AMC - At My Computer

The question at Dinner

2011-11-11T23:11:00.015+01:00

It was during our now traditional long weekend in London in November.

We started going to London a few years ago as S had not yet been. Being British I felt it was something he had to experience after 5 years in Belgium. Despite ourselves, the first time we went, we ended up shopping like mad as we were due to spend Christmas in Melbourne and therefore had lots of presents to buy.

Last year, we managed to get rained on a fair bit before, during and after some caching, but we discovered some nice places and had a good laugh in a local Indian which was not so nice.

But this year, it seemed a whole other something was planned.

I knew S was taking me to a rather swanky restaurant as there had been a “busy” entry in the calendar for some months at a very weird time slot. After repeatedly fishing for info, I was told we were going to dinner and that I should take something nice to wear.

It was the 11/11/11.

I have to say given the dinner reservation was only for 10.30pm, we organised the whole day so we would not be caught starving at 8pm and destroy our appetite. We opted for a visit to the Odeon at a 7.30 showing to keep us distracted, which would give us an hour to go back to the hotel, get changed and head off to wherever it was we were going.
The choice of film, in retrospect could have been better. S and I don’t often go to the cinema these days, mostly as we don’t feel there’s much worth spending 10€ on (or £18 if you head to the crap Odeon on Marble Arch). We decided to go see In Time.
S understandably was a bit tense and very conscious of being late or not having enough time so a whole 2 hours of people running to save their lives as time runs out was really not a good choice!
Anyway, unlike them, we had plenty of time as we headed back to the hotel to get changed, tummy’s grumbling.

On the underground all poofed up, I still had no idea where we were heading. The fact we got off at Knightsbridge did nothing to help the mystery as to be fair, I don’t know where most of the top restaurants are situated in London.
Even when we had a cigarette outside Harrods opposite the hotel (turns out we were a wee bit early), I had no idea. I think S was a bit disappointed I did not recognise the Mandarin Oriental hotel and therefore did not make the connection and finally figure out which Chef was cooking for us tonight! Bless.

Finally having to spell it out, I discover with absolute thrill that Dinner by Heston was the scene for tonight’s extravagance. Wahey!!!, I still can’t wipe the smile off my face (The food itself would require a post all of its own).

It was a bit intimidating having to walk through the whole restaurant in between diners who clearly felt VERY at ease in this environment and come here all the time.

So, it happened somewhere after the entrée and the main course. S shifted in his seat, took a deep breath and said “Right well, I didn’t bring you here just for the food, there was an ulterior motive.”

Now girls, you and I both know that in this kind of setting, on this special date (and nearing 11.11pm), there really weren’t a whole heap of other possibilities here.
So I tried to look innocent and asked “Really?”

“Well, you know we’ve been discussing recently about having kids and stuff, … well, … “
(Some time passes)

Cue sommelier to come and bring us the wine! Grrr.

“So, … , … , do you want to get married?”
Cue big grin on my face.

Nervous fidgeting on my part now, followed by “Yes.”

I was expecting something to happen now, be it him leaning over and kissing me, him producing a ring, or even just saying anything to break the tension slightly.
But nothing. I think he was as excited/nervous/embarrassed as me.

“Yes, ..., of course, … , yes” and when still nothing to move the conversation on I made the fatal mistake. “Yes, … but…”. “… but I think we should take our time.”

Now, the reason for me saying this was really only to try and break the silence of silly grinning and awkwardness and continue our conversation, not to impose a condition to my Yes. Although I fear he will forever remember the “yes… but..”

Things went back to normal after that and we got distracted by our taste buds exploding from excitement at every mouthful.

Anyway, it was an amazing dinner, a great evening and for the next few days in London we walked around holding hands in the street (for those of you who know us realise we aren’t too into PDAs)
For some weird reason, I felt really grown up and adult-like walking around with my “fiancé” by my side.

Had my head so much in the clouds the next day that I managed to bump my head something fierce on a shop window causing him to burst out laughing (initially) and me to burst into tears… It wasn’t that it hurt so much after a few minutes, more that it had been an emotional couple of days and once the tears started flowing I couldn’t stop. Pathetic really, a 34year old woman sobbing quietly with a big red mark on her forehead in the middle of a shopping center in London.

We will get married on the 12/12/12. (… and then again on the 30/12/12 in Melbourne).
- that’s if we don’t kill each other and everyone around us during the planning.

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If you want to read his version of events... click here.

(That's his ring by the way. We decided we were both allowed an engagement ring.
The story of having the rings made however, will not be told here as it wasn't a very pleasant experience)

Hello

2011-11-07T17:32:00.000+01:00

That's it :)

Geocaching

2011-02-23T22:29:00.000+01:00

This is my new hobby.

Now you do have to be 'slightly' geeky to enjoy this, in fact given a gps (it's NOT as complicated as it sounds) anyone can do it.

It isn't just the hide and seek part if it that appeals to me, it's also the fact that I get to discover new parts of my city and others and that it gets me walking!

It is a great way to get out and oxygenate.

We've placed our first cache, and here i'm going to admit, that I'm quite excited by it.

Basically, we have hidden a box with a log book and other stuff in it in a public road right slap bang in the middle of Brussels! and people walk past there every day and have no idea.

To tell people where it is we have logged the gps coordinates, they search for the box, open and leave their mark before placing it right back where they found it.

You can send an item from cache to cache and see where it ends up. It's quite cool.

And no time constraints, find as many or as little as you like, it's up to you.

Freezing point

2011-02-23T22:28:00.000+01:00

There has been an awful lot of shit on the work side of things for a while now.

It finally came to a head today, and I am completely confused as to how I feel about it.

The curator came to visit today. We were almost - escorted out of the building and while we knew it was coming, and know it's for the best, it turned out to be a real bummer end to a brilliant week.

Those of you who know me, know that i've worked my arse of during my 2 years and a bit in this company. I have loved and hated every minute of it. Lately though, there have not been many brilliant weeks.

And I think I might be ready for a change now...

But there are a number of things I am going to miss;
My lunches out with U2-girl - she makes me laugh, my manytimes "difficult" fashion nerd, the night's out in EHV with the quizmasters (I will come again) and the comforting familiarity of it all.

funny how none of those things are work related, huh?

mobile blogging on Android

2010-09-12T12:47:00.001+02:00

I wanted to test out blogging from my phone.

Trying straight from the browser, all I can do is input a title to the post.

It seems blogger has a few facilities for mobile blogging but it either invloves you smsing or you need a Sony phone or an icrap - err - iPhone (of course).

I'm now trying via an app I downloaded in the market. It is pretty basic but we'll see how it turns out.

(Although I need to get faster at typing before I would consider doing this often.)

Anyone else out there blogging on Android?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

First 2010 post - how sad

2010-08-22T11:49:00.002+02:00

Ok, I had no idea it had been over a year since I posted. Really bad.

Well yesterday I stumbled upon a great little blog about an English girl living in Brussels with her boyfriend. Besides it giving me a really good laugh in places, her observations are remarkably similar to ours with regards to Belgian life.

It has also made me want to start writing again; Not so much for the two or three of you that actually read the blog, but because I know I will love to read all this again in the coming years.

So 2010 huh?

My main news for 2010 is that this little 'burb woman (me) has, against all odds and reason, been convinced to move into the dead center of town!

You can imagine this move was a terrifying thought for me as the center was really not my favourite place in Brussels. Despite being Belgian, as any burby, I would venture into town carefully, always with a distinct purpose and walk the streets avoiding tourists and holding onto my bag for dear life.
Ok, that is a slight exaggeration, but you get the idea.

Well, contre toute attente, I actually like it here.

The thing that worried me the most on arrival, was the parking situation. I was pretty sure that I was never going to find a park or that I would have to resort to parking in a dodgy street and hope the car was still intact in the morning. Well provided I get home at the right timeslot, parking is a synch and only rarely must I venture as far as Place Rouppe to get a spot.

I keep my car pretty dirty intentionally and anything I leave in the car should do nothing to whets someone's appetite. Unless empty water bottles, plastic bags and a lighter is exciting these days. I have noticed a few scuff marks that weren't there before, but that's inevitable when parking in the street and it adds to the growing charm of my ageing crappy Ikea car ... err sorry Peugeot 206.

The gorgeous apartment we found is in a back building with a courtyard where a few other people from the building park their cars. There is really only room for three cars and while two of the spots are "reserved" already; the most awkward spot is not - Although one guy would disagree with this statement.
Everyday, we get ample distraction watching the life and times of our courtyard parking situation!

More on this another time.

Veal and spinach shepards pie

2009-04-27T11:01:00.005+02:00

We have been chatting for a while about how much we liked Shepard's pie and I am ashamed to admit I had never made one before. So I thought it was time to give it a try.
When trying something new, I will generally do a search to find a basic recipe, grab the ingredients, and see what happens. Generally I improvise.

This time I landed on the Channel 4 webpage and Monsieur Gordon Ramsay's recipe.
(Nice little site actually, not only do you get the recipe, but also comments left by readers and a nifty little video that makes the whole process looks ridiculously easy and quick.
Trust me, Shepard's pie is not that quick to make. Though if you get your spuds cooking while you cook the mince, you can coordinate it all into about 30 mins. I made this in advance, and just popped it in the oven about 20 minutes before we wanted to eat.

Anyway, this recipe calls for lamb mince which is virtually impossible to find in Belgium, unless you go to a butchers and ask them to grind it for you. So after much deliberation, I opted for veal.

This is where Gordon's recipe went out the window. I wasn't too keen on adding red wine and garlic to veal mince. And because I'm on a mission to cram as much veg into my meals, I decided to add spinach.

So here's my version of veal and spinach Shepard's pie.
I followed Gordon's quantities, says it serves 4 ... err served 2, maybe 3.

500gr / 17.5oz veal mince
1 large onion, finely grated
1 large carrot, finely grated
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Handful of thyme sprigs, leaves picked
1 sprig of rosemary, needles chopped
300ml / 10 fl oz chicken stock
500gr / 17.5oz fresh spinach leaves
1kg / 35oz potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
50g / 2 oz butter
2 egg yolks
Parmesan, for grating
Olive oil
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

1 - Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas 4.

2 - Cook the potatoes in some salted boiling water while preparing the mince. When soft, drain and leave to one side.

3 - Fry of the mince in some hot olive oil over a high heat until brown.
This will help colour the sauce. Add in the grated onion and carrot and turn the heat down.

4 - Season and add in the herbs and cook for a few minutes.

5 - Add the chicken stock and cook on a medium/low heat until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.

6 - Leave the mince to sit while you prepare the mash.

7 - Mash the potatoes adding 2 egg yolks, the butter and season well. I added parmesan at this point, but to be honest, you will need to add a lot of cheese before you can taste it. So if you are going for the slightly 'healthier option', skip the cheese here.

8 - Wilt down the spinach in a pan over a low heat. Don't forget the salt and pepper. Once it is wilted down, place in a sieve and let it cool down enough so you can take it in your hands.

9 - Squeeze out the excess water from the spinach, otherwise your pie will end up being very watery. Extract as much water as you can. Then chop the spinach roughly.

10 - Ready to assemble. In an oven proof dish (no idea of the size, medium, I guess) spoon the mince in the bottom, arrange the spinach in a layer on top of the mince, then add the mash.

11 - Here I followed Gordon's advice and grated the parmesan on top them fluffed the surface of the mash with a fork so it would get nice and crunchy in the oven.

12 - Place in the oven until brown and bubbling.

I wasn't convinced it would taste that nice, but the pie only served 2 1/2 maybe 3 portions and there was lots of mmming over dinner. So I guess it worked out OK.

If I manage to find lamb mince, I will definitely give the real recipe a try one of these days.

A new beginning

2009-04-27T00:00:00.002+02:00

First post of 2009 - and it's .... April. How pathetic.

Ok so I have given up on the idea that I will ever finish writing up my posts on Japan. Maybe one day you'll get to see at least the photos as there are some really nice ones.

I really haven't been finding the motivation to write recently, maybe because I've not had a lot to say, maybe because I haven't found the time, but probably because I used to make the most of some quiet time during the day to write a few lines and there has been no quiet time to speak of recently.

I have been experimenting in the kitchen recently and I thought it might be nice to document some of my attempts.
Someone might be looking for inspiration for dinner one day and land on these pages.

I will not be detailing everything to the letter, as I strongly believe that in the every day kitchen, you have to improvise.

Please leave comments if you try them out...

Kyoto - Day 6 - Tofuku-Ji, Inari and Gion

2008-11-12T00:00:00.015+01:00

I wake up this morning after 10 hrs of uninterrupted sleep. Bliss!!!
As we set out, very early, the sun is out and the sky is a glorious shade of blue. This morning we are visiting the valley of maples and the temple hidden in between the trees.

I am really excited about this morning, I am looking forward to the my first mineral garden. Many - including me at first - make the mistake of calling these Zen gardens, this is because they are most often found at representations of the Zen sects.

We visit the Tofuku-Ji temple first as it's quite small and as soon as the crowds arrive it will be difficult to appreciate the place.
On our way up to it, we are greeted by views over the Japanese maple valley which are breathtaking.

I spend a bit of time trying to take a good photo of the checkerboard sand but the sun is quite low so the light is far from ideal.

Ok, who stepped in the sand after it was raked down ?

Taking our time to stroll through the valley and click away from every possible direction, we are by this time not alone. Although this would annoy me greatly usually, for some reasons the Japanese are so quiet and respectful of the people around them, that is actually adds to the experience to watch them take photos of each other amongst the trees.

Leaving the shades of reds and oranges behind, we once again go back to the station for lunch. The three of us have felt like a nice Big Mac since yesterday so we make sure no one is watching and cross the road to the golden arches.

This is an area sreetmap. Very little road names in Japan, you find your way by finding the person's name on the map, compare the map against the nearest temple and hope for the best. It seems to work for them, but for us it is very confusing.

Next on the menu is Inari, a spectacular Shinto sanctuary. A long orange tunnel is created by the torii bought by corporations and individuals. The torii get smaller and smaller, but the walk up towards the mountain is stunning and the atmosphere is quite unique (if only J-P would shut up for five minutes!). This is our first Shinto site and it really is very different to the Buddhist way of things.

Before heading back down, we stop off at the gift shop - of course - to buy a few talismans for our loved ones and take some time to reads the wishes left by people on wooden fox heads. Some of the boards are decorated with quite some creativity.

We grab a bus to Gion passing by the world famous wooden temple of Kymizu-dera admiring it from afar. This started a huge debate as some were outraged that this temple was not on our list of places to visit.

Nor were we allowed to browse the over populated shopping street leading off from the temple. we were told, again, by J-P that shopping was planned in for the last afternoon of the trip! How frustrating as we rush past the shops spotting perfect gifts and knickknacks.

Two finally win over the guide and rush off to buy a few pieces of pottery they had spotted and really wanted. This gave Sis and I to discover a shop, so stunning in its pinkness we would have bought the whole shop. I grab the first three things I see and rush to hand over my Yen.

Entering into the Gion district, famous for Geisha spotting, we spot two. Click click click and then some. Before being told these are not real geisha and that it's as pretty popular thing for people to be dressed and made up as Geisha as a fun day out! *Groan*

The area is well worth a visit as tea houses are plenty each with their own courtyard garden.

The evening is spent in tourist central, seeing a show actually created for tourists.
Enough said!!!!

Not a total waste though as while wlking back to the hotel we see a few real geisha and we also discover the main shopping street and finally see Japan By Night as you imagine it.
The lights, the sounds, the people... wow.

Fave pics of the day...

Kyoto - Day 5 - Kōya-san and the Okunoin mausoleum

2008-11-11T00:00:00.003+01:00

My mobile phone alarm wakes our floor up this morning, which is really weird.
I managed to get a few hours of sleep towards the early hours of the morning but after an untouched breakfast - totally impossible - we leave the monks and make our way through the village to the Okunoin mausoleum.

It is a 2 km walk among the towering Cypress trees and thousands of tombs, a beautiful stroll and the freezing wind is making sure we are wide awake after our somewhat short night.

Statues of Jizo are everywhere - the guardian of children, particularly children who died before their parents. People place red bibs on these statues and with soo many about it really is quite eerie.

We spot memorials payed for by big corporations to remember their employees.
This is a big thing in Japan.

We get a chance to wander around the few shops in the village after the cemetery and discover with a delight, in a small supermarket, a couple of biscuits we recognise!

They love their anti-smoking campaigns here in Japan, This one I thought was brilliant !!!!

After lunch - bits and bobs bought in the supermarket as small town local food is still not an option - we go back to the monastery to pick up our belongings and meet the bus to begin our 4 hours journey back to Kyoto and our nice warm and private hotel rooms. :)

The Japanese are quite curious about us, I suppose a group of 14 Europeans travelling by train in the countryside is not a regular sight for them, and while usually they will look at us and occasionally ask a question or two - generally leading us to either say we are from France, as not many of them are aware of where Belgium is, or to put our hands up showing France and Germany and placing Belgium above the two hands so they have a rough idea.

During this trip, a bunch of school kids got on the train outside of Osaka and one girl approached me and started up a conversation in broken English. She loves the French - as most of them do - and then started to ask me various words ans phrases in French. I took out my pad and started French - Lesson 1. She would teach me the word in Japanese, I would write it down in English and then in French. It was good fun if not always easy to understand each other. Her mates found this hilarious but she was attentive and really eager to learn. She got off in Osaka with the sheet of paper and a good story to tell her parents when she got home from her 90 minute commute back from school.

The three of us bypass dinner completely top give our systems a chance to recover.

Fave pics of the day...

Kyoto - Day 4 - Nijo, Ninomaru and Higashi Honganji

2008-11-10T00:00:00.003+01:00

I woke up starving which is a good sign.
As we are spending tonight in a monastery up in the mountains, after breakfast, we pack our stuff and check out of the hotel.

We head off to Nijo palace. After previous visits ending a tad stressfully for our guide, we are given strict instructions to be back at the entrance by 11am. We all head off around the castle at different speeds, some stay to listen to the interesting commentaries of the guide - this is if you can stay awake and keep your concentration. I decide to wander off at my own pace and marvel at the amazing woodwork and intricate decorations.

In many of these palaces around Japan, the ancient inhabitants had devised a very funky way of detecting intruders... Nightingale floors. Brilliant piece of engineering that uses cramps and spaces underneath the floorboards in the corridors which will squeak when you walk on them.
I think they would drive me mad long term, but it is a very effective alarm system. I wander through the eleven different rooms on show and exit via the tourist trap stalls and foul smelling food stands.

I make a few small purchases and Sis and I walk on - at a brisk pace due to the time constraints - through to the gardens in the grounds. For me, these are not as breathtaking as the previous gardens, but a good chance to capture some hilarious Engrish - or Japlish as it is known here.

We make it to the rendezvous point on time to find ... no one.
Had we stayed with the guide, we would have known his time estimate for this site was grossly underestimated and he had therefore changed the rdv time to allow an extra half an hour. It seems we were not the only ones to not have been aware of this change in the schedule so a couple of us sat on a wall and waited for the group to turn up.

Once all reunited, we stop at a genuine samurai sword shop - cue debilitatingly long commentary again - and a few buy the token miniature sword and stand. No trashy look-alikes for me, I opt for a few ninja stars for my brother!

Higashi Honganji is next on the agenda.
This place displays an amazing contrast between old and new contemporary architecture.

A huge part of the temple is begin restored at the moment, and it will be ongoing until 2012. So a hangar was built around the restoration to protect it. On display, a reduced model of the renovations, the attention to detail is astounding.

A very speedy visit once again, stopping only briefly in the new part to admire the amazing subterranean new build to incorporate an auditorium. It reminds me a bit of Young Sherlock Holmes and the underground pyramid.

Back to Kyoto station for lunch and while the group heads back downstairs for some local chow, Sis, Dad and I go in search for anything but.

After lunch we begin our epic journey to Mount Koya for our traditional monastery retreat.
A metro, a forty minute train to Osaka, another metro ride and a two and a half hour train journey later and we arrive at the base of the mountain. But it is not over yet.

A cable car ride and a bus take us up and finally, after night fall we arrive at our monastery in a stunning location.
(No, not a ghostly presence but a bit of smoke too close to the camera.)

We are invited in for tea served traditional style which is a welcome pleasure as it is freezing up here and needless to say there is no central heating and the walls are all glass or paper.

We are shown to our rooms and a bout of worry follows when all we see as far as bedding goes, are the tatamis on the floor and a few really thin pillows. We later discover futons and blankets hidden away in a closet.

My digestive system is feeling better as we head down for a traditional vegetarian dinner and while my ankles don't thank me for kneeling while eating, I make a good effort with with the food.

After dinner, we are asked if we want a Japanese bath.
Anything warm at this stage is a godsend, so Sis and I decide to forget our hangups and give it a go. The idea of this method of bathing is that you start of scrubbing yourself clean in a shower before rinsing thoroughly and stepping into the tub of very hot water for a soak. This is to allow the bath water to be reused. Tonight it was absolute bliss, even after Sis and I realised that the towels we had schlepped all the way from home to be used at this specific time, were neatly packed away in our backpacks in our room! Useful.
Joined by one other woman in the group, we relax in the steaming hot water until we are well and truly lobster-like. A quick dry off at lightening speed with minute hand towels, on with the kimono and off to bed... or not.

Returning to the room, we discover that our beds... or rather futons had been made up. The room although filled with the intoxicating smell of the kerosene heater, had a very inviting atmosphere.

I won't go into details but what followed was Sis and I spent many an hour trotting down the wooden stairs in our Geta sandals to the communal toilets and back up to bed trying not to wake the whole household. A very cold and not so regenerating night but a few laughs and a great experience.

Fave pics of the day...

Kyoto - Day 3 - Nara for some, Hotel for others

2008-11-09T00:00:00.002+01:00

This morning starts with a bit of drama. It seems it is not only me who is unwell but Sis and Dad aren't feeling great either. A visit to the breakfast room shows that another member of the group is staying in bed today - the Japanese maple expert who is here to help us learn about these magnificent trees.
We all face a dilemma; Nara is one of the nicest gardens and it is a day trip so it would not be easy meeting up with the group half way through the day.

Sis has decided she is well enough to go, Dad feels there is no way he can venture too far from the hotel and Benoit is in no shape to be going anywhere at all. I think about it and as much as I am peeved about missing the day out (our trip isn't that long to begin with) I feel it is wiser to take a day off, rest and let my stomach sort itself out.

We, as a group, discuss this with our oh-so-accommodating tour guide and ask him to possibly switch today's schedule for one of the 5 days we were supposed to be visiting gardens and temples in Kyoto. More for Benoit's benefit than for ours. While insisting on how much of a shame it is that we are going to miss the stunning gardens, J-F will not even entertain the idea of a re plan. So we watch the rest of the group leave and head back to bed.

We decide to reconvene at 12 and decide then if we are well enough to attempt finding the group in Nara.

I wake up at 1.45pm after the most refreshing sleep. Fuuucck. I'm feeling a lot better and would have been up for meeting the group. I imagine the other two have left already but a note under the door tells me otherwise.

So I decide to head down to the lobby and get some coffee and do some writing. I know it is a bit sad that I spent an afternoon on the terrace, but it is a great place to get a nice cuppa, have a smoke and watch the people on their way to where ever it is they are going. I love to people watch but the Japanese are so different that it is great fun and I end up spending a couple of hours outside writing. I wish I had the guts to take photos of the people walking past, but I have never been very good at the kind of thing.

While sipping the Cherry Moka sampler the lovely woman behind the counter has just brought me - urgh... at this stage I can still only just stomach black brewed coffee - I think about how polite people are here. Excessively so, compared to Belgium.

It is quite clear that in Japan, the community takes precedent over the individual. They seem to be conscious of not offending, annoying or anything the people around them. It makes for a very pleasant environment, no shouting, no arguing, no honking...
Although I do wander what place is given to individualism and it seems to me to be a bit over the top and unnatural. I like to imagine that they must let their hair down in spectacular fashion once the doors are closed.

And the stereotype of the Japanese bowing is definitely not exaggerated and I enjoy watching a group of business men, on the porch of the hotel, each in turn nodding lower than the previous person. It becomes one bowing frenzy until finally they turn away and get into the cab.

... Oh yes, and they love, and I mean, love their mobile phones!

The group comes back quite late, exhausted but elated from their day. I decide not to join them for dinner, but get some crackers from the nearby 7/11 and head back up to bed.

Kyoto - Day 2 - Himeji

2008-11-08T00:00:00.004+01:00

It was a relatively easy wake up this morning at 7am. The hotel breakfast is pretty complete but watching the Japanese eat brocolli, miso soup and tofu for breakfast is very weird. I'll stick to my croissants and eggs thanks!

We head off to the station for a metro and a train via Osaka/Kobé on our way to Himeji.

While the Japanese people I met had no idea where Belgium was, it seems our famous waffles have made it to Kyoto!

And check out the lotto apron worn by this woman. Loved it.

Our first glimpse of the castle from the road is stunning, through the trees you can get a glimpse of the huge building and it is beautiful.

And off come the shoes! We get indoor sandals as replacements and get to carry our shoes around with us in a plastic bag. Very elegant! Believe it or not, upon exit, the bags are placed in a basket and some poor soul spends all day cleaning the bags for re-use.

Inside the castle...

I notice something while walking through the castle grounds... look familiar to you?

The Japanese are obsessed by the V for Victory sign and will not have a photo taken without it!!!

After visiting the castle, we head over to a very dodgy looking cafeteria for some lunch.
No menu per say, just the traditional evil looking plastic replicas of the dishes in a window at the entrance of the restaurant. The Japanese like doing this, I'm assuming it is more for our (- the tourists) benefit than the locals, but what they fail to realise is that while these plastic dishes can looking quite appetising, if they are cheap and nasty, they look absolutely revolting.

Anyway, most of us opt for a safe, beef and rice dish... BIG MISTAKE!!!!
Not managing to eat more than a couple of mouthfuls, what I did eat then proceeded to make me as sick as a dog and I spent most of that eve and the next day with my head down the oh so technically advanced hotel room toilet.

(I had taken a pic of my dish but as it made me queasy every time I saw it, it was rapidly deleted from my Nikon, however check out the faces of the group, it should give you a good idea.)

Onwards to the Koko-En garden for a stunning walk amongst all shades of green, red and yellow. I was subject to slight uneasiness for the first part of this garden as I seemed to be being followed by a very strange individual with a ridiculously scary pair of dentures!!! Harmless but freaky all the same. There were quite a few people around but them being all Japanese, it didn't really feel out of place.

The weather is not great today, and the light is poor, but I click away in every direction trying in vain to capture the beauty of this place. It is not so warm either and after a somewhat bizarre coffee break in a nearby coffee shop, we wait in the freezing wind for our red bus to take us back to the station. We all enjoy a little shut eye on the train journey back to Kyoto.

Arrival back at the station around dinner time and most of the group are looking for somewhere to eat. We are shown an underground shopping mall and food court in the station and while others look at the ever increasing plastics dishes on offer and licking their lips, I am feeling very queasy and can no longer stand the sight or more importantly smell of food.

This is the thing, the 'smell of Japan' - as I dubbed it - is everywhere. You cannot escape it.
Due mostly to the fact that there are places to eat at every corner, the smell is omnipresent and at this precise point in time, it is making me so unbelievably nauseous.

Sis and I head back to the hotel. I feel I should try and eat something, anything... So we sit on the terrace of Starbucks and have a coffee. It helps - I know it shouldn't but it does. I even feel the desire for a sandwich which I find quite tasty. We go out for a quick stroll and then head off to bed. We have an early start tomorrow.

I hoped for a quiet long night. No such luck. I am up half the night making rush visits to our tiny cabin barfroom.

Fave pics of the day...

Kyoto - Day 1

2008-11-06T00:00:00.005+01:00

I'm finally off!

I have just been given a packet of Pokichocs (or Mikado as we call them in Belgium) and a bottle of water from the I-think-I'm-so-funny drinks cart guy in the TGV.
Already a taste of Japan and some rehydration. Perfect!

An eleven and a half hour flight awaits me, enough to fill any smoker with dread if you ask me, but I've done a bit of research and I get my own screen in the plane, along with a choice of at least 12 films to watch.

Before take off, I get my first glimpse of a Japanese newspaper.

Despite a really long delay on board before take off, the flight was OK. Way too many films to choose from, I only manage one before opting for a sleep enhancer and some shut eye. Only to wake up an hour later for some pot noodle (the main meal was as expected, inedible) and some Häagen Daaz. A nice surprise. A couple of hours sleep later and Voilà!

We meet up with our guide at Kansai Airport, a man made island in Osaka Bay. We head over to the train station to make our way to Kyoto about one and a half hours away.

I am amazed at how clean this place is.

And we get our first sighting of Japanese gadgetry. The seats change direction depending on which way the train is travelling. How cool - although I think, like me, most people don't really care if they are travelling backwards.

This trip is not one of those bus tours, thank god, so all our travelling is done on public transport, and after a metro ride we finally arrive at our hotel in the center of Kyoto. We will be based here for most of the holiday so it is nice to get to the room and unpack. A quick shower later and we meet in the lobby to go for a stroll around the neighbourhood to get our bearings.

To be honest, as excited as I am, my heart isn't really in it and I'm finding it really hard to stay awake. And once we get back to the hotel, the hard part begins. It's only 5.30pm local time and going to bed now means a certain wide eyed wake up at 4am tomorrow morning!
My long flight, 3 trains and metros have my bodty thinking i'm on a boat , i really need to be immobile for a couple of hours.

I take a pew on the terrace of the Starbucks in the hotel and do some writing. I know it is not the best coffee in the world, and definitely not Japanese (apart from the fact that none of the staff spoke any English at all) but I love my coffee and this was a perfect place to sit and watch the world go by. It became my solace during the next days and allowed me a great place to relax and write during my stay in Kyoto.

A few of us head out to a restaurant nearby for some food. Our guide suggested a nordic inspired place serving salades and pasta, to which we all cry out that our first night in Kyoto we really would prefer some Japanese food. (Reminds my of a certain conversation about the Majidé contestant wanting pizza.)
We end up in a great little place serving food on a hotplate built into our table.
I discover that customer service here is going to be quite different to Belgium. There is a bell on the table in case we need to call a waiter. Didn't need to use it once as the guy was around and actually looking to see if we needed anything. After some Japanese tapas style food, some bland, a couple absolutly delicious, I head back to the hotel, and can stay up no longer.

The schedule is all mixed up it seems and instead of spending the first 4 days in Kyoto, tomorrow we are off to the country to walk in (among others) Tom Cruise's footsteps.
Himeji - one of Japan's 12 surviving feudal-era fortresses about 55km west of Kobé.

Walibi's end (of season)

2008-11-01T00:00:00.001+01:00

It might seem that all I do these days is rant, but this time I can't stop myself.

Continuing the theme of shite customer service in Belgium, Walibi gets the award!!!

I have always been a big fan of this park, ever since my first visits as a kid. But in the last year or two this local, small but pretty decent park has just lost the plot - or rather the park bosses have.

My visit to the traditional Halloween Nocturne on Wednesday should give you an idea to how bad things have become.

We turned up at around half 6 in the evening in what felt like subzero temperatures to find the park absolutely packed.
The theming as always for Halloween is not bad, They have clearly put a bit of money into this, probably hoping it will distract the coasties long enough so they won't notice the heaving park.
We see the queue on the Cobra coming right up to the turnstile and instantly we know what this night is going to be like. Usually, even on a really busy day, queues on Cobra will never exceed 25-30 minutes ( Which in any other park than Walibi is actually VERY good). Tonight it was at least an hour.

Our friends queuing for the Vampire did so for over an hour and 20 minutes. Which is unbelievable as we have never spent more than 15 minutes queueing.

A quick walk around the park shows us that the two water rides are shut, given the cold, this is a good thing. But it wasn't just the water rides. Turbine, Go-Karts and a good number of kiddy rides were shut too. Not a good thing when the park is full as it forces people to accumulate at other rides thus creating even longer queues.

It turns out while miraculously having its two trains running, Werewolf has approx 40% of it's seats corded off. WELL DONE.

Anyway, we realise that unless we are prepared to stand outside in the freezing cold and queue for the whole night, we're not really going to get on any rides. So we decide to go for food.

We are used to the burgers at Walibi.
WAY overpriced at 8.50 euros for a meal compared to a regular meal at McD's where you'll expect to pay about 6.50 euros. we have a maximum of 5 people in front of us, and still it takes them over 20 minutes to serve us. The drinks machines seem on the blink (we have seen this before), the burgers are under broken (or just not turned on) heating lamps, while the working lamps are heating nothing at all. And of course, it takes 3 and subsequently 4 employees to work a bancontact machine. During which time NO ONE is getting served.
Pathetic and really unnecessary.
How easy is it to leave 2 people at it, and ask the customers behind the ones trying to pay if anyone would like to pay cash - and serve them!!!

No smiles once we actually do get served, and when I get my burger and check that it is at least warm - which it isn't of course, having been placed under an off lamp - I am told that it will be hot once I eat it! HUH??
How does that make sense in her little mind ???
(I have numerous times returned to the counter to exchange my food because it was cold, this is not a today specific problem.)

And every time, no smiles, courtesy and definitely no apologies. It seems we might even be pissing them off by just ordering food.

Having eaten, I watch the boys go off for a relatively manageable queue on Dalton. I go in search of some open toilets (the ones in the resto were OOO.) I get back to the Dalton in time to see the guys get off. At least they got a ride in!!
(I won't mention that even Dalton was running only 3 cars.)

We head over to the arcade so I can finally do my little corporate video on my favourite machine. Tuns out that it is striking along with the drinks machine, and is on the blink too. Aah well.
It is after 8 and because the queues are soo large, they have now stopped letting people into rides to clear the backlog of frozen humans in time for closing. I'm starting to get a bit peeved by now and along with the cold, I'm about ready to call it a night.

We figure a beer might be the only way to salvage what has been so far a complete waste of time and bearing in mind this is only our second visit to the park this season, I was pretty much excited about coming.

After queueing (AGAIN) for half an hour for a beer at the Brasserie, deflated, we head to the resto attached to Aqualibi for a final try.
Here I admit, despite having a good laugh at the makeshift pen the waiter is using, we get served fast and manage finally to get a table and sit.

Half an hour later, the park is closing and we head on to the exit.

It has become very noticeable for a while now and especially tonight that Walibi's strategy is to fill the park, get money on mediocre food and merchandise and not give a damn if people don't actually have a good time.

I know they have to recuperate the deficit they must have created during the whole Vertigo fiasco but ultimately the first rule in business is make your clients happy or they won't come back! - And they most certainly won't recommend the park to any of their friends.
Customer satisfaction here (and in this country in general) practically counts for nothing and it is a real shame.

So for the first time in 6 years, Walibi will not be getting a season pass from me next year. It is just not worth the hassle or the money.

Service Clientèle de Telenet Part 2

2008-10-18T00:00:00.002+02:00

Ok, so it took me a while to finish this whole story, partly because this last month has been no picnic. If you missed part 1, you can find it here.

So, we left off with my modem seeming to work... HAHA. If only it had been that easy!

The next day, I call the Telenet help desk again (yeah, the francophone one) and tell them it doesn't work. I think it was on the Wednesday. They agree this time that the problem might be slightly more complicated than initially thought and agree to send a technician to check it out.
On MONDAY!!!
and yes, the traditional time slot of 8.30 - 1.00. *Groan*
However they do promise me that I will be called 20 minutes before the guy arrives so I have enough time to escape from work and come home.

For logistical reasons, I decide on Tuesday and make the appointment.

Tuesday comes around and sure enough at around 11.15 I get a call. An automated message saying the technician is on his way.
He turns up quickly once I get home. But to my surprise, he's a Flemish speaker.
I seem to remember calling the francophone help desk, but the first thing he does is ask me if I speak dutch. Fortunately for him (and me too I guess) I speak a bit so I tell him I do and he gets to work.

I have nothing against Flemish speakers and I tend to not take part in this whole language division thing that's going on in Belgium for the moment, but I did find it strange that I am the client and it is clearly stated in my account at Telenet that I am a francophone, but somehow, the technician sent to help me out is Flemish. Nice one guys!!

Anyway. The initial response from the techie, is that it's a nothing problem and I must have pushed the "standby" button by mistake. Now I can understand some people might do this, (they have now solved this problem by disabling the standby button from their modems)
However I'm not a complete twat when it comes to technology and I tell the guy this is not the problem. I try to explain that I have tried many possible solutions but to no avail and that I believe the modem has gone spastic.

He comes to this conclusion himself pretty quickly and goes down to his van and gets a replacement modem. Good me thinks, problem sorted.
HA
After a lot of faffing about, my modem seems to resist its new adoptive home and refuses to go online properly. Out comes the ladder and up goes the technician.
He investigates the numerous cables hanging off the facade of the house and comes back with a perplexed look on his face.
But whatever it was, or was not, the modem starts blinking in all the right places.

He tells me that for the moment it's back online - I check and it is - but that it might drop out again. He doesn't seem to know why, how or when this might happen (in this instance my dutch might have let me down).

He leaves and I've had (almost) stable internet ever since.

Following the previous post, I received a comment from what seems to be Telenet's Webcare staff, saying they had read my post and wanted to resolve the issue quickly.
HA. No Shit.
No company wants a mad woman ranting about their under par services. I assume this is a real comment (unless one of you is having a laugh) but I neither posted the comment, nor responded to them.

I do think that because of my being offline for over 2 weeks, I should not have to pay for my connection during this time, and I would have been curious to see what they have to say.
But to be quite frank with you (and you, webcare people) I can't be arsed to spend another morning, noon and evening, on the phone or exchanging emails with Telenet.

I have better things to do!

Service Clientèle de Telenet

2008-09-25T00:00:00.001+02:00

I feel a rant coming on...

And the title in French is on purpose, I aim to inform as many of Telenet's customers as possible about their really useless "Help desk" or "Service Clientèle".

My troubles started last Friday, turning on my PC to find no Internet connection.
I check the PC, I check the router and I check the modem. It's pretty obvious right away that the modem is the problem, it is not responding. The standby button doesn't work, however many times I push it. It seemed to have crashed. I remove the plug and start again. Then I remove the plug for a good 30 minutes and then try again. NADA.

Over the weekend, a more clued-in soul tries various possible solutions... NADA.

Come Monday, during a spare errr... hour at work, I search the Telenet website and it takes me a good 20 minutes surfing through endless page to actually find a phone number.
For those of you looking for it and who landed here:

Service clientèle général : 015/666 666. (hmm 2 x 666... that's has to be a bad start!!!)
Service clientèle TV : 015/33 42 76.
Service clientèle Internet : 015/ ... I would LOVE to give it to you, but I never managed to get that number, despite asking for it many times.

Anyway, 1st call; a relatively pleasant person, tells me I need to call them back when I can actually touch the modem. Ok Fair enough.
2nd call; About 17h50. After a good 10 minutes on hold with the TV people, I get transfered onto the Internet help desk. After once again giving them my client number, name and address, I am asked to switch my modem on and off and on and off again. The problem is remotely diagnosed as being an issue with the modem's power source. In short I need a replacement transformer for the modem.
I am offered two options by the voice on the other end of the phone.
1) Telenet can send me one, by Taxipost - This will take 5 days. HA
2) I can take my transformer to a partner store in my area (Vandenborre or Kreyfel, among others!) and they will exchange it for me.

I am delighted at option 2 and head over quickly to the Vandenborre at Woluwe Shopping center. I get there just before closing and am greeted with all smiles, until I explain the situation.
They have NO IDEA what I'm talking about and tell me they do not sell the modems there, have no agreement with Telenet and therefore don't have the right transformer.

Staying calm, it could just be a mistake, I dial the fateful 015 number again and prepare to hang around the shop for a good 15 minutes before getting someone on the phone. While wandering the aisles, phone to ear, I notice there are some really nice washing machines in the shop which reminds me that I really must put a load in when I get back home.

I manage to get someone on the phone and pass them through to the Vandenborre guy (who was very helpful even if he couldn't help.)
Nothing to be done, I won't get a new transformer here!
The lady on the phone then gives me 2 other shop names and tells me to go there.

Tuesday after work. I head over to the Vandenborre on Chaussée de Louvain with my problem transformer. Lots of wide eyes again as I mention Telenet's agreement. No modems here, and no knowledge of any exchange.
Me is starting to get a bit pissed off by now.
On the phone again, waiting, I head over to the next shop on my list, Kreyfel. I'm not feeling real hopeful at this point so I stay in the help desk queue trying to keep calm but fully intending to blow a fuse once some poor soul picks up my call.

Kreyfel... same story.

I am now getting annoying and I'm wondering whether Telenet is starting to take the piss.
When I finally get passed through to the Internet help desk, understandably my patience has run out and I'm fuming.
The poor guy, who I know has nothing to do with this, tries his best to keep me calm and offers once again the two solutions.
1) Send it by Taxipost - 5 days. To which I respond saying that had I not been given the other alternative on Friday, I would have agreed to this and would have the transformer by now. Having been sent to 3 different shops for crap all, I insist that it is time for Telenet to make a commercial gesture and send the effing thing by courier and I would get it in the morning.
(in my opinion, I'm not asking for the world here, but Belgian customer service is notoriously despicable, and because no one really makes a fuss, it doesn't change!)

2) Go to yet another shop and try again. Believe it or not, the guy recommends the bloody same shop I went to in the first place. I try to be nice when telling the guy I have already tried that and have also informed Telenet that giving this shop to other customers is a COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME.
However after hanging on the phone for another 20 minutes while the poor bloke looks for a solution that won't have me subsequently screaming down the phone at him, he finally comes through and suggests I go to a Telenet dealer about 5 minutes from where I am now. I ask him if he is positive this place will have the elusive transformer and I am assured it will. I then notice the time (18:05) and ask him what time the shop closes and after lots of searching, it turns out the shop closes at 17:00 and he suggests I go tomorrow. Thing is, and I point this out to him, I finish work at 17:15.
He then suggests another Telenet dealer, that one closes at 18:30. I ask him for a phone number to be able to call ahead, as I really don't fancy rushing like a mad woman to find a closed door or worse still, no transformer. Seeing the minutes pass on my car clock, I plug in my headset and get on the road while he searches desperately for a contact number.

Finally I am able to hang up and give the shop a call. They do have a transformer, and they will wait for me ... "As long as you get here before half past!!!"
err yeah, thanks!

End of this episode ...
I get there just in time, receive my new transformer and am told by the adorable Flemish guy behind the counter that help desk should have told me to come here in the first place (and I tend to agree, it's very close to where I live.
He gave me one other VERY VALUABLE PIECE OF ADVICE.

Traditional to Belgium, he asks me which help desk I called; the french speakers or the Flemish speakers... when I say that I called the french desk, he bursts out laughing and tells me it's no wonder I was sent all over the place for nothing.
Apparently the french speaking help desk people are useless.
Funny that - I found him to be correct.

So all of you Telenet customers out there.
If faced with a problem that requires you to venture into the world of help desks ... Avoid the French speaking desk like the plague and go for the Flemish or English version.
And for god's sake, don't bother with other shops, just head straight to a Telenet dealer.
(it is also much more satisfying to be able to scream at a Telenet employee directly!)

That said, My modem seems to be blinking and lighting up in all the right places, but still no Internet. I will call the English help desk later on tonight!

... to be continued.

Monkey is back!!

2008-07-30T16:36:00.007+02:00

I was watching the BBC yesterday and their Olympics trailer came on and I hadn't seen it yet.

"Hmm this looks familiar, looks like ... Pigsy, no, can't be... "
but it is... Monkey (Magic) is back!! In animated form.

Now to be honest, I don't remember that much about the show, only that my sister, brother and I would never miss an episode. Something about a pink cloud, a growing matchstick, a guy called Sandy and an androgynous person named Tripitaka on a white horse (later confirmed it was a monk played by a girl.)
But for some reason, I, and just about all of my friends, LOVED IT.

Years after, I saw it again and wondered how it was possible that my parents ever let me watch the thing. Although my main memory of watching this was in Phil's kitchen while his dad would make us dinner. So it might be that possibly my parents weren't that keen on me watching a kung-fu show at my age. Which is fair enough!

The show came up in a conversation one night and I subsequently downloaded a season to see if I would see the appeal again. I have to be honest, apart from the nostalgia it brought back, I didn't manage to sit through a whole episode. :) It is awful. It hasn't aged very well, the dubbing is monstrous and it's quite violent.

The new version is animated, and you can guess pretty fast who by; Jamie Hewlett, the man behind the Gorillaz videos. It's pretty neat and really well done.

Well done to the Beeb for giving most 30 year olds and over (and a couple of cult young'ns) a blast from the past.

(Anyone feeling the Nostalgia too?)

Days 7 - 10

2008-06-25T00:00:00.001+02:00

Someone actually managed to finish up writing the days...

If at all interested anymore;

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 6

2008-06-24T00:00:00.007+02:00

Day 6 - Chamonix

We had a well deserved lie-in this morning and knowing we had no driving to do today, we took it real slow.

Being so expensive, we decided to bypass the hotel breakfast and head into the village to find some coffee. Turns out Chamonix has an amazing tea-room that makes spectacular tasting cakes, pralines and nougat. And the coffee wasn't that bad either.
It's a good thing, as it was not the cheapest coffee in the world.

It was during our coffee this morning that we got a sneaky peek at the lastest trend in backpacks - Footie shirts!
(you might need to zoom in on this one!)

After café and croissants, we spent a while walking around the village checking out the shops. Pretty much your run of the mill tourist town, a good number of "brolshops" as I call them in Belgium. Shops selling totally useless trinkets, the only purpose being to clutter up some poor sod's fireplace - because the friend "just had to get them something from their holiday".

There are a pretty impressive number of clothes shops too, mostly sports gear but quite a few brands I like. Resisted temptation though and remained reserved with my money.

The tourist office was our first stop of the afternoon. Their free wi-fi gave us a chance to quickly check emails, and once open, the office provided us with a good idea to pass a couple of hours tomorrow. :)

Dinner was not as good as the first night, but traditional all the same... if you don't count the German, English, American and Italian tables scattered all around us.

I was told the car might be ready tomorrow.

Day 5

2008-06-23T00:00:00.018+02:00

Day 5 - Avignon - St Gervais-les-bains - Approx 5hrs drive.

A bit of a rude wake up call this morning, it seems my Lupus is back.

I knew I had a form of subacute cutaneous Lupus, but it had mysteriously disappeared 3 years ago after I stopped taking the pill.
(if you're clicking on the link, don't look at the pics, they are horrendous and my case is really not as bad as all that.)
I had been told by the docs that it could resurface at one stage, but seeing myself in the mirror this morning brought back some unpleasant memories and a deep sense of fear.
It needed to be checked out by a dermatologist, and while I knew what to take, I didn't have a prescription to be able to buy the medication.

So this morning was spent trying to force myself into a dermatologists office.
An hour later and all was sorted, I was once again immune to malaria and plastered with sun block.

Anyway, moving on, because that's not the only thing that happened today.

We head off towards the old part of town to do the touristy bit.
The town's architecture is amazing, and Avignon has a fair amount
of history which I will not detail here, as there's a lot to get through.

There was really only one thing I knew about in Avignon,
and all the french speakers among you will know that it's the famous
Saint-Bénezet bridge - or rather as we know it; Le Pont d'Avignon.
You see French speakers are taught a nursery rhyme as kids,
all about the Pont d'Avignon and the dancing that happens "on" or "under" it depending on the version.

However this bridge is a bit weird as it goes nowhere, several arches are missing these days, so you can walk out onto it, and walk half way across the river, but that's it!
We didn't feel like paying the fee needed to experience this wondrous monument ... so we just admired it from the ground.

Satisfied with the touristy stuff, and getting a bit hungry, we stop off for yet another traditional french lunch. Kebabs!
(I have to say, as far as eating local goes, on this trip we haven't really outdone ourselves, what with a Mcdo stop to add on to our - actually pretty damn tasty - kebab.)

With the heat not getting any better, and me needing to get out of the sun, we make the decision to leave the south and head up towards the mountains... the Mont Blanc to be precise.
The plan is therefore to drive up to a small mountain village near Albertville where we would spend the night.

Long post this one ... and we aren't half in bed yet. ;)

We arrive near Albertville some time late in the afternoon.
Having watched the landscape change from flat open fields, we now find ourselves in the midst of luscious greenery and ever growing hills. We can already spot the snow covered mountain tops.
We gage the temperature meter on my car approx every 30 secs, hoping and wishing the degrees would go down.
34, 33, 32 - Wohoo, 33, 32, 31 - Wohoo, 30, 29 - Wahey,
...

We both agreed that Albertville was not the small village we had in mind and so we proceeded up on the route towards Chamonix.
A lot of windy roads, confusing deviations, endless traffic lights and middle of the road drivers later, we decide we really should start looking for a place to stay.

This for us, was the hardest part of the our road trip, as with both of us being slightly indecisive; it's a real game of "what do you think of this place?", "hmm", "too expensive looking?", "hmm yeah, not great", "let's keep going for a bit", ... , "and this one?", "I don't know, let's go to the next village and if there's nothing we'll come back". You get the idea.

A quick stop off on the ice-rink car park at St-Gervais-les-Bains for a smoke and a stretch, and off we went.
30 meters up the hill, right in a blind turn, my trusty car decides to die.

Pretty quickly, despite our best efforts, we realise that it is useless to try and get the car going again, so I let the car roll back to the car park trying not to get smashed into by the numerous cars coming round the bend well over the clearly signposted 30km/h.

Thankfully, I always take out extra travel car insurance when I leave Belgium with the car, so a quick phone call later, a tow truck was on its way. The guy diagnosed the car as having a busted fuel pump and broke the news that this was not a quick fix and my that Peugeot needed to be taken to a garage in Chamonix for a new part.
It was about 8 in the evening by this time.

Another quick call to the insurance company and I am told that a taxi will pick us up from the tow guy's garage and take us into Chamonix to find us a hotel for the night. So far so good.
I was allocated a budget to cover transport and hotel costs for the duration of the car fixing.

The taxi was there when we arrived in Les Houches. We quickly decided what stuff we needed and crammed the rest (suits and all) into the boot hoping it would all still be there when we returned. The friendly woman drove us up to Chamonix and stopped outside the Mercure. I had calculated that with the budget given, worst case scenario we'd be stuck here for 3 days, that we could afford a room at about 100 euros per night. Compared to the 20/30 euros we had been aiming for up until now, that was total luxury.

I manage to negotiate the room rate down from 159 to 96 which was a relief as it was getting late and we were well and truly pooped. We head into town to find some food.

Having been here before, Simon knew of a good place that served food quite late. He was dreaming of a Tartiflette, and I was quite partial to Fondue Savoyarde. It was still about 25° so our choice of dinner might seem bizarre as traditionally, these dishes are great to keep you warm during the ski season.

I had never been to Chamonix, but I loved it instantly.
It is set in the most beautiful surroundings, right next to the Mont Blanc,
its streets are mostly pedestrian, and there are LOADS of shops.

(I'm aware of the shitty quality of this pic, phone cameras don't work too well at night.)

I had no problem being stranded here for a day or two. None at all.

Day 4

2008-06-22T00:00:00.004+02:00

Day 4 - Bégur - Avignon - approx 6hrs drive.

The morning was spent outside in the sun drinking coffee and eating cookies bought from the nearby shop with Emilie, the "single one". (as she was flatteringly named by the pizzeria staff - charming!!!) (I'm sorry sweetheart, but it was a classic and it had to be mentioned!).
She provided us with last night's end of party gossip and a good dose of laughter.

The 2euro map was out on the table and the main decision of the day was where we would head to from here.
The options were either tails; up the coast to the west, or heads; drive up into the mountains to the east. It was heads, EAST.
Various members of the Belgian delegation dropped by for a quick chat during our serious trip planning and I noticed how jealous they all seemed to be when we told them of our decision methods!

We packed up our stuff, waved goodbye to the happy couple on their way to the beach, stocked up on some cold water and nuts, and set off towards Avignon.

We got into Avignon some time early evening and despite it being a lot bigger than I thought, It is a beautiful town completely surrounded by ramparts. After visiting one of the dingiest hotels ever, we settle on the Etap Hotel just outside the city walls - I'm not usually a big fan of these kinds of places as I find them sterile and deprived of any charm, but they are cheap and comfortable and the staff here were really very friendly.

We walk into town for some dinner and - yes, I know - ended up at an Irish pub.
Despite it being feeding season for the mosquitoes around our table, my salad was actually really tasty, and big enough to feed a small village.
At least they managed to spell "Salad" correctly, can't say the same about the "Salmon Irisch". Oh dear.

A very warm and sticky night followed... however after the paper thin walls of the Pizzeria, what luxury to have a bit of quiet.

Day 3

2008-06-21T00:00:00.009+02:00

Day 3 - The wedding - Aiguablava and Pals - approx 35°.

We shamefully spent the morning in bed, trying to get an extra 40 winks before having to face the heat (and his worst nightmare).
The mood over Bégur was slightly stressed for some and being able to see wedding HQ from our terrasse I realise that there's still a lot that needs to be done and it's getting late already.

Driving around in the exhausting heat, desperately trying to find a nice place to sit and relax for lunch, we are forced to fall back on a supermarket. A baguette, some ham and cheese and a pot of aioli (in homage to the last time I was in Spain with Cath) later, we head back to the room for a now very late and speedy lunch. With only 30 mins to finally eat and get dressed the stressed atmosphere from the villa has wafted over to our room.

And then Massimo Dutti fucks up.
I was soo looking forward to seeing my man in his new suit, but this was not to be. When making the alterations to the suit jacket, they (and how they managed this I have no idea) stitched one of the arm linings wrong thus making it impossible for him to put his arm in the sleeve - I think he was secretly relieved at not having to wear a jacket in this heat though!

Now reeling from one of the worst migraine's I've ever had the chance to get, we grab the last of the flowers, stuff them in the boot, and head off to the church.

It was a bit of a walk from the car park, but it was well worth it,
the church and it's front courtyard was stunning.
(You have to hand it to Cath, who really knows her stuff
and persevered to find her perfect place.)

All the long summer dresses were out; the suits and ties too (I pity all men at this point - how they managed to not faint in the heat is a bloody miracle). Everyone, as expected, looked stunning.
Have you ever noticed that some people, despite the baking sun, manage to stay immaculate; no hair out of place, no running makeup, no flushed cheeks... ? (I am not one of these people!)

Everyone retreated into the church for some well earned coolness and we all waited impatiently for the bride to arrive. (We knew she was running late, something about the hairdresser.)

I'm going to bypass the ceremony, except to say that it was absolutely beautiful, very moving and ****ing painful.
(At this point I will take two seconds to thank Pedro, for assuming the role of designated driver, to get my car safely back to the pizzeria for I was now no longer in any state to drive).

The rest of the afternoon noon for me, was spent in bed trying to recover so I could at least enjoy the reception.

Feeling a lot better (thank god!) we head down to the beach for dinner and dancing.

I think we might have given Belgians a bit of a bad name tonight
(mmeehh, so what else is new?), our enjoyment resounded out
from the cove disturbing the peace in a pretty spectacular way.
This at least until the hotel management let us know
that we really must to keep the noise down.

Congrats to Cath and Max;
Amazing planning, fantastic setting, good food and just an all around memorable night.

Day 2

2008-06-20T00:00:00.008+02:00

Day 2 - Aumont Aubrac - Bégur (err sorry Aiguablava) - approx 5hrs drive.

Earlish start after visiting the ATTAC supermarket to pick up some water and stuff.
This morning's drive was amazing;
stunning scenery, a next to empty motorway and gorgeous weather. This is the driving I love.

We continue our discovery of the middle France, passing by Rodez. The place holds a special - but not soo positive - place in my heart as it reminds me of the summer I spent there while working as a Club Med GO, way back when. And for some reason the 3 times I've crossed France, I've bypassed this area.

The main attraction of the morning was catching a glimpse of the Millau Viaduct.
This is the tallest bridge in the world and it's bloody stunning.
(Someone else will probably write about this technological feat a lot better than I will)

(Please excuse the squashed bugs tainting the fabulous scene)

We did cross over it, and much to my regret, I didn't see much of the view, as I was quite conscious of being high up and driving a car. :)

We cross the border into Spain somewhere around lunchtime, fill up on petrol and I notice immediately that driving alongside trucks on Spanish roads is going to make for a slightly stressful last leg of the journey.

Some time mid afternoon, nicely toasted from the car, we arrive at destination and discover with delight that the "staff" room we were staying in at the Pizzeria, was on the roof with a private terrace and a stunning view of the bay. Very nice start.
(Although the small washing machine in the bathroom having just finished a cycle should have tipped us off.)

As about 150 Belgians were descending on this town for the wedding, and it wasn't long before we all congregated to the fiancé's villa next door for a somewhat larger than planned barbecue.
A good way to catch up with old friends and meet new ones ahead of tomorrow's ceremony.

Cath organised most of this weekend herself.
I sure being co-owner of an events company - Ta Bas Co with Emilie and Sophie helped, but she had the confidence to undertake this and all the details were thought of.
Even the little welcome kit in every hotel room, complete with personal note, area guide and biscottis !!)

Road Trip 3 - Day 1

2008-06-19T00:00:00.007+02:00

Destination : Bégur - a little town north of Barcelona.
Reason : Cath and Max's wedding (and a week added on cos we both needed a holiday).
Method of transport : My Peugeot 206.
Route : Straight down the middle of France and up the east side on the way back up.

Day 1 - Brussels - Aumont Aubrac - approx 10hrs drive.

Setting off at about 10am, I had no idea what was ahead, and for the first time in my life, I was (just about) OK with that!
I knew we had 2 days to get down to Bégur and that the estimated number of kms was 1300. The rest was undefined, undecided and totally up us.

I think that by the time we crossed Paris, I had a fair idea of the amount of driving I was actually faced with and while being relieved at having the hardest part of the journey behind me, I was realising it was a lot longer than I had first thought.

Taking the national roads down through the middle of France, thus avoiding the ridiculously expensive tolls, we bypassed some stunning wine regions and a few famous water towns too.

We pushed through until we got past Clermont-Ferrand - This was my objective for the day. The night was spent in Aumont Aubrac, in a little 2 star bar/resto/hotel opposite the cheap and really nice place we were hoping for but that had no rooms.
Arriving too late for dinner, we sat on the hotel porch drinking a couple of beers to unwind.

(I know most of you won't give a rat's about this kind of post, but it'll be nice to read this again a couple of years down the line. If you feel like reading Simon's account of all this... go here! - and if you happened to be at the wedding, feel free to share your impressions.)

My new toy

2008-05-18T21:00:00.004+02:00

Ok, so it finally arrived. My long awaited Mvix MX-760HD.

I'm not a total geek, so I'll not be getting into the nitty gritty of the tech specs of this little marvel. You can go check other reviewers if you're interested. This is more of a user based review (which will most likely be more useful and comprehensive).
Basically it's a media-viewer with a hard drive inside that can store and play most media files.

After opening the box, I quickly discover that the fellow who shipped the thing from Canada, is a bit of a twat when it comes to packing. The remote control has had its frontal plastic protection smashed. It still works but I'm a bit disappointed that I've not yet started to use the Mvix and it is already damaged.

Whether it be installing the hard drive I ordered separately or accessing my wireless network, the whole set up process is pretty easy (at least I think it is, as I wasn't the one doing the setting up).
While browsing through the interface (more on that later), I discover with delight, that I can stream a whole load of radios from the box so the installation can now be finished to the sound of Bollywood singing. Basically any kind of music you feel like, free in your living room. Decent tunes are now on tap while entertaining or just chilling. Brilliant!

I'm thrilled to be able to access my PC and by extension ALL my dvix files without having to burn a CD/DVD. It is soo easy and you lose almost nothing on quality. Although I must admit I'm watching crappy files as it is. My bad.
I also get the occasional sentence said before it is heard; however that seems to be sorted now with the upgade of firmware (essential making it now a MX-780HD). This might also be due to above mentioned files!

After a few hours of somewhat intensive usage, I noticed a couple more things.

Because of the Mvix casing being essentially made of plastic, and not having bought the quietest hard drive, there is a consistent humming noise emanating from the box when it is on. While I must admit it is not overly distracting while you are watching something, It can get quite annoying during the quiet bits and when you are in between episodes or in pause mode. ;)

The interface is not that great either.
While it is easy to understand, browsing is a lot longer than it needs to be. You have to navigate through endless folders to reach the file you want to access which can get tedious - although it will skip automatically to the next file in that folder. (Don't expect it to do this between all your folders in a particular media. In Music, it's only one album a time guys, unless you create a play list.)
It's a good thing the product is easy to use, as with a very summarised manual (unless you are fluent in Korean) you will have to search a bit, but that will help you get to know your way around the Mvix. Alternatively, you can download a more complete version here.

I have found that viewing photos is not that great either, it can't handle large images and therefore loading is too long.

All these are just superficial. And don't really matter, I didn't get the thing to view photos and I don't plan on spending hours on end browsing through my files just for the hell of it.

But, there is one major flaw in this marvel.
Transferring files via the network. (I fear I might lose one or two of you here.)

Transferring your files from the pc to the Mvix is painful. It uses an NDAS system (whatever that means) and this whatever it is tends to bugger up alot of things. It is UNBELIEVABLY slow to copy. Don't even try copying more than a couple of GB over unless you have a couple of hours ahead of you. And don't forget to turn NDAS off in the settings before plugging the Mvix directly into the computer, it will corrupt your files. Hmm.

So in the end, I download the file onto my computer, and watch via the network.
When I have a decent amount of files to copy over, I will disable the NDAS, un-plug the box, plug it into the PC (thus crawling on hands and knees) and move the files. Such a hard life. :)

Now don't get me wrong, I am really happy with my purchase, I use it all the time and it has already proved it's portability and easy set up more than once.

An extra remote on the table, but it is pure pleasure.

frə'strā'shən

2008-04-30T16:45:00.005+02:00

FRUS•TRA•TION
noun

• the feeling of being upset or annoyed, esp. because of inability to change or achieve something:
Today I feel like screaming with frustration.

• an event or circumstance that causes one to have such a feeling:
The inherent frustrations of bad organisation.

• the prevention of the progress, success, or fulfillment of something:
The frustrations of one's work standards.

[Origin: 1425–75; late ME frustracioun • frustrātiōn- (s. of frustrātiō) deception, disappointment.]

Ways of coping with frustration:
• screaming (- usually at someone other than the "frustrator"),
• crying (- preferably in the toilets),
• shouting (- see screaming),
• banging head on desk (- watch out for sharp objects),
• digging nails into palms while smiling sweetly,
• retrating to the balcony for a smoke (- although this might result in premature death),
• going home.

... And getting a 4 day weekend.

On yer bike.

2008-04-17T08:45:00.000+02:00

Most of you will know, I am not what you call an exercise freak.
I, like most other people, find it hard to actually get my butt into gear and get going.

However, with my new job being only 2,5km away, I have decided I am going to leave the car at home and replace it with a stunningly becoming florescent yellow vest and a flashy helmet... and a bike.
Knowing that it would take me a whole 10 minutes longer to take the car or the metro, I can't really justify getting to work any other way.

So I'm proud to say, that since Monday, I have been cycling to work.
And here I am, 4 days later, and although a little less motivated that the first morning, It's going OK. I have found a relatively easy route to work, avoiding the busy streets as much as possible.
It take me a total of 9 minutes!

Testing possible routes out last weekend, I quickly noticed that while we are being "encouraged" to leave our cars at home, Brussels still has a lot to do before it becomes safe to ride a bike during rush hour.
I take a pretty busy route crossing one of our most perilous 4-lane roundabouts, and riding down main roads. And not a single cycle lane!
So not wanting to get squished by the average Belgian driver, I avoid the roundabout in the morning and take the pedestrian route (- which I'm not actually allowed to do!)

Anyway, I just thought this new hobby of mine deserved to be documented. :)

And in other news...

2008-04-02T21:33:00.009+02:00

... On holiday at the moment, my brief but pretty cool experience with the big red train is over.
(or it is purple.) I have a feeling I'll be seeing a couple of the girls again soon.
My new job at agency begins on the 14th. Wohoo, I'm back to being an Account Exec. (although this job title is used for just about anything these days. So, you will all still have no idea of what I do - or don't do all day!!)
Actually slightly excited.

I miss Liz right about now. I'm not really looking forward to doing the job without her.
We will work together again, Sm, we will! :)

... As this was a subject on previous one of these, those pillows I mentioned. LOVE 'EM.
Finally, I have found pillows that do what they are supposed to (- unlike the mattress).
And (and this is big news!!) I have at last left the clan of the futon lovers and have restored my bed back to its normal height.
Nice one Ikea, a grand total of 11 months to get an order right. (Although I must say they were very amiable and helpful in their incompetence.)

... I ordered a nice new toy. The Mvix MX-760HD. I surely won't appreciate the wonder of this little box, as I would need both a nice HD screen and decent video quality from my files. And I have neither. But basically I bought it so that I could finally stop having to burn my TV shows onto dvds or cds (depending on which one of my drivers was feeling helpful that day), and just send them straight to my TV through the Mvix. I can also put all my music (and all other media) on it. It should give me some respite from my current storage space crisis.
Today, the 4-6weeks are up. So where the hell is my bloody Mvix?!?! :(
(first ebay purchase, coming from Canada)

... Going to see Cirque du Soleil on Sunday. The show, Delirium, is coming to the SportPaleis in Antwerp for only two days. Not only will it be the first show of its kind that I'll be seeing, but also in the biggest concert hall. Very excited!!!

It's in the air tonight.

2008-03-15T21:18:00.010+01:00

The Georges Henri carnival is in town!
It's a tiny thing with one or two kiddy rides, arcades and food stalls, but it has brought a nice atmosphere to the street.
I'm sat here tonight, with all the windows open (uhuh, it's 15 ° outside) and I can here the occasional scream, not from the landlord this time, but from the rides.
(god, I really miss the Waltzers - although I didn't realise they were so perilous!!)
We are very lucky this year, Easter falls early and so do the holidays. This means we get an extra couple of weeks of rollercoaster season. :)

It's that time of year again. The season is almost upon us!

(I know most of you will have lost interest by now)

Now the last year couple of years have been crackers with a good few little outings. I got to go back to Disneyland resort Paris (or whatever) for an exhausting 2 days. I managed to detour slightly to Alton for one of the best coasters yet for me. And then; there was Goliath.

But there has always been Walibi (- finally an updated website!).
I know we are in Belgium, and it's a shitty little place, but out of all the parks I've visited, the best mix is there.
It's a manageable sized park, and it has some great rides. However, last season, it was starting to be more about queuing than anything else.
I'm all for a bit of queue. I'm usually fine with a good ten minutes. I think it's necessary to let the adrenaline levels lower inbetween rides. But when you spend your day out standing in queues surrounded by idiots, and at the end of it, you realise you only managed three or four rides, it leaves behind a bitter after taste.

Anyway, start of season should be ok.
By the time we get there, the machines (coaster, tills or otherwise) should be well oiled.

Must check if there are any parks on the way down to spain!

My slice of Paradise.

2008-03-03T00:00:00.020+01:00

I am extremely lucky to have a couple of places all around the world where I can go and take a time out and relax. With my mum in Brazil, by the beach to my brother in Guatemala by the lake, I'm totally spoiled for choice. *jammy smile*

I don't have to go far if i don't want to either. Last weekend, well Wednesday eve to be precise, I headed out to the Ardennes with boyfriend for 6 days of R&R.
Glorious!

About 50 years ago, my grandparents had a small chalet built, right at the end of a track in a tiny village near Florenville. This place has a lot of history for me and I have amazing memories. Memories that come flooding back as soon as I open the front door and the all too familiar and recognizable smell of the chalet reaches my nostrils.

It has been the only constant thing in my life. I have moved homes a lot and I guess this place has always just been there.
I used to spend summers here as a kid when we would to visit from the UK. Later, It provided a fantastic place to study for exams during college.

I was thinking about the things I had learnt here, this is what I came up with:
swimming,
fishing (the whole process - right through until cooking),
horse riding,
Black Jack (then known as Banque 21),
fire making (although this, until recently, only by observation),
some linguistics,
a little history,
a whole load of marketing and advertising crap;

and more recently:
stargazing,
emergency first aid,
Backgammon,
tiling,
mouse catching, and
exhilarating cycling.

(Haha, how fun has changed ...)

I absolutely love this place and once you have mastered the art of looking past the dust and occasional spider, it is a truly perfect place to relax and recharge.

Last November, and right in the middle of hunting season, we had our first attempt at cycling in the Ardennes, ... err... moving on.
This time around, we planned better and found a short but challenging route to ride. With a bit of everything including a the hellish slope to climb, before you've even had a chance to settle your bum into the saddle! We had a couple of mud puddles to contend with too, which made mud guards essential.
Three-quarters of the way into the ride, as suspected, my old front tire gave out and I ended up pushing the bike home.

This gave us a chance to visit the local bike shop to buy some supplies and add another little dent in my car's body work on the way. :( - it turns out heavy rain loosens the asphalt on the road and huge pieces come away right into the path of oncoming cars - in this instance, mine! I was totally unable to avoid the boulder and I smashed the thing to pieces when I rode over it.
As a result, I will be paying another visit to my car mechanic to see if the alignment isn't slightly off. Where is my company car when I need it!

Until recently, there had been no heating in the chalet, except for a gorgeous wood burner. Suffice to say, this is not enough to keep you from freezing during the night when there is noone awake to throw another log onto the fire.

But we have been steadily bringing the chalet into the present by replacing the lethal sit down bath with the best shower I've ever had, demolishing and redoing the kitchen (seen here - soo much fun), and adding radiators. With these improvements, the chalet can now be used in the winter and I get to experience this place in a different season.

Anyway, we woke up on our last morning to a stunning blanket of fresh snow.
I had never seen this place in the snow and it took my breath away.

(I've have been VERY good about the number of photos i posted - could have had you sat here for hours.
But I'm a bit disappointed with the pics, they really don't do the scene justice.)

These are better!

This delayed our return to Brussels for a couple of hours, as we had to wait until the snow was melting but not melted, as to leave the dirt track drivable. And watching out for temp change in case it started icing over.

The end of the story involves a tractor, a very nervous pizza stop and a whole lot of "soft hail".

Noisy Nuissance

2008-02-21T08:52:00.007+01:00

I know I haven't written in a while. I don't know if it's that my life has been full of all sorts of stuff, or if I've just not had the inspiration to find something decent to write about.
(My drafts folder is full of unfinished posts which, most probably, will never see the publish button.)

But today I need to rant!
I'm in the office right now, and thanks to my lovely landlord, well to be more correct - his wife, I am absolutely wrecked and cannot wake up.

Some of you know this, but for those of you who don't, my recently married landlord and his missus, argue a wee bit.
Now this in itself is not a problem.

The problem is, that every time she decides to scream at him, she screams for Flanders! And well, with me living in the flat just above, it can turn into a bloody nightmare.
I can't really explain how loud it is, I hear it through the walls, the floor and the stairwell. I can hear every word (lucky for me, my dutch is not soo good as to allow me to understand every word when delivered at high pitch and high speed - but I get the general idea, and the reasons for her bitching don't vary much!).

Now, I know that when you live in a flat (especially in a Brussels town house), you will inevitably hear what's going on around you. And most of the time, I don't mind it that much - it offers a feeling of security that you don't get in a house. I've had my fair share of noisy dealers - err sorry, neighbours, but this time it's getting really uncomfortable.
You see, when you hear people argue and scream at one another, it gets your stress levels up, it tends to leave you in a state of heightened annoyance and it will influence your mood for the rest of the day.

I have made my feelings known to my landlord. 3 times so far in the last 2 months. They always apologise profusely and I'd imagine they don't realise how loud they are being. However, clearly, in the middle of an argument, restraint is not usually a quality many people possess.

Anyway, last night, someone other than me had finally had enough. The arguing started around 10.30.
I've become quite a master at drowning them out and not paying attention to the incessant screaming and sobbing. It only really started to bother me when I wanted to go to bed. I made the most of a time-out to fall asleep, but was rudely awakened not more than 10 minutes later by an insult which I swear was coming from my living room. I listened for a while, trying desperately not to let my state of doziness be replaced by anger. It continued. After a while, I heard some tapping. I can't really tell where it came from. A couple of minutes later, it came again. It was clearly not loud enough to permeate the noise levels from downstairs.

A short respite followed, giving me enough time to fall asleep.
Once again to be woken abruptly by a slamming door (at least I thank that's what it was) and more screaming.
I was, understandably, getting pissed off by this time, so I grabbed my phone and sent a short, to the point sms.
Stop. Please.
It was about 12.30 by this time. I am assuming his phone was not in the vicinity because the noise continued.
More tapping, by some other poor soul trying to get some sleep, each time becoming more insistent.

And then, the doorbell. SALVATION.
Someone - not me, had finally called the police.
They didn't stay long, and believe it or not, the arguing continued after they left - although at normal noise levels.
It was about 2.30 by the time I escaped into a quiet dreamland.

As much as this whole thing annoys me and really is starting to make my flat feel even more unwelcoming, It's very sad to see that a couple who, a couple of months ago, were obviously hopeful enough to get married, have now become two beings, unable to listen and whose only form of communication is screaming at each other.

I'm hoping that one day, the penny will drop and she will finally realise that the more you yell, the less they listen.

OK, rant over.
Should get back to work.

Flight tracker

2008-01-05T00:54:00.000+01:00

Can someone please give me the link to a usable flight tracker for flights OUTSIDE the sodding USA???

pissed off now. :(

The real face of Advertising

2008-01-04T16:14:00.000+01:00

Still laughing at the exquisite portrayal of this wonderfully honest and sincere industry.

p.s. Oh yeah .... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Bonne Maman

2007-12-29T22:00:00.000+01:00

My grandmother died today.

Just as I thought 2007 couldn't get any worse. It did.

My sister and I were lucky enough to be able to get a last minute flight back to Brussels on Thursday to visit her in hospital. She was taken in suffering from a pulmonary embolism after becoming so weak she couldn't get out of bed.

Listening to the doc telling us how she was doing and then seeing her having to struggle for each breath, made my own memories come flooding back.
I don't tend to think of summer 2003 that much, all I remember is the loneliness. Despite being surrounded by people, I had never felt more alone.

She didn't seem to feel like that, and while being totally exhausted, we managed to talk to her, tell her that we loved her, and say goodbye. It was a rough day, but after having hesitated to go back for just the day, I will be eternally grateful that I did.

I spent hours last night, going through some of the memories I have of her.
I found myself back on the Belgian coast where we used to spend our Easter holidays as kids. It was always so bloody cold and windy, but we would love sitting in the wind, running on the beach and taking our first trips to Meli park which gave me the love I now have for roller coasters.
But her greatest achievement at La Panne was taking my brother and I to see the Fly. I was 11. And it has scared the bejeezus out of me ever since. I remember being taken to see Rambo: First blood part II a year earlier as well. Cool grandmother or what !!!

Or every Tuesday after school when I would take the bus to cross town to spend the night with her and my grandad. She taught me French grammar... well as much as she could cos I was real shite at it. I did this for the first two years I was in Belgium to avoid having to resit a year due to my weaknesses in French.
I remembering her help me out with my book list in my final year. She read a couple for me and made up the best little summaries describing the characters, the intrigues - both hidden and obvious - and cross referencing a plenty. I aced my exam and I remember those books better than the ones I had actually read myself.

Merci pour ta patience, pour ton soutien, pour les sorties théâtres, pour les bols de yahourts à la cassonade, pour les petites histoires avant de s'en dormir et enfin, pour nos petits déjeuners à deux devant la grande fênêtre de la cuisine.

Tu vas me manquer. Je t'aime.

Merry Xmas

2007-12-24T22:50:00.001+01:00

Well, here I am on xmas eve, and for the second year running, I'm spending it in Bristol.
It has been a totally bizarre and yet very normal day.
We started off the day with a huge cup of coffee and a chocolate m==-oi-p (muffin was the word I was writing, however, Takanna had other ideas) in the local Cafe Nero.

Followed by a massive amount of visa usage and yet another purchase of slightly small winter coat. Let's leave it at that shall we.
A quick trip to Sainsbury's for some last little additions to the HUGE amount of food already in the fridge to be consumed tomorrow and the afternoon was done.

So, tonight, I am sitting in my sister's living room, watching Captain Jack Sparrow after having just finished a kebab. What traditional way to spend xmas eve. I love it.

We had planned to go and see if the Bristolians had once again won the award for most electricity spent on lighting up a house for Christmas but a greedy dog ambushed our plans by eating an entire xmas pudding. This is a problem because it turns out that raisins are highly toxic for dogs.

So, finally ending my blogstipation, I'm sat here thinking about who is currently doing what on their respective xmas eves... and while for some, it has been over for almost 10hours already, others in the East haven't even started.

Whatever you are doing tonight and tomorrow, Enjoy!!!!

Someone is traveling.

2007-11-24T21:58:00.000+01:00

Enjoy!

Bande de cons!

2007-11-19T09:40:00.000+01:00

ok so someone took the time to transcribe the piece I was trying to post last time....

Bande de cons !
pas vous, cher public !
Les autres, les formateurs, informateurs, explorateurs, chefs de groupe, présidents de partis flamands, présidents de partis francophones, second couteau, troisième couteau, de gauche, de droite, les cathos, les écolos, les franc-maçons, les libéraux...
Bande de cons de Flandre
Bande de cons de Bruxelles
Bande de cons de Wallonie.

D'abord à tous ceux qui croient avoir gagné les élections d'il y a 5 mois.
A tous ceux qui avaient un grand sourire.
A tous ceux qui avaient les bras en l'air.
Le temps est venu de vous avouer quelque chose :
Les gens n'ont pas voté pour vous parce qu'ils vous aimaient.
Les gens ont voté pour vous parce qu'ils étaient obligés.

A la veille du onze juin, dans les rues, les maisons, les bureaux, les gens hochaient la tête et se demandaient vraiment qui ils allaient pouvoir choisir dans parmi ce catalogue de nuls, de klettes, de nouilles,
d'opportunistes agressifs,
de carriéristes sans charisme,
de mal fringués,
de gros types à l'élocution problématique,
de petits nerveux en pleine tendinite de l'égo,
de semi-hystériques,
de semi-mafieux,
de cyniques,
de je-m'en-foutistes,
de ratés de tout le reste,
de fils à papa,
d'experts comptables en décrochage professionel
d'entrepreneurs en faillite frauduleuse,
de sinistres,
de pas lavés,
de faux gentils
de vrais méchants...
Les Leterme, De Krem, Reynders, Milquet, Michel, De Wever, Maingain, Wattelet, Bacquelaine...
Cette morbide collection de névrosés qui nous gouvernent avec leurs troubles anxieux, leurs troubles dissociatifs, leurs troubles psychosexuels, leur troubles obsessionnels compulsifs.
Et en plus, ils sont tous... Si moches...

Cette élection, à tout le monde, ça a un peu fait l'impression d'un de ces mariages forcés que l'on organise dans des pays très loin d'ici. C'est comme si on avait été une jeune fille devant choisir entre le vieux marchand qui pète au lit où l'arrière-cousin qui ne se brosse pas les dents.

Bande de cons
Vous n'avez rien gagné du tout.
Si c'était possible, on reprendrait nos voix et on ne les donnerait qu'après les négociations, à ceux qui aurait su être un peu intelligents
un peu sobres
un peu humains
Mais non, donné c'est donné, reprendre c'est voler.

Vous aviez un chouette petit pays,
pas très grand mais bien équipé
de voisins plutôt sympas,
bien situé
avec la mer,
avec la forêt
avec pas trop de charges

Vous aviez une chouette petite population,
pas parfaite parfaite
Mais en gros, ce n'était pas des Talibans non plus,
c'était pas des Contras
c'était pas des Tigres Tamouls
Une petite population de fabricants de pralines
de marchands de kayaks,
de chanteurs à texte
de comiques parfois drôles
de stylistes un peu punks
de postiers plutôt polis
de sportifs en mini-jupe
de flics à moustaches
des tas de gens prêts à travailler plus, à gagner toujours moins, et à ne pas dire grand chose
Une petite population qui mélange le goût des mandarines à celui des spéculoos.
Une petite population qui n'a rien contre l'Eurovision ni les horodateurs.

Une petite population qui rend visite à ses grand-parents le dimanche pour boire un café après le chicon gratin
Une petite population de buveurs de bière et de joueurs de kicker.
Une petite population qui emmène ses enfants à Plankendael au printemps et à Paradisio en hiver....
Comme ça, sans ennuyer le monde,
en VW Touran
Une petite population prévoyante qui a quelques Euros sur un compte d'épargne
et une concession au cimetière.
Une petite population qui est plutôt toujours d'accord
et, en gros, une petite population qui ne veut pas d'histoires.

Et vous,
bande de cons,
tout ce que vous trouvez à faire,
ce sont ces petites réunions où l'on tourne encore plus en rond que sur un circuit Marklin.
ce sont ces petits comités aussi stériles qu'un champ de patates à Tchernobyl
ce sont ces petites réactions à chaud qui me rappellent les crises de mon chat quand il n'aime pas la marque de ses croquettes
ce sont ces airs de petits tribuns en solde
ce sont ces grands chevaux sur lesquels vous montez et qui seront toujours comme ces petits poneys tristes de la foire du Midi.
Tout ce que vous trouvez à faire, c'est de vous tirer dans les pattes pour gagner une floche qui vous donnera droit à un tour gratuit sur ce manège sinistre que vous appelez "politique"

Bande de nuls!
Alors moi,
J'ai eu une idée,
une grève,
une vraie grève,
une bonne grève
une grève de tout le monde tant que la politique belge ressemblera à une conserve de rollemops:
Les enfants n'iront plus à l'école
Les femmes enceintes n'accoucheront pas
Les déménageurs ne déménageront pas.
Navetteurs, ne navettez plus
Alcooliques, n'alcoolisez plus
Chauffeurs, ne chauffez plus
Pilotes, mécaniciens, traiteurs, bouchers, pêcheurs, éboueurs, esthéticiennes, taxidermistes, stripteaseuses, scaphandriers, géomètres experts, fleuristes, tradeurs, opticiens, huissiers, substituts, gourous, préfèts, trésoriers, banquiers, infographistes, ajusteurs, analystes programmeurs, techniciens hotline, proxénètes, dealeurs, animateurs, orthodontistes, urologues,
animateurs socioculturels, fossoyeusr...
Et tous les autres....
Total Stand By
On arrête tout..
Et vous verrez que dans trois jours,
il feront moins les malins.

Thomas Gunzig (écrivain belge)

La fête du Roi

2007-11-15T21:39:00.002+01:00

Today, It turns out is "Royal Holiday" day.

As much as I bitch about Belgium at the best of times, us Belgians (because despite appearances, I am one) do know how to turn every which event into a public holiday!!

Quick history lesson:
This holiday has been around since 1866, day of St-Leopold (or St-Albert depending on which calendar you use) and is traditionally celebrated by a Te Deum being sung at one of our most beautiful cathedrals in the center of Brussels. I have read that the King is not usually present but that he was today to mark the 175th Anniversary of the monarchy in Belgium.
(Would you believe I found more info on the RTBF website than I did on the Belgian Monarchy one - check out the family photos!)

It's not a public holiday I will here some of you cry, well it was for me. :)
You see the advantage of working for a company in the private sector that works so closely with the public sector is that they adopt the public sectors holidays. Although it turns out this isn't really a public holiday as all the "fonctionnaires" (civil servants) seem to have been working today. So now I'm totally confused. (And the Flemish extremists definitely didn't get the day off because they stormed the cathedral chanting the end of Belgium.)

So why did I get the day off, and no one else?
(Hey I'm not complaining. A free day in the middle of the week when all the other shops and services are open is just bliss.)

Now I've been trying to figure out who else had the day off and it turns out not many people.
Apart from the German speaking community in Belgium. It is their national day. They apparently chose today as their national holiday to show their support for the king and country.

I think this is why the monarchy is still around in Belgium these days, because it gives us a few extra days a year off. :) )

So today I find myself a bit of a monarchist.

(I spent the day relaxing, shopping, having lunch with friends and getting my car checked out so I can now go back to my off-road driving in complete safety.)

P.S. For the French speakers among you, please listen to this as someone finally had something interesting and funny to say about our ridiculous political crisis (And he has captured the Belgians soo perfectly)

(This is where the audio file would have been but with blogger audio file restrictions and despite Simon's best efforts to help, I was unable to upload the shortened version of it).
So here it is in it's full hour version,
Bande de cons
Source: La Première: La semaine infernale du 11/11/2007
Scroll to 40'45" and listen until 46'00". (Although it opens in a browser and gives you no time bar to scroll with.... aah F*** it. I give up. )

Change

2007-11-04T23:06:00.000+01:00

I tend to rely on parts of my life to keep me sane, to give me the stability I crave so that when change does come in one part of my life, I can retreat into another part and deal.
I am a firm believer that things always work out for the best and that there's good in everything we experience - and to be totally cliché about it, I do think that every cloud has a silver lining!

We all know from experience that change is inevitable. It happens everyday, all around us and it's the very thing that keeps us going, moving forward and living our lives. Nothing ever stays the same for long.

It's not the change itself I fear so much. I'm usually OK with whichever turn I take in life. Once it's happening.
It's more the short time before it when I feel it coming.

But when I am the one deciding that something has to change, I will turn it over and over in my mind. Not because I am doubting my choice or because I'm scared of the outcome (because I know what is right for me and I trust myself to come out on the other side in one piece), but I do it more because it allows me to stall, giving myself that extra bit of time to prepare, hoping that in the near future it will not terrify me so much to go through with whatever it is that I'm about to change.

I remember explaining it once as if you are on the ladder in a swimming pool and you can't quite bring yourself to get in the pool. You know you will get in eventually and enjoy the swim, but for the moment you're quite happy just standing on the ladder.

Except I'm not. I hate this part of the process.
I can't quite explain what it is that I feel, I never have (even after extensive probing by shrinks - oh god, that sounds totally weird). Except maybe to say that I feel sad, nervous and utterly trapped. But as a kid I used to refer to it as my "funny feeling".
I used to get it mostly the night before the start of term, or exams or when my parents were going away. And to this day, I've not found any (legal) way of making it go away once it's there.

I am lucky that as an adult the frequency of this feeling is less and less. And I can almost forget it even exists. And then BAM, it hits me and I'm right back to being a kid again.

I don't quite know where I was going with this post. Probably nowhere. But I'm starting my new job tomorrow and I thought I might try a different approach to stemming the growing sinking feeling in my stomach - writing.

Not working.
So I'll just go to bed, lie there praying Morpheus finds me quickly and trust that all will be well in the morning (as I know it will.)

In the midst of it all

2007-10-25T01:56:00.000+02:00

I took some time out from the whole job searching thing last weekend and had a blast.

Much needed, but finally it seems things in that department are starting to move, which is a relief but absolutely terrifying. But that's a whole other subject.

John and Simon were back the bar. I wouldn't have mentioned this again, but this time Liz answered the call and rocked up just as I was making a Mojito. Anyway I won't get into details... I'll just say that one of us was clearly needing a night off and over did it slightly. (And Liz fell off her bar stool ;) )

After a very covert stakeout operation, we ended up one member down on Pitta Street at, I think, about 5am. An hour later, I realised this might have been a mistake.
(The stakeout was us following John home, (Liz on foot and Simon and I in the car) just to make sure he could make it on his own. There was suspiciously slow driving and whispering in the streets of Ixelles in the wee hours of the morning)

Think I got to bed at about 6.30. Hmm. Brilliant night.

Also this weekend, I blew off steam by cycling to Halle on the canal route.
36km, and while most of you will say it is flat and really not that far, for me it's quite an achievement.
And as much as I HATE moving my arse to get going, and sometimes regret it mid-way (and take it out of the person who is motivating me), the feeling you get when you sink into a hot bath when you get home, makes it all worth it. It makes me feel great but I can't really explain it.

Curry night tomorrow. :D

La Biennale di Venezia

2007-10-12T00:00:00.000+02:00

I was in Venice last week. My mother was keen to check out the 52nd Biennale di Venezia so I thought I'd join her.
There's not that much of Venice left to like anymore. It is squirming with tourists. And the locals have subsequently become rather unpleasant to anyone who does not speak Italian. I will not (if I can help it) return there in the future.

However, we did see and hear ( I was dragged along to a couple of concerts too) some amazing contemporary art.

It's not that I dislike contemporary art, it's more a case of me liking other stuff more.
And I can safely say that a good 70% of what I saw was not my cup of tea. Some were even totally disturbing. I was surprised to see the subject of war used in many instances.
But a few pieces really caught my eye.

The French pavilion was decorated by Sophie Callé.
Her piece was called "Prenez Soin de Vous" meaning "Take care of yourself".

The idea was based on a letter she received one day, from her then boyfriend. He was breaking up with her.
She came up with the idea of asking a number of women (107 to be exact) to interpret the letter according to their respective jobs.
A proofreader, a judge, a rapper, a sexologist, an sms translator, a Bahrata Natyam dancer... there's even an entry in braille. (And a couple of famous faces too!)

I could have sat in that pavilion reading for hours if found it so brilliant, but we had lots more to see so I settled on buying the book which brings together all interpretations. It now sits on my coffee table.

Slightly outside a main exhibit, next to the french pipi rooms, was a setup promoting Bagdad as a holiday destination under the name of Abidin Travels. (The website reminds me of the fake Oceanic website when Lost first started).

The flyers and videos on display in Venice were hilarious and dig into the website a bit and you'll see what I mean.

"Getting Around while you are in Baghdad
Car rental

BE ADVISED that when driving, you must be actively aware of your surroundings and always check your rear-view mirror. The American military has the right to shoot or drive over cars with their tanks if they think you are blocking the way."

Here's a short video clip that I filmed while there.

Artwork & Concept © 2007 Adel Abidin

It's 5am

2007-10-06T05:45:00.000+02:00

I stumbled in this morning at around about 5 am.
Hadn't done this in a while, I'm getting too old for it you see. :)

I was working at the bar last night and happened to be teamed up behind the bar with my least favorite person there. Very busy and a conference next door. So not looking like a great night!

At 21:00hrs, John and Simon stroll in, meaning business! They sat themselves down in the sofas right slap bang in the middle of the action and grinned.

I really didn't have a lot of time for them during the first part of the night, although I did watch them from time to time. Deep in conversation. The shift continued in a frenzy, the table of 12 were finishing up, the conference goers were coming in on time and every table was full of diners. People. Everywhere. And it's not hugely easy to maneuver about in this place! (that and they need a new website.)

Now usually, I watch this from behind the bar, and apart from the occasional person squashing by me for the till or a glass, I don't have to spend the evening trying to avoid bumping into people. But in an attempt to avoid unnecessary agro, I had opted for service side of things today. And I think I win an award for doing just about all the jobs going that night (ok, apart from the cook). I was on "go where needed" detail.

So a apart from the occasional smoke break and three words with the guys, I pretty much had my head down all night.

And then at around midnight, it wound down. Only three tables left, one of which were my table. :)
We started clean up while Max made us our 'after service drink'. I always like this part of my nights at Le Cercle. But somehow, when it stops, before exhaustion hits me, I'm psyched. (I usually head home not really wanting to). And tonight even more so because I had people to go out with after. :)

By now I begin to realise that John is sloshed. Now I don't usually see John drunk, because if I'm out drinking with him, I will be underneath the table before he's even getting tipsy.
But I was told he had been drinking since office lunch. Tonight he was really funny.

The three of us head over the road to a puppet infested bar (urgh) for a Barbar Winter Bok. (The cold season version of my favorite beer, Barbar.) We were only allowed one round unfortunately as it was closing time for them too. So we savored it slowly and had a good laugh. However, I was perpetually trying to avoid looking at the puppets on the walls to see if they were moving knowing full well I was being a complete idiot.

Back into the street, we head over to pita street for some food (and so that John can look at the naked boobies in the trees on the paintings ). Feeling altogether better for having food to soak up alcohol (for some A LOT more than others ;) ) We decide to grab one last beer at a place where I have spent many a night having a really good time.
I have been going there since I was in college and I still love it. (and no, I won't post the name or a link, this place is for the connaisseurs - and it's busy enough already.)
And the bar met John and Simon's instant approval a couple of years back (and sometimes the latter can be a wee bit hard to please)
But closing time strikes again. :( (bugger, bugger, bugger)

With no beer mug to hug, and our digestive systems crashing from oily food, we realised it was way past our bedtimes and decided to call it a night.

Now I received an sms from John a bit later, saying that his taxi had nearly crashed. And maybe it was him that was jinxing drivers.

He says this because on our very last road trip before he has to give back the company car, I finally did what I had managed to avoid doing for the past 10 years of me driving. I hurt it. :(
The beauty of company cars is that this doesn't seem to be a problem (apart from the fact that John will not have a car for his final week. :( )

So maybe all the near misses (that only ever happened in the car with John) weren't just me driving badly! ;)

Anyways, t'was a pleasant evening gentlemen, Liz where the hell were you? :)

Ps: Oh yeah, The photo. This was the sky out of my bedroom window as I was getting in this morning. I know it's pollution and street lights but it was beautiful.

Day 4: Alton Towers

2007-09-13T00:00:00.000+02:00

Today I got to finally fulfill a childhood dream.

The fun actually starts before you even get to the park. It is completely hidden in the countryside and in amongst the hills. When you see the landscape, you understand why the park has strict restrictions when it comes to the height of rides. You are driving down a country lane, turn a corner and there is a small entrance. You'd miss is it if it weren't for the sign and the fact that the GPS is telling you you have arrived at destination. You drive on (in your fantastic car) and the magic begins....

The car parks are huge and quite far from the park itself but a decent monorail takes us through the forest and there... you get your first glimpse of Air, Nemesis and Katanga Canyon.

Notice how, in both photos (a bit blurry i know), the rides seem totally immersed in nature. It's like this on all the rides in the park. It really gives it something special.

Note: I won't be going into tech details on this post. I have been finding out about them, but it's taking me ages and if I don't get this post out now, I'll start forgetting stuff, and this is a day I want to remember for ever!
Any info you want is just clicks away on a really great site: www.rcdb.com

Ok back to the park.

Armed with wristband to record our visit, we head to the Spinball Whizzer, a spinning coaster in Adventure land. It's a great little ride that got us going for the day. Perfect.

Here is also where we saw the first of the "queue jumping signs" which John and I decided we should print out and stick everywhere at Walibi. (More on queues later).

From there, we headed the long walk to the far side of the park to UGland to try out Rita, Queen of speed (normal queue time: 0 mins, front seat queue time: 7 mins).

The station is in two parts and there are two trains therefore turnaround is lovely. All safety announcements are made through the speaker and we get our first glimpse at how nice it is to be in an English park. There are 4 members of staff manning the station and another two dealing with queue distribution and ride manipulation.

This ride is mostly about the launch, and as opposed to Turbine's flywheel launch at Walibi Belgium, this is a hydraulic launch.
It propels you into the ride at huge speed and then proceeds to give you three instances of airtime that really give the ride it's edge (and it doesn't break once during the ride). Rita boasts 4.7Gs, however I didn't feel them as much as I was expecting. Fun enough to ride it three times though, that, and the fact that apart from the front seat queue, there was no queue.

We tried out the front and back seats and as always, the view from the front seat is unmissable. The ride from the back feels heavier but you lose nothing of the launch or airtime.

Remembering how rough old corkscrews can be, I was expecting to get my head bashed from side to side on the Corkscrew (nqt: 2 mins) and I was right. Corkscrew was built by Vekoma in 1980 and it shows. It is really jerky, not very fast and just downright painful. I'm a dab-hand at reducing headbanging on these rides, and subsequently had to spend the ride sticking my head forward as much as possible to avoid injury (I failed miserably). The only thing going for it, is the fact that it is built in and around Rita, so you get the excitement of seeing her whizz past you. The ride is old and really should be shut down.

We leave Rita behind us and walk back towards the castle and enter it for HEX.
(Alton Towers is basically a huge park with a castle in the middle of it.)

Reading the limited info on it, we guessed it was an Ali Baba replica. And we were right. You have to walk through the castle in very little light and listen to the Legend of Alton Towers before getting to the actual ride part. While the ride is essentially the same, it has the edge on the rides of this type I had already tried because of the theming and effects. Unfortunately, the end is so anti-climactic that you leave thinking you just wasted 20 minutes.
Exiting in the castle grounds we realise how great this building would be during Halloween season.

Oblivion was our next stop. Their opening ad campaign had reached me and I was really excited about riding it. I had decided I would try everything in the park, but faced with this, I wussed out. I'm not a fan of drops and this looked like exactly that. John volonteered to brave the longest queue of the day (15 mins) to give it a go. It is classified as a vertical rollercoaster however a drop coaster would be more accurate. You are brought up to a vertical drop, hung over the edge and then released into a tunnel of mist.
For the scaredy cats out there, there is a great viewing section right at the foot of the drop where the tunnel starts and the rush of adrenaline you get from watching it thunder down the drop was enough for me.

No photos from the top so i 'borrowed' a couple from elsewhere.

John will describe the ride more accurately than me in his trip report, but he used one word to describe it. CRAP. Can't see how that is possible but I'll trust the master.

We stopped off for KFC in this area. The food throughout the park is really varied, there's something for everyone, from the fast food classics of burgers, pizzas and chicken buckets, to the healthier option of baked potatoes and salads. You can even get traditional English food and a cooked breakfast.

Our long walk across the park takes us through the Haunted Hollow (path in the woods with spooky theming that does what it's supposed to - distract you from the walking).
All the areas in this park are quite far away from each other and sometimes only accessible via one route. This layout does wonders to dissipate crowds but it means you do an awful lot of walking. Which i can imagine would be great on a busy day when you spend in excess of one hour queuing for each ride. There is a huge lake in the middle, surrounded by vast lawns where you can sit and relax in the sun. A Huge bonus for Season pass holders.

We arrive into the Forbidden Valley to be greeted by Air, Nemesis and Ripsaw.

We didn't ride Ripsaw as we have the same ride at Walibi. But Alton Towers has added an excellent twist. WATER. The jets are controlled by a member of staff and granted, this is a bit of fun when on the ride, but I think the most fun is had by the people watching. It is hilarious.
It's a little long, but the video below shows the moment when riders are lowered onto the jets face on. I saw this happen many times and it still cracked me up.

Next was Air (nqt: 10 mins, fsqt: 15 mins). My first ever flying coaster. We rode this twice and my second time was a lot better. Mostly because I was not in the front seat on the first try. And the lovely view of dirty socks and being downwind kind of distracts you. The harnesses are really comfortable despite looking a bit like a torture device as they also have leg bars. You have to back into the seat and sit down, before being harnessed in and then tilted to a lying position before you are told to "Prepare for Air" (sorry) and the ride begins.

This ride is not the most thrilling of the park but it is an engineering marvel. It's pretty impressive. During the 'flight', you are sometimes turned to lie on your back, but mostly you are lying face down smoothly passing over the scenery. Not tempted by Skydiving, this is a good alternative for me, but the fact that it is low on the ground means that sensation is not huge. I'm looking forward to riding a higher version of Air.

We had great fun on this one though, singing the Superman theme tune and striking the out-stretched clenched fist pose. :) And for some reason making a total arse out of yourself on a coaster is allowed!!

Over the square to Nemesis (nqt: 0 mins, fsqt: 10 mins). This was the ride I was most looking forward to. An inverted coaster but clearly the best one of it's kind. The harnesses are not the soft foam kind, but rather hard. We were worried this might be a problem when inevitable headbanging arises in banks, but there were none. NONE! The ride is soo smooth, it allows you to really enjoy the ride. It lacks in height but its amazing speed and design takes you in ravines, over blood coloured water and in through the trees. Brilliant!
I'm ashamed to say, at one point I got so overwhelmed by excitement, I nearly peed myself (I said nearly) :)

I never bother filming rides as I feel it never lives up to the ride itself, but I did this time and even though I only got 40 seconds of footage without sound it came out great. (Not for the fainthearted)

We spent the next 30 mins going from Air to Nemesis and back again before deciding we should get on with the other rides.

Onwards to Katanga Canyon.
John LOVES water rides and the sun was out, so I followed him eagerly onto the RiverRapids (nqt: 7 mins). BIG MISTAKE. This is your traditional rapids ride with 8 per boat and as always, it's basically a gamble whether you get wet or not. As the park was so quiet, we were able to get a boat to ourselves. The good thing about these rides is not everyone gets wet to the same extent, and when a fellow rider gets a good wave, it's hilarious. The smile was wiped off clean off my face and onto John's when I received a drenching which left my back and most of my jeans soaking. Hmmm.

It gave us the opportunity to try out the drying cubicles at the exit of all water rides. Cool feature though kind of cheating and not efficient when drenched.

Whilst already wet, we move on the Flume (Not ONE could come up with a better name!?). Apart from it's low water level but amazing scenery nothing really sets it apart from other flumes. Except maybe the fact that whilst in the tunnel, if your are lucky - which we were - you get the Runaway Mine Train whizzing past you in the opposite direction. Very cool. There's a nice little drop in complete darkness to surprise you too.

It was nearing 4 pm and with only an hour left to go, we headed back to the park entrance to pick up our purchases to avoid the end of day rush. Ha, end of day rush.... that's funny.
You can buy photos, mugs, etc at the rides and collect them all at once so you don't have to carry them around with you all day. A nice little service which is really handy.

Nemesis called from afar, and I was eager to get the end of the ride on film so we walked/ran back through the Canyon and the wood. This walk basically finished us off. We didn't manage to get the front seat as the line was closed so I didn't get my film. But what a great way to end the day. :)

Stopped off for another snack and watched the last Ripsaw riders get drenched by the jets (the guy operating the water was clearly on a mission and barely stopping the jets at all. Then began the endless path back to the entrance, onto the monorail and back to the car.

Everything shut down at lightening speed once the clock hit 5pm but we were incredibly lucky that it was so empty and with queue times so short we were able to have at least 15 rides, which is huge (I have read that in peak season it can get so busy that you would only manage 3 or 4 rides in a whole day. We even had bags of time to check out the arcades. We didn't venture into the smaller rides or kiddy areas of which there seem to be plenty, nor did we stop off to shoot the living dead).

Both staff and fellow coasties were very courteous and respectful of the park. We saw no pushing, no queue jumping and above all no spitting. A real delight. Everyone seemed to be having a fantastic day and it made the whole Alton Towers experience that much more fun.

Also noteworthy is the fact that we had no ride breakdowns - which has been a thorn in Walibi's side all season.

So I think I speak for both of us when I say we are very proud of ourselves for making the trip.
The third member of our mini coaster fan club was not with us on this visit, and he was missed. but hopefully our trip reports as well as other video and photos will make up for him missing it.

Day 3: Dublin to Alton

2007-09-12T00:00:00.000+02:00

John was off doing his own thing this morning, so after a bit of a lie-in and thus no breakfast, I spent the time making the most of the room. At 12, we move onto the actual purpose of the trip.

I saw this handicapped parking space in the hotel parking lot. It gives you a good idea of the roads on the Irish part of our trip.

Back at the house, while John does the heavy lifting, I played Tetris (again) trying to fit all the boxes in the back of the Espace so they wouldn't look 'stealable' on the way back (and particularly while parked all day in a parking lot at the park). We were very efficient and it only took us 40 minutes.

We head off to the ferry with the car now slightly heavier than before - note to self, the car will now take longer to brake. I say goodbye to Dublin a bit sad the visit was so short.

We wolf down some bacon and sausage baps on the boat and had there not been a rather long and disturbingly inert queue, I would have bought myself a second!
I'm not so lucky on the slot machines today, and with rising nausea, I decide to catch 40 winks before we arrive in Holyhead.

We got to see a piece of Wales in the daytime today. And it's beautiful! I have decided I will go back there soon. Maybe when I'm over in Bristol visiting Harry. We give up trying to pronounce town names like Llanfachraeth, as all attempt is useless.
I'm sure the pronunciation of these names could be used in a lethal drinking game.

I had managed to get a few names of b&b's near Alton Towers and once again we call to get rooms but it seems most had planned their visits earlier than us! Finally found one in the village of Oakamoor and while the reception we got there was pretty awful, and there was no way to get food anywhere in the village after 8pm - which was unfortunate as it was 8.20 when we arrived, the village is stunning, and the pub landlords and patrons were really decent. We snacked on Marmite branches and Peperami's while watching Russia get their arses kicked by England!

We ended the evening as you would in a country English pub, by playing a little darts!
And play around with the rules and make up your own version. (If we had stuck with the official rules, I would still be there now trying to finish with a double! - or was it triple?)

this was my best score :)

Day 2: Holyhead to Dublin

2007-09-11T00:00:00.000+02:00

This morning I had cooked English/Welsh breakfast outside in the sun. (while everyone else was at work.) We made the most of the b&b having free Internet access so we booked our tickets to Alton online.
(The pressure was now on me not to crash the car before we got there). I felt slightly shitty for going without our 3rd regular member of the 'group', but not soo much that I was going to miss it. :) He'd understand!

As we loaded onto the ferry, I thought back to the last time I had taken a ferry. Over 15 years ago! sheesh...
I relit my dangerous love for slot machines and much to John's amusement I won £23, £7, £5, £1 and £4. Not bad for a ferry trip :)
OK, I put some of it back in the machine, obviously, but I was well chuffed as I had managed to pay for my Alton Towers ticket with my winnings.
This trip is soo fun!!

We drive through Dublin onto Tallaght where's J's family home is. I finally met John's mum and saw a couple of baby pictures and the Ground Force garden. A real cup of tea later and we head over to the hotel so I can drop my bag off. In the room, once again I am reminded of how small my bathroom is. But then again, who at home, has a bathroom bigger than the Blue Banana?

We walk to the Square Mall, although it's really a pyramid. (I'm told the Irish called it that because they couldn't spell pyramid. An Irishman told me this.)
Inevitably we are drawn to the arcade. For some reason I only ever walk into one when I'm with John. Although dragging is not needed. I demoed the ITG machine and then watched fascinated as John amused himself by receiving electric shocks for fun. Aah, boys...

I was taken to the Porterhouse for drinks tonight, and despite wanting to raid the Belgian beers from behind the bar, I was determined to give the Irish stuff a go, and, I'm told this was the best place to go as they brew the stuff themselves.
I braced myself for a night out with 3 Dubliners. Would the Belgian survive?

First up was Brainblasta. The strongest ale of the night, It was decent but it has a nasty little bitter aftertaste. I think I might have liked this one better later in the evening. Next was a Stout, Oyster by name. (It is brewed with fresh oysters. weird) No fishy taste though, thank god, and it's actually really nice! Porterhouse Red was next. Another ale, with a supposed caramel taste. Not bad but to be honest was starting to get a bit happy.

It is at around about this time in the evening, that I noticed this in the women's bathroom. Is it just me or is that continuing to encourage women to be obsessed by how they look? On the other hand, it would be bloody useful during a humid night in a bar! - Not that I'd ever have the guts to use it in public.
I noticed the mirror was deliberately forgiving too! Shameful. ;)

After came the TSB and I'm sure I was drooling over Carl's Barbar by now. Carl is one of J's uni buddies. Decent bloke who borrowed my camera and took illicit photos with it!

Moving on to Temple bräu, my least favorite of the night. Luckily a very tasty ginger cocktail was placed in front of me, which was most welcome. I think I had most of J's too, or was it Emily's? (the real life irish dancer. I'm in awe at whoever can move their feet so fast!)

Closing time came and plan B was put into action. (Plan A being the best fish&chips in town)
Eddie Rocket's, a pseudo American diner. But better, as the signs on the wall take the piss out of the original ones (Totally forgot to take a photo). Massive amounts of finger food were ordered and despite multiple attempts, we never got the jukebox to play our requests (kind of like the DJ in the mp3).
I will be kind to all involved in that part of the evening and not post photos. :)

Stumbled into bed some time after half two...

P.S. I have no idea if anyone except maybe John will be interested by these posts, but this way i've got something to read back in a couple of years.

Day 1: Brussels to Holyhead

2007-09-10T00:00:00.000+02:00

The point of this trip was to help John retrieve some of his stuff from his family home in Dublin and drive them back to Brussels. Being the one with the driving license, I was the designated driver.

Ever true to himself, John was late picking me up, though this time he actually had a damn good excuse.
All was forgiven when I finally sat down in the car and marveled at its technological wonder. Now I drive the "IKEA" car, a Peugeot 206, and when you move your seat, you are most likely going to end the maneuver with the lever coming off in your hand. But with the Espace, EVERYTHING is electric. Seat adjusting is a doddle using little electronic levers and I was amazed at seeing there was a memory button for seat positioning!
We also discover that the front loading cd player can hold 6 cds and play mp3s - If only we had known. Soo many other gadgets and crafty things that make driving an absolute pleasure.

The only let down was the electronic handbrake. It took me at least 5 times (hurting fingers each time) of pulling the outer bit out while simultaneously pushing the middle bit in (and swearing) before it became 'easy' to use but I missed the traditional handbrake that you can use for uphill starts. Maybe it's just me.

Worth noting is the GPS system that shows you the route but also the signs. Very nice feature.

We had planned to take the ferry across but as J had never taken the "Chunnel" we thought we'd give it a go. It's quicker, really easy, (though could become quite a headache if your car is higher than 1m80!) and the GPS systems get all confused.

35 mins later (snoozed in the car - good excuse to adjust the seats again and open the huge sunroof. :) ) we arrive in Dover and the moment I had been dreading arrives: Driving on the left, err right, no, left.

I got into it pretty well but we were mostly on motorways. The English lorry drivers are overtaking freaks! While still ever so courteous, I found English drivers to be more reckless than I had remembered (but then again I was driving back then.)
Anyway, we bypass East London, up past Newport Pagnell (*smile*) and up again over Birmingham via Rugby - kind of.

And then I saw it.
The sign somewhere up near Stoke-on-Trent. Alton Towers.

For those of you for who that means nothing, Alton Towers is a famous Theme park in Europe.

I swear light bulbs went up over our heads and for the next miles we wondered how easy it would be to rejig the plans and free up a day. Pretty easily it turns out, amazing how flexible you can be when it comes to the thing you've been wanting to do since being a kid.
Ok, enough rollercoaster talk, there'll be loads of that later.

Stopping in Chester for dinner was my first real challenge. I got completely frazzled by driving in a city at night. I finally selected the 6th parking lot J pointed out (His patience astounded me on that one) and we went off in search of food - and in my case HALF a pint to calm my nerves and growing pissyness.
Aah the wonders of nice people and cider. I am in England again.
No food was found unfortunately but my trusty TomTom took us to a cash machine! Well impressed.

Plans rearranged, I felt ok to drive all the way to Holyhead another 1h30hrs away.
Nice little b&b in Holyhead, but stomachs were growling. Ironically this tiny Welsh town allowed me to taste one of the best kebabs. Could have done without getting frozen solid by the sea wind. :)

I'm feeling good about this trip now. So far everything has been a laugh. And there's so much more to come.

And in other news...

2007-09-09T23:27:00.000+02:00

... I'm going on a road-trip (my first real one) tomorrow. Driving to Ireland in a Renault Espace. Anyone who has seen me drive will know this will be a challenge. But I'm thirty, I've driven all kinds of cars and vans, and I'll be in the UK in a boat sized vehicle with Belgian number plates... So I think I'll be fine. (famous last words) - aah yes, and we have two up to date GPS systems to show us the way :)))) (and no, I won't take my eyes off the road).

... Actually glad to be getting out of the flat for a bit. The new "mystery" tenants have moved in upstairs. All I know so far is that there's two of them - one male, one female, they come in and out late at night and to be honest, aren't that bad...YET. Also the workmen are in again downstairs, which finally means I might get my bathroom fixed. Got broody this week and started wanting to finish the flat off.

... I've bought two more pillows in my never ending search for the perfect pillow. The research is tedious, but I will prevail!!!!
(Jury is still out on this particular pillow at time of writing.)

Breaking the cycle

2007-08-19T03:30:00.000+02:00

I've not been very talkative this last month. Mostly due to the fact that I haven't really had much time to myself, but also because I've not had a lot to say and I haven't been in the best of moods.

But tonight is definitely worth a post.
As most of you will know I'm turning 30 next week and I been really trying to push those "I'm 30, what have I achieved and what have I got to show for it" thoughts out of my mind. So not feeling altogether great about things, tonight gave me the breath of fresh air I needed!

And it was the doing of my family and friends. A surprise birthday party!!!
I must admit, I was a little freaked out by not knowing what tonight was all about. Though I had been given a few things to go on (and once you know there's a surprise you can't help but pick up on any small slip up) I was completely put off the scent by my friends who all did a brilliant job of assuring me they were not in the loop. Hats off to the one's that slipped up big time and who managed to turn it around at the last minute!

So I turn up - slightly peeved as my legendary parking had let me down and I had been circling the area for a good twenty minutes before settling my two front wheels bang in the middle of a zebra crossing - and find not only most of my family but all my closest friends were there too. PERFECT.

I had a really good night. Though it went by in such a flash that I didn't even have time to savor it as much as I would have liked. I would have liked to have spent time talking to everyone and catching up. The good thing - and I've been thinking this a lot lately - is that I have amazing people around me. People often ask me why i don't move back to the UK. This is why.

So for all you reading this that were involved. Thank You.

Emma

2007-08-14T00:00:00.000+02:00

In the midst of this totally crazy month of August, I got to spend loads of time with Emma. Her proud dad thought she deserved a post - and her totally biased aunt thought so too - so here it is.

At the beginning of August, my brother and my sister in law introduced us to the newest member of our family. Having them here was great.
Ok, there were the traditional family spats over who gets the last of the macaroni but I got the chance to reconnect with my brother, to get to know Amanda and to play with Emma.
(the macaroni is the ridiculously crispy kind, straight out from under the grill - always brings out the glutton in us!)

Her parents gave me the most amazing photo of her in a frame. It pictures her personality perfectly. And it's right here in front of me, next to my screen.... so I see her everyday.
Cameras were out in full japanese-style force during the whole of their visit, and yet - luckily for you- I have very few digital photos of Emma as she was in Belgium.)
I did shoot off a couple of rolls of back and white film on a day trip to the animal park hoping to score a really nice portrait so I can send them one back.

I nicknamed her Grumpybum, but once she became used to seeing me (and the hundreds of other people she met on her belgian initiation) she was brilliant fun.
I have many friends (all in their early 30's!) with young children, and the kids are all really special to me. I love spending time with them (as long as I get to go home afterwards) and seeing them change week by week is amazing.

But with Emma, it's different. "run and hide" was not my first response every time she started screaming. She even did her best to put me off with her nappies and her wet biscuit covered hands. The only day of her stay when I didn't see her was when they went down to Chiny for a break, while I went up to Holland to see one of my close friends get married.

I miss them now they are gone. As annoying as it is ineveitable, months fold into years with absent family members, but when there is a child involved, you're missing huge clumps of their life. I don't like that thought!

I must sort a trip out over there, to see where she lives.
(Once the house is finished and away from mosquito, flea and spider season.:) )

P.S.
(Congrats again to Rudi & Min who welcomed me into their wedding party and made certain i had a great time - despite me knowing only them. Rudi, you'll have the photos in your mailbox before you get back from your trip around Luxembourg... err sorry, Europe! :) ).

La foire du Midi

2007-07-30T00:00:00.000+02:00

Tonight, I paid a visit to Brussels' annual Funfair.
(Some people like to call it a carnival, I've always called it a funfair)

My story goes like this:

As a kid - when we used to come over to Brussels for holidays, Madeleine and Albert (kind of second grand ma and pa) used to take us to the foire du Midi. It would be a night we'd look forward to for ages. (Later, with price inflation, the fair became very expensive so we were introduced to Walibi and the love of rollercoasters began)

I have loads of memories of my trips to the fair, but when I go back today, each stall and every smell triggers off a memory I thought was long gone.
And ok, the music,lights and prices have changed, but the "carni" feel is still there as much as ever.

Tonight, we did try out a couple of the thrill rides (Some classics as fun worthy as ever, others just plain painful). But we actually had the most laughs in the hall of mirrors, the fun house and a sodding glass labyrinth! (We'll just skip over the 4-breasted woman, won't we, John!)
I hadn't shot a rifle pellet at a bobbing balloon for ages!!!

It's funny; tonight I was standing there 23 (oh-my-god) years later, in the exact same spot. And I felt like a kid again.
How some things change and others stay exactly the same!

Ladies and Gentlemen...

2007-07-18T23:56:00.000+02:00

It's really late and my alarm will be going off in the next four hours. Off on holiday. And I can't wait. More about that when i get back.

John has just posted (about bloody time!!) and i am still laughing now. I've often thought this man to be a master of wit, and it comes out ten fold when he writes. (Though unfortunately, you won't be able to see any of his pics, because you have to be a myspace user!)
Anyway, for those of you that were at the housewarming, THIS you want to read!
And for those of you who weren't, enjoy the fine writing style!

Unlikely I'll be able to post while I'm away but I'm sure the other two will keep you entertained!

Ciao!

... (Even ramblers need holidays!!)

When ISPs merge

2007-07-13T13:35:00.000+02:00

I found out a couple of days ago that UPC has been bought by Telenet (And no, no direct links to these guys).

I discovered this, not by email from UPC, nor by letter (although I am told one was sent) but by checking my webmail and being directed onto the Telenet webmail site (in dutch) and subsequently needing a full 10 minutes to log in and understand what the hell was going on.

UPC's webmail was actually quite good and allowed most services that other web based clients offer. Telenet's , however, (for the lack of a better word) is shit. I can cope with not having any clear distinction between read and non read emails. I can also cope with it not saving my settings for longer than one session and I can also almost accept the rrrreeeeaaaalllllyyyyy slow (initial) loading of the Inbox (28 secs).
However the lack of Sent Items, Trash and Junk folders renders this webmail unusable. Their automatic spam filter is non-existent and there's no way of adding one.
It seems (as I was told by both UPC and Telenet) that to solve this I must use a Mail client (Outlook, Mail or other) to be able to do what I want with my emails. This is all great when you have only ONE computer, but experience has shown that it can be very annoying to need an email and not be able to access it because it's no longer on the server, or if it is, I can't access it.

Anyway, moving on.

I am told by both that all the features (ok, then obviously webmail does not come into these) will remain identical until 2008. (I have already been asked by Telenet if I would like to subscribe to their Welcome package which includes Internet connection and phone line - I do not have a land line and I do not wish to get one!)

I hear most of you cry "Just change your ISP". I would love to, but my problem is this.

I specifically chose my xxx@chello.be address and have remained with UPC to keep it. I have been told by Telenet that I will be able to have the same email (replacing @chello by @telenet of course), but when I asked them to confirm this in writing, I was simply told "We can't do that Madame". Not reassuring as when have we, as Belgians, ever been able to take as truth what is said by a Help desk employee.

But I'm now starting to think that a change in inevitable. So the search begins to find a new ISP that will give me the same connection speed, an equivalent download limit and at a decent price.
*Groan*

Ok, rant over, almost... Just so sick of decent (but by no means perfect) companies being bought by larger ones and the service becoming second rate and us, as consumers, having no choice in the matter. IT SUCKS.

Life is fine.

2007-07-09T22:59:00.000+02:00

This thought came to me this evening.

Amidst all the stuff that's going on in my life at the moment - you know, those times when you feel you're in the wrong lane but you can't figure out how to get back into the right one without bashing a few bollards along the way (no, I'm not having a premonition, J) - I've hit a really good patch !

The ending of this job is actually coming at a pretty good time.
Right at the start of the holidays!
Just what I need: to take a breath, smell the roses and enjoy life for a bit.

So tomorrow, I'm off up north with two of my friends for a day of driving, expensive food, lots of queues, mental orange kangaroos and ... oh yeah... rollercoasters!
I know to most people this is quite sad. But I can't wait.

(I think I'm starting to sound like one of those coaster fans from the States wearing flag covered sweatshirts! Sexy.)

The housewarming

2007-07-08T12:50:00.000+02:00

So I'm sat here At My Computer on Sunday afternoon with a strong dose of caffeine in an attempt to kick start my body after a somewhat short night and (I think) a relatively small amount of booze and green tea. My (17) closest friends were there to help baptise the flat and I feel we did a pretty good job of it.

It's a well known fact that when you are hosting a party, you don't really have a lot of time to sit and talk to your invités. I spent most of the evening going from the sitting room to the kitchen, checking in with the English speakers at the booze and food table (who thought this was a very good place to camp out). The office was also visited on a regular basis as one of friends thought she'd like to stock up on my TV show collection and burn a couple (yes 10, Audrey) of DVDs. :)

Another friend made "capiranhas" for everyone for most of the night, he has discovered a talent for cocktail making, though sadly I did not get to taste one.

Two others thought it was hilarious to arrive at about 11.30 and ring the doorbell claiming they were the police answering a call for noise disturbance. I rush down the stairs to find them pissing themselves on the doorstep. Hmm .... very funny! :)

The friend specialised in "Wellness" proceeded to go into my bedroom and tell me that when it comes to Feng Shui, my room is a mess! Turns out having your head pointing East is not good, neither is an open wardrobe (that's being tackled today), electrical cables running behind the head board and my sister's wicker err... sculpture (dead wood). Let's not even mention the art I was planning on putting on the wall. I have decided that, apart from the wardrobe doors, I going to ignore his comments until bad things happen.

And then there's the Indian, Australian and the Irish who camped out on my sofas providing the laughs and stories (and sarcastic digs) until 5 this morning. The sun was coming up and I had to chuck them out so we could all get a bit of sleep!!

So today I have the task of going around flat with a yellow and blue and white bin bag to clean up! Ooops almost forgot, the bottles need to go in yet a different bag (my blue bags clearly state that no glass is to be put in there!!). I've also to find a place to stash all the booze and fizzies that are left over until the next "gathering".

Not a very content worthy post, granted - but I wanted to keep a trace of it while it was still clear (OK, kinda cloudy) in my head.

A very good night! (though I'm sure my upstairs neighbour can' t have thought the same.)

Vertigo

2007-07-01T23:25:00.000+02:00

I've decided not to write a third version of this post.

I direct you to John's post of our rooky flight on the Vertigo.
You can always check Simon's view of the day too to get another perspective.

I'll just end with this:

It's a good ride, and I think with practice, the swinging could be synchronised and it would add greatly to the enjoyement of the ride. The lift bit reminds me way too much of Dalton though which will make absolute certain that I will NEVER set foot on the vertical tower again.

And my day will be remembered for other things besides the Vertigo:
• the absolute soaking we got on the log fumes - including J's decorative and somewhat confusing "wet" marks on trousers);
• the discovery that I have a talent for blowing things up;
• the Turbine still rocks!!! (even with mysterious smoke in tunnel). For those nostalgics amoung you, check out what Turbine looked like when it was still the Sirocco.

The countdown begins D-8...

Hours of fun...

2007-06-29T10:27:00.001+02:00

A couple of days ago I was directed to this site. It basically allows you to create SouthPark caricatures. It's totally addictive and we had great fun at the office recreating everyone.

It has been a bit slow at work (yeah, I know what you're thinking) this week, so I had alot of time to give this site a go ... Most of them aren't post worthy (I'll show you the office one's after I have left), but these 4 are. (One of which was not done by me.)

For those of you who don't recognise them, these are 3 of my closest friends.

Enjoy!

And this is supposed to be one of me (By J) entitled "Amy, I need a holiday".

ps: If any of you have some you would like me to post here, send em on and I'll create a gallery.

Vertigo... Finally

2007-06-28T12:38:00.000+02:00

It has happened!
You can finally experience the "Closest thing to fly".
Tech specs can be found here.

I'm guessing the Corporates in Wavre must be breathing a huge sigh of relief this week as finally the public get to try out the new attraction. Albeit only 400 people per hour. (Compared to 760/hour for the Cobra and 1040/hour for the Vampire)

They chose to open the attraction with limited capacity rather than leave it closed while they figured out how to enable the maximum 800 person capacity that is advertised (This was a good move on their part I think, in theory). To reduce queueing times, a "Pass" system has been put in place - much like the Disney Fast Passes. This system tends to work quite well - but it remains to be seen, how the Belgians deal with such a complicated organisational task!!!!

Walibi is notoriously quiet when it comes to the media and very rarely do they issue press releases. We have been blessed with one this time around (most likely due to the fact that they actually had good news to share). It's in french but you can find it here.

They have posted some rider's comments which suggest that the thrill factor (it is marketed as a family ride) is secondary to the view and the flying sensation (but that's OK because while there's the Turbine, nothing else is needed!). However, the ride seems to run smoothly - This is a selling point as sometimes the coasters can be a bit rough (especially at the start of the season).

Even the ever so static and slightly boring website has got it's own Vertigo page... though I've not yet been baptised as a Vertigonaute so it seems I can't have access to the top notch site.

Add this marketing stunt to the other they have going on all over Brussels (Kangaroos reenacting the "I want you..." slogan that was used by the U.S Army) and it seems the people at Walibi have finally grasped the concept of Marketing and are trying to make the rest of the 2007 season more successful than start.

The paper clip thieves

2007-06-27T14:32:00.000+02:00

This was the title of an article on yesterday's BBC news website, which looks at middle-class criminals in England.

(...) Subjects were given a list of 10 petty crimes to choose from, including paying in cash to avoid tax, taking something from work, and exaggerating an insurance claim.

Presumably, that 61% would be higher still if the list had included a wider range of crimes, such as downloading music and copying software illegally. (...)

Some of you will be amused that for once it's the middle-class that is targeted...

(...) "It's no surprise to see that these crimes are widespread in the middle class - we ought to know that having more money doesn't make you more moral," says Mr Northcott.

"In fact, the crimes are largely about hanging on to money, and the middle classes are better at that. That's what makes them middle class." (...)
source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6238090.stm
(Love it!)

It goes on to talk about employees that help themselves to office supplies (I remember a certain conversation with friends on this subject not too long ago).
Now this must happen in EVERY office, using photocopiers for personal stuff, printing out a cv on the colour printer, and taking the occasional sugar lump home because you didn't make it to the GB last night and you need your cuppa in the morning. (ok, that's just me then, but it's not stealing, it's a good investment, ensuring I'm in a half decent state and mood when I turn up to work - and trust me that's worth a lot more than some sugar!!!)

At the end of the article, there are four what-would-you-do? questions. If you vote, you get the results. just a bit of fun.

Anyone feeling they want to fess up ?
The confessional is now open...

Bernard's Adieu

2007-06-24T01:07:00.000+02:00

Last night, the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie put on a concert in thanks to the outgoing director, Bernard Foccroulle. My uncle.
A friend of mine, Rudi (who wished to be named) and I were fortunate enough to get last minute tickets. And while I wasn't that up for going initially, I am really glad I went.

I'm not an opera fan, it has to be said (though I don't tend to voice this opinion during family dinners). While I do generally like parts of a performance, I will invariably come across that point (usually during a Soprano solo) when I'm too hot and uncomfortable or want to sleep. What is happening on stage is no longer enough to keep my concentration. Most times, I have managed to get back into it, but going to the opera is more something I do because I feel I should rather than because I want to.

There has been the occasional piece I have liked enough to see twice. And I find that (as with most music) once you start to recognise the music and get to know it, it becomes a whole lot more enjoyable.
I worked for a while behind the bar at la Monnaie during college, and even got the chance once to work at the canteen (no white hat and plastic shoes though!) during Carmen that was being played at the Cirque Royal.
The show ran for at least a month and I was there most days and for the rehearsals before that too. It was great fun (and hard work) and for a short period of time, I got to see the Monnaie behind the scenes. Suffice to say, if there is one Opera CD I have in my collection, It's this one.

Anyway, tonight's concert was amazing. A mix of every different kind of music and expressed in many different ways (solos, duets, dancing, speeches...). I knew some of the singers, lots of the music and there was some sort of emotional charge in the theatre that made it captivating from beginning to end.
A thoroughly enjoyable evening!

And a little extra twinkle, tonight I got to see my cousin sing on stage with José van Dam.
Now him, I could listen to for hours (and watch him too, this man's charisma just oozes!)
Beligans are very proud of him and rightly so.

So I guess tonight marks the end of an era in my life. It would take too long to explain but it's been a big part of my life, even if not because of the music.

Now I must give this saxophone playing idea some more thought.

The swallows

2007-06-19T00:00:00.000+02:00

Nifty little feature that's just come out on Blogger. Turns out I'm an early adopter!!
A draft version gives us access to posting videos. (Ok, so i know that's non news to most of you, but I'm still new to all this and beyond my expectations I'm still here keeping you vastly entertained!)

Anyway, I was thinking of a way to show the beautiful sunset scene on my balcony - wouldn't work in a photo. If I get a chance, I'll film the swallows and post the result.

Typography

2007-06-12T20:50:00.000+02:00

I am forever pissed off when I publish a post and the typography sucks. It's my job and i'm slightly anal when it comes to orphans and widows, kerning and legibility.

small parentheses: Readability and legibility are often confused.
Readability is most often and more properly used to describe the ease with which written language is read and understood – it concerns the difficulty of the language itself, not its appearance. It is a psycholinguistic rather than a typographic issue. Factors that affect readability include sentence and word length, and the frequency of uncommon words.

In contrast, legibility describes how easily or comfortably a typeset text can be read. It is not connected with content or language, but rather with the size and appearance of the printed or displayed text.

Anyway... If I had the time and patience I would either look for a better blog editor to make my posts "look" better or rework each post manually. I have tried to do this before, but I realised that my formatting gets creative once I click the publish button. GRR.

So in the meantime, I shall try to remain detached from what my blog looks like and try and concentrate on the content... which no doubt could do some with some help :)

The quasi-finished kitchen

2007-06-12T17:53:00.000+02:00

So, it's not totally finished, I still have to do a couple of things:
- sand down the not soo straight edge of the worktop so it sits flush with the wall,
silicone the joints of the various worktops which will make washing up a lot easier. (That's my excuse for the dishes piling up - these were strategically placed out of sight while taking photos),
- find a shelf or two to hold various 'ready to use' articles,
- sort my appliance to plug ratio and insert multiplugs where possible being careful not to overload fuses which would result in darkness. Not useful while cooking of chopping onions :)
(or alternatively, get an electrician in and ask him to insert new plugs).

Did my first laundry load though and to my great relief, did not end up swimming in kitchen.

anyway, here's what it looks like now (and yes, I like my dutch tilts!).

Ceramics for Breakfast

2007-06-07T11:58:00.000+02:00

OK, I know a few of you have been on at me for a post, so here it is!

And... I've finally figured out how to use links here without having to delve into the depths of my brain and remember my basic HTML knowledge. (Once again, being a Mac and Safari user, the direct and easy option was not available to me - However I have found that it does on Firefox.)

I will get around to posting pics of newly installed kitchen but here's something very cool to distract you in the mean time. This toaster is stunning!

It's from www.designboom.com and for those interested in design, it's pretty amazing the stuff that can come out of people's brains.

Here's are a couple more not so shabby ideas I came across...
A very nifty Daisy vase made out of a biro
A stunning Astor phone which I would find hard to put down.

For the Artemide fans among you - maybe a few you haven't seen before.

And a small PS. to those who, like me, like the occasional RC. Thank god for safety regulations nowadays!!!

The move

2007-05-31T10:36:00.000+02:00

I only took a couple of photos of the move in the end. I didn't want pics of the empty flat.
HUGE truck in which my stuff only took up about 1/3 of total space.
New things to add to to-do list:

• New bed frame ordered
• Find missing part for wardrobe (hard to do as don't know what i'm looking for!)
• New taps for shower
...

Goodbye flat

2007-05-29T12:01:00.000+02:00

Well this will be my last post in this flat.

I'm sat here waiting for Junkers to come and take a look at my boiler and as is custom with tradesmen, he'll be turning up anytime between 12 and 5pm.

I've decided that while I should be packing the last stuff lying around, flattening bed, cupboards, etc. I'm going to take this quiet time to reflect a little on this place. Give it a proper farewell, I guess.

This flat became my home 3 years ago, and I took over the lease from a friend. My 2 best friends used to live upstairs which made the whole thing so much fun. They moved out last summer and it turns out (I know what some of you are thinking) that we will once again be neighbours as I'm moving into the same street.
By existing rent standards in Brussels for the moment, this flat was a real bargain. Great location, loads of space and storage and relatively low rent.
It is a bit old and in need of TLC but I like it. This was my second flat and the first was small, cosy but completely "finished". I had no say in colours, or changes.
Here I repainted and really made it mine.

I'm a bit of a hermit so the place I live is real important to me and I spend a lot of time here. The last three years of my life have been eventful and I guess, like anyone, there are many memories here.

I generally see a move as a kind of new beginning, a fresh slate, new habits (time to get rid of the old one's that weren't so good) and new experiences. And I love the first couple of weeks when everything is still new and you settle in.

This time though, maybe because it was not my choice to move, I'm finding it a lot more of an emotional experience than I did my 2 previous moves. All other areas of my life are in limbo too at the moment and I struggling not to feel like the rug is being pulled from under me. The move means I HAVE to move on, leave this phase of my life behind and move onto big and better things. (Those who know me have an idea of how difficult I find changes to handle - I get there eventually but it's always a bit of a stressful time).

I suppose 3 years ago, when I moved into this flat, I naively believed that the next time I packed my life in boxes, it would be to move on to the "responsible adult" bit of my life. That I'd be able to afford a nicer place to rent or even buy. I guess it comes down to the idea that I assumed I would be starting a new life as a twosome and not alone. Don't get me wrong, I love being a single gal, it's just not how I saw my life being as I turned 30.

Anyway, I've got alot of packing left to do, so all this cogitating needs to be put on hold until after the move. I promise a more positive post next time.

Ikea kitchens - The revenge of the cupboard.

2007-05-27T09:29:00.001+02:00

The kitchen is now half up.
The build started yesterday morning and ended around 11pm.
I had gone to buy the stuff on Thursday afternoon - and I have to say, it's an absolute pleasure to visit the Swedish Emporium on a weekday afternoon. I came home with 128kg worth of boxes.

I had some help putting this kitchen together and thank God
(in this case S) for this.

We quickly realised that while we thought we had it all, a mandatory visit to Brico was in order. This seems to be an absolute Must when doing any kind of DIY and it's something that slows down the process considerably. For some reason after the spilt paint and white jean lady incident, I took us to another Brico.
With Jigsaw, silicon, drill heads and pipes for sink in hand, we make it back to the flat and get to it.

Now I always think these kind of jobs will be straightforward and relatively easy to handle.... And it NEVER turns out this way.

I realise quickly that someone in the packing warehouse at Ikea must have had a spaz moment when they packed my drawer elements... 2 left handed pieces!!! So I bravely soldiered on figuring out why I have soo many pieces that don't seem to get used. It take a while to finally realise that the flat packs for drawers are basically the same for all Ikea elements and they sell you the specific bits for your cabinet in a different box. All very confusing if you ask me.

Then a while later, we realise that there are no legs holes for the cabinet we have just built, and with further inspection of the packaging and floor plan of kitchen, I have been given a wall cupboard and not a floor one. I am told by Ikea that I do not have to pull it apart and I can just bring it is as is.
Lovely, just what I wanted, an afternoon sitting at customer service. Another thing on the list of stuff to do for the next couple of weeks.

Jigsawing and flat pack building continues and before you know it, it's 7pm, the old sink is now on my balcony, it's putrid and it strikes me a new sink is in order. Wohoo for Ikea closing at 8pm on a Saturday.
That was the fastest trip to Ikea ever and we arrive home with new sink (lovely) and a mountain of plumbing stuff.

We struggle to finish all the jigsawing before 10pm but I'm sure there must have been a better way to introduce myself to the neighbours!

The way it stands today: the sink cabinet (what is left of it), the sink worktop (what is left of it) and the drawers next to the cooker are up, the worktops are cut to size and the kitchen looks so much better already. I'm starting to believe that this small and weird shaped space will actually look like a real kitchen soon.

The metal structure on which the sink was on before is now happily squatting my new bedroom. There is Ikea furniture building stuff ALL over my sitting room and I'm sure I could make a tidy profit selling the sawdust that's all over my flat to Brico to mop up the occasional spilt paint.

I'm fully aware of the magnitude of stuff still to be done (not just in the kitchen) and with the days flying past and shops being closed now until Tuesday, I'm slightly concerned.

It's hard work but it's good fun and there's a definite sense of achievement when you know you're doing it yourself.

Special P.S. to John who's running in the 20K today... Good luck mate, have a blast. I admire anyone who can run that far. :)

Men Are Just Happier People

2007-05-21T12:45:00.000+02:00

What do you expect from such simple creatures?
Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack. You can be President. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park. Car mechanics tell you the truth. The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more pay. Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100. People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them. The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet. One mood all the time.

Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.

Your underwear is 8.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck. You can play with toys all your life. Your belly usually hides your big hips.

One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You can
"do" your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier!!

Ikea kitchens

2007-05-19T03:08:00.000+02:00

This is my task this week.
To buy and fit my new ultra small but oh so charming kitchen.
Now I'm a big fan of puzzles of any kind, and for the last couple of weeks, i've been playing my very own game of Tetris. Adding to the challenge of a small and evil space to figure out, is the fact that I have to squeeze my washing machine in there too!!!

My job was made considerably easier by a friend who sells kitchens, coming over and measuring the space. He played a little tetris of his own (but he has little fridge, sink, cooker templates) and came up with the best possible solution.

So basically all I have to do now, is decide how much I'm willing to spend, what kind cabinets I want, and find an extra storage idea. Sounds simple.

Now I know can be a spaz sometimes, but I'm finding it really difficult to be sure of what I'm getting, enough to actually hand over the visa card.

So, despite wanting to handle this on my own, I think I will return to Ikea next week, measurements and Tetris drawing in hand. I will be forced to approach a yellow shirt, blue pants employee named Sven .... err no sorry Stefan.

(If the end result is half decent, I'll post an after photo.)

Bush Condoms

2007-05-07T09:56:00.000+02:00

Thanks to Smelly for this addition!

Economic Models explained with cows

2007-04-26T09:17:00.002+02:00

A known one but they have added a couple of really good ones! Enjoy.

________

SOCIALISM
You have 2 cows, and you give one to your neighbour.

COMMUNISM
You have 2 cows. The State takes both and gives you some milk.

FASCISM
You have 2 cows. The State takes both and sells you some milk.

NAZISM
You have 2 cows. The State takes both and shoots you.

BUREAUCRATISM
You have 2 cows. The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, then throws the milk away.

TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM
You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.

SURREALISM
You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows. Later, you hire a consultant to analyse why the cow has dropped dead.

A FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows. You go on strike, organise a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk.

A GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows, but you don't know where they are. You decide to have lunch.

A RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 2 cows. You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.

A SWISS CORPORATION
You have 5000 cows. None of them belong to you.
You charge the owners for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION
You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them. You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity, and arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You worship them.

A BRITISH CORPORATION
You have two cows. Both are mad.

AN IRAQI CORPORATION
Everyone thinks you have lots of cows. You tell them that you have none. No-one believes you, so they bomb the sh*t out of you and invade your country. You still have no cows, but at least now you are part of a Democracy.

A WELSH CORPORATION
You have two cows. The one on the left looks very attractive.

Can you name famous Belgians

2007-04-25T16:20:00.000+02:00

I saw this ad all over Bristol this weekend and I thought it was brilliant.

Ok, people, Just for the fun of it - AND WITHOUT CHEATING - Name as many famous belgians as you can!!!

One, Two, and Three...

2007-04-24T23:00:00.000+02:00

I've been a bit quiet this last week. Partly because I was away in Bristol visiting my sister, and also because I needed to clear my head and get my mind around the latest happenings in my life.

Turns out not only am I looking for another flat (yes, the slightly over budget place I had found is no longer an option) but I'm also looking for a new job!

Kind a sucks... but someone once wrote: "Life will only throw things at you that you can handle". So I'm gonna go with that and trust that it will work itself out.

I have a flat

2007-04-18T20:56:00.000+02:00

It took a total of 17 crappy places before I finally landed on this one!
I have a flat :)
... with my very own parking space.

Still in bed with the flu, but a happy day.

Whipped

2007-04-11T16:48:00.000+02:00

This was sent to me by my very dependable "funny" supplier and I thought it was worth a post... I will try to come up with the female equivalent as I don't think men should get away with these blatant lies!!!

Interrobang ?!

2007-04-03T09:08:00.000+02:00

I love Pub Quizzes! They do them a lot around here on Monday nights.
By teams of 5 (or if you are willing to forgo potential prizes, 6).

So even though I can usually only answer a small few, I always get my moment of glory...
You see, it seems I have a specialist subject. This is not intentional and has caused me many an embarrassing moment but when it comes to identifying crappy music, I can usually come up with the right answer.
The obscure Rick Astley song, a certain album released by a now totally unknown boyband, basically questions only I have the impressive completely useless knowledge to answer!

Now, My team mates on Interrobang?! take the piss every time, and that's fine, 'cause I take the mocking in my stride, but, when it comes down to it, I know I have a sordid music past and it's actually coming in handy now!!

So anyway, Yesterday, despite a not so warm welcome at the Old Oak, and a quiz-master who's accent was so bizarre, half the time the challenge was understanding the question, NOT coming up with the answers, I learnt a few things which I will share with you now:

• Baking chocolate has more caffeine in it that cocoa.
• Mascara comes in 3 forms: liquid, cream and cake. (This one stunned even the girls on our team)
• The company that homes Revlon is the USA. (No still doesn't make sense but that's what was written on the question sheet so god forbid the quizmaster would question the logic of a question).
• The biggest port in South America is Buenos Aires.
• The "ob" in ob tampons stands for ohne binde, which means "without pad." (didn't need to know this? Neither did we!!!)

Ok that's enough useless trivia for now!
(We won by the way - joint first place but the other team got the prizes because there were 6 of us on the team and we did a tiny bit of cheating. Nelly likes her map you see!)

Here goes ....

2007-04-02T17:38:00.001+02:00

OK, Never been much of a follower but this blog thing is really getting under my skin, so I thought I'd give it a go.
Private or public, revealing or hidden, long or short, I have yet no clue.

I've back posted my notes from Florence... just to make things a bit confusing!

Day Five

2007-02-05T17:33:00.000+01:00

This is my last yummy coffee at the hotel, I'm packed and ready to leave. I'm debating whether to hang around Florence for a bit, go to the market and pick up some more parmasan as presents. Either that or I head to the station and Pisa which will give me an hour's worth of rest and not moving (my back is insanely painful now and no amount of Ibuprofen is helping at this point).
(Oh my god, this expresso is amazing!!)
I've really had a good trip in the end - I was soo worried on the first day, but I will be happy to be home, even if it means facing up to reality again. I have a happy occasion to look forward to, two friends are expecting their first child any time now. (She was born on the 19th Feb, very healthy and VERY cute).

------------

I'm in the train for Pisa and I was hoping to be wowed by the Toscan countryside... this is not quite the case. Distraction is provided by an sms exchange of a somewhat naughty nature with a friend from home who's bored at the office. I think the other people in the train are wondering what all the smsing is about which is funny to watch. Moving on...

------------

Finally found the tourist trap in Pisa, which, it turns out is the other side of town from the train station. More walking and wincing.
Lay down in the middle of the vast lawn as far away from people as possible surrounded by three amazing buildings. The weather is stunning and I have a fleeting thought for those who are stuck at the office. This is the life!!!
I'm not really in the mood for cultural visits but I have until 7pm before I have to go to the airport, so I decide to close my eyes, just for a while. I'll visit the Cathedral later on when the sun isn't soo nice.

------------

After having walked around as much as my back will allow I decide that I would just cut my losses and head on to the airport, check in and find a good seat and relax while waiting for the plane. I am in total agony now - it's affecting my will to live. I do the obligatory postcard-just-before-leaving-the-city-thing, grab a bite to eat and then make my way to the airport where the drama is about to begin.
(The notes from my journal are very emotional and not really pertinent as they resemble more a ramble than actual facts, so I will be editing parts out this time)

------------

It all starts when I try to check in for my flight. It turns out (and I still can't work out how I managed this) that I booked my flight not on the Monday night but on Tuesday night.
Now those who know me will attest to the fact that I'm an ok problem solver and in some cases (ok, usually), I will have a meltdown before I solve the problem. Today was no exception and I did it in style. Anyway, I make my way to the Ryanair desk in a hurry and a bit panicked, explain my situation and basically get told to suck it up and short of buying another ticket, there's nothing they can do - they didn't even try!
Not only was the new ticket going to cost me about 200 euros (yep, for those who were wondering how RA make their money... off eejits like me who need a last minute ticket.) but the plane was fully booked and I was on standby.
In itself not the end of the world, if I wasn't willing to pay for the new ticket, I could just book a hotel and stay an extra night...most would have.
But there was no way in hell I was staying another night in Pisa. My logical, reasonable mind had completely left me by this time and the idea of having to stay another 24hours in this tiny town (though very beautiful) was just inconceivable.

I proceeded to make money matters worse by calling my mum, my sis, my collegue and my best mate (that's you J). I wasn't looking for a solution to my problem - I knew what the options were, I couldn't just sit on pavement and sob - I was already doing that, so talking to sane people far away seemed like the best option at the time. The irony of it all, is that just at this precise point in time I get a call from home. A call I had been looking forward to and dreading for a while.
The "knight in shining armour" was true to form and while offering to find alternate flights or book a hotel, he also made the point of saying it served me right for trying to leave Pisa without going up the tower and buying a tasteless t-shirt!!!!

Anyway, the story ends by me getting on the plane that night (Thank god for Visa) and sobbing most of the flight home. Only once I got in the car at Charleroi was I able to pull it together. Now I know I'll see the funny side of this one day - I already do to a certain extent, but the airport ordeal was just the last straw. I had spent 4 days alone trying things I had never tried before. I was exhausted and in a great deal of pain.

------------

I acheived many of my personal goals in Florence and I think I'm a better person for it. It has been an enormously rich experience. (I don't know if I'll be doing it again in a hurry though!)

Day Four

2007-02-04T15:41:00.000+01:00

Woke up at 11:30 this morning - Oops!!!
But hey, at least I'm sampling all sides of Florentine life, even if it is with the xpats. Could only face McDonald's for breakfast this morning - awful I know. Off to Santa Croce now, for an amble in the streets and a visit to the basilica.

------------

Sat in the middle of the piazza watching a puppet show. The sun is getting warmer and despite the puppets being hideous and quite scary, the puppeteers are really good and there's an amazing atmosphere here this morning.

------------

Moved on over the bridge, stopping to see the views and to watch what "looks" like an otter make its way across the water.
I have been told what it actually was... a water rat - Nutrie.

------------

Now, this is the Florence I was expecting. I spent a while wandering the streets and ended up at the botanical gardens. I realised this morning that what makes Florence such an easy city to walk, is the fact that it's very flat. The other side of the Arno is much less so, but it's so much more beautiful. I found a spot under a tree, settled down and got out my camera, I had the perfect opportunity to test the macro function.

------------

Reminded that it was still only February, I got cold and decided to head back to the hotel for a hot shower. Walked back slowly trying to catch the sunset over the river. Looking for a place for a quick snack on the way. Wahey, I got it half right this time and was surrounded by Italians (at tourist prices - 10euros for a sandwich and a cup of coffee).

------------

My back is really starting to ache now and it's rapidly denting my enjoyment of this day, though I'm doing my very best to ignore it. It would have been ok if I had left tonight actually. I'm too tiered and in pain to do much more walking/visiting. Unless I feel like visiting the small market again tomorrow, I think I'll take it easy and head onto Pisa sometime around lunch. It's a bit of a shame I'm not venturing out tonight but I have to listen to pain and lie down.

------------

Went back to ZaZa's in the end. Still delicious and so cheap but that was about all i was capable of tonight.
Didn't sleep too well either which didn't help matters - dreams of things past that left me feeling sad and alone.

Day Three

2007-02-03T14:26:00.000+01:00

Today, I have a bit more of a mission. I've decided I'll visit the east part of town with the Duomo and stuff this morning, looking for a place for lunch on the way (to avoid the hours of walking once already hungry), then I'll head down to the botanical gardens for a read (Cathy's tip). I should probably scout out where ZaZa's is so that I can give that a go tonight before heading back to the pub. I'll do Santa Croce tomorrow.

------------

OMG, those stairs nearly killed me! I went up to the dome of the cathedral for the 360° view of Florence. 400+ stairs, most of them are like this. But the view was spectacular and well worth it.

Need...to....sit...down....and....give....legs....a....rest.
I'll head back to the indoor market in a bit to get some Parmigiana and Bresaola for home.

I'm feeling good today, starting to de-stress and enjoy myself. Would like to find myself a place to get a manicure done (ok, really female comment, but nice nails does wonders for self confidence!!!)

------------

This afternoon was spent walking around some more.... and shopping. Now, knowing that Italian clothes sizes are tiny and there would be no hope of me getting into any of them, I figured i wouldn't spend much money. HAHA....
Damage was done in Sephora. It's amazing how your mood changes when you have an expensive looking shopping bag to strut your stuff with!
Found tonight's resto after walking around in circles (I can read maps... really) and then stumbled upon Mandarina Duck and added another expensive looking shopping bag to the one's already on my hotel room floor!
While walking through and underground cheap shopping mall I found a nail shop and booked myself in for later tonight.
That was a event in itself, because the girls spoke no English and me no Italian, but they were adorable and we had a good laugh - the manicure was crap and painful as hell, but a good experience.

------------

Went to dinner and sat on the terrace where they seemed to have placed all the tourists (It was cold tonight) keeping the warm inside seats for the locals. I ordered Tagliata di manzo and it was divine, my glass of Multipulciano was no disappointment either.

Stopped in at the pub and it got busy really quick. I had met a local there last night who had helped me out with places to see and eat. G was there again tonight and when both our drinks were empty I got him another. Now this is not the "done" thing in Italy it seems. His and his friends faces when I did this were priceless. He waited until I had my last sip and then promptly returned the favour.
There were two Americans there too, and I'll admit my first impressions were wrong... well kinda. It was clear from the start that both in the mood for some kind of flirting and it was just as clear that it wasn't gonna be with me!! Which basically made me "one of the guys" and we had a good laugh. Around 12 I decided to hit the road and get some sleep to be able to get up at a decent hour and not waste the day - I was bought a drink. I tried again an hour later claiming I was out of money and smokes to which I promptly received another drink and a cigarette. PERFECT! - This is Italian hospitality. Was then invited outside for another kind of smoke with the Yanks at closing. All in all a good night out.

Day Two

2007-02-02T09:45:00.000+01:00

Wow, I slept soo well. Wasn't expecting to, but I fell asleep really fast and woke up to a blue sky at 9am. Just in time to make it to the famous expresso machine (I will find the small spoons tomorrow!!!)

I think I will leave my map in my bag this morning and walk around. I'm going to HAVE to get over the hate of bringing out the guide book in public. I AM a tourist, should be proud of it, even though I have a strong sense that the Florentine's don't like us invading their beautiful town too much. In fact I should guzzle my wonderful coffee and get out of here, the maid is clearly getting her message across as she has wiped down the table next to me twice already.

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Piazza della Repubblica

There's a hustle and bustle on this square, and its beauty is amazing. I've decided to sit here a while and take in the atmosphere. An artist beside me is drawing the arches, and this old man has just walked passed loaded with a ladder and some paint. There is a lot of construction going on here at the moment, it means the sound you mostly hear are drills ... oh yeah.... and scooters!

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I'm sitting at a table eating alone for the first time. I'm exhausted!!! Three hours this morning and I think I'm going to have to find a nice terrace or something where I can perch for an hour or two, or I'll never make it to tonight. I visited most of the south of town this morning.

The "Offices" surprised me by it's building.
Although amazing from the outside, lodged next to the Palazzo Vecchio, the inside is comprised of long corridors bordered by busts. Each room however is very demure and not very warm.
Now, I'm not much of a "paintings" person (apart from Magritte and Dali) but Botticelli's "Primavera" impressed me a whole lot more than Leonardo's efforts.

Here is a photo that will make the dirty minds smile!

Anyway, onwards to the other side of the Arno river and the next hour was spent street wondering to find a nice, typical place to eat. True to form, missed the boat on this one because I land up in a decent looking touristy place. The atmosphere is ok I guess and it has a lovely view of the river. And how quaint to have some Dutch behind me and Oh look... here come some Brits! I have seen a couple locals here, but for some reason they have been placed in another part of the restaurant.
So, not the Italian place I was hoping, but the food... was amazing! Even the rocket tastes infinitely better than back home.`
Ok it would be good if i could stop yawning long enough to put food into my mouth!

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It's now about 4pm and I'm back in my room after walking back through town and stopping on the Piazza Santa Maria Novella for a read and a bit of sun. I'm knackered and to be honest, I'm a bit worried about how I'm going to fill the next two days. It would be great to meet some people.
I'm finding the amount of traffic a shame. Florence is a small but surprisingly noisy city, the not tranquil, calm place I was expecting. And have yet to find the perfect terrace to veg at, but with this sun, it's perfect!!!
I hate to say it but I miss not sharing this with someone.

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I went out again around 7:30 to find a restaurant that had been recommended by some friends back home. Turned out it was way over my budget so, with McD's as a last resort in mind, the search for a place begins. I must admit, it did nothing for my confidence and state of mind as I think I walked around the whole town.
Finally settled in a nice place; the food was great and the staff were friendly (I'll not write about the four tables of Brits sharing the space). Now, this whole eating alone thing is not fun. REALLY!

Thought I'd force myself to stop in for a pint to try and end the evening on a happy note. Either that or get plastered to forget! An Irish friend had suggested whenever you feel crap, look for an Irish pub... so this is what I did. I Needed a place where people would understand me and maybe give me a couple of places I could eat in for the rest of the trip...
Went in, headed straight for the bar and ordered a pint. Started talking to the staff and very soon, I was chatting away to a couple of patrons too.
Now, for those who know me, they will see that this is quite an achievement as I am usually very shy with people and situations I find intimidating. I had a decent couple of hours and stumbled home a bit drunk with the name of tomorrow night's dinner place as well as a non-walking way to spend and afternoon. I'm going to bed tonight quite proud of myself.

My first trip solo

2007-02-01T20:00:00.000+01:00

Ok, so had this overwhelming urge to run away for a couple of days and turns out Ryanair had a slight glitch on their website and were selling their tickets without the tax. So i booked myself a trip to Florence. While I was there I kept a travel log and someone suggested i write it up here, so here it is.... (almost unmodified to keep the tone!)
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It all starts here!
J dropped me off at the Charleroi airport; bag checked in and I'm sitting at the gate (if you can even call it that) All good!
I'm already surrounded by Italian speak and I don't understand a sodding word - Promising!! But I'm already getting a glimpse if the "freedom" they talk about when travelling alone. It's kinda nice. The flashing board in front of me is wishing me a nice trip - How nice!

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OK, I definitely wasn't expecting to have to be brave not even one hour after taking off! Suddenly dawned on me that I'm alone and going in the opposite direction from home. I know I'm going to enjoy myself and whatever happens, it will be a trip I remember, but right now at this precise point in time, sitting in 9a, I'm thinking "What the hell was I thinking?" I was just fine at home, adjusting to my new routine, why rock the boat?
Destructive writing, not useful, I think I'll stop now.

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I'm now on the train bound to Firenze station. I confirmed the room, they are expecting me (it's getting late). Things are looking up and I'm getting excited.
I'm always amazed at how my mood can change soo drastically and so fast. Thank god in this case, because if I was still feeling like I was on the plane, this would have been getting harder to deal with by the minute.
(Note to self: don't forget to send J a postcard!)

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Later in my room
I'm staying in the Aurora Hotel and it turns out my room really ain't half bad. A bit dated and in serious need of a repaint and new soft furnishings but a apart from that it's actually ok - and the floor is amazing.

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I guess I should make a plan of what I want to do tomorrow. Breakfast before 10 is about all I have planned at this point. No definite plan yet, but i think I'll walk around town with a visit to the "Offices" on Friday as It should be quieter than the weekend.