Toulouse

I stopped in Toulouse on the way to the farm.  (Yes, I am going to volunteer on a farm outside of Mazamet for a week through wwoof.  I fervently hope they will speak French to me there instead of English.)

But the night before going to Mazamet, I visited Toulouse.  I didn't arrive until almost 10:00 but it was a Saturday night so there were people everywhere.  Because of it's southern European locale, the night was just beginning at this hour.

It has been well over a decade since I've walked around the city where I spent almost year of my life.  Time has changed some things a lot, and other things not at all.  The metro that was under construction while I was a student is now complete.  Window shopping indicates that the world is getting smaller every day.  The Place du Capitole looks very different because there is a marathon scheduled for the next morning and tents are everywhere.  But I had dinner at the Maison du Cassoulet (a specialty of the region) whose house wine is better than most good wine I can buy back home.  That has not changed.  And my feet found the way to the Garonne river, which has not changed a bit.  Chez Tonton was the Erasmus bar where we spent most weekends that were not spent traveling somewhere else.  (It was so recognizable that somebody later chased me down in Prague at 2:00 in the morning because I was wearing a Chez TonTon T-shirt).  It is still crowded with students drinking Pastis.  People from all walks of life still wander up and down the wide, rose-colored cobblestone streets all around the Capitole.  It's still a very diverse city, but I see the skin colors mixing more now than I did as a student.  It's good to see.  Life is still on display in a way the more reserved Germanic countries can never comprehend.

I woke the next morning to catch the train to Mazamet.

Biking through Belgium

Our bike rides around Munich and Florence reinvigorated my desire to see more small towns on foot or by bike.  And, if you’re going to bike abroad, the north of Europe is definitely the place to do it!   Biking is a way of life here so they have bike lanes in the cities, plenty of bike rental spots and parking lots for bikes.  They even subsidize long distancebike routes that are well marked, well maintained, and well-utilized.  Trains have special bike cars so you can carry your bike on and off.  The countries of Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium and, to some extent -Germany, are all very good for bikers. 

My rental bike in the bike car - apparently it needs its own ticket, whoops
Incidentally, biking amenities usually double for handicapped folks

So I found myself biking around the countryside of the Flemish portion of Belgium for a gew days, using Julia’s flat in Antwerp as a home base.  I’d bike for a day, stopping to see the little towns or cities along the way, and then take the train back to Antwerp, with my bike in tow. It started badly, but quickly turned into one of my favorite weeks so far.

Gratefully, the weather in Belgium was significantly warmer than it was in Amsterdam.  Although I never saw the sun, it was still pleasant.    

Day 1 - Antwerp to Dendermonde

I set out from Antwerp with the intention to pedal to Ghent.  But I am pretty sure I took a wrong turn getting out of Antwerp because I ended up getting a tour of a very industrial area, with not so great bike lanes.  It’s a bad sign when I feel like I’m riding down Highway 225 back in Houston . . . hmm, smells like a refinery!  Antwerp is pretty industrial, but I don’t think this was the bike route I saw marked on the map.  In the meantime, I biked through dingy looking suburbs – sooty and not particularly nice architecture, with deserted streets. 

 I was beginning to question my intention of biking around the countryside, but kept going in the direction of the river until I did run into proper bike lanes.  There was a sad-looking ferry that transported me and a few other bikers and one motorized wheelchair across the river for free - nice.  The ferry dropped us off on the other side, and poof! Instant scenery. The rest of the day was lovely!  

Maybe it’s just that my expectations had been zeroed out during my first hour of biking, but I found that biking along the river was very picturesque and enjoyable. 

This little bar and grill was one of
many along the bike route

Here's the little town where I chose
to stop for lunch - so cute!

Other bikers enjoying the same place

When you see my little yellow bike,
picture me enjoying this view

Clearly Belgium puts a lot of stock in these bike lanes.  The maintenance on them is impeccable - I saw entire crews of guys mowing and weed-eating.  There were several stretches that had series of plaques teaching you about the local history or nature.  Who else operates ferries for free, just for bikers?   I saw everybody from elderly folks out for a jaunt along the canal to packs of hard core bikers drafting off each other.  School kids commuting home or hanging out in town squares were my signal that it was late enough to start heading back to Antwerp.  And, there were little bars and cafes all along the way!  

As I rode, the countryside changed from suburbs to houses even Americans would consider large, to outright country estates.  At one point I saw a castle! I ran out of time before I got to Ghent but it was easy to grab a train from the closest town.  I stopped at Dendermonde and rode back to Antwerp.

Day 2 - Bruges to Ghent

The next day, I took a train to Bruges and learned not to trust the weather man.  Fog had been predicted all day, with no rain.  However, it was raining when I arrived in Bruge.  So I camped out in a coffee shop in the train station, sipping hot chocolate and people watching until the rain passed.  The Belgians take their “warme drinks” very seriously.  There are tea and coffee shops everywhere. 

Bruge is a really cute little town!! I spent the morning and early afternoon there and then took off to Ghent.  Check out the separate post for cities in Belgium for more pictures.  

In contrast to the previous day biking though the countryside, I never got lost on this route and it was even more picturesque.  But it had no restaurants or bars or small towns to speak of along the way.  It was mostly along the canals and through farmland.  I managed to make it to Ghent early enough to snap a few pictures of the famous sites, but did not get to wander around before I had to catch a train back to Antwerp.

Days 3 and 4 - camped out in Antwerp

It rained most of Wednesday and Thursday in Belgium.  So I stayed put in Antwerp, doing some much-needed trip planning.  I am very disappointed that Chiang Mai canceled their lantern release festival by the Bhuddist monks, and I am VERY excited my cousin Andrew agreed to join me in Turkey :)  I saw a few sites in in the city.  Again - See the Cities in Belgium post.

Day 5 - Bruges to Blankenberge

I liked Bruges so much that I went back.  This time, I biked north and west until I ran out of time.  I biked through more farmland and little hamlets like Damme, Dames Steenweg, Lisseweg, and finally arrived in Blankenberge.  This trip was the best of the 3 this week and I wish I had more time to continue on the coastal L1 route.  Again, very well marked with lots of towns to stop in along the way.  

Damme was a cute little town on the canal that used to be the center of shipping in Belgium until it started silting up.  The canal was re-dug on Napoleon’s orders and there is still a cute town hall with 39 bells that played Eidelwiess to announce the hour J

I chose to stop in Lisseweg for a late lunch, where there is a memorial to the WWI vets who died from that town.  Belgium has been on the front lines for both world wars and additions for WWII were just beneath the original pillar.  My hostess at lunch was extremely accommodating, and I enjoyed an enormous 2-course lunch “menu” with hot chocolate at the end for 17 euros.  Life is good.

Blankenberge had the feel of every other ocean-front town I’ve ever been to.  It reminds me more of the east coast beach towns than the gulf coast beach towns.  There was the strand that paralleled the water, and hotels and even a casino to provide entertainment for visitors during peak season.  I didn’t have time to make it to Oostende, but hear that beach town is even nicer.  Instead, I hopped on the train to make it back in time for a late dinner with friends in Antwerp.

All in all, I enjoyed biking through Belgium and would recommend it to anybody looking for a way to visit the country.  

Next stop: A farm outside Mazamet, France

Cities in Belgium

For 5 days, I stayed with my friend Julia at her place in Antwerp, using it as a home base for bike trips.  (see the Biking through Belgium post).  This time, I actually took the time to visit the cities of Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent.  I also had time to hang out with my firends Julia, Tony and Lew who are working in the city.  Thanks to Julia for letting me use her kitchen all week and to Lew for coordinating dinners.

The Belgians are famous for a few foods, all of which I tried while I was in the country: Beer, chocolate, waffles, and moules-frites.  They are all famous for good reason!  They are all good!  As pointed out by my friend Lew, this country has all the vices readily available for you anytime.  I found Bruge to be enchanting - thit city takes all of the things Belgium is famous for, including lace, and took it up a notch.  (They have had tourism as a major industry for almost a hundred years).  Antwerp takes its shipping and diamond industry very seriously.  Ghent is a cute medieval town that is trying to catch up to Bruges in restoration and tourism.   All of them are worth a visit.  So here is a random collection of pictures from each of the cities, including the visit to the Half Maan Brewery in Bruges and the Red Star Line museum in Antwerp.

Bruge

Bruge is a canaled city

The monastery with tree houses
in the courtyard

Beautiful views

Town square

At the top of the Half Maan Brewery

Bierkoeler (translation: heat exchanger)

Every beer in Belgium has its own glass
The tour guide at Half Mann said there
were between 14000 and 15000 beers
made in Belgium

Horse drawn carriages are everywhere
great way to get a tour guide too

The old toll house - built in the 1200s
Next to the canal, where the dockers
would meet

They also celebrate St. Arnold
who saved them from the plague
by recommending they
drink beer instead of water

Old timey-draw bridges!

Ghent

The Ghent Bell tower

Ghent Castle

Antwerp

I enjoyed of the Belgian specialties in Antwerp.  The Moule-frites overlooking the main square and a Chocolate covered waffle out front of Rubens house/musuem.  Luckily, I had a guide to the Belgian beer - my friend Lew has been working on this project for years and so has done a lot of scouting :)

The main square

The cathedral's bell tower

The enormous train station is a
marvel in and of itself

Stacked train platforms!

Antwerp is the 2nd largest port
in Europe.  

The Red Star Line Museum
showcasing immigrants hopes and dreams
for centuries

I found this letter back home interesting while at the Red
Start Line Museum.  Americans haven't changed much.

Next Stop: A farm outside Mazamet, France

Amsterdam

Even in the cold drizzle, this city manages to impress.  Amsterdam carries a pretty one-dimensional reputation with Americans - they only hear about the red light district.  But every European I have talked with describes the beauty of the canaled city.  

Amsterdam is beautiful, even though it rained every day.  So I can only imagine this place when the sun is shining.  Maybe that’s why so many tourists flock here.  Our tour guide mentioned it while we were in Rotterdam, and I also found this summary online while researching bike trips:

Within 15 years, the number of international visitors to Amsterdam has doubled from 4.5 million per year to 9 million visitors per year, with the number of available hotel rooms growing from 16,000 to over 26,000 in the same period. The public spacewhere the visitors wish to roam remained the same though, causing stress on the existing infrastructure. In Amsterdam, locals call this the Disneyland Effect. There is serious concern that Amsterdam’s City Centre starts to become like a 24 hours theme park, not a place to live, work or to do business.

I found Amsterdam to be full of culture, boats, history, and easy-going people.  It also has a museum for everything under the sun.  One of the guys I met there describes it well . . . everywhere you look in Amsterdam, there is something to see.  Just a sampling: a ferris wheel in the middle of town, a brewery tour, a tulip sales street,  museums (for everything from Van Gogh to Prostitution), modern architecture, windmills, canal tours, cheese tastings, coffee shops that sell space brownies, the Red Light district, the Olympic Stadium . . . the list just goes on and on.  

My city bike - complete with pedal breaks,
no gears and a wobbly front tire

I picked my favorite sites and activities and pedaled around for a few days like a native on the bike donated by my AirBnB host. The city is well organized for bikers, with bike lanes and bike parking lots. Canals criss-cross this city and one of our tour guides explained that UNESCO just awarded Amsterdam status as one of the earliest planned cities.  The combination makes it a beautiful place to be on a bicycle.  But you have to be prepared to dodge pedestrians and cars and trams in the city center.    

The canaled city

A symbol of the Netherlands

The museums in Amsterdam are also some of the best I've ever seen.  Each one contained very impressive content, were well curated, with lots of information available in English.  During my long weekend, I hit up the Van Gogh museum, the Shipping museum (Het Scheepvaartmuseum), the Rijksmuseum, and the Anne Frank house.  There were still a zillion more that looked interesting, but I can only do so many museums before my eyes glaze over. 

The Van Gogh was a Dutchman, and Amsterdam
contains a great collection of his work

The Van Gogh museum had an exhibition comparing 
his life and work with Edward Munch

I loved the ship museum!
The Dutch have a long history
with sailing

They had a full-size replica of
a Dutch East Indies trading vessel

The royal barge

The Anne Frank house
Sobering 

I also met with several folks in Amsterdam. Julia was in town to run the half marathon with several other coworkers and Bobby and Tony were on business.  I need to get more jobs like theirs.  

We all met up to take canal tour after Tony, Julia and I visited the Anne Frank house.   The canal tour was alright, but not great.  It was a nice diversion from the misty rain.   Dinner was at an Argentinian restaurant that we selected randomly walking down the street.  Then we wandered through the Red Light District.  Honestly, it was a little strange, but not that shocking; most of the women were wearing more in the windows than they would on a local beach.  And there were tourists everywhere.  We laughed about the fact there were a higher percentage of women walking down the street in the District than we saw at the steak restaurant where we at dinner.  There were also fairly respectable bars and restaurants scattered among the sex shops, with clean cut middle age men and women drinking a beer or coffee.  My AirBnB host told me the next morning she thought the District "had a very cool vibe" and that Amsterdam was trying to build up the area into an arts scene.  Fascinating.

Waiting for Julia at the finish line

The Night Watch
The Rijksmuseum has a lot of Rubens

The next day Tony and I visited the Rijksmuseum while Julie and coworkers ran their 13 miles.  We did make it out to cheer her on around mile 10, and congratulated her at the finish line. Her coworker that currently lives in Amsterdam welcomed everybody back at his place after the race, serving lots of goodies, including cliff bars, beer and pizza.  It was nice, but surreal to be surrounded by former coworkers in Europe.  They are all living and working here now, and still enmeshed in the day to day work struggles.  I'm standing on the outside looking in, feeling almost like I never left . . . almost :)  

We caught the train back to Antwerp that night so Julia and Lew could go back to work.  As for me, I will continue rambling.

Next Stop: Belgium