Re: a day in brussles

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Brussels photos

On Sun, Jun 15, 2014 at 11:59 AM, Gil Even <gil.even@gmail.com> wrote:

A day in brussles

 

I boarded the plan in Cleveland with a back pack and a baby seat in a big bag as a trolley, not a heavy thing, just bulky. The 1^st leg was fine at plane side check in, but on the large plane, no one said anything as I put it on the plane, but then it wouldn't fit. Unfortunately I had to check the baby seat all the way to my final destination and I am so glad! It would have been a pain to lug that thing around.

 

Now I was free to roam Brussels for 3.5 hours. I preplanned my route to hit maximum number of sites, since the city center is not that large. I've been to Brussels years ago for a few hours and didn't plan and had not real good memories of the place. But I am more prepared now. Still, the 1^st impressions were not great, nice quite city but nothing extra ordinary, its Sunday morning and the city is quite empty, but I go site to site and take photos of many interesting statues or carvings and finally hit the grand palace area and things get lively. Small streets, sidewalks that make me look down or risk a sprain, lots of restaurants, lots of tourists, lots and lots of chocolate places, and thieves. There is a sign on the cathedral entrance that thieves operate in and out of the place, I wonder if they mean the priests?

It's a nice sunny day and I stop in the gallery for refueling of crepe with bananas and chocolate and hot chocolate la maison and get chocolate for desert… (free treat). Now energized I get to the world wonder. I have a new book of 100 world wonder and the grand palace is one of them. I need to see if there was no bribe to get this place in! it is nice, but a world wonder, I am not so sure. Si keep walking and pass more small cathedrals, squares, statues, many of the statues are of lions, some roar, some cower and some just stand proud. I reach the peeing boy status and take a peeing on me selfie, a must I think, get a chocolate sample at Leonidas and later a very yummy ice cream at a small market I happen to pass by.

I make it on time to the airport and wish I left later to reach one more random square.

 

Over all, efficient use of time, in a good city center, but I wouldn't rate it on my top 10 European cities. Something is missing, the place is pretty but the charm is not there.

 

World wonder- check

Ice cream and chocolate – check

Been peed on – check

Not being robbed – check

Flight to Israel in one hour

 

photos coming...

a day in brussles

A day in brussles

 

I boarded the plan in Cleveland with a back pack and a baby seat in a big bag as a trolley, not a heavy thing, just bulky. The 1^st leg was fine at plane side check in, but on the large plane, no one said anything as I put it on the plane, but then it wouldn't fit. Unfortunately I had to check the baby seat all the way to my final destination and I am so glad! It would have been a pain to lug that thing around.

 

Now I was free to roam Brussels for 3.5 hours. I preplanned my route to hit maximum number of sites, since the city center is not that large. I've been to Brussels years ago for a few hours and didn't plan and had not real good memories of the place. But I am more prepared now. Still, the 1^st impressions were not great, nice quite city but nothing extra ordinary, its Sunday morning and the city is quite empty, but I go site to site and take photos of many interesting statues or carvings and finally hit the grand palace area and things get lively. Small streets, sidewalks that make me look down or risk a sprain, lots of restaurants, lots of tourists, lots and lots of chocolate places, and thieves. There is a sign on the cathedral entrance that thieves operate in and out of the place, I wonder if they mean the priests?

It's a nice sunny day and I stop in the gallery for refueling of crepe with bananas and chocolate and hot chocolate la maison and get chocolate for desert… (free treat). Now energized I get to the world wonder. I have a new book of 100 world wonder and the grand palace is one of them. I need to see if there was no bribe to get this place in! it is nice, but a world wonder, I am not so sure. Si keep walking and pass more small cathedrals, squares, statues, many of the statues are of lions, some roar, some cower and some just stand proud. I reach the peeing boy status and take a peeing on me selfie, a must I think, get a chocolate sample at Leonidas and later a very yummy ice cream at a small market I happen to pass by.

I make it on time to the airport and wish I left later to reach one more random square.

 

Over all, efficient use of time, in a good city center, but I wouldn't rate it on my top 10 European cities. Something is missing, the place is pretty but the charm is not there.

 

World wonder- check

Ice cream and chocolate – check

Been peed on – check

Not being robbed – check

Flight to Israel in one hour

 

photos coming...

on remote, ladder and voccabulary

2 devices were lost recently to the never ending chaos

one DVD remote discovered the inside of the toilet , while a house phone found a water play area out side, both devices decided that one bath is enough and do not function any more.

we suspect a baby who was seen holding the devices, pointing at the TV and complaining why they don't work.

 

Matanchuk has some new games. he takes a ball, goes to a person, hands it, and then pulls t away. so cute.

recently he learned to walk up the slide and scare his grand mom. and today he learned to climb the ladder (to get to the slide)!! at first he needed to be pushed, then only to support, then just to be there in case of a fall and now he is climbing. i am still a mm away in case he falls, but it is awesome!!!

he now has two dance moves, up and down and side to side, already more versatile then I.

 

he has new vocabulary.

 

i say good morning, he says hi

i ask if he can jump and he says high?

he falls down, i asked whats wrong, he says aiii

i ask, do you want to go out side and play, he point to himself and asks I?

so many words...

 

we started a hiking project, doing the buckeye trails, its over 2000k -it will takes years, but i started hiking with mattan on my back and hope to finish it with him walking next to me.

 

so far 3 miles of trail covered, but since we have to park and go back to the Car, the actual walks are doubled. Mattan so far is ok in the back pack. the trails are amazing, green , lots of flowers, some deer, frogs and all the time by the chagrin river, i hope by end of summer to reach the lake, all hiking in sections.

 

that is it, lately just doing some biking, some volley ball, some hiking and but wiping.

 

see you in Israel soon.

p.s - lots of mattan photos and some other humans

https://plus.google.com/photos/104769303678729727539/albums/6023872105899406881?authkey=CI2q2LGirprsLw

 

 

on racoons, groceries and lego

this week Alla went to the super market, got some stuff and when almost arrived home, she noticed she forgot the groceries!! and went back. i asked if she forgot mattan...

 

we had a new visitor in the back yard this morning. a raccoon! enjoying the bird food. I dont like seeing him so close to where mattan plays, but i do enjoy seeing them.

 

last weekend i held an amazing race event, the 1st in two years. it shows i have more time now that school is out. i had the people do face painting with Amanda (an expert face painter) and they drew spider man on their faces. then played some paint ball, tried some archery, an hour of orienteering and finish with some disc golf. i need to find a place that lets me act as a participant.

 

I took mattanchuk to the mall today for his 14th month birthday. he got close to the edge on the 2nd floor and approached very cautiously, so cute. he loved the lego store! i had to get him something, but he most wanted 2 cubes and nothing of the fancy stuff. i on the other wanted to get tons of stuff. castle Lego, Simpsons lego... just awesome, but didn't get any for me..

 

in an unexpected turn of events, i was asked to be the president of our work toast masters branch and i ran for office , one minute speech later and i was voted in. what have i done? it may be an interesting role.

 

Mattanchuk has a fetish for the road. we walk him out side and he dashes of to the middle of the road and when indoors he runs to the door, not sure why he does that, but by the time he can tell me,  he will forget about it. i got him a bicycle but he is a bit small for that, he still prefer the little red car. there are several dogs in the area and one of them gave him a face bath, so funny.

 

nothing special lately, simply enjoying the summer... see you in Israel in 12 days