Durbuy, The Smallest Town On Earth!

A couple of weekends ago, we drove southeast of Brussels to a beautiful little place in the "Ardennes".  Durbuy's residents (only about 350) have dubbed themselves "The Smallest Town on Earth" .  But I must tell you, this little hamlet is packed with wonderful narrow cobblestone streets lined with shops and restaurants, and a castle that stands magestically on the banks of the Ourthe River.

The Ardennes is a region of Belgium you MUST visit when you're here.  The drive through this lush countryside just kept me saying, "oooh and awe" and sighing.

And a "Cheese Route"!!!!  Oh my, I'm in Heaven!

Must get to "Durbuy" though because we have plans to do some kayaking down the Ourthe River.  But first a little walk through this town where time seems to have stood still.

Oh if I could just figure out how to get some of this stuff back home to Las Vegas.

There were so many great options for lunch with all the wonderful umbrella covered terraces.  But I think we made a great choice!

After lunch we made our way to "LPM" where we rented ourselves a kayak for 10 euros each and started out on our 1 hour trip down the Ourthe River.

I've done some kayaking before, but never past a castle!

This little day trip was just what the doctor ordered, so peaceful and beautiful and relaxing!

And of course I have more pictures of our day for you to see.  Just click here "Where's Debbie" and then click on the album "Durbuy"

Boston Getaway - Part 1 - Boston Common and Public Park

This post is a little out of place as it relates to a trip we took over 4 months ago.  But, we've taken so many little trips, I'm having a hard time keeping up!  So forgive me if this post is going to confuse you as to where I am now.  Take note, I am in Belgium currently with lots of stories still to come, but I feel the need to let you know about our Boston Getaway this past November! And attempt to "Get Caught Up"!

Why Boston?  Well, we had some airline tickets we needed to use before coming to Europe.  Stijn suggested Boston knowing that I had been once before and I loved it!  He had never been, and I knew he would love it!

We left November 20 for a two night/3 day stay in Boston's South End.  This was a great area to be with the Boston Rapid Transit just a short walk away from our hotel.  You see, Boston is a great city to visit on foot!  No need for a rental car, besides you would make yourself crazy trying to find a place to park.

The "T" as locals refer to it, takes you to all the tourist areas.  We decide to start with the "Public Garden" and "Boston Common."

The oldest public park in the history of the USA, Boston Common's history goes back as far as 1634, when the area was designated a common pasture.  Now, it's a place for walking, weddings, events, some volleyball or simply sitting and enjoying the wildlife while you browse through your tourist guide book.

Boston Common is littered with historical monuments. Here are a few you may have heard about and quite possibly some you haven't.

Do you know the story of Mrs. Mallard and her eight babies?  "Make Way For Ducklings" was written in 1941 by Robert McCloskey and is about a Mallard family searching for a new place to live.

This bronze sculpture was unveiled in 1987, the 150th anniversary of the Public Garden.

This is one of the smallest suspension bridges in the world and sits at the heart of the Public Garden.

The "Brewer Fountain", donated by Gardner Brewer in 1868, is an exact copy of a fountain which was designed by French artist Liénard for the World Exposition of 1855 in Paris.

The Boston Common Frog Pond is nestled in the heart of America's oldest public park and in Colonial times, real frogs lived in the pond.  In the winter months from mid-November to mid-March  "Frog Pond" transforms into a place to ice skate.

A Classical Revival bandstand "Parkman Bandstand" sits at the center of a particularly lovely network of paths surrounded by stately trees.  It's used for concerts and other events.  The bandstand was named for George Francis Parkman, who died in 1908, leaving the city $5.5 million to be used for the maintenance of the Common.

Well, I think you know who this is......

......and maybe even this guy.

Located on a rise called "Flag Staff Hill", the "Soldiers and Sailors Monument" was erected in memory of Massachusetts soldiers and sailors who died in the U.S. Civil War. Construction began in 1874 and the monument was dedicated on September 17, 1877.

Located across from the Boston Common on the top of Beacon Hill, is the Massachusetts State House built in 1798. The land was once owned by Massachusetts first elected governor, John Hancock. Charles Bullfinch, the leading architect of the day, designed the building.

Bullfinch.....does that name ring a bell?

Yes, "Cheers" is the home of the "Bull and Finch Pub"

This center of Boston truely has some wonderful photo opportunities.  Here are few more of my favorites!

Well I could bore you to death with all the pictures I took!  So let's get some lunch!

When in Boston, eat seafood!

I will warn you now, it's going to be a week or so before I can get back on the computer to give you Part 2.  We have company coming from Bulgaria today to see Taylor Swift in concert here in Brussels.  And then, my honey surprised me with a trip to Cologne Germany this week!  Story to follow, eventually.

If you would like to see more pictures of Boston Common, just click here "Where's Debbie" and then on the album "Boston Getaway-Part 1"

Tavira Portugal

On January 27 (2011) we decided to drive about 1 hour to the east of Ferragudo and enjoy the sites of "Tavira". 

Tavira along with Lagos is one of the most architecturally attractive towns in the Algarve and its origin dates back to around 2,000 BC.

Like most of the Algarve its buildings were all virtually destroyed by the earthquake of 1755. The town has since been rebuilt with many fine 18th Century buildings

There are about 37 churches here, and we were able to see a few as we ejoyed our walk.

I think you have a good idea by now, (if you've been following my blog that is) that I love the water.  So of course we made our way to the river front where an old Roman bridge links the two parts of the town across the River Gilão.

The buildings along the river have access to the water but on this day I don't think anyone was planning a boat trip.

There is a nice "square" in the historic centre with park benchs, beautiful cobblestone and a small gazebo that seems to sit in a small pond.

Oh wait, I see a castle up there!

.The Castle of Tavira (locally known as Castelo de Tavira) is smack dab in the town historic centre.  Apparetly there is a local road train that runs every hour if you don't want to take the walk.  But you know me, so up we go, on foot!

All that remains of Tavira Castle pretty much consists of the remains of two square towers, one octagonal tower and walls on three sides.

None of the towers possess the characteristics of a keep although there surely must have been one. There are some pretty steep stairs you can climb to most of the walls and towers.

We choose to just walk around the garden that is in the interior of the Castle.

And look at this, wild Pointsettia!

All this and it's free!  Pretty nice huh?

And it gets better!  There was this great restaurant right next to the Castle walls.  We had "A Ver Tavira" all to our selves and had a great corner table with a spectacular view across the town.

I cheated and zoomed in on this while seating at our table

  I had the octopus risotto while Stijn enjoyed a curried chicken, yum!

Well this is where I apologize for not having any beach pictures.  We did make an honest effort but the rain started and we decided to head back to Ferragudo.  Hope you enjoyed our day as much as we did!

To see more pictures of Tavira, take a peek here "Where's Debbie" and then click on the album "Tavira"