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

 

 

Spa Day in Grimbergen

We've learned a few things working in Europe, one of those things being the Europeans love them some holidays. Seriously, like at least one holiday every month, sometimes more. I know you're all back at home going, "Ugh, I would love one holiday a month!" The grass ain't always greener, folks; these holidays cut into precious, sometimes pivotal work time/projects/deadlines, etc. You can't just work on a holiday either; every business, every client, every site, shuts down. C and I have a love-hate relationship with said holidays, but once the end of April rolled around, we were in l-o-v-e with the idea of a day off-- and time spent together without a phone ringing! It was Belgian Labor Day and we were off to a famous day spa in Grimbergen.

OK, spoiler alert: I'm about to discuss nudity in a blunt, (hopefully) hilarious fashion. If you don't like toilet humor, I suggest you skip this post. I'll give you the length of this photo to make a decision; are you in, or are you out?....




You're in.

Spa Grimbergen is one of the original Belgian spas; Belgians coined the term "spa" and the whole idea of a day spa experience (not the same as a Roman or Turkish bath). I understood our spa day might vary a little from others we've experienced in the U.S. and other locales, but I didn't think it would vary this much. We're talking nut sacks galore, people. I knew there was the potential for nudity, it's the European way, but my gosh! I don't want to soak in a mineral pool with anyone's uncovered nut sack, ever......well, ever again. It didn't help that the great majority of the spa population was well over 55. I saw more old man balls than a hooker in a nursing home (not that nursing homes have hookers, but if they did...). As for the females, I'm already planning my breast lift and it was like 70's issue of Hustler up in there (from what I hear of 70's spank mags). I have to hand it to these spa patrons; they were strutting their stuff like there was no tomorrow, swimming around free as birds, sunning themselves in the open air. They stood and had conversations like it was totally normal for their wieners to be virtually touching! One couple brought their young daughter, probably around the age of four, and she swam with her little floaties through a group of old, naked men in the pool. I cannot wrap my head around blowing up my kids' floaties while some old lady's knockers come swinging by. We quickly found the non-nude side of the spa (way smaller and less updated), but things remained weird as we entered our massages.

From my experience, you enter a massage room, the masseuse tells you to undress, climb under the sheets, and they'll be back momentarily. Not here. I was told to drop trou (everything) and climb onto the table WITH THE LADY JUST WATCHING. Yes, I realize this woman is about to rub me down, but she isn't supposed to see anything that would otherwise be covered by the sheets! Fully exposed, I climbed onto the table and wondered how C was doing in the other room with his male masseuse (I may have laughed a little); we've both had male masseuses before, but again, they don't look at our privates. The massage ended up being great, but I was a little distracted by the strangeness of the whole thing.

In the end, we had a fun day at the spa. We enjoyed some sun, some soaking, good food (seriously good drinks, too) and a good massage. The service was amazing, everything was very clean, and everyone we dealt with was friendly & welcoming. Would I go back? Probably, but I would stay on the non-nude side. Kudos to everyone with enough balls guts to bare it all; I'm just not there yet.

Ciao!

B + C

 

London

As many of you know, I lived in London during the fall semester of my junior year of college (2006). It remains one of the coolest, most fun, most transformative periods of my life thus far. As a result, I love all things London! I'm still madly in love with the city and all of the sweet little places I experienced there. C and I have been to London twice now, but I never tire of the place. It's been fun showing him around, although I'm sure I got way more satisfaction out of traipsing through my old neighborhood than he did. Nostalgia is a funny thing. I could ramble on and on, for pages and pages, about this amazing city and everything we've seen there. However, I think it's best (for all of us) if I just tell our travel story through pictures. I know this won't be nearly as magical for any of you as it is for me, but I trust you enjoy a good photo montage every now and again. Cheers!



Enjoying a "thanksgiving sandwich" at Borough Market. I frequented this gourmet food market every chance I got. If you're ever in London, don't miss it!

Tower Bridge at night





In front of my former school

Da Mario was rumored to be Princess Diana's favorite pizzeria. Diana's home, Kensington Palace, is mere blocks away. My home is also mere blocks away. This was my first time at Da Mario and I'll definitely be back, not just because Princess Di loved it, but because I loved it. C and I both decided it was "our place" in London.

Buckingham Palace




Me and the undertaker dodging rain drops near Parliament.

Tower Bridge at night

Boating under London Bridge. Many people mistakenly confuse Tower Bridge (the beautiful, iconic bridge) with London Bridge, when they're actually very different. London Bridge is just plain ugly.

Sleepy head and his first English Breakfast



Not my best pic, but here we are zooming under Tower Bridge. C was especially happy with this part, as they played the James Bond theme song as we sped down the Thames.

Just before shoving a Ben's Cookie in my mouth. This was a near-daily occurrence when I lived in London. Just as yummy as I recalled!

C mailing a postcard to his mom

I had the pleasure of taking C to Indian food on Brick Lane. People who say the food is bad in England/London don't know what they're talking about! There are so many awesome, ethnic areas with plenty to eat and experience. I loved Indian food back when I lived there, and I still love it to this day!

My "home station", South Kensington.

13 Manson Place, formerly occupied by yours truly!

C and his first Fish n' Chips

Tower of London

 

Ciao!

B + C

 

 

Toulouse & Arcachon

Hi, people. Sorry I've been MIA. Busy times here in The B (our new name for Brussels). Now I have to go waaayyy back into my mental archives in order to update you on our international life. Luckily, I have a memory like a steel trap; it gets some of you in trouble-- you know who you are.

Following a few days in Bordeaux, we ventured down to Toulouse. Toulouse lies on the banks of the Garonne in southwestern France. It's full of your typical travel sights: Cathedral, main square, museum, shopping district. Cleary I know how to pick hotels, as we ended up on the same street as all of the high end shopping (my room overlooked the Valentino store); C was nervous! There was a cute little square around the corner with a merry-go-round and several restaurants, and we were just a short walk to the aforementioned sights. We ventured over to the Capitole de Toulouse first, then on to the Basilica of St. Sernin. Both were beautiful, despite the rain and hail we endured trekking there. We fueled up on pizza before walking to The Pont Neuf (aka: Grand Pont), a 16th century, asymmetrical bridge which spans the Garonne. Right next to Pont Neuf is le Canal de Brienne. You know I had to go see that! Honestly, it wasn't that exciting, but there were running trails and cool cannons resting atop all the staircases. Highly doubt it's my namesake, but it was fun to take a picture by the sign. Our time in Toulouse ended on Easter Sunday after I downed an insane amount of chocolate eggs from our hotel lobby; C also bought me a really cute Easter basket from the bakery across the street-- he's a keeper. My aunt Kris ventured home to Arizona that day while C and I drove back toward Bordeaux; C would be working there for the next few days, but we decided to stop in a beach town first. I'm so glad we did.

The clouds opened up and we drove straight into what looked like a miniature Pismo Beach stuck in France. Arcachon is located on the Atlantic coast in the Landes Forest (think Big Sur meets Pismo meets France). Bikers filled the boardwalk, churro and ice cream carts lined the walkways, little sail boats scooted around not far from shore....I was in heaven. Our hotel was right on the water and, because Arcachon is so small, we could walk anywhere within a matter of minutes. As Easter Sunday ended, we walked along the beach together; we really missed our families that day, but we were happy to be in a place that was fairly similar to home. Though we really wanted Grammie's Easter dinner, we feasted on amazing seafood by the water instead. Couldn't complain, not even for a second.

We left Arcachon the next morning, but not before hiking to the top of the largest sand dune in the Europe: The Great Dune of Pyla. Dune enthusiasts, eat your heart out. I never expected for it to be so big, and I didn't expect it to be such a tiring hike either. The dune is 500 meters wide, 2.7km long, and 108 meters above sea level. I was huffing and puffing at the top, but it was well worth the views.

Wishing you all a belated Happy Easter, or Joyeuse Paques!





Capitole de Toulouse

Basilica de St. Sernin

Don't you just love my umbrella/purse combo? So fashionable.




Arriving in Arcachon. I like him.

A little bit of Arcachon

 

At the base of the dune; this makes it look way easier than it was!

The view atop the dune

We made it! And we're out of shape.

Ciao!

B + C

Bordeaux

Stop one of our Easter trip was Bordeaux, France. Known mostly for wine, Bordeaux sits in the south west portion of the country, boasting an impressive city center and many, many vineyards on the outskirts of town. We stayed in the historic district, which was walking distance to everything we could possibly want to see-- the best! Our hotel wasn't the greatest (you could barely walk around the bed!), but it was clean and convenient, so we couldn't really complain. Plus, one doesn't travel just to sit in their hotel room.

Our first afternoon in Bordeaux began after a quick overnight stay at our favorite B&B near Paris (here); Kris hadn't been there and C & I cannot physically drive through France without stopping there. It's just so refreshing and sweet! Anyway, Bordeaux greeted us with clear skies and crisp air. We set out almost immediately, walking to the nearby square to have a snack. We then ventured up and down several pedestrian shopping streets (this is a theme in my blog, isn't it?). Dinner came quickly, so we busted out our Yelp! apps and found an Italian place nearby. That's one thing we all noticed about Bordeaux: They were super into Italian food. I don't know if it's because of the wine or what, but I wasn't complaining. We chose Positano and it was excellent! We were a little early, so it was just us, the owners, and their jibber-jabbering baby.

The next morning kicked off with a petite dejeuner at a café down the street. There was a weird gypsy/mafia gathering going on, so I made C chug his cappuccino so we could get out of there. We walked through the same shopping area, around a couple of cathedrals, and up to the Grand Theater (the National Opera of Bordeaux). The square the Theater sits on is gorgeous, and there's a cool monument nearby called Place de Quinconces. The monument was dismantled in 1942 after the Commission for non-ferrous metals bought it; but, in 1943, the monument was found intact in Angers and it made it's triumphant return to Bordeaux. Pretty cool story, pretty cool monument. After some walking and a brilliant lunch of oysters, we headed off to the Jardin Public. I love gardens, I love parks, I love walking....I loved Jardin Public. There was even an Easter basket planter!

Dinner and a wine tasting awaited us in the evening. Our wine tasting was held at Comptoir Cuisine, immediately next to the Grand Hotel de Bordeaux and the Grand Theater. We crammed into their fairly small wine room and started sniffing little tubes of liquid; but seriously, we did. Each tube had a scent and we had to guess the scent; the wine connoisseur would then reveal the scent, then have us taste the wine, looking for the scent in the wine. It was actually really interesting! Each wine was paired with amuse bouche-- delicious!

Our time in Bordeaux ended the next morning with a little wine tasting at nearby Chateau Castres. Seriously, wine in Bordeaux completely blows California wine out of the water. It's so clean and so flavorful; I was amazed at how many rules and regulations they must follow in order to produce wine in that region. From the unstained wood roof, to the old, manual bottling machine, it's obvious they take great pride in their craft and product. I would highly suggest a visit to Bordeaux if you're in the area and you're into wine!

C checking out the wine at Chateau Castres

Me and C at Chateau Castres (doesn't do the property justice)

Grand Theater at night

Amongst the flowers on the "boardwalk" in Bordeaux

Place de Quinconces



Just your average view from lunch...

Easter Basket planter at Jardin Public

Ciao!

B + C