mmm…. the land of chocolate
Though the title of this entry quotes Homer Simpson referring to Germany, the real land of chocolate is Belgium. Pralines (filled chocolates) were invented here, and they do them right.
After leaving our castle in Bacharach (which was hit by a brief snow flurry as some of the boys and I walked around the outside of the castle before breakfast), we headed to Brussels – a new stop for the Europe trip. Brussels is a very modern city that has retained an old historic square called the Grand Place. The name suits it – as we walked through the narrow street and turned the corner into the big square, it was great to see the reaction of the kids – everyone pulls out the camera immediately, wanting to capture that moment when the immensity and beauty of the place first hits them. It was the same for me, having only ever seen it in pictures while planning the trip.
The real highlight of Brussels is the Mannekin Pis (by the way, that is what it's actually called). As you can see from the picture, the name is quite literal. He never stops!
Mr. Johnson couldn't wait to see this work of art.
Bruges is my favourite city on the trip – it is beautifully preserved, laid back, and has lots of cyclists easily sharing the cobblestone streets with a few cars and buses. Madam Dumon (of Dumon’s Chocolates) was happy to see me (and the 36 customers I brought to her store) again. I think pretty much everyone bought some of her fine chocolates to bring home as gifts – so if you are a parent of one of the kids and they come home empty handed, they ate your gift.
Madam Dumon and her daughter
Of course, people from last year’s trip are eagerly awaiting news of the new hostel in Bruges (Charlie Rockets) – was it as bad as the Snuffel Inn you are wondering (or hoping?). Sorry to disappoint you, but it was actually quite nice as Bruges hostels go. I think it’s a keeper. And in the morning, as we ate breakfast in what was the smoky bar the night before, the manager came to me and said she was so impressed with how well behaved our kids are that she wanted them to all have a souvenir – so we all got a Charlie Rockets key chain (even the adults!) She said that the last school group they had a few nights ago were rotten, and she wasn’t expecting such a nice group of kids.
Some of the kids got their first real European stair climbing workout this morning – 366 steps to the top of the bell tower in the market square in Bruges. The others went to see Michelangelo’s moving Madonna and Child in the Church of Our Dear Lady (or the Onze-Lieve Vrouwekerk as the locals call it – try saying that).
This is one of the most photogenic buildings I have ever seen.
We are currently on the bus enroute to Juno Beach (I’m typing this in Word with the intention of posting it to the website when we get access again). There is a driving wet snow storm (the highway is wet – the snow isn’t sticking) but we are hopeful that when we arrive at the beach it will have died down!
Craig
Though the title of this entry quotes Homer Simpson referring to Germany, the real land of chocolate is Belgium. Pralines (filled chocolates) were invented here, and they do them right.
After leaving our castle in Bacharach (which was hit by a brief snow flurry as some of the boys and I walked around the outside of the castle before breakfast), we headed to Brussels – a new stop for the Europe trip. Brussels is a very modern city that has retained an old historic square called the Grand Place. The name suits it – as we walked through the narrow street and turned the corner into the big square, it was great to see the reaction of the kids – everyone pulls out the camera immediately, wanting to capture that moment when the immensity and beauty of the place first hits them. It was the same for me, having only ever seen it in pictures while planning the trip.
The real highlight of Brussels is the Mannekin Pis (by the way, that is what it's actually called). As you can see from the picture, the name is quite literal. He never stops!
Mr. Johnson couldn't wait to see this work of art.
Bruges is my favourite city on the trip – it is beautifully preserved, laid back, and has lots of cyclists easily sharing the cobblestone streets with a few cars and buses. Madam Dumon (of Dumon’s Chocolates) was happy to see me (and the 36 customers I brought to her store) again. I think pretty much everyone bought some of her fine chocolates to bring home as gifts – so if you are a parent of one of the kids and they come home empty handed, they ate your gift.
Madam Dumon and her daughter
Of course, people from last year’s trip are eagerly awaiting news of the new hostel in Bruges (Charlie Rockets) – was it as bad as the Snuffel Inn you are wondering (or hoping?). Sorry to disappoint you, but it was actually quite nice as Bruges hostels go. I think it’s a keeper. And in the morning, as we ate breakfast in what was the smoky bar the night before, the manager came to me and said she was so impressed with how well behaved our kids are that she wanted them to all have a souvenir – so we all got a Charlie Rockets key chain (even the adults!) She said that the last school group they had a few nights ago were rotten, and she wasn’t expecting such a nice group of kids.
Some of the kids got their first real European stair climbing workout this morning – 366 steps to the top of the bell tower in the market square in Bruges. The others went to see Michelangelo’s moving Madonna and Child in the Church of Our Dear Lady (or the Onze-Lieve Vrouwekerk as the locals call it – try saying that).
This is one of the most photogenic buildings I have ever seen.
We are currently on the bus enroute to Juno Beach (I’m typing this in Word with the intention of posting it to the website when we get access again). There is a driving wet snow storm (the highway is wet – the snow isn’t sticking) but we are hopeful that when we arrive at the beach it will have died down!
Craig
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