Archives for February 2014

and a monkey too!

From Lille we headed to the last destination of our Christmas holiday. Instead of spending the final day in Charleroi, we stopped in at the smaller Belgian town of Mons. It was New Year’s Day so the shops were closed and the streets were quiet. That was just fine with me. It’s much easier to adjust to the realization that holiday is over when the sightseeing slows down.

We spent the day walking up and down the cute streets and made sure to visit the lucky monkey outside City Hall. Tradition states that if you pet the monkey’s head with your left hand, a wish will come true. If I was better at keeping track of wishes, I’d be able to let you know if it worked or not.

For lunch we stopped in at one of the only open restaurants. Our fellow patrons were a lively pair who alternated between shouting at each other and shouting across to us. I was actually thankful for the language barrier because it felt easier to politely ignore their drunken banter. The sympathetic looks from the waitress helped too.

A pop culture nativity scene.

After a comfortable night’s rest we were back on the train headed to the Charleroi airport and then onwards to Marrakech.

xo, jill

Bruges is for lovers (and tourists).

Our last day trip from Brussels was to the much fawned over Bruges. Two things were very clear during our visit: 1. Bruges is a beauty. 2. Her dance card is full.

Unlike in Ghent, it was very easy to find our way from the train station to the center of town. We just followed the masses. If Bruges is this busy in the winter, I’d be tempted to skip it altogether in the summer. At one point a mother in line ahead of me while I was getting a waffle kept complaining that there was no where to sit down to eat in all of Bruges. All the cafes and restaurants were full up. Mike and I didn’t investigate her claims much further, but by peeking through a few cafe windows in the square, she seemed to be correct.

Of course, all those tourists are in Bruges for a reason. It’s a really pretty town.

Mike and I spent our day milling about the town, eating waffles, and stopping into another Medieval cellar bar. We tried to ignore the throngs of other visitors and a pervasive feeling that you’re trapped inside a diamond company commercial. Still, not a bad day spent in one of Europe’s best preserved towns.

xo, jill