Europe In 30 Days - I Don't Wanna Go Home!

I can't believe Jan 25th is here already and that I have to leave tomorrow to go back to Las Vegas. But Stijn, in true fashion has great plans for us today to help keep my mind off of the inevitable.

Seeing how much I enjoyed the Italian markets, Stijn thought that I would certainly love to experience a market in Belgium. So we take the metro to a huge market that is held on the grounds of Cureghem Cellars every Sunday. Now this was an amazing market, not only could you buy fresh fruits and vegetables,

or fresh fish and meat, but if you needed a new appliance, or some clothing you could get that here too. But lets say you need a couple of live geese or chickens..........


Next we headed to the Grand Place for one last chance to get some pictures of this magnificent square. Every time I go here I take a ton of pictures because I am in such awe of all the fabulous architecture that surrounds it, but beside that the skies are clear in Brussels today!
Stijn has decided that he is going to cook dinner for me tonight, so after stopping in La Grand Cafe for one last Irish Coffee before I go home, we go to the grocery store to pick up some mussels. What is a trip to Brussels without having some mussels?
Don't you just love a man in the kitchen?

Dinner is wonderful! And who could ask for more than spending time with the one you love, sharing not only a glass of wine and a pot of mussels, but all of the unforgettable memories that you just made together over the last 30 days.

I Love You Stijn!


To see more pictures of my last day in Europe just go to Where's Debbie and click on the album "Brussels".

Europe In 30 Days - Surprise! Bologna Italy - Part 2

It's a new day and we are ready to go explore Bologna! Bologna is easy to explore by foot, so with map in hand we head out in the direction of that great lighted stairway we saw last night.

Stijn and I always seem to come upon some great unexpected surprises and today is no exception. Today the first thing we see is an Italian market! As far as the eye can see, multi-coloured canopy's that covered tables of all sorts of things for sale from gloves to coats, and fresh vegetables and fruits.

We decide to take our route through the aisles of the market before coming back out onto the streets. Which was a great choice because I saw this great scarf that I bought for my friend Ellen for only 5.00 euros!

We make our way to Piazza Maggiore which is the centre of the oldest part of Bologna. This is a huge pedestrian square that was built in the 13th century and is surrounded by some impressive medieval and Renaissance buildings. From here we walk to Piazza del Nettuno, which is actually adjoining Piazza Maggiore, and here we see the well-known fountain, Fontana di Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune).

From here we just wander up and down little cobbled streets passing shops and markets selling meats and cheeses and brightly coloured vegetables and fruits on display spilling out onto the streets.

It's time to pop into someplace and give our feet a rest and warm up. We settle in at "Bar Jazz Cafe". Bologna has a strong attraction to jazz and in this little cafe it is evident by all the pictures of great jazz musicians on the walls. After warming up with a cafe macchiato for me and a coke for Stijn, guess he just isn't as cold as I am, we head back out to do some more exploring.

We head in the direction of two very tall towers, which happen to be referred to as "Two Towers". So we make our way to Porta Ravegnana Square and there they are, one taller than the other and one leaning.....a lot!

The Asinelli Tower, the taller of the two was built in 1109 and is 319 feet tall with an inner staircase of 498 steps completed in 1684. The Garisenda tower built around the same time is much smaller (154 feet).

It's now about 1pm and after passing so many little cafe's with tables lined up outside on the cobblestone streets we decide it's time to have some lunch. We end up in Piazza Minghetti and find Ristorante "da Ercole". Here we eat outside in a tented terrace with heat! The prices were mid to high range, averaging between 8 and 12 euros. We start with a bottle of Sangiovese wine from the Romagna region and a platter of assorted cheeses and bread.

Before the main course I must also have some authentic Gnocchi and Stijn has Tortellini in Brodo, a pasta stuffed with mincemeat, salami and herbs in a broth. Then our plates come, Stijn has Straccetti di Manzo con Rucole which is thin slices of beef with rocket lettuce and a garlic & rosemary sauce. I decide to have the Polenta con Funghi Porcini which is polenta with porcini mushrooms and gorgonzola, because I have never had polenta before, and now I can say "okay, had that, don't need to have it again". Pretty flavorless except for the porcini mushrooms.

Stuffed and happy with our choice for this late lunch we waddle back onto the streets of Bologna for some more sightseeing. Nothing better than a good walk after a huge lunch, and what better place to take a walk then through the streets of Bologna.

As we walk under more of those wonderful porticoes we see some more incredible architecture. But equally incredible to me are the butcher shops and their amazing display of meats and poultry. Let the pictures speak for themselves.

"Honey, can you pick me up a whole chicken and some lamb at the market" has a whole different meaning here in Italy.

Well it's getting dark now so we decide to head back in the direction of our room. But we are stopped dead in our tracks by one more unexpected surprise. Another outdoor market! This one on the little square just before our hotel. There are only about 4 rows of vendors, but these vendors are selling meats, cheeses, breads, olive oils, wines, chocolates, pastries! God love Italy! We make our first pass through to see everything and then Stijn has an incredible idea. "How about we just pick us up some meat and cheese along with some bread and a bottle of wine and take it to our room"? he says to me in complete genius theory. "We could have a picnic on the bed", I replied. He just got a big smile on his face. So we go to one of the meat vendors and they slice us off some parma ham right from the leg of the pig.
And then we go to a cheese vendor and decide from the tower of cheeses which one to have sliced for us.

We pick out a round of bread and a bottle of wine and away we go to enjoy our picnic in our room on the bed.
While we are curled up on the bed sipping wine and nibbling on meat and cheese with some bread we make a toast to another magnificent day together and reminisce about our day in Bologna and all the great expected and unexpected things we were able to see and do today.

All good things must come to an end and we must head back to Brussels this morning. And then to make this trip to Bologna even more magical, it begins to snow.


What a great surprise!

If you would like to see more pictures of what we saw and what we did go to Where's Debbie and click on the album "Bologna"

Europe In 30 Days - Surprise! Bologna Italy - Part 1

The time has come for the surprise trip that Stijn had planned for me during my stay here in Brussels. So now after a few days of being back in Brussels from our trip to France it is now time to go to Bologna Italy! That's right, Stijn planned a trip to Bologna as a surprise for me because he knows how much I love Italy and he wanted to take me there. Sorry ladies, he's already taken.

It's January 22 and we land in Bologna in the early evening and hop on the bus to our hotel. We are staying at the Hotel Mercure which is part of the Ibis Hotel chain (Stijn is racking up those points!) and it is perfectly located across the street from the train station and bus stop. We walk across the street, check in, get freshened up and head out onto the streets of Bologna for some dinner.

First we pick up a free map at the hotel desk and decide in which direction we are going to head. The first thing that I am absolutely amazed with is the covered porticoes as we walk down the streets in search of the perfect restaurant. In fact there are 25 miles of them throughout the city, all different in their color and frescoes on the ceilings.

We come upon Ristorante Nino on Via Volturno and decide that it looks the perfect place to have dinner. This was a great traditional restaurant with it's several separate dining areas and we are seated at a table by the window. Neither Stijn or I know too much Italian but the waiters were very friendly and helpful and we got our point across about wanting some vino. We also order some parma ham with buffala mozzarella as an appetizer and we each order ourselves a pizza. That's how you do it here in Italy, you order your own pizza, for you, and then you eat it yourself.......whew!

After dinner we take a different way back and we get a glimpse of what's in store for us tomorrow in Bologna!

If you would like to see more pictures just go to Where's Debbie and click on the album "Bologna"

Europe In 30 Days - Deauville and Honfluer France

On our way to Honfluer our route takes us through the seaside town of Deauville and we decide that we must stop here and take a walk on the beach. The street we park on is lined with beautiful Victorian style homes facing the ocean. I must say this is the widest beach I have ever seen and It's my understanding that you probably still wouldn't be able to find a spot to lay out during the hectic 100-day summer season here. Deauville is a playground of resorts, casinos, watersports, sunshine, shopping, horse racing and sandy beaches backed by wooded hills. So lucky for us we are here in January bundled up and enjoying the solitude that is rare in Deauville.

As we come into Honfluer the sun is just setting and as we drive past the picturesque harbour "Le Vieux Bassin", lights from the restaurants circling the harbour are reflecting off of the water. We find our hotel which is the Ibis Hotel once again. This is a very inexpensive chain of hotels throughout Europe, however they are not short on room size or amenities. In fact we have another great view. It's not the ocean mind you but it is beautiful!

We start our day walking around the harbour on cobbled streets and past half-timbered or slate-fronted buildings, popping in and out of little shops. I even find a great little vase with an etching of Honfluer.

Of course I am taking pictures of every one of these great buildings on our way to a lighthouse we spotted in the distance. Gotta have a picture of that to add to my collection.

Normandy is one of the few regions in France that does not produce wine, so what does one have when in Normandy? They have Calvados. Calvados is a cider brandy with many subtle variations. So the greatest find of the day was when we stumbled upon a little shop selling all types of Calvados.

And then there was that great little sign "Degustation Gratuite", that's free samples! So we try a few ranging from very smooth to a "I can't swallow this stuff, I think I'll buy one for my son-in-law". So I buy a smoother apertif for me and a stronger digestif for Sid, along with some others that Stijn purchased also.

Well sadley it is time to head back to Brussels. Our week in France has come to an end and I can't believe all the wonderful places we were able to visit while on this trip thanks to a home exchange in Provence and to Stijn for my wonderful birthday gift of Brittany and Normandy.

You can go to Where's Debbie to see the pictures of Deauville and Honfluer.

Europe In 30 Days - Mont St Michel

Today we are heading to the Normandy region of France, destination Honfluer. On our way we will stop to see a monument that challenges the Eiffel tower as the most beloved attraction in France. Mont St. Michel.

But first I must have one more look out our window and enjoy the view of the ocean before we leave St. Malo this morning. I open the curtains and within a few seconds a seagull is sitting on the ledge just outside the window. Camera, I need my camera! Mr. Gull seems to be enjoying his photo shoot and I feel as if I must reward him somehow. Just so happens we have some bread with us, so I hand the camera to Stijn, open the window and start hand feeding him. Cool!

On our way we stop to pick up a few things, the most important being some new batteries for my camera. Yes I took extras but they are the ones that are about ready to die now. We also decide to pick up some bread and cheese for a snack later on today.

We are just about there and I spot a windmill just to our right in the distance and we make a detour to take some pictures. Little did we know that we would have this magnificent view of Mont St. Michel from here looking over tree lined green pastures.

As we drive closer, surrounded by water, this astonishing sight of Mont St. Michel appears like some fabulous mirage out of the flat landscape, I have Stijn stop the car several times so that I can take pictures.

We walk along the Grand Rue which was the route once taken by pilgrims during the 12th and 13th centuries as they made their way to the abbey, but is now filled with tourists and souvenir shops. We spent about 2 hours walking through the narrow cobblestone ramparts heading up to the Abbey and enjoying the views out over the Couesnon estuary.

This is another great site in France that is FREE to explore. However, if you do want to see the inside of the abbey tours cost 6.20 euros (about $8 or $9 US) but is free the first Sunday of the month.

We are a bit hungry now so we decide to take a drive back to the windmill we saw earlier and have our lunch there. No, not because there were any restaurants or drive thru's nearby. Remember there is a great view of Mont St. Michel from here and we thought it would be really romantic to have some of the bread and cheese we bought earlier along with some chorizo sausage and wine that we still had with us from Provence.

We finish up our "French Take Out" lunch, take a deep sigh in disbelief of what we just experienced and continue our drive onto Honfluer.

There are plenty of pictures to see at Where's Debbie. Just click on the album "Mont St. Michel"

Europe In 30 Days - St Malo and Cancale France - Part 2

It's late in the afternoon and there is a light drizzle of rain, but Cancale is only about a 15 minute drive from St Malo so we head in that direction.

When we arrive in Cancale we park in the town square in front of a church and walk down to La Houle. Here fishermen's houses have been converted into restaurants, cafes and shops. We stop here to take pictures of the Tour a Feux lighthouse, and since the tide was out we sat for awhile and looked out over the oyster beds. When the cod-fishing industry collapsed in the 19th century, Cancale's fishermen turned to oyster-farming. The flat oysters (belons) are farmed here for their large size.

The rain is coming down a little bit harder now and we seem to be the only people silly enough to still be out in the rain. So we head into one the restaurants looking out over the harbour and I order something hot to drink and it's NOT an Irish coffee! I decided on a Vin chaud. That's right, I'm having a hot wine! Life is good in France! After we dry out a little bit we head back up the hill to the car.

Stijn has had his heart set on having Fruit de Mer (frwee duh MEHR) while we are on the coast of France, and the clerk at our hotel has recommended Les Embruns. So on our way back from Cancale we find Les Embruns and head inside. The restaurant is very elegant with linens on the tables, candles lit and we have a nice table for two in a corner by the window. We order a bottle of wine along with Fruits de Mer for Stijn and I decide on grilled Langostines. When our meal arrives and I see the platter of seafood that is set down in front of Stijn, I now know why this dish is called "Fruits of the Sea". Crab, lobster, oysters, clams, mussels, two types of snails, langostines, my gosh!

Before we start to indulge on this magnificent meal, we make a toast and reflect on another amazing day in France.

If you would like to see pictures of our evening just go to Wheres Debbie and click on the "Cancale" album.

Europe In 30 Days - St. Malo and Cancale France - Part 1

What an amazing home exchange experience this has been, 5 days in Provence! The location of this exchange was, I think, the best possible advantage to see so much of Provence. We never traveled more than 30 miles in one direction and we were able to spend time in eight different towns, not to mention the ones we drove through or past. And all of this for the cost of only some vehicle fuel and our meals that we either had at a restaurant or prepared at home ourselves.

After we finish cleaning everything up and put clean linens on the bed we say good-bye to Venterol and head out for our next adventure in France.

A little background story I think you must know before I go on though. This past October while on a home exchange in Indian Rocks Beach Florida, Stijn presented me with a certificate for my birthday that he had hand written himself. It was redeemable for a 2 night stay in the Normandy region of France. So, it is now January 15th and we are on our way!

We actually spend our first two nights in the Brittany region and it is just starting to drizzle a little bit as we arrive in St Malo this evening. We are staying at the Ibis Hotel which happens to be in what I think is the best possible location. We are on the 2nd floor and our room has a view of the ocean!

Now you know I'm a happy girl! After we settle in, we walk next door to Chez Jean-Pierre, a pizzeria, and we order ourselves up a pizza before calling it a day.

We wake up this morning to the sound of the waves crashing against the seawall just outside our window. This coast line has one of the most dramatic differences between high and low tide, as much as 30 feet or more. We have some breakfast in the hotel restaurant while watching the water come up over the seawall during high tide.

We are happy to learn that we are within walking distance of the walled medieval city of St Malo and we head that way making sure not to get wet from the waves. On the way we can see Fort National sitting out on an island just past the fortified city of St Malo.

We enter the city through Port St Vincent, built in 1709. Now you must know something, to visit this magnificent site is absolutely FREE! After we enter we notice that there is a stairway that leads up to the rampart walk, from which we have some wonderful views of the city. I thought how cool is this that we are walking along the wall that encloses this fortification. About halfway we decide to come down and walk out to a point where a lighthouse sits. From here the view looking back at St Malo is magnificent! After taking some pictures we head back up to the rampart walk and finish our "loop".

Well it's time for a bite to eat and something warm to drink. We find Cafe Licorne situated where we started our day, in front of Port St Vincent and most importantly has an outdoor heated terrace. Bet you can guess what I had to drink to warm me up. That's right, an Irish Coffee. After taking a look at the menu I am set on having the Buckwheat crepe. It wasn't what I was quite expecting, but definitely a nice surprise. It was very large and a bit on the crunchy side and had a thick sweet sauce settled in the middle.

After we finished our little warm up we now decide to take a walk through the actual streets of St Malo. Now it is evident that current times have given way to tourism. These ancient tiny cobbled streets are full of pubs, cafes and some fascinating shops along with some more well known retail stores.

As we are walking back to our hotel we can see now how far the tide has gone out. It was amazing to see such a calmness now when only a few hours early the waves were so violent. Back at the hotel we get in the car and take a drive over to Cancale.

Come back soon to read about how we ended our day in the Brittany region of France.

If you would like to see pictures of our day in St Malo, please visit Where's Debbie and click on the album "On our way to St Malo" and "St Malo"

Europe In 30 Days - Avignon and Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Part 2

We leave Avignon and head towards our next destination of the day. As we arrive closer to Chateauneuf-du-Pape we see that this medieval fortified village is surrounded by vineyards, all neatly tended. Little did I know that this is also a very famous wine region that produces some of the best wines in the world. Lucky me!

We find a place to park and head out to see the ruins of this village, whose name means "the Pope's new castle", and was a summer hideaway of the 14th century Avignon popes. This leads us through narrow cobbled streets, curving around the hillside and climbing up and down between the houses. The buildings are old, but everything is thoroughly restored, and it becomes apparent that this is a tourist town.

We make it to the top and there we see the magnificent ruins of the castle. Not much is left of the papal fortress , that was blown up by the Germans in 1944. From here we also have some great views of the Rhone Valley with vineyards as far as the eye can see.

After exploring the ruins and of course taking pictures from every angle possible, we decide it's time to head back to the car before it gets too dark. On our way we pass by the barrel again with the bottles of wine on top. We decide to take a peek inside this "cave" and discover that it is a wine tasting room. Right On!! During our tasting the "sommeliere" was very informative not only about the wines we tasted but also the wineries throughout the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region. We were able to sample some of the full-bodied reds that are one of the most renowned through France as well as the lesser known whites which were also exquisite.

We both picked our favorites and purchased a couple of bottles. You will know when you are buying an authentic bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape by the crossed keys of the chateau embossed on each bottle.

Well, sad but true, this magnificent day has come to an end. But we are excited about our departure tomorrow for the Brittany and Normandy regions of France!

If you would like to see more pictures just go to Wheres Debbie and click on the album "Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

Europe In 30 Days - Avignon and Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Part 1

It's January 14th and the last day of our home exchange in Provence. Today is exceptionally chilly as the Mistral Winds had been blowing in the very early morning hours. But I say "Hey, what is a trip to Provence without experiencing the fierce Mistral Winds?" Lucky for us though the winds had died down by the time we were ready to head out to Avignon.

We spent most of our day in Avignon within the historic central area starting with the indoor market "Les Halles".

This was an amazing indoor market filled with vendors selling fresh fruits and vegetables,

along with meats and cheeses and fresh seafood.

Of course we couldn't leave here without some fresh pastries to start our day. We decide to head for "The Palace of the Popes" (Palais des Papes). This Palace was built during the Pontificates of three popes and took about 30 years to complete. The entire complex is actually made up of two buildings: the Old Palace, built between 1334 and 1342, and the New Palace, built between 1342 and 1352.

Across from the Palace on the Place du Palais was another impressive building, the 17th century Hotel de Monnaies (the old mint), with a facade of griffons, cherubs, eagles and swathes of fruit.

We then head just north of the Palace of the Popes to see (and of course take pictures) the Cathedrale Notre-Dame des Doms.

From here we have a fabulous view of Pont St Benezet, a bridge that does not go completely across the Rhone River. The bridge originally went all the way across the Rhone to Villeneuve-les-Avignon, but in 1668 the Rhone flooded and washed away a large part of the bridge, leaving only what we are looking at today.

We then follow a path leading up to the Rocher des Doms park and see a water feature, a sort of "grotto" and of course we must climb to the top. Afterwards we took a little break and sat and enjoyed the views over the Rhone river to Villeneuve and beyond.

It's time to start walking again so we head down in the direction of Pont St Benezet to get a closer look. From here we continue walking through the great cobblestone streets towards the area of the place de l'Horge, the city's imposing 19th century Hotel de Ville with its Gothic clock tower. We find a little cafe and decide to have a bite to eat. The cafe is more of a sandwich shop and we order some pannini's.

We have just about walked ourselves to death now and decide we should probably get to our next destination today before dark. As we are walking back to our car we see the funniest thing. This man walking down the street with his cat behind him....on a leash. I have never seen someone taking a cat for a walk on a leash before. However, I don't think the cat really wanted to go for a walk today.

Check back soon for Part 2 and read about what we did in Chateauneuf du Pape.

To see more pictures go to Wheres Debbie and click on the album "Avignon"

Europe In 30 Days - Pernes-Les-Fountains and L'Isle-Sur-la-Sorgue

Well I'm sure you are thinking by now "Boy that Stijn and Debbie sure don't let any grass grow under their feet". True.

Today we decide to see two more places that we read about in our Provence books that look very interesting. Our first stop is Pernes-Les-Fountains. We read that this village has a total of 36 fountains and I am very intrigued by this and feel it is a must see. On our way we need to stop and fuel up the car and I see the most amazing thing! Wine being sold from a little stand at the gas station. That's right people! Wine bottles lined up on shelves in a little stand situated right next to the propane cylinders! God love France!

We arrive in Pernes-Les-Fountaines and park to the side of Bar de la Paroisse and walk over the bridge of the 16th century Porte Notre-Dame which takes us over the Nesque River and we immediately see a fountain. We spot a clock tower and of course must head in that direction. This 13th century Tour de l'Horloge (clock tower) is a last remnant of the chateau of the Counts of Toulouse. We follow the path to the top and again we are in awe of the view of the medieval village below and the snow capped Mt. Ventoux. After some picture taking we head back down to stroll through the narrow cobbled streets and squares, discovering the many fountains.

We then come to a bakery and I must have a pastry! So we go in and I pick something out that looks like nothing I've ever seen and Stijn picks one that he loves. We sit just outside the bakery on a ledge and enjoy our pastries in front of yet another fountain. We decide to head back to the car and Stijn has a grand idea! "How about we stop in at Bar de la Paroisse and have a drink before we go onto our next destination"? You see why I just love this guy?

Now this was definitely a "Man's" hang out. Besides the lady behind the bar, I was the only other female in the place. I of course have my favorite drink on a chilly day, Irish coffee and Stijn has a beer. We notice that there is a card game going on at a couple of the tables and Stijn says that they are playing a game called "Belote" I watched for a little bit to see if I could figure out the strategy of the game, but a round went really quick and I just couldn't figure it out. More men continued to come in and the place was becoming quite crowded. So we figured we better get going and let them have a table because it seemed a tournament was about to begin.

So on to L'Isle -Sur-La-Sorge. From the moment we drive into this town and see a mossy covered water-wheel at the first intersection, we know immediately that we have made a very good choice in making this one of our destinations while in Provence. We park in the middle of town on a street that just so happens to be lined with antique shops and pop inside one of them while on our way to get some pictures of the water-wheels. We walk through a park and find some men playing a game with small metal balls and Stijn tells me that the game is Jeu de boules. We continue walking through town along the canal and I am taking several pictures of the water wheels and then we see this great big yellow building with writing all over it indicating that they sell olive oil, olives, honey.....Oh my gosh!!!

So we go inside "Les Delices Du Luberon" and I see a small table with a sign that says "Degustation Gratuite"! That means free samples people! I am having the time of my life sampling all of the different tapenades!

After I had my fill of samples I picked out a couple of tapenades to purchase along with some lavender honey and olive oil for myself and my daughter Crystal.

It's now time for a hot toddy.....yep, Irish coffee for me and beer for Stijn. We pick a little cafe with seating on a terrace facing the canal and a water-wheel. We then decide to walk along "place de la Liberte" to take a look at the shops that line this cobblestone street. This narrow street opens onto a small square and there we see the 17th century church, Notre-Dame-des-Anges.

Satisfied with our day we decide to head home. Stijn prepares a platter of meats, cheese, olives and bread and we settle in with a glass of wine by the fire and reminisce about our day.

If you would like to see more pictures of our day please go to Wheres Debbie and click on the albums Pernes Les Fountains and L'Isle Sur La Sorge.