Brussels

Yes... I am very slowly catching up on this. Sorry about that, I had said I would catch up when I did Warsaw... Oops.

So, most of you have probably read London up above, that was the second weekend excursion we went on in just as many weeks. During the first weekend of July we decided to pack up and go to Brussels. We left Bonn at around 7:00, well closer to 8 as we decided to treat ourselves for a Starbucks for the ride. It is only a 2 hour drive to Brussels so we pulled into the hotel just as the sun went down.

Saturday we spent the day meandering through the city. We started at Autoworld, a museum about the history of the automobile. It was a little different in that it was basically a big open place, like an airplane hangar, but still very nice. They had hundreds of cars dating back from the late 1800's to today. And of course, they had a Harley Davidson! It was donated to the King of Belgium for his motorcade. Every King needs a Hog to keep him safe!



We then made our way into the main square. Just like every other town in Europe, the architecture is absolutely breathtaking. The main square was hands down the best. There was a wedding going on and they had stilt walkers outside. My favorite is a photo my wife captured of them resting against the wall. Bonus points if you spot the funniest bit of the photo!




One of the highlights of the day was finding the elusive Lost Boy Statue. This is located in Egmont Gardens, behind the Hilton Hotel. This statue is unique because it is one of only 7 in the world. There is a special attraction for us as a good friend brought our attention to the statue because one of the seven is in Camden, NJ. Why Camden, not a clue... What makes this statue elusive is that there is only one website on all of the web that even hints as to where it is. In a city full of statues, this is truly a lost one, not even residents of Brussels know about it!

Warsaw

So, a little bit behind on the blogging, but I will catch up these week. One quick note since I am so far behind, I actually had another trip which I did not preview here, quick weekend get away to Brussels - more to come.

Anyway, last Sunday (July 1) I went to Warsaw. I had been told by a colleague that if I had the chance to get there early to sight see I really should do it. I am glad I did. First, I was really impressed with the number of parks. There were huge parks right in the middle of the city. You couldn't hear the traffic or anything. I was also impressed with the number of people in the parks. It was a nice day which helped, but still, they were packed with people out walking just enjoying the day.

After meandering in Łazienki Park for a little bit, I stumbled upon a concert by a military band which was a nice surprise. Because of this, I decided not to hang out until the 4:30 Sunday Chopin concert (a weekly event, people were staking out their spots at 2:00!) and decided to start heading to the old town area. This included a walk past the Presidential Palace as well as several very nice churches.

After a little bit I ended up in Stare Miasto, the Old Town. Now, the city did not fare very well during WWII, however, the Polish did not let this ruin the city, they used old photos to rebuild as much of the Old Town as they could to look like pre-war Warsaw. When you are there and look around, this fact makes it even more amazing!

I am sure there is more to Warsaw than what my one day allowed for, however from a sightseeing perspective, it was definitely worth the early trip in to see the city!


Presidential Palace

Stare Maisto

Pod Love!

Living overseas and traveling a lot, my best travel companion is my iPod. It fits in a pocket, I don't have to buy an extra ticket, and it never complains about what I want to do or eat. Plus, it keeps me up to date on music and news (thanks to NPR podcasts).

Well, I have found a new "pod" to be in love with. I recently discovered Gorillapods. These things are great. I have traveled many places and have taken a lot of pictures, but there are none with me in them. The Gorillapod now makes that possible. If oyu aren't aware of what this is, it is a small little tripod, which fits in my favorite sightseeing attire, cargo shorts, and is super lightweight. The three legs are fully flexible. This is the feature that makes it awesome, you can wrap the tripod around a pole, or anything and mount your camera. All you need know is a timer and you too can star in your own travel photos! I used to take "Self portraits" by holding the camera in front of me and facing me. Now, I can get much more creative! :) iPod and Gorillapod ... don't leave home without it!

The Hills are alive...

So, a few months back, my neighbor decided it would be fun to take Paul for a ride up to Gasthaus Petersburg. Of course, he didn't tell me this until it was too late to redirect the route. I made it that time, but it wasn't easy, and with a profile like this, it shouldn't be!


So, I thought it would be good to train a little bit and then go back and attack it again! Well, Saturday, June 30th was the day. We left at 10:00 across the river to climb the hill. This time, it went much much better. It is amazing what a little bit of preperation will do.

Although, at the same time, that works against you. When we first moved here and I started riding, going up the hill to get back home was a challenge. Now, a two hour ride is an easy ride, which means to push it, I need to go out for a few more hours, not exactly family friendly. But, it is a good thing!

Well, that is all for this post. Next few will come quickly as I catch up on a few topics.