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Sunday, May 22, 2016
Week 54 - April 18-24
We are playing catch-up on the blog, as has become the new norm. This year we took the short trip back to the Zythos Beer Festival that we visited last year in the town of Leuven. We made the adventure with two other couples from Antwerp. This time, we were armed with a more extensive knowledge of Belgian beer and a friend who had done some research! We tried tons of good beers and it was impossible to pick the best one. It was fun to return to an event we attended so early in our move here last year. We were able to get there and enjoy the event with much more ease and comfort now that we are much more comfortable with our surroundings. It was a good Belgian adventure before starting our May month of international adventures! Stay tuned for our African Safari!
Week 53 - April 11-17
As the weather warms up and the days get longer, Antwerp and Belgium come alive. The city must spend a lot of money to constantly organize different events every weekend. This fun season officially started for us with a weekend in April.
We are constantly on the lookout for concerts to attend in Europe. Antwerp itself has many quality acts coming through town, and then there are many cities close by that attract even more must-see performances. However, despite constantly coming across shows we would love to go to, the tickets always seem to be sold out. And unlike 'Merica, there is no official re-sell market like Stub Hub in Europe. So, long story short we haven't made it to many concerts. This winding narrative all leads up to us seeing a poster proclaiming that the Dixie Chicks were coming to Antwerp. We figured we'd never be able to get tickets, but they must give Tennesseans preferential treatment for county music shows (also, it seems concert sales are a bit down in Belgium at the moment). At any rate, we scored tix and got to spend a lovely evening with our good friends the Dixie Chicks. It was the opening show of their European tour, so there were a few bugs to be worked out, but they made up for it with energy. It had been almost 15 years since Tyler had last seen the Chicks in concert, and he says they still got it. It was a fun show with a mix of their rockier sounding tunes set to high-tech visuals, and their more acoustic and exposed vocal pieces set to a low-tech white backdrop. And don't worry, Natalie Maines has still got plenty of sass despite being publicly disowned by the country music community in the early 2000's for her comments against then president George W. Between songs she worked in a few Trump jabs, mocked the whole state of Florida, and shamed us for not standing up and dancing to every song. All in all, it was a fun night. We sang along to our favorite songs and had a few laughs that we felt were meant just for us as the Americans in the audience. While it certainly wasn't the band we would have expected to say this about, the Dixie Chicks were a great first-concert-in-Europe experience.
Now, the timing of this concert was not the best. The very next day, we had to get up and run the furthest either of us has ever run in our lives. Antwerp hosts a 10 mile race every year in April. Yes, we also find it strange that the race distance is promoted in miles, but at least we could easily understand how far it was (too far). The event attracts some 40,000 participants, and it effectively shuts down the city for the day. Last year, we hadn't been in Antwerp too long when the race was run, and after seeing the crowds, we had then tentatively decided that we should see what all the fuss was about. We didn't make our decision to run official until January, when we started a regimented training program. Over the next 4 months, there were many moments of "I don't want to get up early to run" or "it is too cold to run" or "can't we eat ice cream instead of running," but we are proud to say that we stuck to the training for the most part. In the end, all of the pain and reduced ice cream intake were worth it for a very memorable race experience and for new personal 10 mile records. The race course took a full tour of Antwerp on both sides of the river. The streets were lined with people cheering us on. There were many memorable moments. We saw a group of friends/family helping a friend in a wheelchair complete the race. A group of firemen in full uniform and equipment ran the race without a complaint to be heard. Finally, we shuffled across the finish line exactly at our goal time. We truly enjoyed the experience. We might even do it again next year.
It was that kind of special weekend Antwerp can deliver. We really felt like a part of the city. And we even got our names in the newspaper (at the bottom of the 28th page of the sports section).
We are constantly on the lookout for concerts to attend in Europe. Antwerp itself has many quality acts coming through town, and then there are many cities close by that attract even more must-see performances. However, despite constantly coming across shows we would love to go to, the tickets always seem to be sold out. And unlike 'Merica, there is no official re-sell market like Stub Hub in Europe. So, long story short we haven't made it to many concerts. This winding narrative all leads up to us seeing a poster proclaiming that the Dixie Chicks were coming to Antwerp. We figured we'd never be able to get tickets, but they must give Tennesseans preferential treatment for county music shows (also, it seems concert sales are a bit down in Belgium at the moment). At any rate, we scored tix and got to spend a lovely evening with our good friends the Dixie Chicks. It was the opening show of their European tour, so there were a few bugs to be worked out, but they made up for it with energy. It had been almost 15 years since Tyler had last seen the Chicks in concert, and he says they still got it. It was a fun show with a mix of their rockier sounding tunes set to high-tech visuals, and their more acoustic and exposed vocal pieces set to a low-tech white backdrop. And don't worry, Natalie Maines has still got plenty of sass despite being publicly disowned by the country music community in the early 2000's for her comments against then president George W. Between songs she worked in a few Trump jabs, mocked the whole state of Florida, and shamed us for not standing up and dancing to every song. All in all, it was a fun night. We sang along to our favorite songs and had a few laughs that we felt were meant just for us as the Americans in the audience. While it certainly wasn't the band we would have expected to say this about, the Dixie Chicks were a great first-concert-in-Europe experience.
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| Big crowd for the Chicks |
Now, the timing of this concert was not the best. The very next day, we had to get up and run the furthest either of us has ever run in our lives. Antwerp hosts a 10 mile race every year in April. Yes, we also find it strange that the race distance is promoted in miles, but at least we could easily understand how far it was (too far). The event attracts some 40,000 participants, and it effectively shuts down the city for the day. Last year, we hadn't been in Antwerp too long when the race was run, and after seeing the crowds, we had then tentatively decided that we should see what all the fuss was about. We didn't make our decision to run official until January, when we started a regimented training program. Over the next 4 months, there were many moments of "I don't want to get up early to run" or "it is too cold to run" or "can't we eat ice cream instead of running," but we are proud to say that we stuck to the training for the most part. In the end, all of the pain and reduced ice cream intake were worth it for a very memorable race experience and for new personal 10 mile records. The race course took a full tour of Antwerp on both sides of the river. The streets were lined with people cheering us on. There were many memorable moments. We saw a group of friends/family helping a friend in a wheelchair complete the race. A group of firemen in full uniform and equipment ran the race without a complaint to be heard. Finally, we shuffled across the finish line exactly at our goal time. We truly enjoyed the experience. We might even do it again next year.
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| The crowded starting line |
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| Molly was nervous... Tyler looks more excited!?!? |
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| Running on the highway into the tunnel |
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| We finished! |
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Week 52 - April 4-10
WEEK 52! We have now been in Belgium for a whole year! Time sure flies when you are having fun! This year has been filled with many new experiences and adventures.
We've been to some really cool places....
Had some awesome people come to visit...
Seen some really cool/weird stuff...
Eaten LOTS of good food (and of course drank lots of beer!)...
And taken way too many selfies!
Tyler will say we seem to braggy in this post but we also, worked, paid bills, went to the doctor, did our taxes, went to the DMV, and lots of other regular life things (which aren't always so easy in a new country!).
We can't wait for the many visitors and adventures of year 2!
We've been to some really cool places....
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| SF |
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| Rome |
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| London |
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| France |
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| Amsterdam |
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| Madrid |
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| Cologne |
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| Slovenia |
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| Croatia |
Had some awesome people come to visit...
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| Jared |
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| Victoria |
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| Amy |
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| Victoria AGAIN (but in Madrid this time) |
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| Mom |
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| Vicki and Becca |
Seen some really cool/weird stuff...
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| Tulip fields |
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| Giant puppets |
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| The Tour de France! |
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| Dragon boat races |
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| Giant Darth Vader helmet |
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| Sinterklaas |
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| A run with 5,000 Santas |
Eaten LOTS of good food (and of course drank lots of beer!)...
And taken way too many selfies!
Tyler will say we seem to braggy in this post but we also, worked, paid bills, went to the doctor, did our taxes, went to the DMV, and lots of other regular life things (which aren't always so easy in a new country!).
We can't wait for the many visitors and adventures of year 2!
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Week 50 March 21-27
We AGAIN are terribly behind on blogging so we are playing some catch-up before our many Summertime adventures begin! We are almost a year into our stay and we have never taken the pedestrian tunnel under the river here in Antwerp to Linkeroever (the left bank). It is literally a 10 minute walk to the escalators that lead to the tunnel. So, we really have no reason for not having already gone. The tunnel was built in 1933 and the wooden escalators used to get down to the tunnel are the originals. A 10 minute walk through the tunnel and we were in Lineroever. There are great views of downtown Antwerp and a fun park to explore.
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| Riding the escalator |
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| Tunnel facts |
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| The tunnel |
Week 49 - March 14-20
We jumped right back into work after landing back in Belgium on Monday morning. Our hopes of fighting off jet lag by getting back on our normal schedule worked pretty well (except for Tyler falling asleep in a meeting). We were lucky to have two visitors the weekend after we got back to Europe. Becca and her mom, Vicki, came to Europe for vacation and spent their last few days in Antwerp with us! They arrived Thursday evening to a delicious take out Chinese meal. We had our Dutch exams that evening so we weren't able to show them a proper evening out in Antwerp. But, Chinese food is always good. We left them to do our dishes and relax while we took our exam. After a trip to the town hall for new residence cards on Friday morning, we all headed to Bruges for a visit. We had been once before, but it was fun to go back with Becca and Vicki to see the "Venice of the North." We wandered some of the streets until we got to the Halve Maan brewery where we stopped for Belgian beers and a delicious lunch. After lunch, we walked around the town square and on the shopping street. All the walking and historical buildings led to a cute coffee shop for our afternoon break. After coffee and a little more exploration, it was time to head back to Antwerp because we had reservations for a delicious dinner of mussels. We ate at the Roden Hoed for dinner, famous for their many different preparations of mussels and other seafood. Becca, Vicki, and Tyler all had mussels prepared in various ways. Molly stuck to fish because a whole 1.2 kg pot of mussels is too much for her to handle. It was a great end to our day, and after everyone had eaten their fill of mussels and drank their Belgian beers we headed home with full stomachs.
Our first stop on Saturday morning was the Waffel Factory. When in Belgium, a waffle is a must! We decided a waffle was the best way to start out our day of Belgian 'delicacies'. After breakfast, we explored the Grote Markt, the riverfront and Starbucks along with stops for souvenirs and shopping. For our mid-morning snack, we tried more Belgian foods and had frites with sauce and bitterballen at one of our preferred frituurs. By this time, all of the chocolate shops were open so we stopped for tastes and more souvenirs! We explored more of Old Town Antwerp and headed toward the Saturday Market. At this point we were all pretty exhausted and headed inside to warm up and drink some beer. The rest of the day was spent visiting together and eating pizza. Early Sunday morning, Becca and Vicki had to head back to Amsterdam for their flight back to the US. We are so glad they were able to come visit and see our adopted country. It is always fun to host friends and family!
Our first stop on Saturday morning was the Waffel Factory. When in Belgium, a waffle is a must! We decided a waffle was the best way to start out our day of Belgian 'delicacies'. After breakfast, we explored the Grote Markt, the riverfront and Starbucks along with stops for souvenirs and shopping. For our mid-morning snack, we tried more Belgian foods and had frites with sauce and bitterballen at one of our preferred frituurs. By this time, all of the chocolate shops were open so we stopped for tastes and more souvenirs! We explored more of Old Town Antwerp and headed toward the Saturday Market. At this point we were all pretty exhausted and headed inside to warm up and drink some beer. The rest of the day was spent visiting together and eating pizza. Early Sunday morning, Becca and Vicki had to head back to Amsterdam for their flight back to the US. We are so glad they were able to come visit and see our adopted country. It is always fun to host friends and family!
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| Becca, Vicki & Molly |
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| Becca is such a creeper |
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| Bruges |
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| Becca & Tyler |
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| They missed each other! |
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| A LOT!!! |
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