Last Minute Trip to Antwerp

Myself and herself decided to have one last hurrah before I leave this week and headed down to Antwerp for the day. At 32EUR return it's an absolute bargain for a train ticket but keep in mind it will take 2 1/2 hours to get there. What better way to celebrate a sixth month trip abroad than going to Belgium for the day?

We got there about 13.00 in the afternoon and the first thing herself decided to do is step in dog poop. I couldn't even look at her for about ten minutes I felt so queasy but she cleaned herself up and we persevered.

I won't be able to tell you much about the city itself or the history. Our intention was to go somewhere neither of us had been before and soak up the feel of the place. Antwerp has a beautiful old town centre. It has elaborate building facades and tall city houses. It wasn't as medieval as we thought it might be but it;s a fabulous place for a day trip.

So, what did we do all day...?

• ate Belgian chocolate (obviously) 
• drank Belgian beer (see above)
• got a tour on a horse and cart (I felt bad for the horses)
• walked for hours through windy city streets
• ate in a Mexican restaurant and were served by a Cork man (as you do)

If I were to go back I'd get a walking tour of the place and spend a couple of hours at the zoo. It's right outside the central stations front door and it's reported to have amazing gardens. Then again, same as with the horses above, I'd probably only feel bad for the animals.

We rounded off the day waiting in the station for our train. I found a cycle station where I could pedal to charge my iPad. It was a bit of hassle though, ten minutes cycling only got me from 5% power to 7%, I thought I'd get a super charge for my efforts. Mentioning the train station, Antwerp Centraal is a beautiful station, one of the nicest I've ever seen. We were walking with our faces towards the ceiling taking it all in when what happens only herself walks into dog poop again. And I had to sit beside her the whole way back to Amsterdam. Grand.

Rebooting in Belgium (and Maastricht)

It's been a week since we got back from Belgium but the holiday feeling hasn't left me yet. The Belgian Ardennes area is beautiful. I'm afraid none of my pictures or words can do it justice. Myself and himself had intended a little breakaway for ourselves considering that he's off to Munich for 7 months September onwards and God only knows what I'll be up to then.

Durbuy, Belgium.

I'll give you our personal highlights first:

• seeing a man pour out a bottle of suspicious looking apple-juice like liquid at a lay-by,
• watching another man in a mobility scooter let three children stroke his pet ferret, 
• not knowing whether to speak French, Flemish, Dutch or English to people (not that I can) and ending up spouting out a couple of Italian words instead (not that I can speak that either).
• having a waiter tell me that 'you're my hostage now' after himself had to go find an ATM for some cash to pay for a cappuccino.

Kayaking in Durbuy.

We picked the right spot for a night away. We didn't really have a clue where we were going but someone said Durbuy was beautiful so we pointed ourselves in that direction.

And Durbuy was very beautiful. Our first activity was kayaking 8km down a river. It was so peaceful and calm and with the combination of fresh air it felt like I was on cloud nine getting out of the boat. After that we took a little walk into the village and had a look at the castle and beautiful buildings, stopping here and there for Belgian fries and beer. Perfect combo.

Hotel Au Romain, Heyd, Belgium.

Our hotel was an old farmhouse/restaurant in the absolute middle of nowhere, Heyd, Belgium. The room was tiny, the floor was uneven and the window wouldn't close. It was perfect.

On the Sunday, we decided to get a tour of some underground caves in Remouchamps but not before driving through winding roads and forest. The countryside is so beautiful there that being in the car is a sightseeing tour. The caves are spectacular and boast the longest underground boat ride in all of Europe. Apart from the screaming children we were lucky enough to have on our tour this was a great way to spend an hour.

Underground caves,
Remouchamps, Belgium

Maastricht

We moved on to Maastricht for the afternoon. Neither of us had been there before and it was on our way home. Maastricht is beautiful. For the few short hours we spent there it seems to have it all, history, architecture, shopping, atmosphere and more. We wore ourselves out walking around and craning our necks to look up at centuries old plaques above the doors. We parked ourselves at the river front for a drink and a three course dinner for 17EUR each and to watch an impromptu salsa session take place at a bar across the road.

All in all, one of the best mini-trips I've had the opportunity to take. 

Belgian Breakaway

The travel bug has bitten me and it seems there is no cure. To resist the urge to book some long haul flights myself and himself booked a cheeky weekend in the Belgian Ardennes. I'm expecting rolling countryside dotted with medieval villages and farmhouses. Yay to last minute impulse bookings!