A Day In Antwerp

We decided to do something a little different today, so some friends and I went out for lunch... in Antwerp. I am enjoying these things while I can, because all too soon I'll be going out to eat at McDonald's again. Or maybe Wendy's. Boy, I really miss Wendy's. Anyway...

Antwerp Central is one of the most beautiful train stations in all of Europe. It alone is worth the trip over there.

They just don't make them like this anymore.

After a nice walk down to the old part of town, I enjoyed a yummy cappuccino and a fresh waffle with warm cherries. It's OK. I'm on vacation today, so the fat and sugar doesn't even count. Vacations Rules, you know. Check the handbook.

Here are my awesome lunch companions. They made the day a total blast.

We did a little sight seeing before we had to head for home. Check out the Cathedral of Our Lady. Gorgeous!

Of course we had to stop by the Town Hall and visit the statue of Brabo. I've covered the basics of Antwerp in other posts, so feel free to go back and read about the history.

And the perfect way to end the day... a cup of happiness from Starbucks to enjoy on the train ride back home again. :0)

Blue Skies All Around

For the last couple of weeks, we've had the most amazing weather ever.  Blue skies and the perfect temperatures.  This definitely makes up for all the rain we had this summer.  Hope your day is just as fantastic.  I'm off to enjoy it...     

A Fantastic Day In Aachen, Germany

Aachen, Germany, is a quick drive from our home in Belgium, so I like to spend the day there every few months. It's a great place to wander around with a friend, so that's what I did today.

My favorite place to start is in front of the Rathaus (Town Hall). She's a beauty, and she's built on the foundation of the ruined palace of Charlemagne, Emperor of the Romans from 800 to 814. It's also a wonderful meeting place. You'll always find groups of people sitting at nearby cafes, relaxing and sipping coffee with their friends. As an added bonus, this is the site of the annual Aachen Christmas Market. Did I mention that this is one of my favorite spots in all of Aachen?

Charlemagne's statue is in front of the Town Hall. Charlemagne was the founding father of the French and German monarchies. He has been referred to at the "Father of Europe". I hope you'll remember me when you win the big bucks on Jeopardy. I'd like a bright blue Mustang, please. The car, not the horse. This is one of my other favorite places in Aachen. You can't visit without stopping by Starbucks and getting a cup of happiness. Thanks for taking my picture, Deb!

This is one of my new favorites. It's the Tee Gschwendner, a lovely tea shop beside the Town Hall. When you step inside, it's almost like walking into your Grandma's kitchen... full of warmth and wonderful aromas. This awesome lady was so patient and helpful. She gave us lots of tips and let us smell tons of different teas. I picked up a few things, including Aachener Printentee (Aachen's own personal brew), and some brown rock candy sugar crystals to sweeten it up. If you have a little free time, then step upstairs to find a wonderful and cozy tea room that spans several different floors. You can sip away while gazing out the windows at the square. Soon, we continued on our walk around the city.

As always, we stopped by the Oil and Vinegar shop to check out the goodies.

And then stopped by the fountain to play a little bit. All of the characters on the fountain are movable, so you can pose them however you want. It's always fun to watch the children playing with them. OK, maybe I like to play some, too.

A quick peek into the Nobis Printen store to admire (and smell) the gingerbread, and we were off again.

The florists on the street had lots of beautiful Fall goodies for sell today. The wreaths were so pretty.

And I'm always a sucker for fresh flowers. For less than $10, you would be, too!

And check out these crazy pumpkins for 1 euro each! I love it! Fall is such a fun and colorful season, isn't it? More gorgeous architecture to admire...

The Cathedral of Aachen became the first German building to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. I can't believe I haven't stepped inside for a tour yet. On my next visit. I promise.

This store was another great find. It's Vom Fass, and they sell everything from oil and vinegar to wine and hard liquor from all over the world. They even have stores in the US, so be sure to check out their site and see if there's one near you. These wooden kegs hold whiskey and other liquors.

This is a selection of their vinegar. Don't you just love these crocks? They have lots of interesting bottles, and you just pick out what you want. The salespeople do the rest. They'll even wrap it up all fancy if it's a gift.

I had to take a picture of these. On the left is Burke's Tequila Gold from Mexican, and it's 40%alcohol. On the right is Absinthe, and it's 70%. I can't imagine who could drink that stuff! You'd breathe flames and pass right out. Or maybe that's just me. I sampled a few wines, and they were terrific. I even came home with a bottle. In all, I had a super day in Aachen with a great friend. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Jessica's Senior Pics

Jess and I had a little fun yesterday. We took some pictures for her Senior page in her yearbook. When you live in a place as gorgeous as Belgium, it's easy to find the perfect backdrop. Of course, having the perfect model as well, makes it... well... even more perfect.

I can't believe our baby is all grown up now.

We're excited for her, starting on a brand new adventure, but we're a little sad for us.

Maybe she'll change her mind, and just live at home while attending a nice Community College. Yeah. I know. Not gonna happen.

Full Of Hot Air

I was standing in my kitchen, doing all of the mindless little chores that needed to be done in there, when Jess suddenly (and loudly) said "OH MY GOSH, MOM! In the back yard..." She was standing at the sliding glass doors and staring out. My first thought was a wild animal. Was it a bear? A moose? The Loch Ness Monster? I ran to the door and looked out to see this. A very large hot air balloon was landing... in my back yard. No, this is not zoomed up at all. In fact, it looked much closer in real life.

I snapped this picture and then shot a video. (Sadly, Blogger is not behaving well and won't let me upload it. I might try again later.) Anyhoo, the balloon got closer and closer. We could clearly see the occupants' faces. We waved at them. They smiled and waved back. Then the "driver" gave it some gas and it slowly lifted up, just enough to barely squeak by the top of our two story house.

He crossed our street, and then did the same sort of drop down into the neighbor's back yard.

And then lifted back up again to head on his merry way. In all, it was very exciting for our sleepy little neighborhood. Dogs were barking, kids were running around and yelling, adults were out in their yards, taking pictures. That's cool stuff. You know what? I've never been up in a hot air balloon before. Too bad he didn't leave a card.

Saturday

When you have teenagers, your days can begin very early. Very, very early, if their activities take place in countries other than the one in which you live. So this is how we spent our Saturday. Driving to another country...

so that Jess could to this...
And hours and hours more of this. It's all good, though. They won their games and had a great time doing so. This time next year, we'll be back in the States and Jess will be off at college. I'll be looking at these pictures and feeling sad that we aren't sitting on a hard, wooden bleacher seat and cheering her on to victory. Isn't it crazy how slow a day can feel, when life is speeding by?