Bath & Stonehenge

C reminded me earlier this week that I have yet to post about our trip to England. We've been to London several times, but we were able to extend one of those trips to see Bath and Stonehenge. I've seen both of these locales before, but it was fun sharing it with C. And let's face it, traveling now as an adult is totally different than traveling around as a 19-20 year old; now we do a little more than sleep and drink beer!

Bath is about 100 miles southwest of London; it's green, lush, fairly quiet, and quintessentially English. I love it. The ancient roman baths are the main attraction, but for literature buffs like myself, Jane Austen's former home rivals the draw of the baths. C enjoyed deciphering the plumbing and mechanics of the baths (he is SUCH an engineer), while I watched tourists take selfies with their iPads. But seriously, the Baths are both beautiful and interesting. It's amazing how well preserved they are! The city of Bath is really neat, too, as it has several pedestrian-only areas filled with restaurants, shops, street performers (read: guy on 15 ft. unicycle juggling flaming torches), and street vendors. I love me a good street dog with English mustard, which I indulged upon while dragging C over to Jane's house. I sat on her stoop. Life complete.

Day two in Bath meant a day trip out to Stonehenge, which is very accessible from Bath and it's surrounding (but less cool) cities. One of the most famous sites in the world, archaeologists estimate it was erected anywhere from 3000 to 2000 BC. The site includes the iconic circle of stone arches, as well as surrounding burial grounds, all declared a World Heritage Site (one of a few we've been blessed to see) by UNESCO in 1986. The downsides to visiting "the henge" are you can't walk straight up to the stones, touch them, walk through the middle of the circle, etc. You're guided around the circumference via a roped off path. We were there on a particularly crowded day, which meant lots of photo bombing, but also lots of path-clogging. C was a little disenchanted, but he enjoyed the experience overall. It's definitely a must see if you're in the area!

C standing in front of "his" house at Bath University

On the steps of Jane Austen's house

View of Bath Abbey from the largest of the roman baths

Stonehenge

Us at "the henge"

Ciao!

B + C

 

 

Antwerp and Oostende

Both Antwerp and Oostende are about an hour from our home in Brussels. Antwerp is a bustling city, famous amongst travelers and musicians (many concerts are held here); Oostende is adjacent to Brugge, but coastal, and it's full of WWII history. C and I decided to make day trips to each of these locales and we're glad we did!

Antwerp is the most densely populated municipality in both Flanders and Belgium, which you'd never know by visiting. The streets were clean and quiet, there were cafes with private patios on quiet squares, and I could hear the clippity-clop of horse drawn carriages blocks away. Antwerp's Central Station is especially stunning, as it boasts an incredible glass dome. Their Grote Markt ( a grand market/great square) is similar to Brugge and Brussels, but I found it a tad more charming. We also spotted a zoo and several really pretty churches, as well as a cool castle along the water. All in all, our day in Antwerp was just a day of walking and observing, but the weather was beautiful and the city was, too!

C researched Oostende after hearing a bit about its history with WWII. It's home to a large portion of the Atlantic Wall, which was an extensive system of coastal fortifications used by the Nazis; it's also home to the only surviving Nazi battery in the world. We were able to tour the battery, which essentially sits along and atop the wall. We wound through narrow passages and tunnels as we listened to a very thorough and interesting audio guide (not usually the case); interrogation rooms, spy rooms, communication posts, and ammunition bunkers have been restored and are open during the tour. I'm personally very into WWII history, as is C, so this was an especially interesting tour for us. Someone was very interested in the guns and torpedos, also. I don't think I have name names. In short, we'd highly recommend a visit to Oostende if you're ever in the area!



Walking along the wall/battery

Giant gun, ocean view

 

 

Standing guard

Antwerpen Central

Town Hall Antwerpen

Cool castle down by the water; it's been everything from a prison to a concert hall!

Hanging out by the Port Antwerpen

Ciao!

B + C

 

Germany

We're back from a nice trip to California and ready to update you on our most recent adventures! Our trip home was so refreshing; seeing family and friends (and the sun) totally rejuvenated us. It helped, of course, that we experienced a couple of very love-filled days: The wedding of our good friends, and the baby shower of our other very good friends. They are so special to us and we'll be forever grateful for getting to share these special memories with them!

Prior to our trip to California, we drove over to Germany to see our friends, Keith and Megan. They've been stationed at Spangdahlem Air Force Base for the last couple of years serving the great USA (thank you, guys!); they live in the cutest home off-base in Oberweis, a very small town whose landscape reminds me of SLO. We had such a blast exploring the area in which they live and serve. They took us down by the Mosel (stunning), on base for a breakfast burrito (expat craving), and to Trier (former Roman city). There's more Roman and Christian history in Trier than I could ever write, so please indulge in some really interesting stuff here. The one thing I will elaborate on, however, is the cathedral of Trier and the seamless cloak, or The Holy Robe. Pious legend has it that Empress St. Helena brought the seamless robe, which was worn by Jesus during the crucifixion, to Trier after a visit to Jerusalem. We were able to see where the robe was housed, although we missed the viewing period of the actual robe itself. I have to say, it was one of the cooler things I've seen and done in Europe. Again, read more on the robe and all of Trier's amazing history via the link above.

Having K & M tour us around was like having personal historians-- they were so knowledgeable! Aside from the great German beer and wine, we really enjoyed seeing our friends and having some time with people who understand what this experience is like. Plus, they have a dog and we got to play with her. We get to return the favor tomorrow when they arrive in Brussels! Prost!

 

Pit stop for beer and pretzels in Cologne, Germany

 

View from K & M's house

Zoe!

Dinner on the Mosel

Main square in Trier

Dom St. Peter, or the Cathedral of Trier

The area which houses the seamless robe

Ciao!

B + C