This could seriously become a non-photo vacation...:S Hopefully in Japan I can upload them...
Note #1: S. Korea is land of the FREE for shopping in beauty shops! They constantly give customers free samples, just for going into the stores and then when you spend money they give you free samples for that too. I bought ONE bottle of nail polish and got a box for 20 cotton make-up pads and some other samples. I only really spent $1.50...
Note #2: For the ladies who love beauty products beware of what you buy, b/c that stuff is freakin' heavy yo! be mindful that you gotta lug that stuff and pass the customs' luggage weight!
EHWA WOMEN'S UNIVERSITY
This is the place to shop for clothes, accessories and whatever! How do the university women even focus on classes when there is a shopping paradise here?!!? Got some clothes and earrings. I only brought 4 tops on this trip, so I literally had to buy clothes LOL.
It was actually hot, so I was wearing sunglasses and a sleeveless blouse and I was shopping some random sales lady ran her hand down my arm and said, "ohhh summer!" RANDOM YO! She was just being friendly, but it kind of caught me off guard. Spent a long time at Cottiny buying earrings because they were all nice. (http://www.cottinyshop.co.kr/shop/main/index.php) Also, I got a free pair b/c of my purchases.
LE BUNNY BLEU (http://www.lebunnybleu.co.kr/seoul/)
I fell in love with this store. I've never wanted to buy a whole collection of shoes before but it happened! I literally wanted to say, I'll take them all. The sales ladies were letting me try on everything and I took a pic of the best ones. No, I didn't buy them all... but I did get three. Pics to come when I can find a dang computer that will let me upload them.
IT AIN'T AN ARCADE, BUT I WON!
I was at one of the beauty stores and noticed they had a crane game. You know what that means right? Sam is gonna play that game. I got a free token from the counter and won some random skin treatment sample thingies.
VENDOR FOOD and DBS PIGEONS
Somehow one forgets/ignores a rumbling stomach while in the midst of shopping. I stopped at a food vendor along the side of the main road and got bbq chicken and onion skewers. I dragged my shopping bags to a seating area and while I was eating OH LUCKY ME...the ahjumma (middle-aged lady) beside me decides to throw some bread and all of a sudden the pigeon plague descends!! @___@ While shooing them away I spill bbq sauce on my pants and ended up relocating away from the pigeon ahjumma. Oh well...I'll have to wash these pants...good thing they were black?
AGNES UNNIE
I was able to reach Agnes unnie earlier in the day. My emails were sent back to me, but Helena unnie gave me her number via email. She was really surprised I was there and said she would come meet me tonight. Ahh but she works 1 1/2 hours away, so she ended up coming really late. I felt bad but it was really nice to see her! We ate bbq pork ribs. Really delicious! We laughed about our memories of my other trips like hiking up the mountain for 2 hours looking for a Buddhist temple, on a smoldering day and ran out of water and shade. LOL. If I survived that I can survive anything!
Afterwards, she left and I went back to the guesthouse and arranged some of my luggage. Wanted to take a bath but got too tired.
Hope all of you are doing well! ^__^
Monday, April 29, 2013
ASIA REVISITED part III
Cinderella SAM-urai made it home before midnight! Today was a busy day!
LAST NIGHT'S AFTER EFFECTS
As some of you may have read last night, I got soju sodrunk and woke up this morning at 5am still wearing last night's clothes LOL. I took an advil, changed and went back to sleep. I swear advil prevents my hangovers!
ANNE, APGUJEONG AND CELEBRITY SIGHTING!
Called Anne to confirm arrangements. She asked what I wanted to eat and we decided on dakgalbi! :) I love that stuff! We went to Apgujeong to eat and the food was quite delicious. Will upload photos later. After that, we walked around the area. We ended up at a store and there was a candy/toy dispenser inside. If someone puts 500 won in, it dispenses an egg-like container which can contain discounts of 5,000won, 10,000 won, 20,000 won, 30,000 won, free clothes or free headphones.
I was really interested in trying my luck to win the headphones (w/c I found out later, were unavailable) so I changed some money. Anne thought it would be a waste of money, but I had this feeling...I used a 500 won coin and gave Anne the other one. She won 30,000 won off and I won a FREE SHIRT! Heck yeahhh!
While we were shopping around, I was looking out the store window we were in and I saw a tall Asian dude, dressed with a white shirt, black blazer and black pants. There was something about him, that made me think he was a celebrity and then I knew right away. It was Chansung from 2PM! He was directing his manager's van to a nearby store. I couldn't help my curiosity. We went over to the store just to peek, he left soon after coming out from the back and walked right by us. He seemed in a frustrated mood, so I didn't bother doing anything like taking a photo or trying to talk to him. I'm from Toronto, yo! We don't stalk celebs...we just acknowledge...there's a celebrity...cool...on with life!
Yeah...I tried to break in some shoes I bought the other day...failure..got me a blister and since my feet were sore, I bought a pair of toms to rest my footsies. Good investment!
Thanks Anne for lunch and midday snacks! Hanging out with you is always part of my visits!
REUNION, TAXI AND DRAMARAMA
After I separated from Anne, I went home to shower. It had been a hot day and I couldn't stop sweating...not to mention, I had also worn my shirt backwards the entire day!!..luckily it wasn't obvious. I was planning to meet the oppas at 7:30pm. When I got there, slightly late, Song oppa was there :)
He told me Sean oppa had waited since 7pm and just left a short while ago. OOOPS! I thought we were meeting at 7pm! My bad! Song oppa called him back and he and Jinyoung oppa met me to eat. Song oppa had to work so he couldn't come to eat. He looks so different with his hair a lighter colour, short and straightened.
We took a taxi and the old man driver kept turning around to look back at me and smiling at every stop. He told them in Korean that I was pretty and according to Jinyoung oppa, he said I looked like a good Korean wife...whatever that means @__@ LOL! I told the driver no, that's not true but he disagreed. I tuned him out after that...yipes! Jinyoung oppa was sitting in the front, so the driver kept talking to him and I focused on my catching up with Sean oppa.
We went to a place that has really fresh tasting beer. Can't remember the name at the moment. Beer hits me faster, so I only finished a glass and a half and the oppas drank the rest for me.
I had to use the washroom and there was dramarama in there. Two ladies arguing, the younger one crying and upset. I tried to get around them, but they were both caught up in the drama. Later on, the older lady came out and 4 younger guys were trying to calm her down. On top of that at some point another random lady was fighting/beating a guy in the man's washroom, while another guy tried to pull her out of there. Jesus!! Ladies gotta stop drinking to the point where they get crazy like that!! I offered to get as drunk as them and cause a scene too, but thankfully the oppas declined. kekeke
They decided to make sure I got home before midnight. We communicated in English, Korean and Japanese LOL. When we were leaving I tried to pay, but Sean oppa had his card out quickly and Jinyoung oppa gently pushed/pulled me out of the door and told me Sean was paying. Ahhh this happens every time! They are such nice guys! I really feel taken care of when I hang out with them. They dropped me off at the station. I always look forwarding to meeting with them and glad we could arrange something :) Thanks for a nice time guys! Til we meet again!
Big hug to those who actually read this long entry!
-Sam ^__^
LAST NIGHT'S AFTER EFFECTS
As some of you may have read last night, I got soju sodrunk and woke up this morning at 5am still wearing last night's clothes LOL. I took an advil, changed and went back to sleep. I swear advil prevents my hangovers!
ANNE, APGUJEONG AND CELEBRITY SIGHTING!
Called Anne to confirm arrangements. She asked what I wanted to eat and we decided on dakgalbi! :) I love that stuff! We went to Apgujeong to eat and the food was quite delicious. Will upload photos later. After that, we walked around the area. We ended up at a store and there was a candy/toy dispenser inside. If someone puts 500 won in, it dispenses an egg-like container which can contain discounts of 5,000won, 10,000 won, 20,000 won, 30,000 won, free clothes or free headphones.
I was really interested in trying my luck to win the headphones (w/c I found out later, were unavailable) so I changed some money. Anne thought it would be a waste of money, but I had this feeling...I used a 500 won coin and gave Anne the other one. She won 30,000 won off and I won a FREE SHIRT! Heck yeahhh!
While we were shopping around, I was looking out the store window we were in and I saw a tall Asian dude, dressed with a white shirt, black blazer and black pants. There was something about him, that made me think he was a celebrity and then I knew right away. It was Chansung from 2PM! He was directing his manager's van to a nearby store. I couldn't help my curiosity. We went over to the store just to peek, he left soon after coming out from the back and walked right by us. He seemed in a frustrated mood, so I didn't bother doing anything like taking a photo or trying to talk to him. I'm from Toronto, yo! We don't stalk celebs...we just acknowledge...there's a celebrity...cool...on with life!
Yeah...I tried to break in some shoes I bought the other day...failure..got me a blister and since my feet were sore, I bought a pair of toms to rest my footsies. Good investment!
Thanks Anne for lunch and midday snacks! Hanging out with you is always part of my visits!
REUNION, TAXI AND DRAMARAMA
After I separated from Anne, I went home to shower. It had been a hot day and I couldn't stop sweating...not to mention, I had also worn my shirt backwards the entire day!!..luckily it wasn't obvious. I was planning to meet the oppas at 7:30pm. When I got there, slightly late, Song oppa was there :)
He told me Sean oppa had waited since 7pm and just left a short while ago. OOOPS! I thought we were meeting at 7pm! My bad! Song oppa called him back and he and Jinyoung oppa met me to eat. Song oppa had to work so he couldn't come to eat. He looks so different with his hair a lighter colour, short and straightened.
We took a taxi and the old man driver kept turning around to look back at me and smiling at every stop. He told them in Korean that I was pretty and according to Jinyoung oppa, he said I looked like a good Korean wife...whatever that means @__@ LOL! I told the driver no, that's not true but he disagreed. I tuned him out after that...yipes! Jinyoung oppa was sitting in the front, so the driver kept talking to him and I focused on my catching up with Sean oppa.
We went to a place that has really fresh tasting beer. Can't remember the name at the moment. Beer hits me faster, so I only finished a glass and a half and the oppas drank the rest for me.
I had to use the washroom and there was dramarama in there. Two ladies arguing, the younger one crying and upset. I tried to get around them, but they were both caught up in the drama. Later on, the older lady came out and 4 younger guys were trying to calm her down. On top of that at some point another random lady was fighting/beating a guy in the man's washroom, while another guy tried to pull her out of there. Jesus!! Ladies gotta stop drinking to the point where they get crazy like that!! I offered to get as drunk as them and cause a scene too, but thankfully the oppas declined. kekeke
They decided to make sure I got home before midnight. We communicated in English, Korean and Japanese LOL. When we were leaving I tried to pay, but Sean oppa had his card out quickly and Jinyoung oppa gently pushed/pulled me out of the door and told me Sean was paying. Ahhh this happens every time! They are such nice guys! I really feel taken care of when I hang out with them. They dropped me off at the station. I always look forwarding to meeting with them and glad we could arrange something :) Thanks for a nice time guys! Til we meet again!
Big hug to those who actually read this long entry!
-Sam ^__^
ASIA REVISITED part II
Hey Ya'll,
Hope all is well wherever you are!
FINDING FRIENDS AND EATING POO
So yesterday was "find/contact my friends day." I went to Sunny's store Nanishow in Insadong, but found out she sold the store. She is actually living in Australia now but is coincidentally in Korea right now because she's getting married. Dunno, if I'll be able to meet her but I left her a gift. The new owner is one of her friends and I became friends with an employee there named Sujin. She is supernice and even treated me for breakfast. Bought a bunch of stuff there - actually, I always put aside money specifically for that store!
Ok, you read "eating poo" right? They have a special bread there that is in the shape of cartoon poo. Yup ate some of that! Kehehehe. It was good, but so random yo!!
Next stop was Myeongdong. I had tried to contact Song oppa who owns a music store in the station, but my emails came back. It has been 3 years since I last saw him, so I was unsure if he was still there. Lucky it was!! It was also surrounded by a bajillion fangirls buying stuff. I squeezed inside to see that Jinyoung oppa was there.
I don't know why, but I always think that if I haven't been to Korea in a while my friends my forget who I am. We only ever really keep in touch when I visit...but Jinyoung oppa remembered me even before I had to remind him. The funny thing is, he is so shy to use English and my Korean is limited for long conversations, but ironically we can communicate in Japanese better. LOL. He called Sean oppa, who I confused for Song oppa and we arranged to meet tonight for dinner. Song oppa was working in an office in another location, so I didn't get to see him but I'll see him today.
MYEONGDONG
Not much to say about this other than I blew a hole in my wallet...all the Skin Food products and Etude are killing my suitcase and my wallet! I didn't even shop for clothes yet...oh dear...
I ate at a homemade noodle place. I don't remember the name but I took a photo. There are only 4 things on the menu and there was a line-up before and after I ate there. Plus they kept stuffing me with fresh kimchi. I had the handmade noodle soup with dumplings inside. They also sell a dumpling dish, spicy noodles and another dish.
ROBIN & ELAINE
I had made plans with Robin to meet at 8:30pm and so I met him at Seoul 53 Hotel, of which he is a part owner now. He said he'd give me a discount next I visited :) They literally just opened.
We went out for BBQ and soju of course. We caught up and had tons of fun, but soon the soju hit me like a ton of bricks. Then I was ordering pitchers of Asian martinis (water). LOL. Robin made sure I was okay and kept telling me to drink more water. We met up with his friend Elaine and we ate fried chicken and they had beer while I drank more H20. Robin's hyung also came and hung out with us for a bit. They all walked me home and then took a taxi.
I'm really lucky to have made such good friends here.
Now I gotta go, so have a nice day everyone.
-Sam ^__^
p.s. sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes. don't have time to doublecheck!
Hope all is well wherever you are!
FINDING FRIENDS AND EATING POO
So yesterday was "find/contact my friends day." I went to Sunny's store Nanishow in Insadong, but found out she sold the store. She is actually living in Australia now but is coincidentally in Korea right now because she's getting married. Dunno, if I'll be able to meet her but I left her a gift. The new owner is one of her friends and I became friends with an employee there named Sujin. She is supernice and even treated me for breakfast. Bought a bunch of stuff there - actually, I always put aside money specifically for that store!
Ok, you read "eating poo" right? They have a special bread there that is in the shape of cartoon poo. Yup ate some of that! Kehehehe. It was good, but so random yo!!
Next stop was Myeongdong. I had tried to contact Song oppa who owns a music store in the station, but my emails came back. It has been 3 years since I last saw him, so I was unsure if he was still there. Lucky it was!! It was also surrounded by a bajillion fangirls buying stuff. I squeezed inside to see that Jinyoung oppa was there.
I don't know why, but I always think that if I haven't been to Korea in a while my friends my forget who I am. We only ever really keep in touch when I visit...but Jinyoung oppa remembered me even before I had to remind him. The funny thing is, he is so shy to use English and my Korean is limited for long conversations, but ironically we can communicate in Japanese better. LOL. He called Sean oppa, who I confused for Song oppa and we arranged to meet tonight for dinner. Song oppa was working in an office in another location, so I didn't get to see him but I'll see him today.
MYEONGDONG
Not much to say about this other than I blew a hole in my wallet...all the Skin Food products and Etude are killing my suitcase and my wallet! I didn't even shop for clothes yet...oh dear...
I ate at a homemade noodle place. I don't remember the name but I took a photo. There are only 4 things on the menu and there was a line-up before and after I ate there. Plus they kept stuffing me with fresh kimchi. I had the handmade noodle soup with dumplings inside. They also sell a dumpling dish, spicy noodles and another dish.
ROBIN & ELAINE
I had made plans with Robin to meet at 8:30pm and so I met him at Seoul 53 Hotel, of which he is a part owner now. He said he'd give me a discount next I visited :) They literally just opened.
We went out for BBQ and soju of course. We caught up and had tons of fun, but soon the soju hit me like a ton of bricks. Then I was ordering pitchers of Asian martinis (water). LOL. Robin made sure I was okay and kept telling me to drink more water. We met up with his friend Elaine and we ate fried chicken and they had beer while I drank more H20. Robin's hyung also came and hung out with us for a bit. They all walked me home and then took a taxi.
I'm really lucky to have made such good friends here.
Now I gotta go, so have a nice day everyone.
-Sam ^__^
p.s. sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes. don't have time to doublecheck!
ASIA REVISITED part I
Good Morning from Seoul!
Whaaaa?! Yes, I'm in Seoul right now! I'll be here until May 1st and then heading to the Kansai area of Japan and a few other places. Get ready to be spammed...if you don't wanna get the various emails, let me know.
Anyway the reasons for this trip are:
1. Happy 30th to myself 2. Fulfilling a lifelong dream: Visiting Sadako's statue in Hiroshima and leaving paper cranes there 3. Live life to the fullest 4. As I told customs.."Freak my parents out"...lol...they worry about the S. Korea part, but it's all good 5. Stick to my motto of LIVE. LOVE. TAKE RISKS. REGRET NOTHING.
So yes, the airport stories consist of almost leaving my knapsack in Narita b/c I was charging my phone and a dude stood in front of it covering it...realized when I was in line to board that my shoulders were unnaturally feeling light. LOL!
I did a good deed and switched seats with an elderly Japanese couple who wanted to sit together. I think they were surprised that I spoke back to them in Japanese and they were grateful...and so cute! So, I ended up sitting in the middle of two dudes. One was really nice, but no friends..no husband yet! kekeke Tried to watch some films...saw the Oz one...Major League...love that one! Watched The Impossible and cried a ton...good thing the lights were out. My limobus to the guesthouse wasn't such a simple trip b/c my driver missed my stop, so I had a 40 min detour, but I got there eventually. Ahhh nothing more exciting than being exhausted and navigating at night on the streets of Seoul.
Guest house ended up giving me a bunk bed room with my own washroom and tub to myself! Shweeet!
Managed to contact my friend Robin last night, who just recently opened a guest house 1 min away from me. We are scheduled to drink it up tonight...oh dear! Ended my night talking briefly to my-chan and then having a tall can of Hite beer with some food and chips.
Now it's 8:50am and I will be heading out to shop my butt off and try to locate some of my other buddies.
Off I go, update ya'll later!
-Sam ^___^
Whaaaa?! Yes, I'm in Seoul right now! I'll be here until May 1st and then heading to the Kansai area of Japan and a few other places. Get ready to be spammed...if you don't wanna get the various emails, let me know.
Anyway the reasons for this trip are:
1. Happy 30th to myself 2. Fulfilling a lifelong dream: Visiting Sadako's statue in Hiroshima and leaving paper cranes there 3. Live life to the fullest 4. As I told customs.."Freak my parents out"...lol...they worry about the S. Korea part, but it's all good 5. Stick to my motto of LIVE. LOVE. TAKE RISKS. REGRET NOTHING.
So yes, the airport stories consist of almost leaving my knapsack in Narita b/c I was charging my phone and a dude stood in front of it covering it...realized when I was in line to board that my shoulders were unnaturally feeling light. LOL!
I did a good deed and switched seats with an elderly Japanese couple who wanted to sit together. I think they were surprised that I spoke back to them in Japanese and they were grateful...and so cute! So, I ended up sitting in the middle of two dudes. One was really nice, but no friends..no husband yet! kekeke Tried to watch some films...saw the Oz one...Major League...love that one! Watched The Impossible and cried a ton...good thing the lights were out. My limobus to the guesthouse wasn't such a simple trip b/c my driver missed my stop, so I had a 40 min detour, but I got there eventually. Ahhh nothing more exciting than being exhausted and navigating at night on the streets of Seoul.
Guest house ended up giving me a bunk bed room with my own washroom and tub to myself! Shweeet!
Managed to contact my friend Robin last night, who just recently opened a guest house 1 min away from me. We are scheduled to drink it up tonight...oh dear! Ended my night talking briefly to my-chan and then having a tall can of Hite beer with some food and chips.
Now it's 8:50am and I will be heading out to shop my butt off and try to locate some of my other buddies.
Off I go, update ya'll later!
-Sam ^___^
Thursday, August 11, 2011
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 13-14: BRUSSELS
originally posted May 22/11
-------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 13: BRUSSELS
Just before I start the next entry, I made a mistake with one of the
previous email's journal headings...it should have said: SPEGELAERE
CHOCOLATE and JOS GETS WORSE. SPEGELAERE CHOCOLATE is the very old
chocolate store where Jos got the marzipan grapes.
And the winner of Destination Contest 4 is....David R, who
guessed in 3 mins! This one was pretty easy, wasn't it? We only had
one night left, might as well stay in Belgium and visit Brussels while
we are here.
LET IT NOT BE SAID THAT D'S ARE NOT TROOPERS
Jos was still ill in the morning and we were heading off to Brussels.
She didn't come out for breakfast and when she finally did, she only
drank some tea if I recall. I ate breakfast of various pastries and
made sandwiches with the leftovers of my meal for the train. Tine gave
Jos another pill for her stomach and called us a cab to the train
station. Our luggage is heavy and the duffel bag is full. What can we
do? Chocolate ain't light!!
We hauled our stuff onto the train heading to the next B&B.
Unfortunately, we were delayed at one of the stations for an hour or
so and eventually had to get off the train and transfer to another
one. baaaaahhhhh we've had a delay every time we've had to switch
B&Bs. When we finally got to our stop, we had to transfer to the tram.
The wait for the tram took 30 mins as well!! Jos was still feeling
quite sick and I was getting impatient... The tram came and then we
accidentally got off one stop early and not only that...our stop was
at the top of the hill. It was so hot and we had to climb a hill with
all of our luggage. I must say that the frustration of it all spurred
me forward with some annoyance adrenaline and I was almost able to get
there. Jos made it to the top of the hill...barely... I told her to
stay in the shade in the park and I would go to the B&B and come back
for her.
I was greeted by Cathy and Richard. I told Cathy that I had left Jos
in the park because she was sick and had to go back for her. Cathy was
so nice and took me in the car to pick Jos up. She also made us fresh
peppermint tea to drink. Their daughter also lives in Toronto and so
we offered to help carry something back for her. We are on the very
top floor - 4th. We asked if we could just leave our luggage on the
ground floor and take what we need upstairs, to which they kindly
agreed. It was a trek upstairs for sure.
Jos made it up the stairs, briefly rested and then said she would be
ok to check out the comic museum with me. I was still worried about
her, but she paced herself.
COMIC MUSEUM!
Yay! This was the only place I had really wanted to visit if we only
had time for one attraction. It was exciting to see TINTIN and smurf
memorabilia and other comic art history. There was even Japanese manga
contributions including a Porco Rosso and Dragon Ball statue. I'm
really glad we were able to make it there. We concluded our visit with
a picture in front of the famous red rocket. I took quite a few photos
but due to the glare in the display windows they might not turn out
that well.
ASIAN FOOD
It might have been the fatigue from travelling here and the blistering
sun...we were really hungry and suddenly I had an Asian food
craving... We ended up at a place called N. Anata and it was Chinese
run. Where are all the Japanese run Japanese restaurants (other than
in Japan)? Anyway, I ate donburi (rice with eggs and fried chicken).
It was decent, but nothing close to the ones I've had at home and even
farther from the ones in Japan. Jos had their version of ramen which
was...uneventful though she said the beef was ok and she didn't want
to risk her tummy again. Suffice to say, in our moment of desperation,
we ended up in a not-as-nice-as-the-other-meals restaurant, but it
served its purpose. I would say the only blah meal we've had on the
trip.
The street was also divided into two groups of people who had just
come back from a football match. They were singing a different song
and taunting each other across the street.
OTHER SITES, SOUNDS AND RIP-OFFS
We took pictures of the Cathedral and finally made it to the world
renowned Grand Place. It is quite beautiful and a UNESCO site. The
square is surrounded by old (and restored) architecture. The Grand
Place was full of people including two cross dressers who wanted to
grab everyone's attention. They successfully did so, by running across
a square and dancing with a random dude yelling the whole time.
The Galeries Roayale St-Hubert was beautiful. There were also a lot of
chocolate shops as well as throughout the Grand Place area. I can
honestly say Jos and I are chocolated out. I can't eat any right now.
Too much... plus our luggage is chocolate heavy. I will dedicate a
whole picture album to the sweet.
We took some photos at the Grand Central station an walked around. We
tried to find postcards and stamps. Several stores tried to rip us off
for the stamp....2,10 / 1,50 / 1,20. It was kind of ridiculous...
We walked around more and then decided to head back early to re-pack
and rest. I think I was totally exhausted and feeling a bit of sun
stroke. We ran into Cathy and Richard on their way out to dinner. We
dropped our stuff off and then ate at a bistro close by. Jos was able
to eat a really good chicken salad and I ate lasagna. The food was
delicious and well worth what we paid for, but alas, we left our
cameras at the B&B. Like I said...we were drained of energy and didn't
want to carry anything.
Also, kind of random how all the grocery store owners always ask us
where we are from...they keep asking us if we're from the Pacific and
Jos keeps insisting that we're Canadian...hahahahaha
Can you tell we are ready to head home? :) There's a lot to do in
Brussels, so I think I may come back another time. We have re-packed
and hope we make our limit! *fingers crossed again*
-----
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 14: BRUSSELS
It is morning now. We just ate breakfast. There was a crazy storm last
night and due to the neighbour's negligence in fixing a hole in his
house, there was a big flood in the kitchen and cellar. Poor Cathy and
Richard had to deal with it. Apparently there had been a week's
drought or something, but the storm last night/early this morning
surely made up for it! We could hear the rain pounding the windows!
We are leaving soon for the airport. The travel spammage will stop.
Thanks for reading all of these massive emails. I have yet to put them
on my travel blog...probably when I get home at some point.
See you when we get back!
-Sam & Jos ^___^
-------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 13: BRUSSELS
Just before I start the next entry, I made a mistake with one of the
previous email's journal headings...it should have said: SPEGELAERE
CHOCOLATE and JOS GETS WORSE. SPEGELAERE CHOCOLATE is the very old
chocolate store where Jos got the marzipan grapes.
And the winner of Destination Contest 4 is....David R, who
guessed in 3 mins! This one was pretty easy, wasn't it? We only had
one night left, might as well stay in Belgium and visit Brussels while
we are here.
LET IT NOT BE SAID THAT D'S ARE NOT TROOPERS
Jos was still ill in the morning and we were heading off to Brussels.
She didn't come out for breakfast and when she finally did, she only
drank some tea if I recall. I ate breakfast of various pastries and
made sandwiches with the leftovers of my meal for the train. Tine gave
Jos another pill for her stomach and called us a cab to the train
station. Our luggage is heavy and the duffel bag is full. What can we
do? Chocolate ain't light!!
We hauled our stuff onto the train heading to the next B&B.
Unfortunately, we were delayed at one of the stations for an hour or
so and eventually had to get off the train and transfer to another
one. baaaaahhhhh we've had a delay every time we've had to switch
B&Bs. When we finally got to our stop, we had to transfer to the tram.
The wait for the tram took 30 mins as well!! Jos was still feeling
quite sick and I was getting impatient... The tram came and then we
accidentally got off one stop early and not only that...our stop was
at the top of the hill. It was so hot and we had to climb a hill with
all of our luggage. I must say that the frustration of it all spurred
me forward with some annoyance adrenaline and I was almost able to get
there. Jos made it to the top of the hill...barely... I told her to
stay in the shade in the park and I would go to the B&B and come back
for her.
I was greeted by Cathy and Richard. I told Cathy that I had left Jos
in the park because she was sick and had to go back for her. Cathy was
so nice and took me in the car to pick Jos up. She also made us fresh
peppermint tea to drink. Their daughter also lives in Toronto and so
we offered to help carry something back for her. We are on the very
top floor - 4th. We asked if we could just leave our luggage on the
ground floor and take what we need upstairs, to which they kindly
agreed. It was a trek upstairs for sure.
Jos made it up the stairs, briefly rested and then said she would be
ok to check out the comic museum with me. I was still worried about
her, but she paced herself.
COMIC MUSEUM!
Yay! This was the only place I had really wanted to visit if we only
had time for one attraction. It was exciting to see TINTIN and smurf
memorabilia and other comic art history. There was even Japanese manga
contributions including a Porco Rosso and Dragon Ball statue. I'm
really glad we were able to make it there. We concluded our visit with
a picture in front of the famous red rocket. I took quite a few photos
but due to the glare in the display windows they might not turn out
that well.
ASIAN FOOD
It might have been the fatigue from travelling here and the blistering
sun...we were really hungry and suddenly I had an Asian food
craving... We ended up at a place called N. Anata and it was Chinese
run. Where are all the Japanese run Japanese restaurants (other than
in Japan)? Anyway, I ate donburi (rice with eggs and fried chicken).
It was decent, but nothing close to the ones I've had at home and even
farther from the ones in Japan. Jos had their version of ramen which
was...uneventful though she said the beef was ok and she didn't want
to risk her tummy again. Suffice to say, in our moment of desperation,
we ended up in a not-as-nice-as-the-other-meals restaurant, but it
served its purpose. I would say the only blah meal we've had on the
trip.
The street was also divided into two groups of people who had just
come back from a football match. They were singing a different song
and taunting each other across the street.
OTHER SITES, SOUNDS AND RIP-OFFS
We took pictures of the Cathedral and finally made it to the world
renowned Grand Place. It is quite beautiful and a UNESCO site. The
square is surrounded by old (and restored) architecture. The Grand
Place was full of people including two cross dressers who wanted to
grab everyone's attention. They successfully did so, by running across
a square and dancing with a random dude yelling the whole time.
The Galeries Roayale St-Hubert was beautiful. There were also a lot of
chocolate shops as well as throughout the Grand Place area. I can
honestly say Jos and I are chocolated out. I can't eat any right now.
Too much... plus our luggage is chocolate heavy. I will dedicate a
whole picture album to the sweet.
We took some photos at the Grand Central station an walked around. We
tried to find postcards and stamps. Several stores tried to rip us off
for the stamp....2,10 / 1,50 / 1,20. It was kind of ridiculous...
We walked around more and then decided to head back early to re-pack
and rest. I think I was totally exhausted and feeling a bit of sun
stroke. We ran into Cathy and Richard on their way out to dinner. We
dropped our stuff off and then ate at a bistro close by. Jos was able
to eat a really good chicken salad and I ate lasagna. The food was
delicious and well worth what we paid for, but alas, we left our
cameras at the B&B. Like I said...we were drained of energy and didn't
want to carry anything.
Also, kind of random how all the grocery store owners always ask us
where we are from...they keep asking us if we're from the Pacific and
Jos keeps insisting that we're Canadian...hahahahaha
Can you tell we are ready to head home? :) There's a lot to do in
Brussels, so I think I may come back another time. We have re-packed
and hope we make our limit! *fingers crossed again*
-----
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 14: BRUSSELS
It is morning now. We just ate breakfast. There was a crazy storm last
night and due to the neighbour's negligence in fixing a hole in his
house, there was a big flood in the kitchen and cellar. Poor Cathy and
Richard had to deal with it. Apparently there had been a week's
drought or something, but the storm last night/early this morning
surely made up for it! We could hear the rain pounding the windows!
We are leaving soon for the airport. The travel spammage will stop.
Thanks for reading all of these massive emails. I have yet to put them
on my travel blog...probably when I get home at some point.
See you when we get back!
-Sam & Jos ^___^
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 12: IN BRUGES
originally posted May 21/11
------------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 12: IN BRUGES
another long email, friends...
BRUGES: JOS' ALLERGY HELLTOWN
Bruges is a lovely city, however it is Jos' allergy helltown. They
specialize in beer and chocolate (many with nuts) and Jos is allergic
to them. Cherries are all over the place and that ragweed is
everywhere!!
Poor Jos! In the morning, she wasn't feeling too well. Patrick's
breakfast was a wonderful spread, yet again. Jos could barely eat. She
ate a few things and then politely excused herself from the table we
shared with the French guests. I was worried about her. Jos doesn't
usually give up on a good meal like that. I hurried eating and went to
check on her. She was back in bed with the lights off, sleeping. I
took a few things and left the room. I sat outside doing stuff for a
while to give her some time to relax before we checked out.
FROM BRUGGEMAN TO TINE'S GUESTHOUSE
Patrick is so kind. He offered to drive us to Tine's Guesthouse. Tine
had offered to pick us up at the stn and Patrick had initially offered
to drop us off there, but then said he'd drive us there himself. He's
so nice. Jos was still feeling ill and he picked up on it too. Patrick
dropped us off and then quickly left. We are very thankful to him and
Magda for their great hospitality and will have to write a review for
them on tripadvisor!
JOS STAYS IN
Tine showed us around and was very friendly and welcoming. Jos told me
she'd stay at the B&B for bit and try to sleep off the sickness. In
the meantime, I asked Tine if she could translate the name of the
medicine I should buy for Jos. Instead, she gave me over the counter
medicine to give to Jos. Gave it to her and said I would come back
around 1pm to check on her. I navigated my way back downtown.
TINTIN TINS
I went to Neuhaus and contemplated buying the TINTIN tin boxes of
chocolate. The lady told me that if I bought three, I would also get
one of the TINTIN books free b/c TINTIN's 100 year anniversary was
coming up. She only had 1 english copy left. I checked my pockets and
saw that I didn't have enough. I left thinking I would have to go
back. On the way back to the B&B, I picked up a toy for the cats.
SPEGEL OS GETS WORSE
Jos came out with me and I told her to go ahead to the other chocolate
store nearby while I withdrew money. I met her at the store and she
had purchased these marzipan grapes dipped in chocolate which was
their specialty. I wanted to buy them too but on a smaller scale. I
ended up buying the marzipan filling dipped in chocolate and it was
divine. After we left the shop, Jos took a few steps and then had to
lean on something. She immediately asked me if I could get her some
water. I hurried to the store next door and got her some water. She
drank a bit and then told me she should go back to the B&B. I took her
back and then asked her what she wanted me to get for her. She was
going to try to sleep it off again. I was worried about her, but she
was determined to have me go out. I finally agreed to go for a few
hours but come back as soon as possible.
YOU KNOW THAT FEELING?
You know that feeling where you're excited, but you're a bit scared?
Think of a bird who knows how to take off into flight, but doesn't
know how to land. Now....think of me on a bike. That's what biking
here is like for me. The seats are too high!! That, or I was made too
vertically challenged! Once I'm on the bike, I'm fine. Its just the
mounting and dismounted part that gives me the trouble. When I went to
look for the bikes, I was like Goldilocks and the Three Bears...kind
of, sort of, not really. I looked at one bike and knew immediately
that it wouldn't work out. I looked at the second bike and I tried it
out. I couldn't even get on the seat and almost toppled. Then I tried
the bike that was supposed to have the lowest seat.
You see, two ppl just returned their bikes to the B&B before leaving.
Tine, the owner of the B&B even adjusted the seat to the lowest. I
tried to get onto it and almost fell. The three of them looked at me
skeptically. The guy says to me, "it's easy....as easy as riding a
bike...hahahaa" Tine asked me if I was going to be okay. You know
Dizons...stubborn and full of pride...I said I'd be okay, then
promptly just avoided falling backward down someone's driveway. She
asked again if I'd be okay and I gave her a hopeful smile. As soon as
she went inside, I put the bike on the street and used the sidewalk to
get on...then I missed the pedal and wiped out on the sidewalk.
Luckily, no one saw me...
I was determined not to lose face, so I reasoned with myself. As long
as I could find a ledge to hold onto, or sidewalk ledge to help get on
the bike or put my foot on, I should be ok. I had a list of things to
do: pick up the chocolate that I had wanted to buy yesterday, buy Jos'
chocolate, hit the Chocolate Museum, take the canal tour and get back
to North Face to pick up a duffel for us to use as our extra luggage.
It was already 2:30pm when I left and the stores closed at 6pm. If I
wanted to get everything done, I'd have to bike to the city centre. I
also know my limits. If I was already unsteady on the bike, there's no
way I could carry the shopping, so I emptied my knapsack and took it
with me. I am fine biking at home, as long as I can at least tippy toe
when I stop the bike. It was exhilarating while I was biking, riding
the bike on the wide road. It was when the street got more narrow, the
cars and trucks closer, the sidewalks more densely packed with people
that I started to worry. At one point I had to bike so slowly in order
to avoid running over an old lady or being hit by a car. I made the
call to bike to the main street, lock the bike and go around by foot.
No sense in me crashing into who knows what... I locked the bike up
and took Cpics of the location, so I'd remember where it was and
rushed to do the errands.
Biking here is the most popular type of transportation it seems...I
would have regretted not biking, so I'm glad I did it even though it
made me so nervous!!
CHOCOLATES....DONE DONE AND DONE
One last stop at the Chocolate Line on behalf of Jos. The chocolatier
was there again and he gave me three commemorative chocolates for
free. What a nice guy! It helps that Jos spent a buttload there
kekeke.
The TINTIN boxes were calling out to me. I knew I'd regret it if I
didn't buy it. Go big or go home, should be go big and go home broke.
Oh well! I am happy with the chocolates and tins.
CHOCOLATE MUSEUM
In short, it was nice and very informative. I especially liked the
free chocolate in the beginning and at the end of the demonstration. I
literally took pics of everything for Jos and myself b/c I didn't have
time to roam around. I had to do everything before 6pm.
CANAL TOUR
The canal tour wasn't as bad as I had expected. It looked kind of
cheesy and there were parts of the canal that didn't look so great. I
later found out those parts were not on the tour! A bit of history
learned was that the houses with lots of windows meant rich people.
There was tax on every window a house had. People used to use carrier
pigeons and some of the houses have pigeon windows. Some houses are
painted with a combination of ingredients, including cow's blood for
the reddish colour. I'll add the rest of the history onto the picture
notes when I upload them~
RACE TO NORTH FACE
The race to North Face started with a race to find where I parked the
bike. LOL. Luckily I found it fairly quickly. I used a stair to get on
the bicycle on the sidewalk and pedaled my way to North Face. It was
already close to 6:15pm and it should technically be closed! WHew. I
made it in time before they closed. Yay! New luggage for us.
JOS and the supermarket
She didn't wake up until I came back. She was really sick. I went out
to get the food at the supermarket. Got bread, cheese to try out,
smoked turkey for Jos and some random snacks. Picked up fries and
headed back. Jos ate a bit and then retreated back to the bed. I made
sure she drank lots of water. Poor Jos...
I'l tell you the swan story in the next email..this one is epic long...
-Sam & Jos ^___^
------------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 12: IN BRUGES
another long email, friends...
BRUGES: JOS' ALLERGY HELLTOWN
Bruges is a lovely city, however it is Jos' allergy helltown. They
specialize in beer and chocolate (many with nuts) and Jos is allergic
to them. Cherries are all over the place and that ragweed is
everywhere!!
Poor Jos! In the morning, she wasn't feeling too well. Patrick's
breakfast was a wonderful spread, yet again. Jos could barely eat. She
ate a few things and then politely excused herself from the table we
shared with the French guests. I was worried about her. Jos doesn't
usually give up on a good meal like that. I hurried eating and went to
check on her. She was back in bed with the lights off, sleeping. I
took a few things and left the room. I sat outside doing stuff for a
while to give her some time to relax before we checked out.
FROM BRUGGEMAN TO TINE'S GUESTHOUSE
Patrick is so kind. He offered to drive us to Tine's Guesthouse. Tine
had offered to pick us up at the stn and Patrick had initially offered
to drop us off there, but then said he'd drive us there himself. He's
so nice. Jos was still feeling ill and he picked up on it too. Patrick
dropped us off and then quickly left. We are very thankful to him and
Magda for their great hospitality and will have to write a review for
them on tripadvisor!
JOS STAYS IN
Tine showed us around and was very friendly and welcoming. Jos told me
she'd stay at the B&B for bit and try to sleep off the sickness. In
the meantime, I asked Tine if she could translate the name of the
medicine I should buy for Jos. Instead, she gave me over the counter
medicine to give to Jos. Gave it to her and said I would come back
around 1pm to check on her. I navigated my way back downtown.
TINTIN TINS
I went to Neuhaus and contemplated buying the TINTIN tin boxes of
chocolate. The lady told me that if I bought three, I would also get
one of the TINTIN books free b/c TINTIN's 100 year anniversary was
coming up. She only had 1 english copy left. I checked my pockets and
saw that I didn't have enough. I left thinking I would have to go
back. On the way back to the B&B, I picked up a toy for the cats.
SPEGEL OS GETS WORSE
Jos came out with me and I told her to go ahead to the other chocolate
store nearby while I withdrew money. I met her at the store and she
had purchased these marzipan grapes dipped in chocolate which was
their specialty. I wanted to buy them too but on a smaller scale. I
ended up buying the marzipan filling dipped in chocolate and it was
divine. After we left the shop, Jos took a few steps and then had to
lean on something. She immediately asked me if I could get her some
water. I hurried to the store next door and got her some water. She
drank a bit and then told me she should go back to the B&B. I took her
back and then asked her what she wanted me to get for her. She was
going to try to sleep it off again. I was worried about her, but she
was determined to have me go out. I finally agreed to go for a few
hours but come back as soon as possible.
YOU KNOW THAT FEELING?
You know that feeling where you're excited, but you're a bit scared?
Think of a bird who knows how to take off into flight, but doesn't
know how to land. Now....think of me on a bike. That's what biking
here is like for me. The seats are too high!! That, or I was made too
vertically challenged! Once I'm on the bike, I'm fine. Its just the
mounting and dismounted part that gives me the trouble. When I went to
look for the bikes, I was like Goldilocks and the Three Bears...kind
of, sort of, not really. I looked at one bike and knew immediately
that it wouldn't work out. I looked at the second bike and I tried it
out. I couldn't even get on the seat and almost toppled. Then I tried
the bike that was supposed to have the lowest seat.
You see, two ppl just returned their bikes to the B&B before leaving.
Tine, the owner of the B&B even adjusted the seat to the lowest. I
tried to get onto it and almost fell. The three of them looked at me
skeptically. The guy says to me, "it's easy....as easy as riding a
bike...hahahaa" Tine asked me if I was going to be okay. You know
Dizons...stubborn and full of pride...I said I'd be okay, then
promptly just avoided falling backward down someone's driveway. She
asked again if I'd be okay and I gave her a hopeful smile. As soon as
she went inside, I put the bike on the street and used the sidewalk to
get on...then I missed the pedal and wiped out on the sidewalk.
Luckily, no one saw me...
I was determined not to lose face, so I reasoned with myself. As long
as I could find a ledge to hold onto, or sidewalk ledge to help get on
the bike or put my foot on, I should be ok. I had a list of things to
do: pick up the chocolate that I had wanted to buy yesterday, buy Jos'
chocolate, hit the Chocolate Museum, take the canal tour and get back
to North Face to pick up a duffel for us to use as our extra luggage.
It was already 2:30pm when I left and the stores closed at 6pm. If I
wanted to get everything done, I'd have to bike to the city centre. I
also know my limits. If I was already unsteady on the bike, there's no
way I could carry the shopping, so I emptied my knapsack and took it
with me. I am fine biking at home, as long as I can at least tippy toe
when I stop the bike. It was exhilarating while I was biking, riding
the bike on the wide road. It was when the street got more narrow, the
cars and trucks closer, the sidewalks more densely packed with people
that I started to worry. At one point I had to bike so slowly in order
to avoid running over an old lady or being hit by a car. I made the
call to bike to the main street, lock the bike and go around by foot.
No sense in me crashing into who knows what... I locked the bike up
and took Cpics of the location, so I'd remember where it was and
rushed to do the errands.
Biking here is the most popular type of transportation it seems...I
would have regretted not biking, so I'm glad I did it even though it
made me so nervous!!
CHOCOLATES....DONE DONE AND DONE
One last stop at the Chocolate Line on behalf of Jos. The chocolatier
was there again and he gave me three commemorative chocolates for
free. What a nice guy! It helps that Jos spent a buttload there
kekeke.
The TINTIN boxes were calling out to me. I knew I'd regret it if I
didn't buy it. Go big or go home, should be go big and go home broke.
Oh well! I am happy with the chocolates and tins.
CHOCOLATE MUSEUM
In short, it was nice and very informative. I especially liked the
free chocolate in the beginning and at the end of the demonstration. I
literally took pics of everything for Jos and myself b/c I didn't have
time to roam around. I had to do everything before 6pm.
CANAL TOUR
The canal tour wasn't as bad as I had expected. It looked kind of
cheesy and there were parts of the canal that didn't look so great. I
later found out those parts were not on the tour! A bit of history
learned was that the houses with lots of windows meant rich people.
There was tax on every window a house had. People used to use carrier
pigeons and some of the houses have pigeon windows. Some houses are
painted with a combination of ingredients, including cow's blood for
the reddish colour. I'll add the rest of the history onto the picture
notes when I upload them~
RACE TO NORTH FACE
The race to North Face started with a race to find where I parked the
bike. LOL. Luckily I found it fairly quickly. I used a stair to get on
the bicycle on the sidewalk and pedaled my way to North Face. It was
already close to 6:15pm and it should technically be closed! WHew. I
made it in time before they closed. Yay! New luggage for us.
JOS and the supermarket
She didn't wake up until I came back. She was really sick. I went out
to get the food at the supermarket. Got bread, cheese to try out,
smoked turkey for Jos and some random snacks. Picked up fries and
headed back. Jos ate a bit and then retreated back to the bed. I made
sure she drank lots of water. Poor Jos...
I'l tell you the swan story in the next email..this one is epic long...
-Sam & Jos ^___^
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 11: IN BRUGES
originally posted May 21/11
--------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 11: IN BRUGES
BREAKFEAST
Well, I already sent you an email about that...'nuff said!! So yummy,
can't wait til tomorrow!
PLANS ALWAYS CHANGE
Jos and I were actually planning to go hot air ballooning here. We
talked to Patrick about it and his expression kind of changed. He told
us that fairly recently there had been a ballooning accident and 1 or
2 people died. That made us think things over. Between that plan and
going to good ol' Flanders Fields, we decided to think about it one
more day. There's still tomorrow...
FOOD & WINE TOUR
We went for a food & wine tour...at the supermarket!! HAH! Patrick had
to do some shopping and we were curious...so when he offered to take
us there, we jumped at the chance. The place he took us too had wine,
fruit, yogourt and other products that customers could try. We
literally had a food and wine tour there. I kept thinking that people
can have their breakfast at the supermarket...they could get drunk at
the supermarket! We bought A LOT of chocolate...no joke!
THE ROAD TO CHOCOLATE IS PAVED WITH...TAKE A GUESS?
If you said chocolate, DING DING DING! I know...it doesn't make
sense...just like the amount of chocolate we bought doesn't make
sense...LOL. Jos and I both dropped more than 100 euros on chocolate.
I kid you not. It becomes an addiction...every other window is of
chocolate...90+ chocolate shops...
Think about it. If you spent 5 euros in 20 shops, you'd hit the 100
euro mark. Its not even hard. The thing is, we went to almost every
shop and we dropped the biggest amount of money in one shop...THE
CHOCOLATE LINE. Yes, friends, this infamous store sells the wackiest
kind of chocolates and somehow pulls it off. The Chocolatier serving
us secretly gave us two free chocolates to taste - bacon and the other
was sun dried tomato with basil and peppers, i think. They weren't as
bad as I expected, in fact...
On top of that, we each ate a small box of chocolates worth of free
chocolate given to us by various Chocolatiers. They don't really sell
single pieces of chocolate, they do it by weight and box sizes. So
apart from the Chocolate Line, we were at another shop and Jos wanted
to buy one chocolate florentine (chocolate, almonds & caramel) and she
just gave it to her for free and she shared it with me. Jos tipped her
anyway saying that this was her living. We stopped by later and bought
a bunch more.
We honestly have to buy another luggage because of the chocolate we
purchased!! Makes me think I should have a chocolate party, but how
could I do that so that everyone gets the same amount?!! I could talk
about the chocolate experience in great length, but this email will be
too long, so we'll chat about it next time I see you...
FLEMISH POT...and down Jos goes...
As usual, we asked for recommendations for local food. Jos made a
reservation for us at Flemish Pot. We went for the fixed menu...we
figured, why not? We must have forgotten Patrick's warning about large
portions....the farmer's pate was rather filling...then came the
Flemish Stew and we were done. A black pot is always deceiving in low
light...we had cava and beer as well. It ended with us barely
finishing half the pot, Jos' facial expression was priceless...and her
face was actually red...we laughed about how full we were and walked
home.
That night, Jos was not doing so well. She was feeling really sick. It
could have been a lot of things...but we suspected it was the Flemish
Stew with beer and drinking beer, as well as consuming chocolate
(which is allergic to, even though she took meds), oh and all the
ragweed that seems to blow in the wind like a light snowfall.
I hope she's feeling better tomorrow. She hopes so too. *fingers crossed*
-Sam & Jos
--------------
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE D2? PT 11: IN BRUGES
BREAKFEAST
Well, I already sent you an email about that...'nuff said!! So yummy,
can't wait til tomorrow!
PLANS ALWAYS CHANGE
Jos and I were actually planning to go hot air ballooning here. We
talked to Patrick about it and his expression kind of changed. He told
us that fairly recently there had been a ballooning accident and 1 or
2 people died. That made us think things over. Between that plan and
going to good ol' Flanders Fields, we decided to think about it one
more day. There's still tomorrow...
FOOD & WINE TOUR
We went for a food & wine tour...at the supermarket!! HAH! Patrick had
to do some shopping and we were curious...so when he offered to take
us there, we jumped at the chance. The place he took us too had wine,
fruit, yogourt and other products that customers could try. We
literally had a food and wine tour there. I kept thinking that people
can have their breakfast at the supermarket...they could get drunk at
the supermarket! We bought A LOT of chocolate...no joke!
THE ROAD TO CHOCOLATE IS PAVED WITH...TAKE A GUESS?
If you said chocolate, DING DING DING! I know...it doesn't make
sense...just like the amount of chocolate we bought doesn't make
sense...LOL. Jos and I both dropped more than 100 euros on chocolate.
I kid you not. It becomes an addiction...every other window is of
chocolate...90+ chocolate shops...
Think about it. If you spent 5 euros in 20 shops, you'd hit the 100
euro mark. Its not even hard. The thing is, we went to almost every
shop and we dropped the biggest amount of money in one shop...THE
CHOCOLATE LINE. Yes, friends, this infamous store sells the wackiest
kind of chocolates and somehow pulls it off. The Chocolatier serving
us secretly gave us two free chocolates to taste - bacon and the other
was sun dried tomato with basil and peppers, i think. They weren't as
bad as I expected, in fact...
On top of that, we each ate a small box of chocolates worth of free
chocolate given to us by various Chocolatiers. They don't really sell
single pieces of chocolate, they do it by weight and box sizes. So
apart from the Chocolate Line, we were at another shop and Jos wanted
to buy one chocolate florentine (chocolate, almonds & caramel) and she
just gave it to her for free and she shared it with me. Jos tipped her
anyway saying that this was her living. We stopped by later and bought
a bunch more.
We honestly have to buy another luggage because of the chocolate we
purchased!! Makes me think I should have a chocolate party, but how
could I do that so that everyone gets the same amount?!! I could talk
about the chocolate experience in great length, but this email will be
too long, so we'll chat about it next time I see you...
FLEMISH POT...and down Jos goes...
As usual, we asked for recommendations for local food. Jos made a
reservation for us at Flemish Pot. We went for the fixed menu...we
figured, why not? We must have forgotten Patrick's warning about large
portions....the farmer's pate was rather filling...then came the
Flemish Stew and we were done. A black pot is always deceiving in low
light...we had cava and beer as well. It ended with us barely
finishing half the pot, Jos' facial expression was priceless...and her
face was actually red...we laughed about how full we were and walked
home.
That night, Jos was not doing so well. She was feeling really sick. It
could have been a lot of things...but we suspected it was the Flemish
Stew with beer and drinking beer, as well as consuming chocolate
(which is allergic to, even though she took meds), oh and all the
ragweed that seems to blow in the wind like a light snowfall.
I hope she's feeling better tomorrow. She hopes so too. *fingers crossed*
-Sam & Jos
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