Since we’d been talking about this previous PChef trip to Vienna (with a side trip to Antwerp Belgium) I thought you might like to see some pictures. But you’re in even more luck than that. In 2006 when this trip occurred I had never seen the DIS, but I pretty much wrote a trip report to send to my parents. So, I’ve taken that and merged the pictures into it to post for you.
Now, since I haven’t asked anyone in the trip report for permission to mention them in a trip report, I have “scrubbed” it and replaced all names (except Judy and mine) with their first letters. It will probably be a little awkward for you to read, but hopefully you’ll manage.
Trip specifics:
Left home on Friday, March 17, 2006
Arrived Brussels on Saturday, March 18
Flew from Brussels to Vienna on Tuesday, March 21
Flew from Vienna to home on Saturday, March 25
Day 1 – Antwerp, Belgium
We got off the plane and cleared customs and found B without difficulty on Saturday morning. He wondered how long we would be staying in Europe since we had suitcases, a large duffel bag and 2 carry-on’s. I explained that some of the reason was gifts sent by Mom, and that we needed dress clothes for events in Vienna. We drove to Antwerp and went to a coffee shop for breakfast. It was 9 or 10 in the morning and the city was still very quiet.
Judy and B
Me and B
He laid out his plans for the next few days, starting with “surprise” at 11:00 am. He would have to tend to his real estate business while we were there, showing apartments for rent and trying to sell some buildings. In fact, his real estate business interfered with his plans of where we could stay – he had planned to put us in a furnished apartment he had, but recently rented it. B was unable to put us up in his house because he was temporarily staying with a friend. He said that at 6 am this morning he realized he needed to come up with a plan – and he had a great idea, that’s the “surprise” at 11:00 am. For the rest of our time in Antwerp he thought we could shop and see the Grote Markt on Saturday, go to the art museum on Sunday, followed by visiting his father and then his girls. On Monday he suggested that we take the train to Amsterdam to sight-see.
We left the café and drove until he pulled up to a large, permanently docked boat that was now a hotel and disco. This is the “surprise”! We’d stay here tonight, but they had no vacancies for the next night, so who knows about tomorrow. “Don’t unpack too much,” B said. The name of the hotel was the Diamond Princess, but the name on the boat was the Hacken Jarl. It looked like fun. Oh, “one problem,” B said as he talked to the front desk clerk. “They have no double beds, just two singles.” We said that was fine. (When we went to bed that night we said, “Good night Lucy.” “Good night Ricky.”)
B gave us a cell phone so that we could reach him, and he could reach us, while we were in Antwerp. Oh, I need to describe the breakfast we had back at the café. We weren’t really that hungry coming off of the plane, having just had a breakfast on the plane, and a dinner a few hours before that. But, it seemed that breakfast was what he had planned for that time. He ordered two large platters, and we thought that the three of us would share, but he ate almost none of it, just coffee. On each platter were scrambled eggs, bacon, cheese, bread, and apple pie. The eggs were awesome. They apparently had some cheese mixed in or something.
Okay, now back to our boat-hotel (botel). B left in order to work, so we rested, showered, and changed clothes. Then, we walked to the Grote Markt, bought some chocolates as gifts, called home to let Grandma W and the kids know we got there safely, and did some shopping.
(I can't wait to see what you all write about this picture. Judy couldn't understand why I would take a picture of it, but it was the most interesting thing I'd seen all day. I couldn't look away!)
While we were out shopping, I pointed out to Judy that I had seen several people with brown, plaid scarves – they must be the “in” thing. She hadn’t noticed them yet, but as we went on we said “scarf alert” whenever we saw one. They were all over. Later on we found out they’re called “burberry”. The next morning at breakfast we even saw a woman who had a matching brown plaid handbag and patches on her sweater – on the elbows and shoulders.
Later that first evening (Saturday) we caught up with B for dinner. We tried to go to an Indian restaurant, but they were full. So we walked on to a place called “Lucy Chang’s”. There was a fifteen minute wait there, so B wanted to leave – “I never wait for a table at a restaurant,” he said. But the food sounded good to us, and Judy could get a vegetarian meal, so we convinced him we’d wait. I had my only Belgian beer of the trip, while we waited, a Stella Artois. The food at “Lucy Chang’s” was excellent. I got a kind of Thai dish of something like chicken curry and coconut milk served in a bowl where you mix the rice in – really good.
While we ate I told B that I remembered from my visit in 1980 that he took us to meet a family friend who was a diamond dealer and artist and had some weird stuff you shouldn’t have – like human skulls. He said, “Oh, H.” He told us that H is getting old now, and that he got himself into some trouble a while back. He was at some kind of wildlife park and saw a couple of baby wild boars. So, he put them under his coat and walked out. He raised them and butchered them, but got very sick from a parasite in the meat. He almost died from it.
I forgot to mention that when B dropped us off at the botel we gave him his gift of a blanket from Mom. We told him that we had blankets for the girls also, but it didn’t sink in for a while. Then he said, “you mean you have three more of these in your luggage?!” And he fell back on the bed, in a fit of laughter. Later in the afternoon we called Mom and Dad from B’s office. It was a great phone call – you could hear in their voices how happy they were that B and at least one of their kids were together again. B and I cracked jokes about us trying to find places to stay each night. I said that we see B going up to people, speaking in Flemish, looking over at us, but they shake their heads “no” and walk away. I was just kidding!
Link to next chapter
As if someone else would eat THAT!
Actually, most people here in Germany prefer Munich over Frankfurt. But the old parts of Frankfurt are really very beautiful!
I used to live there once.
We call it Pressack which can be translated into "stuffed bag" - doesn't make much more sense. And you normally eat it "with music" which is raw onions and vinegar (just to make it even more appealing). We are talking really ethnic food here! But it's still better than the stuffed pig's stomach our former chancellor Mr Kohl loved to serve to foreign dignitaries who came to visit. It is a specialty of the region he is from.
I was thinking the same thing...I love their stuff, but it's way out of my price range....they do have some great smelling perfume in the UK at WS.
