Saturday, December 6, 2008

Beautiful Brussels


There are still several place in Europe we visited that we have yet to blog about, and we've been looking forward to sharing about Brussels, Belgium, since we left the place! Before we left for Brussels, we had read that if you only have a few days in Belgium you shout hit Brugges or Ghent for their Middle Ages charm, but we disagree! We found Brussels to be clean, multi-cultural, charming, and full of great places and historical sites.

Brussels is the capital of Europe, and hosts the main institutions of the EU and NATO, so you are bound to see people from all across Europe there, even if they are just working. You will also hear many languages when you are there! Even the locals can't decide, and both Dutch and French are needed to get by (mainly French according to our friend from Brussels, David).

Architecture

Brussels, like most major cities in Europe, has seen its fair share of destruction and war. In 1695, French troops bombarded Brussels with artillery. Together with the resulting fire, it was most destructive event in the entire history of Brussels. The Grand Place was destroyed, along with 4,000 buildings. The reconstruction of the city center, effected during subsequent years, profoundly changed the appearance of the city and left numerous traces still visible today. It was also bombed by the German Luftwaffe between 1940 and 1945.

It has obviously rebuilt some extremely wonderful buildings, and we enjoyed the wide span of design the buildings represented. From medieval to modern, we loved this city!

Grand Place (above)
Guild Houses
and the city center



The King's House (above)
Het Broodhuis



Hotel de Ville (above)
Town Hall
Stadhuis


St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral


Royal Palace


Cinquantenaire triumphal arc


A view from the top of the arc


Cinquantenaire park
We loved this picturesque park



Atomium
built for the 1958 World Fair
We didn't make it to this site in person, but it was visible from the top of the Arch



EU Headquarters


Food 'n Fun

Manneken Pis
A whimsical symbol of the city

Of course our stop in Brussels was not just for its superb art museums, parks, and other field-trip-friendly qualities (which we cannot say enough about! Brussels was right up our alley in terms of art, history, and culture). Brussels is also known for its local waffle, its chocolate, its french fries and its numerous types of beers. As you can probably guess, the Brussel sprout was first cultivated in Brussels, hence its name.

Between my love of quality chocolate and James' love of quality beer, as we were admiring all of these gorgeous sites we did it with chocolate in mouth or beer in hand! Warning: Brussels is not a tourist destination for those looking to lose weight--or maintain it--and they will suffer immensely should they visit this haven of gastronomical delights. Luckily our goal was to gain weight, because that meant we were getting our fill of chocolate or beer. Or waffles. Or fries.

This must be what heaven looks like

It is worth mentioning that Délirium Café is located in Brussels. The signature beer is the Delirium Tremens, which is where the bar derived its name. The Délirium Café is notable because it offers a beer list of over 2,000 beers, a Guiness world record! We were not disappointed. When we visited, the place was packed and there was a local band rocking out -- in French! It was a great cultural moment--smoky, but cultural.


Of all the traditional and unique Belgian-style beers, I also discovered the kriek ("creek") beer. It's fermented with sour cherries, and it is (warning, pun ahead) berry beery!

A Framboise Beer
Similar to the kriek, but with raspberries

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Lake Addiction

This week I got very sick from a bacteria infection and ended up in the hospital. It wasn't anything long-lasting and the good doctors were immensely helpful. But sadly because I was on a restricted diet and still not 100%, James and I had to stay in Guatemala City instead of going on a fun 4-day Thanksgiving Day weekend trip to Semuc Champey.

In order to boost my spirits (and since there is nothing going on worth blogging about unless you count The Price is Right and games of Scrabble), I've decided to post some pictures of the previous two long weekends in which we have gone with friends to Aaculaax, an eco-lodge on Lake Atitlan.


September

The lake

The group

Path to Aaculaax

Room at Aaculaax

Lake swimming!

Couple Jump

Actual color of the water


Kari at Moonfish Cafe


October


Horseback riding around part of the lake

Yee Haw!

Playing Guesstures

Jungle Party

NOFX's first ever Barbershop Quartet



Thursday, November 20, 2008

Goat-amala


Yes, in the middle of the largest city in Central America,
you can still get your vitamin D the old-fashioned way.

Straight from a goat.

Herding the goats to the market down the street


Getting the milk straight into the drinking cup


Serving it to Mom and Son

Cheers!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Kite Festival in Santiago


On November 1, All Saints' Day (El Dia de Todos los Santos), we went to Santiago, Sacatepequez in Guatemala to celebrate relatives and loved ones passed before us in the Kite Festival.


At the Kite Festival, Guatemalans create giant kites (barriletes) to be flown, sending prayers and good wishes to their beloved in Heaven, and to ward off evil spirits. This is a communication with the Dead, and a way to celebrate the better life waiting for us all after death. The kites in Santiago are famously gigantic, intricate, and professionally done. It was definitely one of the most amazing cultural events we've had the pleasure of experiencing!

Yes, it is impossible for James to "blend in"

It is also impossible to pass up fresh blue corn tortillas! Mmmm!

Basically, they take the large kites up on top of an above-ground grave or the cemetery moselium, wait for a large gust of wind, and hope for the best. Some kites make it up several hundred feet, while others may barely make it off the ground before crashing down. When you were walking you had to be careful that a kite didn't come dive-bombing out of the sky or that you weren't stepping on the kite string being pulled by a small group of young men keeping the kites up!

We were very surprised to see a cemetery be so full of, well, life!


Everywhere people and families were laughing and busy decorating; graves were adorned happily with flowers, food and water, and relatives perched on them for a better view. It was such a festive and fun atmosphere that one couldn't be sad for very long, even with concerted effort!

The best way to experience this festival is with less verbiage and more footage! Enjoy this day in pictures, please!

Decorating Family Graves (and hanging out on them)







More convenient than a park bench

Very quaint graves!

Making the Kites

Kites are made of thin tissue/gift paper
They have bamboo backbones
They are bound together with rope, tape, and newspaper


These are some of the smaller kites



It seemed like the men were in charge of making and flying the kites
The women were in charge of grave decoration and adoration


This is one of the GIANT kites (2 stories tall, at least!)
We heard mixed reviews as to whether or not they actually try to fly these
By the end of the day there are five giant kites standing! WOW!



Three of the Five giant kites up already

Flying the Kites


At one point we counted 12+ kites going
If you can imagine how huge these kites were,
you can also tell how high they are by how small they appear in the sky


They were all so beautiful and well designed


Waiting for the wind...




Giant kites get stuck in trees, too!


It's harder than it looks to keep them in the air!

Winners of a local beauty pageant

We enjoyed some crazy corn (elote loco) at the end of the day