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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.
I slept in a smidgen. Han was up and having coffee when I arrived to the breakfast room. Han had previously contacted a friend from St. Maarten who now lives in The Hague. Her name is Wanda and he had not seen her in a little over 15 years. She is very sweet and they had a nice time visiting while I went to the Apothecary to grab some allergy items and to the mobile store for more phone minutes.
We departed the hotel a little before 11 and literally meandered through The Hague via car to sightsee and take some pics. The inner city construction is ridiculous and I was thankful to get out of the city. Buildings are new and towering and it feels a bit too closed in from the older more quaint towns.
Han knows I love Delft Blauw pottery, ceramics and porcelain, so we drove quaint side streets to the city of Delft, about 15 minutes south and went through the oldest manufacturer or Royal Blue Delft products, called “De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles” > The Royal Porcelain Bottle.
We enjoyed a walking tour of the museum and factory. It was quite interesting and we saw some extraordinary pieces of Delft artwork. The plant is not very large, but definitely worth the admission of 12.50 euro.
They have an extensive gift shop and wonderful café too with an courtyard seating that makes you feel back in the 1800s.
Our next drive thru was the port City of Rotterdam on our way to the Provence of Zeeland in the village of Westenschouwen at a charming informal hotel called De Zilvermeeuw which means “The Silver Seagull.”
We were shown to our room and it was large enough with a private bathroom. However it was a bit hot for me as The Nederlands are experiencing abnormally warm weather, even for this time of year. We mentioned it to our hostess “Natasha” and she found us a fan to use. I was instantly much more happy. We met her adorable dog named “Najda”, a rescue she had brought back fromRussia 9 years ago, and then went to grab a few groceries. I purchased some gladiola flowers in appreciation for the fan, but told her that they were from Najda since she is obviously such a good mommy. I received one of many more hugs to come during our stay.
For dinner we walked to the nearby restaurant cluster. Han had his much awaited for mussels and I enjoyed some escargots in garlic butter.
We sat outside and the flies were going crazy over the mussel shells. To say it was annoying, is putting it mildly.
Afterwards we walked to the beach, climbed the pyramid set of stairs, gazed out over the westerschelde, then went back to our room to relax.
Oh I almost forgot, on our way into this Province famous for its huge DeltaWorks, Han also drove by the marina and vacation park called Aqua Delta that he helped develop in the mid 70’s. It has obviously gone through many expansions since, as it is huge now with four marinas and a 2,000 unit vacation village all by itself.
We had lunch at one of the Marinas, not impressed and way too touristy and Han felt a bit sorry that he had been at the beginning of all this, waking up a small village with a lifestyle that reached back in the 1800s, now turned into a veritable maritime shopping center.
July 20
Slept like a baby.
Breakfast is fantastic and much thought and care is put into the presentation and taste.
Today we drove over to the town of Zierikzee, but not before dropping off some much needed laundry. It is a small, easily walkable city. It was devastated by flooding from the North Sea in February 1953, when thousands drowned. But the buildings survived and the architecture there is quite stunning.
Our first site was the 62 meter high Zierikzee Tower. You are able to take steps to the very top for a bird’s eye view but being that neither Han nor I am fond of tight spiral staircases, we passed up on the pleasure and decided the ant eye view was easier.
The town center is oblong with easy to walk paths of inlaid brick, and much easier on your feet than cobblestone paths.
We had a small lunch at one of the restaurants along the edges of the center, did a little shopping, took more photos, loved the castle archways we walked through with views of the river, many boats to admire and beautiful churches. I just love the old ornate churches here in Europe. I never tire of walking through the beauty of them.
When we returned back at the hotel, Natasha and a visiting friend of hers were relaxing over a Russian summer soup that is made in the approximately one month of warm weather in Siberia, her native home. The soup is called Okroshka and she asked if we wanted to try it. She did mention that most people are not fond of it and if I did not like it, I would not have to eat it. She brought us out huge bowls of it and thank goodness I really liked it. In fact, the more I ate of it, the more I liked it. It is very refreshing and she mentioned that it is a cleansing soup too. Um yeah, that kind of cleansing.
We visited a bit while sitting out on the lovely patio surrounded by gorgeous flowers. She knows limited English so most of our conversation was interpreted by Han, but she and I hit it off and enjoyed our fun if not limited ability to speak with each other. She is much better than I, since I know no other language besides English.
We asked Natasha to write the soup recipe for us. I hope to receive it soon via email.
The hotel is somewhat loud and bustling during the day, but at about 10:30pm everything goes quiet like a light has been turned off.
July 21
So this morning began the cleansing part of the soup. We were not able to exit the hotel for a while but it was great to laze around some. Han picked up the clothes from the laundry and I stayed close to the restroom. LOL
I did however take an apple to the sweet horse across the street. He is very people oriented and really enjoys if anyone stops to chat to him. He LOVED the apple which I had cored for easy bites and taken the seeds out. I wish I was not scared to ride them because I find them to be fantastic and interesting.
After I felt it safe to leave the premises, we walked to the beach. The day was a tiny bit cooler but sunny with a soft breeze. Perfect beach weather. Once again those dang stairs up and down to the beach. The dunes were man-made after the great 1953 storm, but since then they let nature take over. They are huge and purposely so to protect the town from any future floods.
We just took a stroll, snapped some photos and picked up a few small shells. My collecting is already out of hand.
It was also quite the workout since the sand is soft and deep and the beach is expansive. Today was obviously very crowded.
I noticed they have many lifeguards on duty who walk the beach, a dingy boat in wait and ready for any rescues and another boat in the water always scanning. They take vacationers safety here quite seriously.
Lunch today consisted of Belgium waffles with warm cherries and whipped cream. Not near as good as our previous one in Giethoorn, so was somewhat disappointed.
We drove into the small village of Haamstede but could not get through because they were having a market and I honestly was not in the mood for another market. We did see two yard sales which I of course had to stop and inspect. I purchased some 1800’s pewter small figurines at one and nothing at the other. Han and I both loved talking with the locals and found they are very friendly and welcoming.
On the way out of town, I saw a hair salon. I decided to get more of my hair chopped off. I am tired of being hot.
She did not understand what I was going for, and I am not overly fond of it but it grows back so all is good. It is much cooler on my neck now though, so that is good.
We have learned that the kids here begin working very young. We were served today by a young boy of 10 years old and then dinner tonight by a young girl of 11. I have to admit by being completely impressed by their efficiency, work ethic, professionalism, maturity and knowledge. They seriously put people twice their age to shame. Most of the establishments here are family owned.
Travel Hint: People young, old, worldwide enjoy compliments. Bestow them on those deserving individuals. It makes your and their day.
Also: We stayed up far too long tonight watching the tube. Seldom do I find English speaking channels as I have here, so I am enjoying the TV a bit too much as one movies moves into the next.
July 22
Woke up and realized I have now slept great for three nights in a row. That is almost unheard of for me. It is feeling great.
Much cooler and overcast this morning, so was easier to pack up. The hotel emptied out fast and I think we were the last ones to leave. I wanted a little more time to visit with Natasha. I will miss her. We had some more hugs and maybe one day I will see her again.
Patted the doggy good-bye, told the horse to eat more apples and we got on our way towards our next stop of Ghent Belgium.
We drove through the longest tunnel that either of us have ever driven in. It is over four miles long and deep underground.
We got terribly lost in Ghent, as Ring Roads turn into dead ends trying to find the hotel, finally stopped to ask directions and we were a bit far from where we were supposed to be. After some more going around in circles a few times due to the extreme construction, we finally found the hotel parking lot entrance.
We were able to check in early to the Holiday Inn Expo which is across the parking lot of IKEA. I happen to love their food so later on we walked over to have a late lunch. It was delicious. Han had two salmon and shrimp appetizers, we each had an entree and drink and it cost us only Euro 24.00. Love it.
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