(no subject)
I am sitting in te Frankfurt airport…old hat…I know this gate like the back of my hand…
I live an odd life. I spent about four months of the year in a place that most people only dream of going…Passing through the airport I saw all the stereotypical college student Europhiles…the ones who spend the years earinings and their whole summer vacation with a backpack and grandeous dreams traipsing around Europe. I, on the other hand, hem and ha at the thought of coming here…I waltz in with my guitar, camera case and computer, and HUGE amounts of clothing… and have no illusions. This is home. My family is here.
Anyways, I thought I would take this time…I have about forty five minutes…to write a real, live, actual blog entry about my weekend. We (my family and I) went to Brugge, Belgium. We spent the whole weekend there…and it was amazing. Brugge is a lovely medieval canalled and lovely old city in the flemmish section of Belgium. It has, obviously, a large Dutch influence…especially in the language…and, just as obvious, amazing lace, beer and chocolate.
We finally got the heck out of Dodge, er, Germany, about noon on Sunday…it poured the whole way and we hit some major traffic around Brussels…but the journey was lovely. We had an adventure at a very Americanized looking shopping center where we stopped to eat lunch at a place called Quicks Burgers. I suppose we figured this wouldn’t be too hard. Only problem was that this was in the French speaking part of Belgium. :-D My dad and I whipped out our ancient and poor French…and ended up with six burgers and as many colas. Dad was like, what happened to your four years of French?! I waslike…what?! I took a semester of conversational French in NINTH grade! Haha…his Canadian French was years and years older and perhaps more sparse…if only we could visit something like…mexico…I could speak there! In fact, I bought some headache meds in spain! And I asked for them…but no…we head out to French territory :-D….it was actually, a blast…just the kind of adventure that makes European travel so much fun!
We finally arrive in Brugge…which is this tiny town full of one ways and horse carriages. The streets, I suppose, were built only for carriages. So we squish as far in to one wall/against a building as our little toyata mini van will allow while dad pops inside to check in. he forgot to bring his cellphone as well. So, the other cars passed us without a hitch…but then, this moving van came in…Poor mom, she hates driving the van, and not to mention in tiny oneways….hoped in the front seat and headed the only way she could find…we headed out for a while and divised a plan…we didn’t know how to get back, didn’t know where dad was, and he didn’t know where we are…so I nab his phone and jump out of the van…I start running along streets I have never seen, headed in the general direction of the hotel, which is on that wee side street…somewhere… I found my dad on the sidewalk, scrathing his head and wondering who took off with his mini van and his whole family! So dad gets on his cell, and starts calling…all we can hear is, by the church! Over the canal! Brugge has over five cathedrals and enough canals to be the Venice of Belgium! Anyways, we fnd her, and I hastily find an escape plan on the map my dad picked up at the hotel.
We get all settled and head out on the town…we find the large and famous central square of Brugge…and eat a wonderful flemmish meal…I had rabbit…and tried the local blonde beer…Kwak. And then, we wandered a bit more, took a carriage ride around the city about sunset…and then sat down at a café and had cappacinos and listened to a wonderful Brazillian band. By then it was incredibly cold….it was about ten or so…so we crashed back at the hotel.
The next morning was fun! We tried breakkie at a French style tea house across the street. The house had its entire original furniture from the 1600s, including a valuable painting, copper chandelier and carved wainscoting. (shh, I’m an archeology/history major). We checked out a 12th century hospital and a 13th century cathedral with a Michelangelo sculpture Maddona and Child, inside. We found the smallest street in brugge…and walked down it…We went shopping. We ate tarts and ice cream… Had panninis for lunch, and went on a canal tour. We saw the oldest bridge and the smallest bridge in Brugge (there are 45 medieval bridges in Brugge) and the smallest window. The palace of the Lords, and plenty and plenty of 16th and 17th century Flemmish style homes.
We then checked out a brewery beside our hotel, and a beer called Zot. My mom loved it, I thought it too light…I like something a bit smokier/ interesting…. We then walked along Lovers Lake…and around most of the city of Brugge. We walked way too far…got sort of turned around…eventually, we made it back to the hotel…very tired and totally sore. We wait a little, and then go to eat a restaurant very near our hotel. Brugge is 12 klicks from the North Sea, so I tried Salmon. It was awesome. As if anything in Europe isn’t awesome.
And that was our adventure in Brugge, we then headed home, and I bought a hope chest for when/if I get married… Meagen already has one full of dishes and placemats and everything. Mine will have an apron and a piece of Belgium lace. I guess I’m already setting up a household in America. Haha, and that was yesterday.
So now its twenty minutes to boarding, and I’m in Zone six. I might actually sleep a little this flight! I’m so tired… I love Europe, but as a famous girl once said…”There is no place like home!”
I live an odd life. I spent about four months of the year in a place that most people only dream of going…Passing through the airport I saw all the stereotypical college student Europhiles…the ones who spend the years earinings and their whole summer vacation with a backpack and grandeous dreams traipsing around Europe. I, on the other hand, hem and ha at the thought of coming here…I waltz in with my guitar, camera case and computer, and HUGE amounts of clothing… and have no illusions. This is home. My family is here.
Anyways, I thought I would take this time…I have about forty five minutes…to write a real, live, actual blog entry about my weekend. We (my family and I) went to Brugge, Belgium. We spent the whole weekend there…and it was amazing. Brugge is a lovely medieval canalled and lovely old city in the flemmish section of Belgium. It has, obviously, a large Dutch influence…especially in the language…and, just as obvious, amazing lace, beer and chocolate.
We finally got the heck out of Dodge, er, Germany, about noon on Sunday…it poured the whole way and we hit some major traffic around Brussels…but the journey was lovely. We had an adventure at a very Americanized looking shopping center where we stopped to eat lunch at a place called Quicks Burgers. I suppose we figured this wouldn’t be too hard. Only problem was that this was in the French speaking part of Belgium. :-D My dad and I whipped out our ancient and poor French…and ended up with six burgers and as many colas. Dad was like, what happened to your four years of French?! I waslike…what?! I took a semester of conversational French in NINTH grade! Haha…his Canadian French was years and years older and perhaps more sparse…if only we could visit something like…mexico…I could speak there! In fact, I bought some headache meds in spain! And I asked for them…but no…we head out to French territory :-D….it was actually, a blast…just the kind of adventure that makes European travel so much fun!
We finally arrive in Brugge…which is this tiny town full of one ways and horse carriages. The streets, I suppose, were built only for carriages. So we squish as far in to one wall/against a building as our little toyata mini van will allow while dad pops inside to check in. he forgot to bring his cellphone as well. So, the other cars passed us without a hitch…but then, this moving van came in…Poor mom, she hates driving the van, and not to mention in tiny oneways….hoped in the front seat and headed the only way she could find…we headed out for a while and divised a plan…we didn’t know how to get back, didn’t know where dad was, and he didn’t know where we are…so I nab his phone and jump out of the van…I start running along streets I have never seen, headed in the general direction of the hotel, which is on that wee side street…somewhere… I found my dad on the sidewalk, scrathing his head and wondering who took off with his mini van and his whole family! So dad gets on his cell, and starts calling…all we can hear is, by the church! Over the canal! Brugge has over five cathedrals and enough canals to be the Venice of Belgium! Anyways, we fnd her, and I hastily find an escape plan on the map my dad picked up at the hotel.
We get all settled and head out on the town…we find the large and famous central square of Brugge…and eat a wonderful flemmish meal…I had rabbit…and tried the local blonde beer…Kwak. And then, we wandered a bit more, took a carriage ride around the city about sunset…and then sat down at a café and had cappacinos and listened to a wonderful Brazillian band. By then it was incredibly cold….it was about ten or so…so we crashed back at the hotel.
The next morning was fun! We tried breakkie at a French style tea house across the street. The house had its entire original furniture from the 1600s, including a valuable painting, copper chandelier and carved wainscoting. (shh, I’m an archeology/history major). We checked out a 12th century hospital and a 13th century cathedral with a Michelangelo sculpture Maddona and Child, inside. We found the smallest street in brugge…and walked down it…We went shopping. We ate tarts and ice cream… Had panninis for lunch, and went on a canal tour. We saw the oldest bridge and the smallest bridge in Brugge (there are 45 medieval bridges in Brugge) and the smallest window. The palace of the Lords, and plenty and plenty of 16th and 17th century Flemmish style homes.
We then checked out a brewery beside our hotel, and a beer called Zot. My mom loved it, I thought it too light…I like something a bit smokier/ interesting…. We then walked along Lovers Lake…and around most of the city of Brugge. We walked way too far…got sort of turned around…eventually, we made it back to the hotel…very tired and totally sore. We wait a little, and then go to eat a restaurant very near our hotel. Brugge is 12 klicks from the North Sea, so I tried Salmon. It was awesome. As if anything in Europe isn’t awesome.
And that was our adventure in Brugge, we then headed home, and I bought a hope chest for when/if I get married… Meagen already has one full of dishes and placemats and everything. Mine will have an apron and a piece of Belgium lace. I guess I’m already setting up a household in America. Haha, and that was yesterday.
So now its twenty minutes to boarding, and I’m in Zone six. I might actually sleep a little this flight! I’m so tired… I love Europe, but as a famous girl once said…”There is no place like home!”