SoF - Bruges, Belgium

The bell tower of Onze Lieve (Our Lady) Church

No we're not spending our Summer of Fun going through European cities alphabetically. If that were the case we'd have started in Aachen or some Dutch village with an inordinate amount A's and some randomly placed ümlaüts.

Rather, Jeni and I met up with my big brother, Tim, and his lovely wife, Natalie, along with two of their beautiful children as they toured Europe this month. Bruges (yet another claimant vying for the title 'Venice of the North') is a picturesque medieval city in the northwest of Belgium's Flemish region. The historic old town is, indeed, ringed by canals with a few minors channels criss-crossing the quiet cobblestone streets. Wealthy sea merchants in the 12th and 13th centuries built a spectacular city close to the coast, and because Bruges wasn't destroyed in either of the World Wars the grandeur of this seaside community remains intact today.

The weather was less than perfect, but we were able to explore while staying more or less dry.  Our time in Bruges was spent sightseeing and walking the ancient streets in search of all thing Belgian to consume. I've said it before, and I'll say it again there's nothing like a good Belgian beer and a side of fried potatoes….except maybe a Belgian Hot Chocolate and a side of Frites!

I think Hailey's face speaks volumes!

The historic heart of Bruges is a mere 2 miles long by 2 miles wide, and among the many highlights are at least seven major churches including the Basilica of the Holy Blood, St Salvador's Cathedral and of course Our Lady Church which houses Michelangelo's Madonna and Child which is the only Michelangelo statue outside of Italy and a focal point of the recent film, Monuments Men. The girls were amazed to find out that the bell tower of Our Lady Church is the second tallest brick structure in the world! Well not so much, but it is an impressive feat of engineering.


The weekend of our visit coincided with the Flemish Independence Day. Beside the usual parades and bunting we were treated to a Rock concert in the square just outside our hotel. At least the weather held out for our stay in Bruges…the same can't be said about good ol' Luxembourg.

After Bruges Jeni and I drove back to the Ville while Tim and his family popped down to Ghent then on to the Grand Duchy. The day they arrived here the skies opens and our visitors were treated to a deluge of Luxembourgish proportions! The rain did clear on their second day, and that's when the true beauty of our adoptive home came to light.  We were able to show them all of the highlights here in town, and we were even able to visit the Petrusse Casemates which is a rare opportunity since these tunnels are only open a few months each year. The Casemates, you may recall, are the series of tunnels carved through the sandstone bluff on which Luxembourg was built. Some 15 miles of these tunnels still remain, but only a couple of kilometers are accessible to the public. The original casemates date back to when the Spanish ruled the region over 350 years ago!

Michelangelo's Madonna & Child

And…because you can't have enough selfies :)

Me and my big brother

Tim, Natalie, Hailey and Emmy on the banks of main canal of Bruges

Ahhh…Belgium

Ahhh…Luxembourg!

Scaling the Austrian Stairs in the Casemates

But when its nice here…My Oh My!

After their visit Tim's family hopped on the fast train to Paris. Unfortunately there was an issue with the French Rail Service, and they only got as far as Metz which is about a 45 minute drive down the motorway. They did eventually make to to Gay Paris where they enjoyed an abbreviated stay n the City of Lights.

Please insert your own joke here about the French Railways.

SoF - Amsterdam / You've been saying it wrong!

The dust had just settled from our whirlwind tour with the kids when we decided to throw the dogs in our purple Mini Cooper and head on up to Amsterdam! The drive up was nice and not too long…just under four hours with a rest stop in Liège, Belgium. Sorry we didn't take any pics of Liège, so I'll just leave you with a link to their Tourist Office website. Yeah.

Any-who…On to Amsterdam. There is so much more to The Netherlands Capital beyond the Red Light district and the Coffeeshops. It truly is a spectacular city full of fun friendly people (mostly on bicycles), beautiful canals, unique architecture and loads of history and culture. We were absolutely mesmerized by the place. Amsterdam mingles Old World Charm effortlessly with modern ingenuity. As an added bonus for us Americans, everyone speaks English. Flawlessly.

The Dutch aren't afraid to erect slick new apartments in the Old Town just beyond a clock tower dating to 1614!

Vodelpark early in the morning before the bike commute began.

We did have one small hiccup with our hotel. Obviously we booked a hotel that was pet friendly, but upon arrival we were informed that the general manager for that particular hotel had decreed that pets were not allowed to be left in the rooms unattended. This makes little sense, and this also made us a bit perturbed. After a bit of negotiating and perhaps a threat to move to the hotel next door, we were able leave the boys in the room while we went out and about. Really, do they expect people to come to Amsterdam and not visit museums, churches and historical building? I simply suggested that they no longer advertise that they are pet friendly because their policy certainly isn't. One bright note is that we were mere steps away from the Vondelpark which was a great place to get the dogs their exercise.

Old Town Amsterdam is defined by a series of concentric canals that create a wonderful framework and allow tourists to wander freely over a myriad of bridges and through ancient cobblestone streets. There really is something magical about a city on the water, and Jeni and I can certainly see why the locals consider this 'The Venice of the North'. Although they do have stiff competition :)

Getting the boys some much needed exercise and culture...

…not to mention some practice at their cool café lifestyles.

We only had two days in Amsterdam, so unfortunately some top spots were missed. I say unfortunately, but I guess this just gives us another excuse to travel back to this magnificent pearl of a city! Here's just a fraction of what there is to see…enjoy!

Firstly, there's the Dutch Royal Palace.

Then there's completely refurbished Rijksmuseum which is home to many of the greatest works from the Dutch Masters

Like Rembrandt's 'The Night Watch'…re-imagined here life-sized in bronze.

And, yes there is a bike path that goes right through the ground floor.

The old city gate at Nieuwmarkt which is now a fun little café

Of course we found a Mexican Restaurant!

And finally, it's pronounced "Gow-Dah" cheese, and it is fantastic when baked into a pastry crust!

SoF is Exhausting!

As our Summer of Fun continues, we have tales of travel and lore of libations! June 23nd was Luxembourg's National Day and our most recent visitors arrived just in time to see the fireworks and jubilation that mark the night before Duke's Day. Our boy, Vann (aka Jihad), and his lovely wife, Alicia, flew all the way from Seattle to be with us and continue our explorations in and around the Grand Duchy….and, of course, we just had to show them the most important landmarks here in the Ville.

Well this is important to the Millennials…look at that smile :)

After the National Day festivities, we were treated to a huge pizza luncheon. Our new Italian neighbors, Massimo and Valeria, stuffed us full of homemade pizza baked on their grill. The food was fantastic, and hopefully gave the kids a glimpse into how sweet everyone here in Luxembourg truly is.   The food had hardly started digesting before we set off for the beautiful city of Nancy, France. I've already written quite a bit about Nancy, but the UNESCO World Heritage Site never ceases to amaze. It's even more stunning when the sun is out. Jihad claims to have permanent retna damage from all of the gilded ironwork and white stones!

They look so miserably cute, don't they?

Now you may notice a trend in the next series of pics...

After our day trip down to France, we took the opportunity to show the kids a bit of our other large neighbor, Germany. To be sure we popped over to Trier which is too close not to visit, and after that we drove down the Moselle River to the quaint medieval village of Bernkastle. 

Bernkastle is in the heart of the German wine region - the vineyard's line the slopes behind the town.

Vann and Alicia were with us for only six days which was way too short. I feel bad that we ran them ragged trying to squeeze in as much as possible in this small window. Our European friends can't fathom how one can have only a week's vacation each year…America truly needs to step up it's holiday game. The kids were stoic, but the jet lag and all the day trips really took their toll. One small reward was the discovery of a new drink. Vann found a mixture of lager beer with a splash of Picon (a slightly alcoholic herbal aperitif) to be quite refreshing. Unfortunately they don't import Picon to the States…we'll have to see about bringing him some the next time we travel home :) At any rate I think the kids had a great time, and at the end of their week exploring the Green Heart of Europe they got to meet a real princess!

That would be Princess Paloma -The world's greatest Galgo! Christian's pooch always brings a smile to everyone's face :)

In other news, I am sure you're aware that the World Cup has been ongoing. Unfortunately the US was escorted out by our neighbors to the north, Belgium. Cup Fever is in full swing here in Luxembourg. With all of the expats, and the general proximity to many qualified teams, Luxembourg is an exceptional place to watch. The Ville even has super-sized screens in the square. Jeni and I have been down in town for a few matches. The game between Germany and Portugal was a blowout (Germany won 4-0), but the atmosphere was electric!

There must have been well over a thousand people in Place Guillaume II!

Including us!

The city really comes alive in summer. Yes all the activities can be tiring, but there's no place like Luxembourg when the weather is fine! Stay tuned we still have Amsterdam, Bruges and many more places to explore! Plus, the Blues and Jazz Rallye is just around the corner…I shall be typing as fast as I can.

Art along Rue Phillipe II - 'Let the Sun Shine In'

So simple yet so cool!

I did mention that we now have a proper Mexican Restaurant, right?

 Muy deliciosa!