We also went to the Chatelain Wed night market in our neighborhood again, and I have pics this time! I don't think this is going to get old for us and it will be great when we move into our apartment next week, we'll actually be able to buy a lot more groceries here and cook some fresh meals at home.
Thursday night we went to watch Anderlecht vs Athens game - it was a very exciting game b/c Anderlecht (last year's Belgium champs) had not been doing so well so far this season and needed to win - and they did, 3-0 score! A few things we found to be different, same scene at the bars before and after the game (just like Fenway), although there are very few women at these games..... AND... they don't serve beer during the game - you can't bring beer to your seats!!! Jay kept looking around thinking, we must be missing where the bar is! At half-time we went downstairs and then the beer started flowing - try getting a beer when thousands of men are running to grab a few before the 15 minute half is over! The game was an amazing time, here are some pics....
This weekend we took our first road trip to Durbuy in the Ardennes region of Belgium. We rented a car which turned out to be easy, we only got duped on renting an external GPS and then realizing that the GPS was already built into the car, we won't fall for that one again! We checked into this beautiful hotel/B&B that was actually the old town hall and is on the river in this small town.
http://www.hoteldescomtes.com/EN/default.htm
We immediately got ready and went out to dinner, the Ardennes area is known for having the best food in Belgium and we can now attest to that! Friday night we were a little more "adventurous" so adventurous that we really weren't certain of what we were getting when we ordered... not as many people here spoke English so we were left to attempt to translate the French menu - when I asked what I was eating, he said like "Bambi" - haha anyways our food was delicious, liver pate, wild boar marrow, white pudding and "Bambi's dad". We also found our way to the "self-service bar" at our hotel afterwards, best idea EVER!
The next day we woke up and had our breakfast at the hotel, which was such a nice treat!
We then decided to explore, the area is known for hiking and mountain biking so we planned to get some bikes, we were told they were rented for the morning so we went back into town and shopped a little bit and then picked up our bikes at 1pm. The guy asked if we minded getting dirty, I was like no we're dressed for it, no biggie. I don't think I knew what I was in for. Jay got me on one of the trails and I wondered what the heck all these spin classes were preparing me for - it was pure MUD!!! After a lot of me whining and carrying on, I decided forget this, I'm sticking with the road, we started on a climb and were just starting to enjoy ourselves and see more of the town when of course, it started to rain - so what does one do when you are biking and its raining??? Bike as fast as you can to the nearest bar of course! So we had a light lunch and a snack and then braved the rain again to return our bikes... hopefully we'll have better luck with the bikes in Amsterdam this weekend....
From there we roamed around the town a little more and headed back to relax a bit before dinner. This night we had made reservations at the restaurant that our hotel had recommended (another feat since they didn't speak English either at the B&B). Our dinner at this restaurant was truly amazing, we had scallops and mushroom risotto to start out and then we split a dinner for 2, pheasant and had an amazing chocolate dessert..... we now can agree, not only is the food in Belgium some of the best in the world, but the food in this particular area is absolutely amazing! I would highly recommend a visit to the Ardennes region if you come to Belgium! It was a great break from the city life and a beautiful romantic town.
The next day we woke up, had breakfast and checked out and we started on Jay's Trappist Brewery tour - first we decided we would make the trek down to the Orval Abbey.... I have to say the Abbey itself was beautiful and impressive. We were able to tour the ruins of the Abbey and get a glimpse of the Abbey where they make the beer and cheese. What's interesting is you can buy all the beer you want but can't taste on site, so immediately we went to the local bar and tasted the beer. We then decided that we were too close to France not to drive through, so we drove down to France, grabbed a French pastry and then drove along until we got to the town of Chimay. We made it just in time to watch the monks do their evening chants, which was SO cool! Again, it was time to go to the local pub to have a local Chimay. Both Orval and Chimay already had Jay as a loyal customer, but now he can at least say he's seen where they are brewed!!!
I would love to say that coming to Belgium I've grown to have more of an appreciation for beer, but I'm really leaving that one up to Jay.... I'm ready for a road trip in the future where all we taste is wine!!! :)
That's it for this week's post, we are REALLY looking forward to our long weekend in Amsterdam starting on Friday, yes I have Monday off for All Saint Day - go ahead and be jealous while you are at work! Please send along any ideas you have for the Amsterdam visit, its been awhile since I have been and I want to try to discover some new things! Last time, my friend and I camped outside in a tent outside of town and backpacked... this time I am thrilled, we are staying at a fancy hotel on the canal! Sometimes growing up isn't too bad ;)
Here's a final pic of a beautiful rainbow from the balcony of our apartment...what was so funny is I saw it from the window in my office and emailed Jay - he was looking at the same huge rainbow from our apt and snapped a pic - even a rainy day in Belgium can be beautiful!
