Snap Krackle 'n Pop!: I survived Brussels!

Snap Krackle 'n Pop!: I survived Brussels!: By the time we landed in Brussels, we were ravenous, but not much as to stop us from taking in our surroundings.   As we exited ...

Ah Brussels! In memory of the recent attacks...

In memory of those who lost their lives and all those who were in one way or another affected in the recent Brussels attacks, I would like to share with you once again, our memorable arrival in 2009 to the gateway into Europe.

By the time we landed in Brussels, we were ravenous; but not so much as to keep us from taking in our surroundings.  As we exited the train terminal and stepped out in the cool Brussels air, I inhaled a deep, cleansing breath.  I was in seventh heaven at finding myself in Europe again. 

My sense of direction was not the sharpest that early in the day, so Emily assumed navigating duties as she normally did.  Armed with a map of the city we had picked up at the airport information booth, one of those that are especially hard to read, we were off.  In no time, we were centered with a definite plan of action.  

Ha, if only it were that easy!

When one exits the Gare de Bruxelles Centrale train station, either onto the Rue des Colonies or the Rue des Paroissiens, the first thing one is faced with are the huge and impressively ornate buildings of rare design—they were totally unexpected.  Having exited into a “V” cobble-stoned street, we tossed a coin and took the left street, the Rue de Paroissiens, which in no time became steep and somewhat winding as it led up to the Cathedral. 

The magnificence and the architecture of the buildings we passed is astonishing.  Walking from the train station to the gothic St. Michael St. Gudula, one passes some rather interesting, so as not to say in some cases, 'ugly' buildings. 

“The worst insult is probably the modern building right next to the Cathedral, tastelessly ‘echoing’ the two towers,” as one native Brusselier put it.

The St Michael St Gudula, where all Belgium royalty have tied the knot...

After two or three very long blocks, the majestic Cathedral appeared smacking us with its magnificence.  Now here is one ethereal place!  The place where all of Belgium royalty have tied the knot, it is so sacred and so steeped in history, it makes the haughtiest tear at its vision.  There was a sprinkling of visitors inside the magnificent building.  For those looking for grand oil paintings, there are no such masterpieces in this 13^th century church.  That day happened to be somewhat cloudy, but we understand that on bright sunny days when the rays shine through the stained glass windows, it makes for a spectacular sight.  

We ooh'ed and aah'ed, as we humbly took in the sacred interiors of the holy walls.  Then pausing to reflect and pray, we knelt before the altar.  We had entered the church through one of the side doors, but exited quietly through the front entrance, then descended the innumerable but clean wide steps reaching the street below.   

We paused before crossing—a bus had stopped to let off passengers.

The Cathedral in the background   with one of the side entrances through which we entered 

From the Cathedral, we contined our sojourn, until we came upon the iconic landmark of the city—the  Grand Place is considered to be one of Europe’s most beautiful squares.  Composed of a series of decorative guild houses, it has something to offer everyone.  There's the baker’s guild, the boatmen’s guild, and Town Hall, among other important buildings, including many cafes.   But at six in the morning, we decided to do some sightseeing instead of having breakfast.  We would later come to regret that decision. 

At the Grand Place

          Several hours later, or about ten in the morning, we had already done quite a bit of sightseeing.  By now the meals we had been served on the airplane had long left our tummys.  And hunger had slowly crept up on us.   With each passing second we were getting more and more ravenous.   

          We left the square and continued to walk up further.  As most tourists often are, we were filled with the sights and the excitement of un-chartered territory, as well as the feeling of being transformed into genteel Europeans—a people so seemingly laid-back and so easy-going, even in this worldly metropolis and financial hubbub.  Although everyone seemed to be hurrying along, supposedly to work, there was still a certain sense of serenity in the air. 

We had a total of eight hours to spend in Brussels before returning to the airport to board our plane to Madrid.   

After several blocks of seemingly going around in circles, we stopped in the middle of one of the famous avenues in hopes of situating ourselves on the map, to take a breather, and to bask in our surroundings.  We were downtown in the business part of the city, but as I mentioned before, hunger had slowly been creeping up on us.  And now we were seriously looking for any place to eat something before passing out.  Problem was there was not a single eatery opened for business in the area.  So we did the only thing we could—we continued to trudge up and down one of the busiest avenues, in hopes of finding any place to eat breakfast?  

Because the map wasn’t very clear to us, we'd still not been able to situate ourselves.  We stopped again.  This time to really concentrate and get our bearings.  Cristina had plumb given up by now.  And she is the master of urban navigation!  Just goes to show how hungry, sleep-deprived, and displaced we both were.  I was not at all able to help.  At a loss as to what direction to take next because the map was in French we were at a standstill.  The map also did not show restaurants.   And there was nary a person we could ask directions.   And if there were, they were racing along.

I was exhausted from following Cristina up and down the many long streets.   The tryst through the city, felt more like drudgery now.

the Grand Place from another angle....

By then, Cristina had altogether given up, and had handed the map over to me.   Just as I myself was about ready to drop from lack of sleep, hunger, and displacement, I miraculously spotted a young woman walk out of a nearby building and quickly start up the street.   Not caring that I was leaving Cristina behind to possibly pass out from hunger, I picked up speed and literally chased the young woman down until I caught up with her.   Sneaking up from behind and once alongside her, I asked her if she knew of any place where we could get a quick and relatively cheap meal.  

Fortunately for me, the young woman knew English.  She explained that the

area we were in was the business center, 

and as such, shops and restaurants 

tended to open much later.  Then she pointed me in the direction of a few cafes still several blocks away, With no time for chatter, I kindly thanked the young woman, then assuming an “Okay-Now-I-know-where-I’m-heading!” attitude, returned to Cristina and led the near-starving girl down a new path.  After a couple of blocks of yet more office buildings and no sign of any place remotely resembling a restaurant, I thought, “As long as Cristina doesn’t pick up on the fact that I’m more lost now than ever and have no idea where I’m headed, then we’re okay!” 

The lack of sleep obviously factored in keeping us lost.  

“Keep the faith,” I told myself.

Hallelujah!  Could it be?  

As we turned a corner, the aroma of freshly brewed java and sweet waffles lured us into a small hole of an eatery.  Finally!

We dragged ourselves into the restaurant and grabbed the first available table.

After scanning the menu, I decided on scrambled eggs and toast, while Cristina settled on a Belgian waffle with strawberries.  The food was good, but given how ravenous we were, the portions were not exactly generous.  I would have gladly downed another serving of eggs and toast, in addition to a helping of waffles.  But unfortunately we had not had time to change dollars to euros, and the restaurant did not accept any other form of payment. 

This was definitely not the IHOP we were so accustomed to frequenting back home.

Hallelujah!  What a little food will do for the psyche.  After our modest breakfast, we hit the streets again, this time in the direction of the Royal Palace.   And what a treat that was!  The palace overlooks the Brussels Park.  We still had a little time left, to do a bit more sightseeing before heading back to the airport for our flight to Madrid.  Up and down cobble-stoned streets and alleyways we went, up long boulevards and down wide avenues, and I relished every second of our jaunt through the center of the city.  

And as we did, I pulled out my camera and clicked or taped, our tryst through 

one of Europe’s most interesting cities, because leave it to me to make lemonade out of lemons.   

the interior of the Cathedral

another view of the inside of the Cathedral...

on the steep steps of the Cathedral...

before starting off on our never-ending sojourn through the city....

later in the day....

the cosmopolitan girl

beautiful place the Grand Place

The city of the seven hills.....

We headed out to Lisboa, Caiscais, and Fatima in our rented Mercedes/Benz.   The drive was probably one of the highlights of our trip, as we were now free to experience the Spanish and Portuguese countryside like regular Europeans.   Once on the turnpike, we were in absolute awe of the varied landscapes of acre-upon-acre of endless groves of olive trees.  The kaleidoscope of colors in the Castilian landscape took my breath away.  To say it was magnificent was an understatement.

Castilian landscape

We finally found ourselves crossing the famous Ponte 25 de Abril into the outskirts of Lisbon.  The Cristo Rei, the larger-than-life statue of Christ on the southern shore of the Tejo River, welcomes visitors with outstretched arms as it does all visitors to the Old World city. 

Cristo Rei

 We continued on our way, until we reached our destination, the Dom Sancho Hotel.   Conveniently located in a very accessible and attractive part of Lisbon and within walking distance to Praça Restauradores and Marquĕs de Pombal, the small and quaint, yet updated and well-maintained hotel, faces a lovely and tidy park.

plaza across from our hotel

After checking into the hotel, we were ready for dinner.   As we walked the short distance to the main square, I was impressed with the cobblestone sidewalks of contrasting colors and designs.   And when we turned the corner and came upon the largest plaza in Lisbon, I felt as if we were looking through a peephole that seemed to open wide, and pull us into the hubbub of tourists and locals alike. 

one of many plazas

 Other than in New York City, I had never experienced being surrounded by so many different people in one particular area.  From an aerial view, the people must have looked like ants scurrying here, there, and everywhere, each with a definite plan of action.  We immediately fell into the groove.  Moving along to Lisbon’s beat, we were fast becoming like regular Europeans.  Taking to the streets for three days we toured Lisbon the only way to do it—on foot, when  back home it was on a rare occasion that we walked the mere three blocks to CVS.

The Titanic Exhibit

  

I seemed to have come alive and was experiencing boundless energy.  Such was the vibe in Lisbon and so easy to fall into.   Because it was getting late, not wanting to waste a second of precious time, after a quick bite at good old McDonald’s, we were ready to experience the Lisbon nightlife.  We passed up the chance to see an exhibit on the sinking of the Titanic, and keeping pace with the hoards of people, we found ourselves as ringside spectators, immersed in a merrymaking circle—a capoeira street performance was in full apogee.   Along with other spectators, we moved to the pulsating beat, as the capoeira dancers sang, clapped, and danced to the sound of the drums, all the while performing quick complex moves using power, speed, and leverage for leg sweeps.   After our capoeira high, we hit the bar at the Hard Rock Café, where we treated ourselves to an ice-cold beer each.  

Impressive Building

And while it seemed that in Brussels it was more about the younger crowd, we found that in Lisbon as in Madrid, more mature people were out and about and enjoying the sensual summer nights.  Our senses were overwhelmed to the point that we felt compelled to snap pictures of everything around us, including videotaping the very talented capoeira dancers.   On the way back to the hotel, we leisurely browsed the shops and segued into the Mango store, where we picked up chic colorful tops for Jules and Victoria.   After another exhausting yet exhilarating day, we were back in our hotel room where we dropped into twin-size beds and slept soundly through the night. 

our modest room

The city of the seven hills, Lisbon is probably like no other city in the world.  Anyone healthy enough to explore its mimicking-labyrinth alleyways and climb the steep narrow steps leading to its uppermost part, is in for a real adventure. 

On day two, we took the challenge—an hour trek to the heights of the city, which normally wouldn’t be too difficult if one is wearing hiking shoes or comfortable walking shoes, but we were both wearing sandals.   Halfway up to the Ajuda National Palace, we ventured unto an open-air kiosk, where we took the plunge and indulged our taste buds in one of the most satisfying meals of our trip.  The mouth-watering robalo was served with a hearty spicy bean stew and a side order of rice and was grilled to perfection.  And the full-bodied red douro from Quinta de Cotto was spot on.   As was the hunk that waited on us!  Without a doubt, he was one of the handsomest men we'd had the pleasure of feasting our eyes on during our trip. 

After taking our order, the young man quickly disappeared into what looked like a centuries-old two-story stone structure across the tourist path.  My writer’s logia guessed this was the young man’s home, and that probably a close family member did the cooking out of a small kitchen.  From where we were sitting, the structure appeared to be quite small and confined, that one had to wonder where were they churning up such aromatic meals—maybe from a second floor or basement kitchen, or at a neighbor’s?!

I settled into the comfy rattan chair as I inhaled a deep breath of air, then stretched out my arms and legs and hunched my shoulders one at a time.   I heard the soft cracking sounds my neck made as I turned my head in a circular motion.   “Aaaaahhhh, that felt good,” I sighed.  “Now I’m ready for my Douro,” I announced as I picked up the menu.   

We were seated a little ways from the main tourist path, against a wall to someone’s private residence.   As we nibbled on pao and sipped on Douro, we entertained ourselves by watching passers-by precariously make their way up the centuries-old steep and irregular steps.   Not long after we were seated, a party of four arrived and was seated at a table diagonally across from us.   


After a lengthy wait of about twenty minutes, the handsome waiter reappeared with our plates—a 

good sign because presumably that meant the meal had been prepared expressly for us.  

Everything certainly looked and tasted superb.  Needless to say both of us had the time of our 

lives.  Stay tune for more of our European adventures.

familiar sign all over Madrid of the popular department store

view of a castle from the highway

another view of the varied landscape

more views from the highway

groves of olive trees

almost there...

Ponte 25 de abril...

a very familiar figure on Spanish highways.....

What is worth finding, is worth seeking..... Our Ireland Sojourn!

If you love castles, rolling green hills, and on the far side, ghosts, then Ireland is a great place to visit!

According to our girl Juls, one night during our vacation there she opted to go for a walk around ten when she started witnessing paranormal activity in her room.  The other three of us had gone into the town of Adare for dinner and drinks, when on our way back to the manor we saw a lone figure walking on the long dark road to town.  The girl had walked quite the distance.  Because she was tired from all the touring we did earlier in the day, Juls had chosen to stay behind at the manor that night.

For me, Ireland is one of my three favorite places in the world.  Yup, you heard right—my three favorite in the world.  The other two being Puerto Rico and Israel because of sentimental attachments to both, in addition to their insular compositions, their tasty food, and their friendly people.

We visited Ireland four years ago and we absolutely loved everything about it.  We were lucky to get a once in a lifetime deal of a package, which included airfare, accommodations, and a car rental, all for under $800 each.  True that the it took a little getting used to driving a standard car on the wrong side of the road, but our girl Cristina was up for the challenge.  I drove the car for a mere two seconds, from the rental place to the airport exit, from where Tina took over the steering wheel.

We couldn't have been more pleased with our Ireland sojourn.  Because we had 'wheels' we were able to explore parts of Ireland that we wouldn't normally have.

Consider Ireland when planning your next vacation or getaway, but do try to go when it's summer there.  We visited the second week of September and we couldn't have asked for better weather.  Only two days of rain—the day we arrived, and the day we left.

Small person in a big world - outside castle in Limerick

Along the banks of the Shannon - Limerick Castle

Taking a respite inside the Manor

Image of the past....

So many castles, so little time to explore all of them.....

The Burrens....

Spectacular view of Tower...

Posing in Galway

Road into Adare....

Church in town....

Interior of the church....

Our girl makes a new friend....

With our favorite guide, Jason!

University at County Cork..

Adare Manor

The Moher Cliffs....