaurants, calming water scenes, close to the beaches, tons of activities and not overly touristy.
I relished the community so much that I could easily picture living there. I was coveting many of the houseboats lining the canals. Oh the life!
The former city hall turned university is a perfect example of Gothic architecture. It is one of these buildings that photos do it no justice and where you could stand for hours looking at it, yet not see every detail.
A scrumptious dinner was eaten at De Herberg. They do not have printed english menus, but all the sweet girls spoke great english and of course I had Han read it to me. Carly and I both had the Couscous met Marokkaanse kip (Morrocon Chicken) and it was delicious and a huge portion. I shared some with Han.
The rest of the evening was spent relaxing, catching up on life and listening to Leonard Cohen’s first album from 1967. How wonderful. I retired a little early since I have not been sleeping well. It was comforting to hear two friends chatting together in the distance.
July 27
I woke up this morning with a funny description about the Belgium infrastructure and just had to share it here.
The best way to describe it is a cross between a rat maze and gerbil wheel. That is literally how it feels.
Lots of coffee, too much coffee! Carly makes it in a french press and it will light a fire underneath you.
We had some very fine croissants freshly from the corner bakery and sat in the sunshine on her terrace, (while it lasted) The rain chased us inside.
We had passed a little clothing shop last night where the prices looked very reasonable. It was closed then, so I decided to leave Han and Carly to talk some more, and walk into town to check it out. I borrowed her coat and umbrella and set out like any normal Dutch person facing the normal dutch weather.
I purchased three pairs of pants for only 50 euro. The prices at “Prosecco” are great and all the clothes are made in Italy. One unusual note to mention is that almost everything has unmarked sizes, so you definitely have to try all clothing on. The ladies were lovely and helpful.
I did not get lost and made it back for more chats, before we had to climb back in the car for our return trip to Jabeek where his brother lives.
Han tried to keep us in Holland, even though it took a little extra time, it was worth it.
Can someone answer me this? Why is it that the Dutch who have some of the biggest feet have some of the smallest stair steps I have ever encountered? I can barely fit my 6.5 size foot and most times I have to walk down sideways. Just one of those things that make you go hmmmm.
Note:
In the EU, in many cities there are traffic lights meant just for bicycles. Pay attention or you might be running a red light.
Also mopeds, scooters, wheelchairs, bicycles and razor scooters are all considered to be one and the same and they share the same lane in towns big enough to offer them their own lane. It is NOT for walking. If there are no bike lanes offered; walkers and all the modes of transport above share the pathway. All bikes appear to be outfitted with bells and walkers will be alerted before being run over. Consideration is well established here. Driving a car you’d better assume that in cities, towns and villages ALL slower traffic has the right of way.
Slept wonderfully, enjoyed another amazing breakfast and checked out of the Holiday Inn Expo.
We were going to take the tram into Ghent, but it was hot and we figured the car would be better.
There is much talk about what the town should be called. In the past it was called “Gent” and even have photos proving that but now, for some reason, they added an H and changed it to “Ghent.” I personally like it with an H as I think it more pleasing to the eye, so there you go. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghent
Even though it was the last day of the annual Ghent Festival, we made it in fine, found a parking space, thought we were very lucky, walked about 1/2 mile, found out we were still quite a ways away from the center of town, decided to retrieve the car, I waited on the street like a hooker, Han walked back, then swung by to pick me up. We did not want to leave the car so far away, since it had all our electronics and luggage inside.
We drove to the underground parking garage and we were both very glad to have made that decision. Especially knowing that after traipsing around Ghent, we surely would not have appreciated the long hike back to the original parking space.
I admired Ghent so much more than Brugge. I know most people who have visited both will find that backwards, but I have always been a bit abnormal.
The only thing that decreased my enjoyment was that they had had a 10 day festival, which ended on this day, and everything was set up for the Grand Finale which depreciated the surroundings substantially.
It was busy and bustling like most tourist cities (even though it was on a Sunday), but I enjoyed the sights of the castle, churches, canals, bikes, flowers, original wall artwork, houseboats, bridges and even the cute hostel where a huge pink elephant set atop the doorway.
Be mindful and very careful as the trams run extremely close to the sidewalk, about five inches from the curb. Be on the alert when the bell rings, as it will also startle you because occasionally they will come zooming unexpectedly around a corner. It will definitely keep you on your toes.
We only stayed about 3 hours walking the center, as Jos and Ria (Han’s brother & his sweet wife) were expecting us, and we were tired too. We are staying with them for about one and half weeks. Our sleeping quarters are set up in Jos’s art gallery named REM, that is attached to the farmhouse, so we have splendid surroundings with all his lovely artwork to wake up to.
However the outdoor pigeons early in the morning are not my friends, although they are not as irritating as roosters.
General Belgium travel impressions to heed if needed:
• The drivers are maniacs! They have no qualms in shoving you off the road.
Tailgating is a game for them. Do not brake check them. You WILL end up with their car attached to your backside.
They weave in and out of traffic and squeeze into the tiniest of areas between other vehicles. Picture a van parking in a Fiat spot. Yeah, its like that!
Volvo drivers specifically think they are indestructible and think nothing of flying down the highway while their little ones are sitting cozily in the back. They will dart in front of one of the many semis, and trust that the semis’ brakes work.
I am fairly sure no one is aware of the speed limits, as few obey them.
We passed a car that had just passed us and we glanced over to see her popping a pimple on her chin while weaving all over the road. I literally got so pissed, I hit the window glass before realizing what I did. I think I was mentally slapping her and my brain turned on me. LOL
Once she was finished with her face, she again shot past us like a torpedo.
• The other thing, road signs! The exit signs sometimes come before the exit, or immediately at the exit. I highly suggest a GPS or use your phone. We missed too many roads due to poorly located signage.
• Okay I have good news. You will rarely find any road kill on any of the roads. People are very responsible pet owners, farm animals are closely monitored and the wildlife seems to be overly intelligent or at least clever enough to stay off the roads.
Hints: If you have to sleep on inflatable mattresses, do yourself a favor and spend a few extra dollars to purchase the raised type. It is more comfortable and simply easier to crawl out of in the morning.
Always, no matter if you are going for three days or one, carry a simple jacket. You will always need one when you don’t have it.
Also if you wear contacts, keep a spare set with you at all times. This is one item that can really turn into an extreme difficult situation if you are unprepared.
Sleep could have been better last night due to limited settings on the AC, but at least we enjoyed a breakfast buffet with the largest array of offerings we have seen since arriving in Europe. Food was kept at perfect temperatures for each item, everything tasted so fresh and all was continually stocked. The dining area is very lovely, large and comfortable along with multiple coffee stations. The most important breakfast item of course.
After breakfast we caught up on some work, then began our short trip to Brugge. We became a little turned around, but it all turned out fine and we were able to park underground next to the town center.
I thought the area and buildings were pretty, but for the most part I was underwhelmed except for the one church that I would envision as the most fairy tale of all castles and would be the perfect setting for one.
As we were walking around the center, I noticed approximately 100 people sitting kind of huddled in the main square, with most appearing to be ages of 18 to 30. I had the feeling that they were playing the new game Pokemon Go and dang if they were not. I asked and sure enough, they were trying to find some little creature. Personally I don’t understand the draw, but I prefer this activity over some of the things the youth are doing today. I just hope they are playing safely and not while driving.
I think it may be that I have seen and experienced so much lately that it actually may be too much of a good thing. After a bit, it all begins to look the same and not as special. I certainly don’t want to feel this way or look at it through eyes with anything else but awe, but I now realize when traveling for long periods, you need to take one week per month and do nothing else except normal day to day activities and find the time to become grounded, so you don’t become burnt out on several levels. Rest is good and necessary to rejuvenate the mind and body.
Our highlight of the day was our delicious early dinner at an Arabic Restaurant. Enjoyed our food immensely but even more so the company and chatting with the workers and owners who came from Baghdad. Hard working, great attitudes and joyful in their work. We sat longer than planned because we both enjoyed the vibe of the place.
There was a small sticker someone had put on near the register that meant “No One is Illegal”. Han and I both throughly approve of this message.
I complimented their food and sweet smiles upon leaving and it seemed to make their day. By the way, Americans are mostly loved by many areas of the world, but not so much our government. This I understand and feel the same.
We did not stay very long in town, but I did have time to shop and purchased the most adorable coin purse and lovely white linen dress. There is a lot of shopping here, almost too much.
We were planning on going into Gent for the evening to see at least one city at night with the lights, but we talked ourselves out of it and did not have to talk very hard. The next day we found out in hindsight that our instincts had been right. Gent was celebrating its annual Ghent Festivities, a 10 day even, that draws some 100,000 people into the city center every day of the event. Crowds are not our cup of tea.
Relaxing was more on the menu along with ice-cream for dinner. Yep, ice-cream for dinner! You can do that when you’re a grown up or an over sized kid.
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