Shake that thing miss Annabella

After realising that 2010 has come and gone, and I have not updated our blog, I thought it was time to publish the highlights (and lowlights) - if not for anyone else, for us for future reference...

The first of our wine trips with the gays - We went to the Aars region in Germany (great Riesling and white wine) at the end of winter and did quite a bit of hiking through sludgy snow. Regrettably the cafe at the top of the mountains was coincidentally closed on the day we were trekking which didn't keep us in good spirits, but we stocked up on the wine while we were there...



May 2010 - with Tom's father quite sick, and Bie working quite a lot with little time off, I decided to go with Maarten to Croatia (Dubrovnik - staying in Cavtat). One of the most beautiful countries - dirt cheap, not yet in the EU, and slightly ruined. Am not entirely sure why, but I have the feeling that the war may have something to do with it. Maarten and I rented scooters for a day and just went where the wind blew us. We ended up crossing the border into Montenegro (back into the Eurozone), but were more impressed with the landscape Croatia had to offer.

Suzi and Glenn visited us in April 2010, so we took them on a bike ride through Antwerp, then a boat trip through Brugge as newly engaged sweethearts. Am bummed to have missed the wedding last weekend, but was quite happy to get to spend time with them while they were here...
Once again, in April 2010, I ran 5km, this time recruiting a couple of colleagues and a dear friend, Sabien. This time breaking the half hour barrier (well, 29:29 is only just, but good enough!!)

I gave up a free ticket to Rock Werchter to see the flash of lightning known as the Tour De France fly through Kontich. The ambiance was fantastic despite only seeing the cyclists for a second...

My parents came over again for a visit (seeing more of Europe than I ever will) but between all of their travelling, they decided to visit us. Mum went home early, and dad stayed on, so we decided to do a road trip through Germany and up to Denmark. This first picture was on the afsluitsdijk in northern Holland - the largest Dyke in the world (and the bloody windiest!). Which one is dad??


Once we arrived in Rige (on Jutland/Jylland - the mainland part of Denmark) and marvelled at its beauty (the oldest city in Denmark), we considered legoland until discovering it wasn't opening until the following weekend (I should have researched this a little better...). Then Dad decided to call the family farm he and mum worked on in 1971, and to his amazement, they remembered him and invited us up! We had a fantastic time there, and they even found this old photo of him with a few of the kids of the other workers!

After leaving Farso in north Jutland, we drove south, and briefly saw the Island of Funen (Fyn) before crossing the most enormous (not to mention expensive!) bridge across to Zealand (Sjaelland). We met up with Dad's cousin Bente at her beach house in Kalundborg (being november in Scandinavia, I wasn't really up for a dip), and met her new boyfriend. I have never seen such an in-love 70 year old!


We then drove on to Copenhagen and it reminded me quite a lot of most European cities, but the Danes were fantastic and friendly people! Funnily enough, we went on a bus tour, and the most famous icon of Denmark (the little mermaid) was on holiday in china. So, after missing Lego land, this was a bit of a bum! I did learn a little about the hippy part of Copenhagen (Kristiana) which was eye-opening...


The inevitable trip to tram-3 (as they put it in Flemish) was planned for 5 dec 2010, but I decided to have a combined party with Philippe to celebrate in november. Kym and Benj even decided to haul their 30-31 year old bodies over the channel to see us once again!

More highlights to come...!

Massively Attacked

One night to speed up truth

One of our post-wedding shots. We had an amazing time in oz and are now more and more convinced that we should move back sometime soon. A dip is inevitable, but thankfully the weather is fantastic and there are festivals by the bucket load to keep our minds busy...

What have I become, my sweetest friend

Gotto love public holidays after submitting assignments! Time to catch up on all the exciting chores and procrastinate on the computer...

The sun has been shining a lot more lately, being reason to do more outdoorsy things!


We had a visit from Emme and Kit, entailing a bike-ride into Antwerp, under the Schelde to linkeroever for an icecream, followed by a wine in the city. The evening before was Maarten's birthday barbecue on the kattendijk, and here is Emme with Jenthe...

Tom and I took a drive to Herentaals (only to get seriously lost on the way) in the Kempen, winding up in Geel first. By mid afternoon, we found the only nice piece of nature Flanders has to offer, and had a lovely walk.

Yet another work function... am lucky I have a boss who enjoys putting on a do every now and then!

Some more shots from the 10 miles... couldnt believe these guys ran 16km in a rubber ducky! There were so many amazing different costumes and contraptions! Some old dude retiring from the fire service ran the entire race in his fire-fighting costume! CRAZY!

A shot of whitey showing off lack of muscle - clearly before the race (no sweat marks just yet!!)

A little bit of bragging

Antwerpen: End April 2009:

Tom - ran 10 miles (approx 16km) in 1hr 26mins

Ingrid - ran 5km (approx not that far) in 31mins and 9 seconds.

Thoroughly enjoyed the day - 25 000 people ran (including a bunch a kids in the 1km run!) and the atmosphere was amazing. Especially when the boss is a health-nut and sponsored a VIP tent on the finish line - a good incentive if you ask me!

Video of Ingrid crossing the line

My video is crowded with heaps of women, but if you  look carefully, there is a countdown (around a minute) and I am wearing pink on the far right of the screen.

Video of Tom crossing the line

Tom's video is with a huge amount of people - his has a 15 second countdown, and is easy to pick as he crosses the line, he stops his watch (also on the left of the screen).

Official Photo of Tom (copywritten...) looking completely buggered! You need to click on the link for Antwerpen 10 miles and marathon (in April) and his number is 4951.

Can you tell how proud I am?! Next year, we both aim to do better (can I manage the full 16km - through two tunnels, with an uphill tunnel at the end of the race?! I have heard one too many stories of people collapsing in the 'konijnenpijp' tunnel and am slightly put off...).

Gaan we wenen?

Clearly due to lack of any sort of blog activity in the past 2 months, I have been short of time (not to mention any interesting European activity!)

What has happened since 6 February? The first wedding from Tom's group of friends - an extremely elaborate affair (involving top hats, suits with tails', 200+ guests, a new dress for me, a new waistcoat for Tom), but a lot of fun. Plenty of dancing until 4am, a power-spew from Tom (making the night extra special).

In line with our wedding... my dress is being adjusted to fit, so no more stressing - no more losing any weight - bring on the calorie bombs! We have also ordered our rings from Wim Meeussen which went rather quickly. Two huge costs, but exciting!

The invitations are ALMOST ready to send to oz. Hopefully noone will be too upset receiving them this late in the game! 

We are off to Vienna (Wenen) for a few days on Wednesday - finally I will visit my classical and romantic dream where Beethoven, Mozart, Hayden, Strauss etc. spent much of their lives, while Tom will be able to visit the beginning of psychology. We have booked ourselves something fancy (for the first time ever!) so are looking forward to some luxury!

Pics to follow

Lay where you're laying, don't make a sound

Triple J's hottest 100 has once again zoomed by, reminding me of what I am missing: barbecue in scorching heat, radio blasting, time with aussie friends somewhere. BUT, this year wasnt too bad for Australia day.

We stayed with Kym and Benj for their last weekend in London (for the time being), partied a night away with a lot of aussies, and caught up with Evan on Australia day itself.

I was slightly disappointed to hear that Kings of Leon 'sex on fire' was the winner: While I dont mind the song, I don't particularly believe that it blew the rest away. But, being so far away, I have no idea what the radio plays at home (although, was quite nicely surprised to see that some great aussie stuff was up there in the top 10, along with my personal faves, MGMT).

This week has brought some agitated anticipation, along with the dreaded influenza (or one of his nasty cousins). Whilst tom is not-so-patiently waiting for his exam results (he has 2 of the 5), he became bed-ridden on Sunday, only to rise yesterday (when I started to experience some dizziness and interesting rattling noises).

So, in my jarmies, I decided to watch Michael Moore's 'Sicko'. Although I am not a real fan of his extremist, black and white documentary style, it once again made me appreciate where I live! I hope Australia isn't still turning into America, and have my fingers crossed that Ruddy is at least attempting to socialise Oz, just a wee bit more. It is fantastic to live in a country where you can go into the emergency department, have a broken arm, require surgery, and numerous visits - all for free - no matter how rich or poor! I am looking forward to the top notch medical care, free gynae appointments and ultrasounds, free physio and 6 months off paid when I get around to having a child. Free dentist too. Oh, and the government want to give me 3 extra days for our wedding. Thank god/allah/buddah that I am not an American. BUT, admittedly, it is very easy to be caught up in Michael Moore. Need to watch it with a huge amount of salt...

Have had a pretty good winter here. Not as bad as last year, but am thinking that the snow, plus the presence of family had a great deal to do with that. Both Tom and myself are already anticipating the summer here. I must sound like a broken record, but there really is nothing as magical as it (probably due to the stark contrast with the winter months, plus the presence of my work bonus, enabling us to live life a little more indulgently!).

Those of you who actually read our little blog, be sure to keep the 12th of September free - if you are in Belgium, my parents in law will be throwing our wedding for those of you who cannot make it to oz. 

I don't care about clever, I don't care about funny

Sometimes, I am sure all of us do it, I wake up and just think that life can be great. 

Today Emme left, leaving our apartment somewhat a little emptier and quieter, but I know she is moving on to bigger and better things, and now she is only a 2 hour train ride away as opposed to a 24 hour flight away.! I will miss her dearly, however, since our friendships seems to have blossomed a great deal over the past 3 months.

Mum left on Sunday, taking with her a heap of experiences through Belgium, Scotland, Ireland and Prague. While I can't post anything on here of her trips with Em, I will show some of the highlights of Prague...

This first one was quite eery and kinda summed up our entire experience of Prague: macabre (as mum so eloquently put it). Currently, the czech republic has been in the news with a great deal of focus on their sculptor/artist David Czerny. While he wasn't permitted to present his work during the communistic regime, he certainally has flourished since. If you look carefully, this first one looks like a man hanging from a window, and apparently hundreds of tourists notify 'authorities' every year about this guy. Wierd, but made us laugh!

This one is the astronomical clock located on the old city hall, and the little figurines on the sides dance (including one skeleton) for around 10 seconds every hour. Not sure why it is so important, but was quite nice.
Had to enclose another Czerny. Also wierd (very strong fascination with death, ghosts, myths etc). This one was just hanging in a shopping mall. Nice.
A little more less death orientated was our visit to the Dvorak hall to see the string section of Czech philharmonic playing some chamber music from Mozart and other composers, along with a concerto for Marimba with the most fascinating young Austrian performer. We paid next to nothing for our tickets, and had the most first class performance. Would highly recommend to anyone visiting (with a slight interest in classical music however!)

Mum and I went on two free walking tours through the city, and learnt more than we could have from the lonely planet. Were very content with our guide, and whilst it was FREEZING cold (-11°C), I thoroughly enjoyed what the city had to offer.

Next (after Tom has finished his exams: 2 to go...) - onto London, maybe back to the Netherlands, then Vienna, then home. Let's just hope that the histogenex bonus is healthy enough to support our indulgent habit...!

One step closer

It's official... Tom is actually attending our wedding! 

Today, we are once again a few euros lighter after booking his ticket (with confirmation from two more friends who also booked today - yay!). 

Next steps: Tom's suit, rings, paying off my dress (grrr!) and all the stuff mum wants to talk about!

It's been quiet around here since the other two Christiansen girls have taken off trecking around kilt-country, followed by Ireland, but am looking forward to seeing them again in a week in Dublin. At least Tom will have some much needed rest!

Have once again commenced my studies. This time have taken a totally different (and dare I say it - not yet as interesting) path but am keen to get into it again, even if it means less time with the beloved TV (ha!).

2008 - gone forever

It is new years day, and both Tom and myself are at home, saving the pennies and instead have chosen to richen the neurons (pun intended considering Tom is doing psych, and I have opted for a brain subject this year.)

While 2008 brought less travel and new experiences than previous years, it has taught us a few things. Not all are appropriate for this blog, but we have been tested financially constantly this past year, and are so grateful that we actually manage (sorry for constantly screaming poor, however!).

Memerable events of 2008:

- Visiting dear friends in Holland and their two gorgeous boys, while dusting the cobwebs off my old violin to experience a bit of Bach once again.

- Tom passing his 2nd year with flying colours

- My return to uni: many long study days, weekends etc. only to feel completely invigorated by the entire process. Bring on 2nd year!

- The interesting state of affairs of the Belgian government (or lack thereof!) Yves Leterme didn't seem to last too long before he screwed up.

- Not all was good however. Tom and myself lost a few friends this year including two of my colleagues and one of Tom's korfbal team mates (from a few years ago).

- Visits from some great Australian friends and family: Nicky & Liz (visiting twice!!), Mum and Emme, and one night with Benj in Ghent. AND visits to London (2 or 3 times - can't quite remember. Always great to see Kym and Benj.)

- Our road trip in Italy. Highlights not the major cities, but included a personal chianti wine-tasting in the hills of Tuscany (Rufina) and our late night drink and left-wing anti-Berlusconi political chat with the receptionist from the hotel in Bologna.

- Zomer van Antwerpen. Free movies in the hangar by the river, the summerbar with Cava, Sangria, Tapas and world cuisine. The absolute beauty antwerp has to offer is indescribable - even if for only a month or two a year! Come home Anna and Sabien!

- Buying my wedding dress

- The surprise bachelor night for Tom in the Ardennes - especially for the few of the guys who survived the trecherous mountain biking journey.

- Tom going for a last minute trip to Munich for the Oktoberfest

- Tom breaking his arm (funny that all of Tom's highlights have something to do with booze. Should this be something of concern???!)

- And last but not least. The late discovery of House MD. Have become totally addicted to the American Hugh Laurie, and still can't quite get enough!

There are probably more, but these are those which came to mind most quickly!

Have just received my new course books for my year - with focus on the Brain and its behaviour. So now I'm off to read about addiction; perhaps I should just let Tom write my assignments this year, considering he has already been down this track. More time for House MD that way!

Happy new year to all of you, my dear friends. XXX

Whoops

It may appear that we have fallen beneath the radar, but rest assured that we are still here. Just a quicky before I go to bed, and will update more in the new year. Most of all, no matter where you are, we hope you have/had a fantastic holiday period, and a healthy and happy 2009. This proves to be a big year for us, with Tom (hopefully) completing the Bachelor part of his degree and of course, the wedding...

So a quick pic of Em - since she has been here for more than two months and I havent shown her yet! She had a great time in Salamanca and Barcelona and even squeezed in a level I Spanish course!

Shouting lager lager lager lager

Now that a busy week of concerts is 'achter de rug', I am sure Tom and myself will be suffering some sort of dip!

The week began on the 10th of November, taking me to see Natalia (very poppy - not my style of music, but good company) with a group of colleagues, allowing us to shake our bums around a little and try some unique style of dancing. This was a lot of fun, and an ok show. Thankfully, tuesday was a public holiday(rememberence day gets an entire day in europe... not just one minute at 11am!).

Saturday, after  a little midday nap, and a shot of Guarana at 8pm, Tom and I found ourselves in Gent, meeting up with Benj and a whole wod of others (we had a group of 9 in total) for one of the biggest dance festivals in Europe: I love techno. FINALLY I had my chance to see Underworld live, and they definitely lived up to my expectations! We started off the evening in the 'blue room' with Hot Chip, LA Riots and Digitalism, before having a quick break in the chill-out lounge with our free water (a great initiative if you ask me!), before making it over to the red room (lucky we got in for the headlining act). The only regret was that we missed out on seeing Justice in the orange room (the room had a limit of 5000 and was full before Underworld had finished) But after a full 8 hours of dancing, I think we were all completely satisfied with what we experienced!

The red carpet arrival with Claudia, Tom, Valerie, myself, Benj and Johnno

Somewhere around HotChip with Benj, Tim, myself, Tom and a few randoms

The end of the Underworld Show. The born slippy .nuxx climax was just superb! I don't know how those guys find all that energy after nearly 30 years of performing (yes, probably something synthetic in the shape of a small circle is involved!)

The end of the evening. Completely buggered and chugging down the water!

Sunday saw a relaxing sleep-in, followed by a trip to Brussels to see one of the most spectacular groups I have ever seen live: Sigur Ros. They seem to have created their own genre of music, and play such an eclectic repetoir, that I for one was never bored and longing for more!

On the family front, Emme is now in Salamanca, attending language classes for a couple of weeks, to develop a basic knowledge of spanish, and mum will be here in 4 weeks. Looking forward to seeing them both!

Emme and other catastrophes

My dear, beloved sister arrived on the 22nd of October, and what a great reunion. Without going into too much personal detail of her past, it was a much needed 'run-away' and despite having quite a small appartment, my family will always be welcome to stay with us. 10 days after her arrival, she headed off again, and is now galavanting around southern europe, trying to absorb the final rays of sun before the cold winter really sets in, and she finds herself moving into a cold dark flat in London. Now one more Christiansen female to make it over here, and we can celebrate Christmas in full Australian style (much to the discomfort of any Belgians present, I'm sure). I just don't know where I am going to find a cricket bat made from 4x2, which will be used to play 'French Cricket' in our small, probably muddy communal yard. I will perservere however...

Tonight brings the first of the concerts/festivals of the week, in the form of Natalia. I am still contemplating whether or not to go after a rather embarrassing cause of events resulting in a nocturnal visit to the accidents and emergencies wing of our local hospital and am not sure whether I have fully recovered from my constant need to do pee pee. But they have given me some antibiotics (trust me, I don't take medication too easily, but when it comes to toilet trips every 5 minutes, any relief is fantastic!) so hopefully that will be cleared up sooner rather than later.!

This is our decision, to live fast and die young.

November appears to be the month of concerts...

While I am a mad MGMT fan, we werent quite on time to get tickets for them, but this is hopefully for the best due to the timing of their show...

Emme arrives on wednesday (22 Oct), and Tom and I will be at the airport with bells on awaiting her arrival! A week later, I will be living a decadent life-long dream witnessing the artistic work displayed by the cirque du soleil. However, November is appearing to be the ball-breaker for this little Aussie: Firstly, I will be heading to the sportpaleis in Antwerpen to see Natalia (very famous Kylie Minogue Belgian equivalent) with the colleagues on teh 10th of November. Fortunately enough, the 11th is a holiday here... The 15th brings a huge party in Gent (with some of our friends in the UK driving over for it) also known as I love techno. However, the 16th November has been long booked with our faves: Sigur Ros. Don't know how our poor bodies will handle this, but fortunately, we couldn't make it to MGMT on the 14th of Nov, otherwise Sigur Ros would be an absolute disaster.

AM so excited for the following weeks... Such a social agenda again, before I start studying again...! No complaining this end however!

x

Control yourself. Take only what you need from them.

Thanks to one of my current faves: MGMT... very different sound, but right up my alley!

No photos this time - just a rant and rave (yes, it's October, the leaves have turned brown, the mood of the average Belgian has turned a little more sour, the knives have proverbially come out in some places!). While everyone in Oz is probably wearing teeny tiny little singlets and the aircons have once again been switched on for the long summer, the days here are getting dramatically shorter and a definite autumn feel reminds me of the long cold months to come!

I feel that I am relatively safe to use this blog as a so-called journal as to the 'happenings' in our lives, but am still a wee bit wary as to what goes on at the place I spend the majority of my life: work. I had quite a psychological chat to Tom this evening about the 'work-dynamic' and relationships formed and lost there. I have worked in enough places to be aware of the need for a hierachy everywhere, but I don't think I have ever worked anywhere with such a prominent 'clique' group and the remaining outcasts/independant workers (can you figure out where I am?!!). Don't get me wrong, I am not phased by this situation, but admittedly do become jealous when other colleagues are praised and encouraged because they are in the clique while the rest of us don't. This is my own self esteem issue, but who doesn't like encouragement?!!

I had a chat with the big boss a few weeks ago, (nothing in relation to the above) and he was so full of praise I am sure I went red, so why do I need encouragement from my peers if eventually the big boss is happy? Without being too cocky, my first year has gone well for me. I have thoroughly enjoyed studying again (even if the stress levels have increased) and the boss is more than willing to encourage me to keep going. BUT I have to bite my tongue around my HOD, because she constantly tells me 'you should feel yourself lucky' when I mention the study. It's just easier to keep quiet than get sarcastic remarks. SO, only one person at my work even remembers I am studying, and I feel a little bit selfish in wanting others to ask "so Ingrid, how is the uni work going?" but have realised once again, that Belgium is just another world to Australia. I often miss Wiggy and Therese with their constant support when I was at uni in my final years in oz.

Now I know I am nagging, but at least it is without the whiney voice, just the clittler clatter of a keyboard!

Em arrives in a week, am so looking forward to seeing my little sis - she needs this trip and her big sis and bro to look after her for a while. We have booked a show at Cirque du Soleil, then the following week, Tom and I will be killing ourselves in one weekend with I love techno, followed by Sigur Ros (quite a musical contradiction...)

Am off to finish my glass of Chianti (picked up while we were in Italy!)

Ein, zwei, drei, bier!

Perhaps it will be one of the last chances for us to have a weekend apart before the wedding (except for the fact that we are flying to australia on different dates!), as Tom has kindly headed east with his trusty sidekick Maarten for the biggest beer party in the world. I wouldn't have minded going, just for the novelty factor, but beer isn't really my thing, plus, my final piece of assessment is due on Friday next week, and I need to send it on Monday, still with too much to do! So now, I have found all possible nooks and crannies needing to be cleaned, all clothes have been washed, I will probably start vacuuming and mopping later, all in the good name of procrastination. I don't think I will quite make it to the ironing - so when this is all that remains, perhaps the review will be the lesser of two evils...

I hope not to get any drunken phonecalls in the following few evenings, but look forward to the photos which he will bring back with him!

Dové é toilette?

First Pizza of our trip

The Grand Canale of Venice

Cycling through Ravenna (UNESCO world heritage site)

Tom and David: spot the difference

Shortly after our last post, we wandled back to our hotel, only to have one of the most wonderful evenings of our trip. It's funny how you can see all the cathedrals, castles, statues, architecture etc. you like, yet you don't really experience a truly memorious time until you chat with a local for hours!

The guy working on reception happened to be fantastic in English, and as we entered the hotel, we asked him about a rally happening down the street. He mentioned that there was a left-wing activist rally occurring, which got us onto politics, Italy, Berlusconi, Alitalia and life in general. An hour or so later, we found ourselves in the hotel bar chatting like old buddies. It almost felt a shame to leave him and head up to bed. I wish we had a photo of him, or spent more time in Bologna, but he has given us his card, so we will definitely go back to visit.

The following day, we drove up to Garda Lake (largest lake in Italy) along with the rest of Germany and Holland and their toddler children. While we had a fantastic deal in the most massive camping ground I had ever seen, and some glorious warm weather, I don't think I would go back again, purely because it was a catchment for young families, with small kids screaming at 7am. Yes, I sound selfish, but I enjoyed more of the real Italy. We went for a few drives around the lake, with some beautiful sites, but after some time, you become used to the old buildings and sick of the crowds. After two nights, we found ourselves heading back towards Venice via Verona.

Made famous via Shakespear, Verona also appeared to be a tourist magnet - disgustingly just around Juliet's house, while the rest of the city was quite vacant (a little like the Mona Lisa at the louvre). Our last night was back at the original camping, this time we asked for a discount in  larger cabin, away from the school and contiki groups! This however worked against us once again... after meeting some fantastic Aussie guys at 4pm touring the world over 6 months, and 7 hours later, we crashed in our beds, only to be awaken an hour or so later by the couple in the other half of the cabin: First having a blue, then the make-up pounding, drunken sex, then the toilet trips, then the showers, then the movie on their laptop (turned up full-blast). By the time this was done, we had around an hour or two sleep before our 5am wakeup... not happy campers...

Had a great trip, but the highlights were:

* Sitting down in Venice, dangling legs in the ocean. Who knows how long venice will still be there?

* Getting free bikes in Ravenna and cycling through the streets

* Having our one classy dinner in Marina Di Ravenna and being waited on hand and foot by an Indian guy with broken english/italian/indian in the most gorgeous seafood restaurant we'd ever seen.

* Playing on the beach

* The old Italian hospitality in Florence: Very old couple in the two star hotel who fell over backwards to help us

* Our friend at Hotel Maxim in Bologna

* Meeting Ben and Rod at Fusina Camping grounds on our last night

Strange how nothing includes the sites, but from my small amount of experience, I have found that the people I meet are far more interesting than the aesthetic beauty. Perhaps I haven't been to the most beautiful places though...

Quanto Costa Per Favore?

Next checkpoints in Italy: Florence (+ Tuscany) and Bologna...

As we drove out of lovely sunny Ravenna, the rain clouds started gathering over the ENTIRE Italy, only to hit on us just as we entered the A1 heading south to the absolutely picturesque area of Tuscany. We arrived in Florence just as the rain cleared, but the GPS decided to direct us through the city centre (we punched in the name of a hotel recommended by the Lonely Planet), so we must have looked like absolute wankers driving through the pedestrian filled streets! Finally we just found a random park and checked into the nearest 2-star (very good in my books) and talked them down from a whopping 70 euros to 55. Florence turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous city, but the "holiday" idea was short lived when the predominant language heard was English (and American at that). I for one was quite happy just to stay a day and head off somewhere quieter.

This morning we drove around Tuscany a little and wound up in a small Chianti producing region nestled in mountainous landscapes known as Rufina. We managed to have our own personal wine tasting, and are now naturally 3 bottles of Chianti heavier... to store in our wine cellar....erhm!

We are now in Bologna, so have naturally had the bolognese for dinner while marvelling at the redness of the city! Of course, more photos will follow just to demonstrate how red it actually is! Once again, tom managed to talk the hotel receptionist down 30euros from the original price, but this time we are in a 3 star hotel! Perhaps by the time we leave, we will be staying in a 5 star for only 50euros... Fingers crossed.

Tomorrow we are heading to the city state of Verona, staying at lake Garda, so fingers crossed that the weather finally clears up! We do want to have a tiny bit more colour when we head back to Belgium on Thursday...

ciao until next time!

Venice and Ravenna

No photos just yet, however our vacation has officially begun! We flew into Treviso, found our hire car and headed off to the small coastal port of Fusina (25 min boat ride from Venice) to be greeted by our worst nightmare: Loads of Contiki travellers and an italian school trip. So, whilst the camping ground was lovely, quaint etc. VERY little sleep was achieved on our first two nights...

Venice was spectacular - I know everyone will probably say the same thing, but there is something unbelievably charming about an entire village (?city) on water. All the canals have street names and the only means of transport is via the water! Just out of curiosity, I asked a handsome young gondolier (very distinguished in their stripy tops and straw hats) how much it was to take a lovely ride in a gondola - BUT 80 euros was a teensy bit out of our budget. Next time maybe..

We are now staying in Ravenna (actually, the seaside hideaway approx 10km away) and it is so lovely. An UNESCO world heritage listed site, we found our way around with the "complementary bikes" the tourist office had to offer. Not the top quality sort (toms chain fell off twice, mine once) but enough to keep us smiling.

Tomorrow off to Florence, although a little hesitant to leave the glorious seaside behind; More to follow... stay tuned!

Chinese Chocolate Guy

A small ode to my favourite busker of Antwerp - or as I like to call him, Chinese Chocolate Guy. He pops up everywhere from the big tourist attractions, to the small bohemian side streets, to random squares. He manages to choose his setting appropriate though to the acousitics in the surrounding environment (how aware he is of this, I'm not too sure - perhaps per fluke!).

What makes him unique in Antwerp is his cleanliness and friendliness. I enjoy the street artists which captivate their audiences, but I also enjoy buskers who aren't just begging. Actually, I'm quite sure by this guy's appearance, that he works a regular job and just busks for the fun of it. I'm also sure he has been trained in suzuki (I recognise the majority of his repetoir and the abililty he has to play for hours on end without a note of music in front of him). But what makes me smile most about him, is that for every cent he receives in his violin case, he stops playing (no matter where he is in his piece) and gives the 'donator' chocolate of some sort! It is actually very difficult to tell him 'no - just keep playing'!!

So my thanks goes out to you, Chinese Chocolate guy. I hope to see you for many more years on the Antwerp streets, keeping the air filled with classical music.

By the way - congrats to Tia Hellebout from Belgium! The first (and only) gold medal for these olympics, alongside the silver won by the 4x100m relay won by the women! I even had a tear in my eye!