Jen and Dave: Adventuring

We started the day at the Atomium, an imposing structure of nine originally aluminum-skinned (now Stainless Steel skinned) spheres, 18m in diameter, arranged in a body centred cubic formation on point. Its 102m tall structure was built for World Fair ‘58. 

Refurbished for visitors in 2003-2006, you start with an elevator trip to the pinnacle, where you can see a panoramic view of the city. After, you return to the base and wind your way up. 

The next sphere was memorabilia from the World Fair ‘58. The next, an outrageous sound and light show. The fourth, a calming version of the same.   The final public sphere was some weird digital word art. 

Next on the agenda was the Design Museum Brussels. A beautiful, spacious place showcasing Industrial Design. The Plastic collection showcases everything from Tupperware to office suites, chairs to iMacs and blow up chairs to subway benches. Other collections include the Belgium collection, Children’s collection, a crystal collection, and a history of plastic timeline. 

Lunch was at a little cafe in a nearby office building, then we went for a wander through the park. Big mature trees, winding paths, fields with rabbits, and a few interesting monuments. A gothic monument, the King’s palace, and two 1900’s-era pavilions – one Chinese inspired and one Japanese pagoda. 

In the late afternoon we returned to the centre of town, with Jen headed to the grocery store and hotel, and Dave headed to the EU Parliament, the Belgian Parliament, the city Royal Palace and the parks in between. 

Up early, we ate a quick breakfast and took an early train to Ghent (also spelled Gent and Gand, to our confusion). It was quiet when we arrived, with stalls outside the station entertaining just a few customers for their coffee, produce and cheese. 

Wandering beside the canal led us to the city centre, still waking up on a Sunday morning and preparing a street sale on just this holiday weekend. Booths had books, Knick knacks, clothing, and much more. 

Ghents architecture was superb, with layers of history built in each row house, creating eclectic and inviting scenes in which to immerse ourselves. The mix of medieval Gothic with a mix of Latin and German influences makes it very unique. The Flemish revival red brickwork was Jen’s favourite, although a good Gothic church is always interesting to look at. 

We spent the day wandering the town, trying Brussels waffles (compared to the Lèige waffles yesterday, they are impossibly light and crunchy), watching people feed the ducks and Coots, and immersing ourselves. 

New birds spotted today include the Stock Dove, the Eurasian Wren, and the Eurasian Blue Tit.

The day started with a metro ride back to Gare du Nord, then a wait for our train to Brussels Midi. The train ride was smooth and pleasant, with many windmills – including one of the old fashioned variety. 

Once we reached Brussels Gare, we only had to walk across the street to our hotel. It was too early to check-in, but we checked our bags and headed out on foot to explore the city centre. 

Cute little streets, massively mixed architecture, and random spots of greenery were fun to walk through once we got past construction. It was a very touristy city centre, especially on a holiday Saturday, but lively and active. 

Highlights included the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) and the many museums. 

We finally found a quieter restaurant with reasonably priced food, and sat down for a refreshment. Jen enjoyed Moules Frites, while Dave opted for just the frites, accompanied by the beer of the moment, a local pour. 

We continued wandering, reaching the Royal palace just as the rain started. We grabbed waffles from a Waffle Truck (think chip wagon, but waffles!), and hurried to the subway, riding several stops back to the Gare du Midi and our hotel. 

If yesterday was Dave’s day, today was Jen’s. We started our morning at the Louvre, at the iconic glass pyramids. One of the first in, we quickly made our way to two masterpieces Jen wanted to see – Winged Victory of Samothrace and Venus de Milo, catching them with almost no one around. We then explored, checking out both famous pieces and those that caught our eye. 

We specifically didn’t go see Mona Lisa up close, as we had spent much time looking at the replica that was previously shown in the Royal BC Museum, a replica that had spent years hanging in the Louvre with no one realizing and that didn’t have multiple layers of glass in front of it. 

Other highlights included Napoleon’s apartments and statues in the beautiful sculpture hall. 

Four hours later, we were exhausted and ready for a break from the crowds. We walked a few kilometres along the Seine to the Eiffel Tower to get a few quintessential shots, then wandered into the neighourhood to find a late lunch/early dinner. 

Finally, we took the C train back north and, stopping at a boulangerie and the grocery store, headed back to the hotel for showers and well-deserved rest. 

Today was Dave’s day. We took the tram and bus to l’Aeroport Bourget, home to the Musee Air +Espace. He was in his element. 

First up was the 747 on the tarmac. Up at the front doors, and through. Also on the tarmac were a water bomber, numerous fighter jets, an A380 and rockets. 

Next we went into the Concorde building, where we could walk through the prototype plane and the final production plane. Dave enjoyed pointing out the changes made between the models and all the test instrumentation. 

Lunch was up next, and more fine dining than utilitarian. A casserole with sausage and potatoes, tomato and burrata salad, honeydew with prosciutto, and ample crumble. 

After lunch Dave began haunting the halls while Jen found numerous places to chill, her favourites being a bean bag chair in the library, and business class seats in a mock airplane designed to watch aircraft documentaries. 

Some of Dave’s other favourites included the Hall of Prototypes, the Space Hall, and the Pioneers of Aviation exhibit. 

Just after the “warning, we close soon” announcement we headed back to the city. We returned to last night’s restaurant for good vibes, good food, and good prices. Boulanger, groceries, showers, blog & bed. 

Today was an early morning, a short metro ride, and a surprisingly long train for something covered by a Metro ticket. Destination: Château de Versailles. 

We had a 9:00 am entry ticket, but it was still a long line. Security screening (airport style) and passport check. Then you were inside. 

Opulent and heavily festooned with gold and velvet, the formal rooms were replete with sculptures, paintings, and as many colours of marble as they could find. 

The Hall of Mirrors is the classic showpiece, but Jen found the door Marie Antoinette used to escape her bedchamber during the revolution more interesting. 

Following the main palace, we headed into the formal gardens. Geometry and architecture rule here, with nature trying to sneak in with new growth or overgrown hedges. The area is divided by geometric paths, and spotted with sculptures and fountains. The area is extensive – we spent more than two hours exploring, not including a stop for lunch in one of the embedded cafés. 

Highlights included the King’s “English” garden with its more colourful plantings, the roses of the Queen’s garden, and the Orangerie. 

Next we visited le Grand Trianon, Louis XIV’s take on a casual home for informal entertainment. This was much simpler and felt more modern – though still not anything close. Marble was a highlight here, as well. 

The Trianon gardens were more detailed, with annuals being actively planted. Its highlight was the Sideboard Fountain, recently restored, made of intricately carved marble. 

It was then time for the 45 minute walk back to the train station, with a stop en route for some fresh fruit for a snack. 

Back to the hotel neighbourhood, we found a new Brassiere, where Dave had a Croque Madame and Jen had fish, chips, and salad. A stop at the Boulangerie and the grocery store, and we were fully exhausted. 

We had left the hotel at 7:00 am and returned at 7:45 pm. A full day. 

One new bird, Carrion Crow. Merlin also tells us we heard an Eurasian Robin, an Eurasian Jay, and a Common Chiffchaff – but we couldn’t spot them in the dense trees

The Eurostar runs under the English Channel between London and Paris. Getting to it, however, was half the adventure due to a partial tube strike. We managed to route around the out of service routes and made it to St Pancras with about an hour to spare. Fortunately, the station is home to a M&S Food, so we grabbed lunch, drinks and snacks to go whilst waiting to go through security. 

The train was nice, but a bit anticlimactic as the views were limited. It was a very comfortable and civilized way to travel, however. There was a cafe car and clean bathrooms – always a win. 

Upon arriving in Paris Gare du Nord we transferred to the subway to get close to our hotel. One very cool thing was we could buy our subway tickets on our phones and simply use Apple Wallet to go through faregates. 

After checking in to our very basic budget room, we walked to dinner at a great local Brassiere. Jen had the tartare avec frites et salade; Dave had a massive bacon cheeseburger and a glass of wine. The portions were massive and very delicious. We thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance. It also sheltered us from a passing thunderstorm. 

After dinner we went to the Boulanger for a baguette and the local grocer for cheese and chorizo salami – breakfast for tomorrow. 

Today we walked from our hotel in Limehouse to the Tower of London, arriving just before our 9:00 am entry tickets. First stop was the Crown Jewels. Impressive and very glittery, photos were not permitted inside the vault. 

Hoping to continue beating the crowds, we then climbed the more than 200 steps of the White Tower, enjoying the armoury exhibit. 

Some of the battlements followed, then the exhibits on the Royal menagerie.  The prison area was next, with complex carved graffiti. We listened to a story from a Yeoman Warder, checked out some of the ravens (the only remaining part of the menagerie), and climbed more battlements. 

After the Tower, we found lunch (chorizo carbonara / spaghetti bolognese) before walking over Tower Bridge for Dave to visit the HMS Belfast while Jen had a cold drink with a great view of the Tower and Tower Bridge. 

We then walked east along the south shore of the Thames, on an assortment of waterfront footpaths and small streets. Reaching Hilton Docks, we took a very short ferry across to Canary Wharf. We then retraced our steps from yesterday for a short ways before making a detour for Limehouse Basin, which was full of narrow boats. 

The last stop was a Tesco Express for sandwiches and snacks to bring back to the hotel. 

Spotted today: Graylag Goose, Canada Goose, Mallard, Seagulls, Pigeons 

We have arrived in London after a comfortable flight. A two person row with half a seat of empty space beside you is a win. Dave enjoyed looking at Baffin Island. Jen snoozed on and off.

After landing and getting through the border (easily and smoothly!), we headed to the train. Our Oyster cards still worked, so we topped up the balance. The Elizabeth line took us to Canary Wharf, just a couple of kilometres from our hotel. We grabbed a quick lunch/dinner of wood fired pizza before walking along the Thames to our hotel.

Showers, sorting out what we needed for the next day, laundry, blog & bed!