Belgium (Brussels, Bruges)

Our Belgium travels began in the EU and Belgium capital, Brussels.  It began with a 2 mile walk from the train station to our hotel with our packs in tow and a map that could be qualified as less than good. Our indirect route left us unsure of what to expect from this city.  After walking around for a bit, we decided to try out some Belgian fare for dinner.  Accustomed to American menus, we assumed that the entrees section contained main courses.  However, the real meaning was appetizers, and Matt was shocked to receive 6 tiny shrimp in garlic sauce as his entire meal, costing around $18!  A trip to the local burger joint, Quick Burger, was in order directly afterward. 

Brussels Royal Palace

Close to midnight, we finally made our way down to Grand Place.  Wandering down small, cobblestone streets in the dark we stumbled into the main square.  It was breathtaking!  Late at night, there were very few other people there; something we realized the next day was a rarity (this sight is actually quite disappointing during the day due to the vast number of tourists).  The amazing, centuries old buildings were lit up with floodlights and were spectacular to see.  There were several bars nearby, and we were up late sampling a few of the dozens of different Belgian beers available.

City Hall in Brussels Grand Place

We spent the next two days exploring the fairly large city.  Many of our favorite architectural sites were built during the rule of Leopold the 2^nd.  When he was in power in the 1800s, he actually personally owned the Congo.  He ruthlessly exploited the native people there in quest of natural resources, and several great works of architecture in Brussels were completed because of this.  They were amazing to look at, but they were tainted by his actions.  Another famous sight is Manneken Pis, a little boy peeing into a fountain.  Little boy is not an exaggeration; it was tiny and disappointing, yet surprisingly popular in Brussels.  The best part of this statue is that a museum in Grand Place houses his 800 outfits which we were lucky enough to see. 

Government Building built for Leopold II

The Manneken Pis

Copies of the little Mann in Different Outfits

Outside the Brewery

Belgium is known for their beer and it was unlike anything we had been exposed to before.  A popular style in Belgium are different kinds of wheat beer; blonde, white, and some darker varieties.  Several of the beers tasted like a hybrid of champagne and beer and were sold in corked champagne style bottles.  There was also a large fruit infused selection (clearly Marilyn’s favorite because they tasted the least like beer).  On a tour of the Cantillion Brewery we learned about this type of beer, Lambic, that is very unique and native to Brussels.  It uses a very rare type of fermentation called spontaneous fermentation in which the yeasts are collected by letting the initial stage of beer, called wort, be exposed to the Brussels air (there are two strains of airborne yeast that are said to be unique to the region).  From there it is allowed to ferment for 3 years, and all sugars are removed, leaving a dry acidic drink that tastes more like a white wine or champagne than beer.  There are many imitations of Lambic that produce the drink more quickly, but the difference in taste is very apparent.  This brewery was off the beaten path but was well worth the walk.

The large wooden barrels where the Lambic ferments for three years

We hopped on a train and an hour later we arrived in Bruges.  For anyone who has seen the movie, it is no exaggeration.  The beauty of this small city is breathtaking and we instantly loved it.  It is picturesque at every turn, making it difficult to put the camera down.  The main attraction is the towering belfry, which you can climb to the top of (366 steps) for a great panoramic of the town and its surroundings.  There is also a Michelangelo statue of Madonna and her child housed in a cathedral which is one of his only works to leave Italy.  On display as well are a few drops of Christ’s blood contained in a vial, unfortunately Matt dropped the vial, but no one seemed too upset. 

Canals with Belfry in Background (this was set for extra long exposure, so the bright white objects in the canal are actually swans)

View while eating lunch

City Hall and Museum in the Burg

 

The Belfry in the Markt Square

View of the Town from the Belfry

View of the Markt Square from the Belfry

Canal with Restaurant and Tourboats

Some of these sights are true ‘tourist traps’.  A combination of long lines and a very narrow staircase made it quite hard to maneuver in the belfry.  With a population of about 26,000, Bruges has about as many tourists as natives.  However, as crowded as the city was, it did not take away from our experience.  Once we were away from main areas, Bruges was perfect for wandering around… always something beautiful or amazing around every corner.  What really made this city so incredible was that every house and shop matched and maintained the old fashion look.  Couple this with sprawling weeping willows, large gardens and parks, and a winding network of canals, and we could not ask for anything else.  We highly recommend a visit to this beautiful, unique city.

Matt and Marilyn on the canal bridge

The Cathedral

Canals with Belfry in Background

The Cathedral

Ireland (Dublin, Kilkenny, Cork)

Our trip to Ireland started out in Dublin.  As we explored the city we discovered that it reminded us of another city we were familiar with....Boston.  Dublin was filled with Irish pubs and small, windy streets that reminded us of home.  Our first night we treated ourselves to a traditional Irish meal, shepherds pie and bangers and mash.  It was a good, filling meal but nothing too extraordinary.  From then on and for the rest of our time in Ireland we ate almost exclusively from our beloved grocery store Tesco.

Halfway through a meal of bangers and mash

Although much of Dublin didn't seem like a novel experience, we enjoyed walking around St. Stephen's Green, Trinity College, and the medieval section of town.  The historical aspects of the city were impressive and we spent our nights listening to (generally American) live music played on acoustic guitar by Irish locals.  We enjoyed the pubs and the Guinness, however the prices were steep... 4 to 5 euro for a pint (around $7)!  Luckily tipping is not expected.

             Matt's Favorite                                                     Marilyn's Favorite

Thanks to Marilyn's Bethlehem grandma we saw a play at the Dublin Abbey Theatre called 'Translations'.  It was set in the early 1800s when most Irish still spoke Gaelic and the English decided to force their language on the locals.  The play was well done and it sparked our interest in Irish history, which we later briefly read up on.

Marilyn leaving the Abbey Theatre after the show

The next stop was a much smaller town called Kilkenny, southwest of Dublin.  This town felt more authentic than Dublin since it catered less to tourists.  It was filled with beautiful cathedrals, and the Nore River ran through the center of town.  The main attraction, though, was a medieval castle which had recently been thoroughly restored and was open to the public.

Kilkenny Castle on the Nore River

Upon arrival to our hostel on the outskirts of town, we found nobody home and a note instructing us to call the number 00353863843890.  A few more digits than we were used to, but we decided to give it a try using our international phone.  After our many attempts proved futile we walked down to the pay phone.  The pay phone informed us that this number no longer existed.  We messed around with it for a while, getting a little nervous as most of the shops around us were closed since it was Sunday and we had 40 pounds on our back.  When we finally went into the only open store to be told by the shopkeeper that we just had to remove the 2nd-5th number. Obviously. How dumb could we be? However, doing so allowed us to contact the hostel staff and let us into the house.

One of the nights as we were walking in the city center we heard live music coming from a pub.  Following the music we entered a bar with the only authentic  Irish music we heard during our visit.  We listened to four local men playing a guitar, banjo, accordion, and a hand drum.  The bar staff was incredibly friendly and one of the girls taught Marilyn an Irish step dance.

Our favorite pub!

As sad as we were to leave Kilkenny, off to Cork we went.  Cork is considered by southerners to be the real capital of Ireland.  Cork is on the southern coast and like the two other cities we visited had rivers running through town.  We lucked out having a recently renovated hostel in a great location where we were able to meet other travelers and pick up some advice.  The compact city center allowed us to comfortably see the sights in one day.  Our two favorites were a cathedral near our hostel (names of cathedrals are already blending together) and University College Cork which housed historical Irish artifacts and had an exceptionally beautiful campus (putting St. Mikes and Tufts to shame).

University College Cork

Being in another city we were a little disappointed that we didn't see much of the Ireland you often see photographed so beautifully.  So, we decided to take a day trip from Cork to Kinsale, a small harbor town.  Matt was adamant about renting bikes which proved to be the best decision of the trip so far (right behind the decision by Marilyn to go to Kinsale).  We rode the bikes out to Charles Fort, a large star shaped fort built in the 1600's after castles had become outdated.  Since the fort was originally built to defend the narrow entrance to the Kinsale bay, there were wonderful views of the cliffs alongside the water.

Charles Fort on the Kinsale Bay

We spotted a walking trail that went along the edge of the bay, so we hopped on our bikes and followed the path as far as we could along the water.  When the trail ended to our left was a road. Not just any road. A road with the BIGGEST hill.  After 30 minutes of walking our bikes up the hill and some very minimal complaining by Marilyn we reached the top.  Once at the top of the rise we worked our way toward the seacoast by following narrow farming roads.  With no one else in sight we managed to stumble across a fantastic view of the open ocean.  The land ended abruptly with steep cliffs and crop fields that went right to the edge.  It was breathtaking and everything we had imagined that Ireland would entail. 

We had a wonderful time in Ireland, filled with great beer, great music, great sights. Time for bed though, we have a 6am flight to catch for Belgium!