Wednesday 9/23 - Home At Last

Since our flight was not scheduled to leave Brussels until 11:55am we were able to have a leisurely morning.  Had breakfast at the hotel, finished packing up and headed to the train station.  Once we got inside we ditched the umbrellas (one was dead and we set the other down for someone else to use).  The train runs directly to the underground train station at the airport.  We got both of the suitcases checked (no need to carry-on for the home trip), took a leisurely stroll through the duty-free shops and made it through security in just a few minutes.

Since we had used miles to get business class seats we were able to use the British Airways lounge at the airport prior to our departure.  It was a quick flight to London Heathrow (less than an hour) and we arrived to blue skies (Brussels was very wet so we picked the perfect day to leave).  We once again were able to use the BA lounge and were able to relax while we waited for our flight (which was delayed about 30 minutes).  Got on the plane and enjoyed the percs of business class (wish we could fly like this all of the time).  And we were delayed even longer due to a fuel spill from a airplane (which we saw as we finally taxied out to the runway).

The service on British Airways is great - very professional and very proper (Charlotte was wearing a sweater and the flight attendant asked "Madam, may I hang up your cardigan for you?").  And the food and drink were very nice as well.  Watched a few movies and dozed off just a bit (the plane never got dark because we were chasing the sun all the way to Seattle).  Got through customs and immigration with no issues, grabbed the luggage, caught the shuttle to the parking lot and hit I5 about 7PM and we were home a little after 10PM.  I wish our freeways were as good as the freeways in Germany.

So time for the wrapup - gone four weeks during which time we visited six countries (and set foot in two others), traveled quite a few miles by train, plane and automobile, lodging that met or exceeded our expectations and weather that was much cooler and damper than what were were accustomed to in September in Europe.  While we had mostly good meals pork seems to be the main course in Germany (but it was always good).  We were glad we got a guide in Berlin and Prague.  We were on our feet a lot (and took several eight mile hikes that were very scenic).  The weather did change our plans on occasion but we never let it stop us (but it did keep us from doing some things that we had hoped to do).  We saw some beautiful scenery as well as beautiful historic towns and buildings.  Our time in Berlin and Prague was very thought-provoking as we thought about the reign of Hitler and the effect of Communism on Berlin and Prague.  It was great to visit friends in Copenhagen and Belgium (probably the highlight of our trip).

It seemed that the time went by very quickly but we were glad to get home.  While we got to see a lot of different towns and sights it was at times a somewhat challenging schedule as we moved from town to town.  But with that said we would rather do that type of trip now while we are still young enough the do it.  And we were very fortunate that we stayed healthy the entire trip and there were no major issues to deal with.  And the home front survived without us (but we did miss family, especially Gavin and Liam).

Will we go back to Germany - possibly but we would probably go when the weather is warmer and we would stay somewhere for a week and take day trips and do more hiking (which is endless in Germany).  It is a beautiful country that reminds us of Oregon.  And most everyone who helped us in some capacity was very nice and accommodating.

So that is a wrap for this trip - time to start planning the next one!

Tuesday 9/22 - Brussels

Had another great breakfast at the B&B and then caught a train to Brussels.  When we arrived it was raining but our hotel was very close to the train station.  Dropped off our luggage, grabbed our umbrellas and headed to the old town area.  Since it was still raining we found a tavern where we could sit, relax, have a beer and do some limited people watching.  The rain finally stopped and we were able to explore the area a little bit.

Got checked into the hotel mid-afternoon and then went looking for a place for an early dinner.  We were able to find a restaurant that had a good looking menu, including a special of the month.  One last restaurant dinner before we head home.  The food was quite good.

Tomorrow we pack up the suitcases one last time and head home.

Monday 9/21 - Day Two In Bruges

Another beautiful day in Bruges - a nice change after damper, cooler weather.  Had a very good breakfast at the B&B.  We then climbed the bell tower (300+ steps) and got to see the city from the top of the tower, along with the mechanical part of the clock and the bells.

Stopped at the bar that has the Wall of Beer (not sure what the total count is) and enjoyed a beer overlooking the canal.  We then took a 30 minute boat tour on the canals and got the see the sights from a different perspective.  Lots of beautiful buildings and architecture.

We then went to a local brewery in town and got a tour of the brewery and learned more about the beer making process.  And of course we wrapped up the tour with a good Bruges beer (included in the tour price).  Got a early dinner and we are now back in the B&B and unfortunately it has started raining.

So I am once again caught up and are remaining time is very short.  Tomorrow we travel by train to Brussels and we are hoping for some better weather - hopefully it is not a complete washout tomorrow.

Oh - we found this strange creature here as well!

Sunday 9/20 - Off to Bruges

Denis and Kathleen picked us up about 9:00 and in two hours we arrived in Bruges.  We dropped off our luggage at the B&B and headed into town.  We had a "special" tour guide Peter who is the boyfriend of Fran's friend Jana who we met two years ago in France.  He grew up in the area and was able to direct us to some good sights.  And we had a great lunch - finally got some mussels.

The city was extremely busy and there were probably more people than usual because cars were not allowed in the city (they do this once a year on the same day in multiple cities).  There were bands playing in several of the squares and just a lot of other activities.  Bruges is a beautiful city and hard to capture in just a few pictures.

Here is the complete Belgium Gang (minus Ruben who is training for a marathon) along with the US Gang.  The top picture is Peter, Denis and me.  And the next picture is Jana, Helen, Fran, Charlotte and Kathleen.

And here are a few pictures from around town (the first one is Michaelangelo's Madonna and Child - if you saw Monument's Men you should remember this sculpture).

We had to say our goodbyes to the Belgium Gang around 5pm - we had a great time together and we will miss them.  We headed back into town in the evening and were able to enjoy the city with all of the lights.

Tomorrow we will visit a few of the things we missed.

Saturday 9/19 - Genk

Started the day with a short hike near an old coal mine - we walked from one of the old mine shafts to a hill built from mine tailings.

As you can probably tell from the picture it was a little foggy and damp but it was still a good time.  After the hike we went to Denis and Kathleen's house and had a very nice lunch and some good Belgium beer.  After lunch we then went to another coal mine where we got to explore underground and above ground where the old coal mine was located.

In the last picture is Ruben (Fran's boyfriend) and the original Belgium Gang that we met four years ago in France - Fran and her parents Denis and Kathleen.

After the mine trip we again got together for another meal - this time excellent Italian pizza.  The restaurant specializes in Napoli pizza which must be cooked in a specific type of wood-fired oven.  It is very hot and cooks the thin bread crust very quickly.

We got just a little early tonight - around 11:00.  Tomorrow we head to Bruges.

Friday 9/18 - Off to Belgium

We started the day by dropping off the car at the rental office in Koblenz (about a 45 minute drive - the GPS worked perfectly).  Took a cab to the train station and caught the 9:47 train to Cologne.  Arrived in Cologne about 11:20.  Stored our luggage in the automated luggage system and headed out into town.  The city was very busy (lots of river cruise boats were docked on the Rhine River there).

After we finished exploring the city we caught our 4:42 train to Aachen and then our connection to Heerlen where we were met by Denis and Fran, part of the Belgium Gang.  They dropped us off at our hotel and then picked us up for dinner at 8:00 (no Happy Hour here).  We had a great evening catching up on things and enjoying delicious wine and food.  We got back to the hotel at 12:30am.  Tomorrow we explore Genk.

Thursday 9/17 - Burg Eltz

It is 7:30pm Bruges time on Monday and once again I have fallen way behind on the blog - we have been very busy for the past few days.

The day started damp once again so we decided to drive over to the Mosel Valley and visit a castle named Burg Eltz.  It has been in the same family for centuries and is very well maintained.  We took the 15-20 walk from the parking lot to the castle and then took a guided tour (once again no pictures inside).

After that we drove down to Cochem and looked around a bit before driving to Koblenz and then back to Bacharach.