For The Journey Not just the destination…

One of my friends here, Reid, has the most amazing drive to see as much of Europe as she can while she’s here. I have no idea how she is so go, go, go, and with a toddler too. I have a great time hanging out and exploring new places with them. And I can’t help practicing my photography skills on Connor – she’s such a cutie!

Last week, Reid, Connor, and I headed to the Netherlands to the Polish Pottery Outlet, open to non-EU citizens only. I had never heard of Polish Pottery before I moved here, but it seems to be the in-thing to collect. This pottery is handmade in Poland and can go in the dishwasher, microwave, and oven. There are all kinds of patterns, but they’re mostly blue. I didn’t expect to get anything but I’ll admit that I picked up a couple pieces – a candy dish and a butter dish. And maybe something to use as a gift later on… It was a fun trip, and the pottery really is pretty and reasonably priced.

This last weekend, Reid’s family, and Thomas and I packed up in their car and drove to Monschau, Germany. We had heard that it was a cute little town, mostly known for it’s Christmas Market. There is a river that runs right through with very crooked wooden houses lining the way. We walked around for a bit, stopped for some schnitzel, and then headed home. Later, I learned that there’s a pretty cemetery in a neighboring city, so we might have to head back up and check it out too.

More photos from these trips are on Flickr:

• Trip to the Polish Pottery Outlet (24 photos)
• Daytrip to Monschau (34 photos)

In February, Thomas and I went to Cologne, Germany – that’s Köln in German.  Though this place was one of my favorite trips so far, we slacked on editing our photos and never blogged about it.  We’ve finally got them all posted.

The first place we visited was the Dom Cathedral.  Thomas got some wonderful shots of the inside using the wide angle lens. It was gorgeous. My favorite stained glass window is below – it reminds me of a quilt. We climbed to the top of the spire, but I think I’m starting to get a little spoiled on my Cathedral views. The stairs were uncomfortably narrow and steep and the view was blocked by a fence.

Our next stop was the Lindt Chocolate Museum (Schokoladenmuseum). They had a great exhibit on how chocolate is made, a mini rainforest you can walk through, another exhibit on chocolate marketing, a mini factory, and best of all…samples. We stopped in the cafe afterward for the best hot chocolates we’ve ever had.

The next day, we went to the to do some birding at the Friedhof Melaten cemetery. It was gorgeous with big trees and fancy graves. We saw our first woodpecker in Europe and cute red squirrels. Afterward, we went to the Ludwig Modern Art Museum.  It was a great museum, but no photography was allowed.

One of my favorite parts of this town is the boardwalk along the Rhine river. People were everywhere, just sitting outside and enjoying the sunshine. We watched a group of teens doing an interesting kind of dance called jumpstyle. It was like River Dance, but to techno music.

My other favorite part of the trip was the food. I loved the German food! I thought this shot from our seats on the train back was interesting. It shows what snacks we picked up for the ride home – Lift Apple Soda, BiFi Jerky Hotdog, Chili Pepper Chocolate, and Mezzo Mix (Cola+Orange) soda.

The rest of the photos are on Flickr:

• Our Trip to Cologne, Germany (50 photos)
• Birds in the Friedhof Melaten Cemetery (14 photos)

Every Spring, for about two weeks, the Hallerbos forest is covered with a carpet of bluebells.  Last weekend, Thomas and I rode out there to see it.  We took his motorcycle along beautiful country roads – it’s only about an hour and a half from Brussels.  The forest was very pretty – with patches of blue, white, and pink  flowers.

More photos from our trip can be seen on Flickr:

• Bluebells in Hallerbos (44 photos)