Dinant

Today we took a train to Dinant.  Happily waiting on Platform 3, with 2 minutes to go before departure of train when the announcement comes - in French and Dutch - to change to Platform 5.  Raced upstairs and then back down to Platform 5.  Luckily I understand enough French to get it, but not sure what would have happened if we only spoke English. 

We jumped on the train with seconds to spare, only to be told that we were in the wrong carriage - we should be in the 'trois dernieres' (the back three), as the train was to 'scinder' in the town of Namur, with part going to Liege and the rest to Dinant.  This was a new word for us so we had to work it out, it means to split, could be that it is related to the word "asunder"?

We tried to go through to the back three carriages but it was locked off, so had to wait for the next brief stop, jump off the train, run up the platform and jump back on.  An exciting start to the day!

The trip however was beautiful, especially the part between Namur and Dinant, which follows the River Meuse, and is dotted with pretty villages topped by fortresses, castles and citadels - a bit like the Rhine on a smaller scale.

Dinant is worth it, as shown by this picture, and many more.

Citadel on the hill at Dinant

We travelled up the hill on the Teleferique, where the views are phenomenal, and had quite a history lesson in the Citadel.  Why is it that wars indirectly bring about the most beautiful, interesting, and enduring architecture?  The area has seen plenty of conflict, and parts of the Citadel date from the Middle Ages.

We had lunch in a restaurant overlooking the River Meuse, the views were remarkable.  Alek has decided that he needs to learn a little more French - when asked what he wanted to drink, he said "pomme de terre", which of course means potato.  What he meant to say was "jus de pomme" (apple juice) - no wonder the waitress looked confused.  I put my head in my hands and pretended I wasn't with him ....

One thing we wondered as we sat there in the warmth, with the rain pouring down outside - why do seagulls float backwards on the River Meuse?  I tried to get a picture, but failed.  Every single seagull floating blissfully on the river was serenely going backwards with the current, I've never seen this before, can anyone explain it?

Charles the Bold was a right royal bastard!

Dinant is also famous for the "Couques de Dinant" which originate from when Charles the Bold besieged the town in 1466.  There was no food left in the town except honey and flour, so the residents made this into biscuits, imprinted with designs from the copper works, another specialty of Dinant. 

We bought some of these biscuits, and were given a printed explanation of the history, which is quite hilarious as it is a translation and includes such classics as "flattened with a rolling-pin to make it rightly-tick", and "then put into a mould to be impressed".  "The couques, ranged on plates, were baked to following day in a wood hoven" and "no rolling-pin a rolling - a kind of carpet-working by means of a mere switch: two steel cylinders revolve each other in the opposite direction and flatten the paste".  "The sell particularly well in summer, durin the tourist season, but the best time is Santa Claus".  Well, I think we bought them at the right time!  Alek is just trying to eat one now, it is as hard as a rock ....

Tomorrow we go to Amsterdam for a couple of days, and then it will be new year!

Back to Waterloo

our house in Waterloo 1986-89

We again visited Waterloo today, this time with Laura and Daniel.  It's the first time Daniel has been to Waterloo since 1993, so we had to check out his old school as well as our house and the well-trodden route between the two.

We took the train from Etterbeek, and then walked from the station, quite a long way.  After dinner at a Chinese restaurant, we did the same in reverse - we'll all sleep well tonight, as it is a fair walk.

Daniel in front of his old school

For Pierre, we revisited his favourite lolly shop.  This was the Librairie across the road from the school, where Pierre spent many happy times selecting 'one of those, two of these ...". 

Pierre's lolly counter

Chateau de la Hulpe

Chateau de la Hulpe

Today we travelled to Chateau de la Hulpe, firstly by tram, then train, and finally a pied (walking) for around 40 minutes.

This chateau is not open to the public except by appointment, but we were happy enough to wander around the grounds.  The chateau has been used in a number of movies, including The Music Master,  and is also a popular wedding venue, as you can imagine.

It was another nostalgia trip, as we took the boys there regularly when they were small, for walks, picnics, and general adventure.  Pierre always challenged himself by climbing up the hillsides, which no doubt appeared as mountains to him at the age of six.

Another big walk back to the train and tram, and we were tired by the time we returned to the flat.

Tomorrow, Waterloo with Laura and Daniel ....

Christmas

Daniel, Alek, Laura

Christmas lunch was a challenge with just a small electric hotplate with two burners.  So I potroasted a small pheasant with apples and onions, and also a stuffed turkey roll in case we didn't like pheasant, which none of us had tried before.  I cooked the potatoes and pumpkin in a little frying pan, and steamed the beans and Brussels sprouts.  A tradition with pheasant is a spiced fig sauce, so we tried that too - delicious!

In the absence of Christmas pudding with brandy sauce, we had panettone.  We drank apple cider, as Alek accidentally opened this in place of the Champagne - never mind, we have a bottle to celebrate New Year!

From cardboard rolls and Christmas napkins, filled with celophane-wrapped chocolates and corny jokes, voila - Christmas crackers!  The Christmas hats are also made with napkins - see photo.

Happy festive season (winter solstice) to all!

Bois de la Cambre

punt to Chalet Robinson

Today we took a trip down to the Bois de la Cambre, which is very close to where we first lived in Brussels, so was also a trip down memory lane, as we used to take the boys there to play when they were little. 

We wandered around the woods, and then took the little punt over to a small island to have lunch in a restaurant at "Chalet Robinson" - I think the reference is to Robinson Crusoe. 

The island has rabbits, ducks and geese which are unmolested by dogs, cats or foxes, so are totally unafraid (see the photos).

Universite Libre de Bruxelles

To walk off lunch, we strolled around Ixelles, including the University Libre de Bruxelles, where I taught English for a while - a beautiful building.

After this we took a tram and Metro to Place St Katherine, which has the largest Christmas market in Brussels.  It also has a ferris wheel and sideshow attractions, such as this merry-go-round which features Leonardo Da Vinci inventions.

Merry-go-round at Place St Katherine

Tomorrow is Christmas, and I've had to be inventive with Christmas lunch, as we only have two burners and a microwave - no oven.  We are having pot-roasted pheasant, which I've never tried before, plus a small turkey roll in case the pheasant doesn't work.  Daniel and Laura will be with us.  It will be great to eat proper Christmas food in proper Christmas weather - though no snow is forecast, disappointing.

We wish you all the best for the holiday season.

The biggest nativity in the world

The display at the Basilica of the Sacre Coeur in Brussels is billed as "Le plus grand creche du Monde".  There are a series of nativity scenes from around the world, from Poland to South America.  Mary from Equador has a bowler hat!

Equadorian nativity

And I was unaware until now that the Three Wise Men arrived on elephants (see the photos).  Also unsure of the role of giraffes and alpacas, but they are all on display at the Basilica.



view from Basilica

Well worth a visit is the panorama from the roof of the Basilique.

Christmas with Daniel and Laura

Laura and Daniel at Cinquantenaire

It's good to have Daniel and Laura here with us at Christmas time, but also sad that all the other kids and grandkids are not with us. 

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas in Australia! 

Archealogical treasures of Brussels

Coudenberg - former palace of Brussels

Yesterday we visited the underground palace of Brussels.  This lies beneath the current Royal Palace, and is called Coudenberg.

Very interesting archealogical excavations, dating from the Middle Ages.

Twists and turns in Bruges

Today we travelled on the train to Bruges, about 1 hour from Brussels (5 euros return - a bargain!).  As you leave Brussels, the announcements, and the signs on the train, are in both French and Flemish, but once in Flanders, in Flemish only, which proves difficult.  The trip takes you through flat farmland, very muddy, which brings to mind the trenches of WWI, which must have been unbelievably horrible to live in, let alone die in.

Ice-skating in Bruges

However, Bruges is absolutely beautiful - the "Little Venice of the North" with canals and very quaint architecture. A must see at least once in your life. It's lovely in the summer, but very much on the tourist trail, so very congested. Winter is better, with Christmas making it very cosy. An ice-skating rink has been set up in the centre of the old town.

We visited all the sights of the town, including the Beguinage, the Town Hall, the canals, the Lake of Love, churches and cathedrals, the lace shops and the markets.  Lots of parts date back to the 1600s, and the narrow cobbled streets are full of twists and turns, making it very picturesque.

canals and quaint houses in Bruges

We had a bit of trouble in the Metro on the way home, we had to evacuate two trains, but finally made it home on the third. There is to be a strike later in the week, so we hope not to be caught up in this.  Not so nice at Christmas time ....

Brussels : comic book capital of the world

Bande dessinee magasin

Today we stumbled upon a bande dessinee shop, selling everything from Smurfs to Asterix to Manga, in numerous languages.

Laid out over several floors, the shop is also a cafe/restaurant, and there are seating areas where you can check out the wares in comfort. One area is dedicated to antique Tintin memorabilia.

We also wandered back into the Grand Place, it magnetically attracts us every time we are in town. More sound and light show - magic!

Sound and light show in the Grand Place

Lost on a Sunday afternoon

Today I went for my usual walk around the local area.  I choose a different route each time, and never know where I'm going to end up.  Two and a half hours later I was still walking, and couldn't tell where I was.  I knew that I could catch a tram or a metro to get home, so wasn't totally bereft.  Nevertheless, when I saw the familiar rooftops and statues of Cinquantenaire, I was vastly relieved.  I was way to the south of it, but by walking through the park I was only a half hour from home.   I had seen a lot of interesting streets, markets, churches, and European Union buildings.  Alek was a little surprised to see me after all this time.  When I started walking it was snowing, but it soon cleared, there's not much evidence of the snowfalls apart from a few cars which have deposits on their windscreens.

dusk in Etterbeek

We went for another walk later on, but with my own personal GPS (Alek) we managed not to get lost.

Daniel and Laura are due in Brussels tonight.  They were to arrive this morning, but went to the airport in Riga and found their flight had been cancelled with no explanation.  They are now coming via Copenhagen and will arrive after 10.00, so we have cancelled the planned dinner together.  We're looking forward to seeing them again.

This week we plan to visit Brugges and Ghent - and then it will be Christmas!

Snow!

We woke up this morning to a white wonderland in the garden, just in time for Christmas - let's hope it lasts into next week.

snow in our garden

Skiing in the city

Porte de Hal

Today we visited Porte de Hal, which is the last remaining medieval gate to the city of Brussels. We also went to Les Marolles, the Palais de Justice, which was covered with scaffolding, and passed by the Museum of Beaux Arts. 

When we lived in Brussels the boys and I visited Beaux Arts very often, I took them in for their dose of culture, even though they were only around six and seven at the time.  They didn't always appreciate Monet, Rembrandt or Breughel, but were always ready to check out the 13th and 14th century stuff as it was filled with all sorts of gory details, such as the martyrdom of saints, beheadings, torture, removal of entrails, and plenty of blood.  I remember taking them to a castle, and we went down into the dungeons, which were full of torture equipment.  I tried to convince them it was a medieval gymnasium complete with exercise equipment, but Pierre, aged 6, was too smart for me, and said "I know what this is, it's the mean room".  Every time we visited a castle he insisted on seeing the 'mean room', the nastier the better.

Musee des Beaux Arts

As we walked down towards the Grand Place, we came upon the Ski Centre, which is just being set up - there'll be a ski run down the slope.  Lots of Apres Ski places already set up, it looks very appealing in this cold weather.  We are supposed to get snow on the weekend or Monday, so lets hope it eventuates, and I'll be adding snow pics to this blog - looking forward to it!

Skiing in Brussels

Reminiscing ....

Today we went to visit our old friends Klaus and Paulette once again.  As Alek was the consular officer in Belgium, and Klaus worked in that area too, they had a number of stories to mull over from the old days.
Alek and Klaus remembered the time they were called to visit some Australians in gaol near Bruges, knocked up for drug-running, amongst other misdemeanours.  A parcel had arrived at the Embassy for the convicted pair, so Alek and Klaus drove to Bruges to take the Christmas presents for the two, speculating as to whether the parcel contained the classic 'get-out-of-gaol' file.  They duly delivered the parcel, only to be called by the prison officials a week later to say that the pair had been making money from the other prisoners by renting out their blow-up sex doll!  The doll had of course been in the parcel.

The Lion of Waterloo

Klaus told the story of when the Bjelke-Petersens came to town, probably during Joh's long reign as Premier of Queensland. Flo wanted to climb the Lion of Waterloo, and 'asked' Klaus, whom she referred to constantly as 'Karl' to help her climb the steps. She then took his arm and hauled herself up the long climb. For those not familiar with the monument, here it is, 226 steps to the top (right)

More than halfway up, Flo remembered her camera - "Karl, go back to the car and get my camera!" Once they'd been to the top and were again at the bottom, she wanted coffee and scones, but had also 'forgotten' that Australian dollars are not accepted in Belgian cafes, so 'Karl' had to pay the bill for Flo and her entourage.

Klaus also remembered an old Australian who came into the embassy on a regular basis.  He was a smelly old bugger, so the embassy staff gave him new clothes, fed him and let him use the bathroom for a wash.  Eventually they found out that he was a veteran of the Dunkirk evacuation during WWII and had scraped up enough money for a fare to Europe to see where his mates had died.  He didn't have enough money to return to Australia, or even to keep himself while in Europe, so was sleeeping rough and staying warm by coming to the embassy.  After embassy staff contacted veterans associations in Australia, he was eventually repatriated.



Joh and Russ

When we were in Luxembourg last week, Alek told me about the time he went to see Russell Hinze in gaol in Luxembourg. Hinze was to be extradited to Australia for alleged corruption. For those too young to remember Russell Hinze, here he is with Joh - a good pair!

And if we were on a trip in Turkey and Syria, we could reminisce about gaols in Turkey and Syria - all part of the joys of diplomatic life overseas .....

Sound and Light Show in the Grand Place

Christmas tree in the Grand Place

This evening we went into the Grand Place to see the Christmas Sound and Light Show which is on every night until New Year.  Very impressive, and my photos didn't do it justice, but Alek's videos will be much better.

We also ate health food - Belgian frites and mayonnaise, followed by a Belgian waffle!

Santa and his escargots .....

Perhaps we should have had this instead:

These kiosks selling escargots are very common in Belgian, and this one well advertised with snails pulling Santa's sleigh.

On the way back in the metro we were treated to an accordionist playing Hernando's Hideaway, amongst other things.

A view of where we are staying

The area where we are staying in Brussels is at Square Montgomery - here's a picture of the man himself:

Statue of Field Marshall Montgomery at Square Montgomery, with Cinquantenaire in the background

We are 500 metres from the square, where it meets Avenue Tervuren, and Boulevard St Michel.  The nearest metro is Boileau, about 50 metres away (in fact, underneath us) but Metro Montgomery has more links, so we normally use this.

This is our apartment in Brussels - http://www.eu-brussels.be/apartments/lucca.shtml

Daniel and Laura's apartment next door - http://www.eu-brussels.be/apartments/pisa.shtml

the garden (but not at this time of year!)

more photos in the slideshow ....

Learning different languages

We arrived in Brussels the first time on 11 November 2011, and as it was Remembrance Day, all the shops were closed, except for a little Polish supermarket.  We bought a jar of instant coffee (for Alek, I can't stand the stuff) and on the side it says "Bogaty Smak" which sounded to me like a character from Harry Potter.  I asked Alek what it meant, but because of the way I said it - like a character from Harry Potter - he said he didn't know.  I've just looked it up, and it means "rich taste", as I thought, and when Alek looked at the actual words he found he did in fact recognise it, as it's almost the same as Serbian.

TV is interesting too, as here in Brussels we only have Dutch, German, French, and Italian.  In Serbia, apart from Serbian news, which was always about the European Union, the soap operas were Turkish and Indian, with Serbian subtitles - hard to follow, especially in Cyrillic, for example   αβγδεζηθικλμνξοπρςστυφχψω - I just get the letters worked out and there's a new lot on the screen. 

And I only remember half a dozen words from Turkish, so I spent the week in Serbia not understanding a thing. 

Staying race fit

It's hard while you are on holidays to retain fitness - but I'm trying.  With no weights to lift, I've found some substitutes, such as two bottles of slivovitz, not enough weight, but more repetitions.  Eventually I'll drink the slivo ...

And then of course the substitute kettle bell, again, only 5 kilos, not enough weight, but just keep pumping away!

There are bricks in our garden, but they are covered with spiders, so I'm sticking to the slivo and water .....

Needless to say, I'm missing dragon boating, but will be back with a vengeance in late January!

Back to Brussels

We arrived back in Brussels yesterday, and it felt like coming home.  Unfortunately neither of us are completely well, so will have a couple of rest days before getting back into the swing of being tourists.

In the meantime I've written down a few observations about things that are different here in Europe ...

You wouldn't think a cup of coffee could cause confusion, but it does.  If you ask for a cappuchino in Belgium, you have to specify 'Cappuchino Italien' to get the one we are used to in Australia.  If you just ask for cappuchino, you normally get a coffee with a mountain of whipped cream (out of a can - yuk!) on top.  A flat white is of course unheard of.  Is cafe au lait the same as caffelatte?  No of course not, but it depends which country you are in.  And if you are used to enjoying your coffee without the intrusion of cigarette smoke, don't go to the Belgrade railway station!  At 7 in the morning they are having coffee, beer, and one cigarette after another.  Most coffee in Serbia is of course "Turkish" so there is the thick sludge at the bottom.  But I enjoy the differences.  Slivovitz is around $6 a litre!  And a little shot of slivo to keep you warm never hurt anyone, as shown by this chap below ...

some old bugger who walked into my picture ....

Daniel and Laura are in Latvia, after having a couple of days in Finland, and have been lucky enough to encounter snow.  It may be cold here, but no snow yet - still, we have some time.

Luxembourg

We arrived in Luxembourg Wednesday evening, and on Thursday I was working again, but it was quite fun, learning about Facebook, blogs, Twitter and other forms of social media.  And met colleagues from various offices of the EU.

Unfortunately I picked up a bad cold in Serbia, so have been coughing a lot.  The train trip between Serbia and Luxembourg (2 overnights in sleepers) was good, I recommend it as more comfortable than a plane, though of course you have to have the time to do it.  We broke the trip by spending the days in cities and the nights in double sleepers.  Some of the trains even have your own personal shower and loo, very comfortable, and it's great to be able to sleep.  There's only one border stop, the rest have been erased by the EU.

Today we had a leisure day in Luxembourg so took the time to reacquaint ourselves with this city, where we haven't been since 1988.  It's a beautiful location - see photos.

We are staying in a hotel near the station, and it must be the Portuguese quarter, as we hear more Portuguese spoken than French or Luxemburgish.

Tomorrow we return to Brussels, looking forward to catching up with our boy.

Vienna

Santa in Vienna

We had another day in Vienna on the way to Luxembourg, and then on to Koblenz.  The trip between Koblenz and Luxembourg on the train is really beautiful, the line follows the Moselle most of the way, exquisite villages, castles, vineyards, very scenic.

I've always wanted to see the ferris wheel which featured in The Third Man - here it is

The ferris wheel featured in The Third Man

Carriages in old Vienna

Visit to Oplenac, seat of the Serbian kings

Oplenac

A couple of days back we visited Oplenac and Topola, formerly the seat of several Serbian kings - see http://www.oplenac.rs/home_eng.html for more information.  The mosaics in the monastery are truly amazing.

Selters Banja

Yesterday we walked to Selters Banja - see http://seltersbanja.com/category/english/.  This is a mineral springs spa.

Visiting Belgrade

Today we visited Belgrade, where we haven't been (apart from the brief stop at the railway station when we arrived here) since 1987.  Lots has changed, and lots has remained the same.  Alek worked at the Australian Embassy from 1970-73, and it has been located at the same place since that time.  However, they are in the process of moving to Novi Belgrade, and will move on 8 December.  So it is no longer in the centre of the city, in the pedestrian area.  This is a very pleasant shopping precinct, with upmarket and designer shops.

Belgrade

After Belgrade we went to the top of the hill at Avala (yes, reknowned for its soccer team).  From Avala you have magnificent views of the surrounding area of Sumadije - forests and rolling hills.  We drove a different way back to Mladenovac, through really nice villages and farmland.  I've added some new photos, including one of the communications tower bombed by the Americans, but now rebuilt.  Nikola also promised to show us some of the damaged caused by the bombing, such as the Chinese Embassy "accidentally" bombed by the Americans.  This set me to thinking about wars and how much it costs us all, the human tragedy is immeasurable.

Now in Serbia

We left Brussels on Sunday, travelling to Koln (Cologne) on the train.  We then had five hours in Koln, which was plenty of time to see the sights around the cathedral in the centre of town - see our photos.  We went to a Christmas market on a boat on the Rhine, which is a different way of doing things.  I can imagine the "Southern Cross" decked out on Lake Burley Griffin during Christmas in July, it could be very pretty.

Christmas market on the Rhein in Koln

Then we spent the night on the train between Koln and Vienna - lots of starts and stops, so luckily we had a double sleeper, very comfortable, I can really recommend it.  We arrived in Vienna at 9.00am, and had all day to take in the sights of Vienna.  We'd never been to Vienna before, whereas we had visited Koln frequently during our 3 years in Brussels in the 80s.  So we walked a lot.  We have another day in Vienna on the way back so we'll do a little bus tour then, probably the best way to see things when you don't have much time.  Also visited more Christmas markets, and drank apple punch - I'd been wanting to try it as an alternative to the usual gluhwein.  Mmm, yummy, but really packed a punch - Calvados I think.

We left Vienna at 8.00pm, another overnight train trip, in a larger sleeper this time, this was real luxury.  Again, lots of stops, this time we had customs control at the border of Hungary and again at the Serbian border.  I know the EU is getting lots of stick at the moment, but would you really want to go back to customs control at every border, and changing currency in every country?  I say support the euro, and bring in more countries!

We arrived in Belgrade half an hour late.  Alek says the railway station hasn't changed since 1973, when he last lived in Yugoslavia.  We visited in 1987, and luckily lots has changed for the better, some things for the worse.  There are more refugees in Serbia than in the rest of the former Yugoslavia put together, and there are now shanty towns on the outskirts of Belgrade.  Hopefully this situation will improve.

Alek's cousin's son picked us up from the station, after we'd had a cup of coffee in the railway cafe.  It's such a long time since smoking has been allowed in eating places in Australia, it's hard to take these days.  Alek's Mum's hometown of Mladenovac has changed a bit since we were last here, with lots of smart houses on the outskirts.

Alek's cousins still have the same property as when we visited in 1987, but they have built two lovely apartments, with cousin Branka (who some of you will remember from her visit to Australia in 2005) living on the ground floor, and her son and family living on the top floor.  We are staying with Branka.

It's quite cold here, with either bright sunny days, or fog - no rain so far.  In fact we haven't yet seen rain on any of our trip, unusual for Europe.  We walked around the town of 24,000, which is about 50kms south of Belgrade.  I was surprised to find the same type of outdoor exercise equipment we all used in Macao, but I haven't had a proper go on it yet (see photos).

We had a trip to the hairdresser yesterday, quite an experience.  The hairdresser is a refugee from Kosovo, with a dainty plaited beard.  He really took his time, I can see that he sees hairdressing as an art.  The coffee, the chocolates and the biscuits were all offered, and I had plenty of time to read the Serbian magazines while Alek was having his coiffeur perfected.  This all cost the princely sum of $17 for both of us!

We also went to a supermarket, which is only about 6 months old, large, clean and airy, and fully stocked with everything you can imagine.  And cheap!

Alek's family is delightful, very hospitable, offering delicious food all the time, I'm going to come back to Australia like a slon (elephant) - three year old Predrag (Pera) taught me that word.  All the food is fresh and wholesome.  Branka's family has a farm, so there are people popping in all the time (more refugees, this time from Croatia and from Bosnia Herzegovina) to buy eggs and preserved fruit and veggies. 

While at the hairdressers I discovered that Serbian isn't so difficult after all.  The usual range of magazines was available, the latest scandals, fashions, makeup and cosmetic surgery of celebrities and footballers, most of whom I didn't recognise, but no matter, they are clones of the ones we are familiar with.  And I learned these "Serbian" words and phrases:

glamurozno i holivudski - glamorous and Hollywood-like
atraktivna - attractive
perfektan - perfect
autfit - outfit
dres-kod - dress code
seksepil - sex appeal (my personal favourite)
provokativan dekolte - prevocative decolletage
retrovisor - rear vision mirror
paparaco - paparazzo
fudbaler - footballer
Španska šou-biz scena - Spanish show-biz scene
tabloidi - tabloids
ekscentričnim - eccentric
političke ambicije - political ambition
novom albumu - new album
maskenbal - masked ball
fanovi - fans
fešn selekšn - fashion selection
karijere - career
rekornom roku - rock record
hitovi - hits

And there were lots more!  But they all speak so fast that I can't make these words out in normal conversation, so am reliant on Alek for translations.

More tomorrow ...

Thunderbolt controversy continues

Today I was interviewed via Skype for the docu-drama on the life of bushranger Captain Thunderbolt.  Don't know how it went, but hopefully what I had to say adds to the debate in a positive way.  The website for the movie is here www.thunderboltmovie.com and it should be out on dvd in December/January.

today in Brussels ....

More photos from my usual walks - see the album.

We also had a Skype conversation with Pierre, Shani, and Robbie.  Robbie's main conversation was "I'm trouble" which was pretty much true, he was in the background messing about with things he's not supposed to touch.  Very cute though, gave us big computer-screen kisses.  It must be warm at home because Shani was dressed in tiny shorts and top.  Though I note the CDBA regatta for today was cancelled, sounds like the weather is bad!  Here it's getting colder, and in Belgrade it's minus 5 so I hope I have enough clothes for the next part of our journey.  Tomorrow we leave for Serbia.  No more Belgian chocolate for a while .....

Christmas market



Christmas market stall

We drank gluhwein in the Grand Place today, so we know for sure that Christmas is nigh.  There is more and more chocolate in Brussels - see the picture of the chocolate Santa.  Also saw a larger than life chocolate Mannekin Pis, but my camera was out of action.  I'll catch him next time.
Yesterday I had some more meetings for work, but it was quite fun, I learnt a lot.  That's it for now, purely holidays now, with the exception of one day in Luxembourg.

The famous Berlaymont building in Brussels

Only one day more in Brussels, and then we are off to Serbia, via Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary.  We are really looking forward to the train trip.

Getting ready for Christmas in the Grand Place

Today we again went into town, for no reason in particular, but we do like 'centreville' in Brussels.  People are buzzing around getting ready for Christmas, and the Grand Place has the beginnings of its decorations for the season.  A few days ago there was a wooden frame in place which today we realised is the creche.  We saw it years ago, they bring in live animals to be in the manger with Jesus Mary and Joseph - very quaint.  A giant Christmas tree is in place, and the centre of the Grand Place is in preparation for a sound and light show.

Around the edges are wooden structures covered with 'snow' and christmas lights, which now have intriguing signs like "Gluhwein" "Stollen" and "St Nikalaus", all in preparation for the Christmas Market.  It is really magic in the snow (we hope it snows!) with the twinkling lights and the sights and smells of the festive season - can't wait! 

We had Slow Food for lunch, it's quite nice to do the European thing and take your time over food, watching the world go by as you do so.

More photos will be loaded onto our album. 

Controversy surrounding bushranger Captain Thunderbolt



Barry's book

Today we are embroiled in controversy.  My brother, my sister and I have been contacted by the makers of a docu-drama about the Thunderbolt story.  Different people, some with a vested interest in making money out of this, have varying stories to tell.  This docu-drama on the life of Thunderbolt will be released shortly, the website is www.thunderboltmovie.com, final filming takes place this weekend. 

We've been asked for an interview for the movie, but as it was our brother Barry who did all the research, he is the only one who would have been qualified to comment, none of the rest of us have the extensive knowledge he had on the subject.  Unfortunately with Barry's death last year, the knowledge has died with him.  His papers are available, however, for anyone who may like to look into this thoroughly.

I brought a copy of the book with me, but I've just given it away, otherwise I may have been prepared to say something based on Barry's conclusions.  Interesting stories surrounding these bushrangers, look forward to the movie.

Tram to the Atomium



Atomium

Today we caught a tram to the end of the line - the Atomium.  If you haven't seen it before, check it out on the net.  It was built for Expo 58, and when we first saw it in 1986 it hadn't changed at all since 1958.  But from 2004-2006 it was extensively renovated, the old aluminium panels on the outside were replaced by stainless steel, and the inside had a total revamp too. A fun place to visit.  After this we went and bought les frites belges from the friterie and ate them in the sunshine while we waited for a tram to take us back. 

Instead of returning straight home we decided to visit the first place we lived in Brussels, which was Avenue Ernestine in Ixelles.  Close to there is the Abbaye de la Cambre, very impressive, so we wandered around there too, and also found the first school that Pierre and Daniel attended in Brussels - Le Petit Jardin de l'Elise.  It's got big iron gates so we couldn't actually go in, as it is Sunday, but we took a few pics to remind them of the happy times at school (ask them!).

Abbaye de la Cambre