Belgium and Assen

First, correction from the last post: El Nino is the place Elie and I went the other night. Also, we went to Delft and it is such a lovely little town, even through the misty rain that potruded through the skies while we were there. Last weekend I went to Brussels and Antwerp, Belgium. I arrived by the Rotterdam international train Saturday and Moji and I enjoyed the afternoon ( by the time I got there and averted the no cell p hone credit crisis that I was unaware about until I got there and tried to make a call, and then also I learned that if you have a Holland phone number for some reason the cell providers see itfit to only allow you to recharge in theircountry andnot any other of its European neighbors for the sole purpose of, oh, I dontknow...making yur life difficult for travelers and trying to force them into buying a plan over there when economically, financially, and all the other ways just not a smart idea. I saw Mannekin Pis and Madamme Pis ( yey for sexual equality), had some drinks at Delirium pub which boasts in having along with 3 floors a grand selection of 2,000 microbrews it carries. No, that was not a typo with too many zeros- two thousand, and a book of the selectns to prove it. Then, Out Loud! Club and then Cafe Central where I had some amazing dance memories. Then in Antwerp I had Belgian waffles, some chocoaltes, one of the greatest hot chocoaltes I have ever had (they let you choose what kind of chocolate you want, very dark, dark, melk, or white) then they add the other ingredients and mix it all together), Het Steen, the skyline, the statue of the man that eats drunk people, and also the central station which has been named one of the best architectural central stations worldwide. Wendy and I found a biug stone hand we got a picture on, as well as a nice little 16th century passageway that was very beautiful and an old church where we each lit candles for people in our lives. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Assen was a great trip as well, the town is in North Holland and very green. I visited Else's parents and the hou she grew up in. It reminded me a little bit of upstate New York. The clouds were amazing, to say theleast andsomething that you may think is a small difference but it is amazing how they differ from how I have seen them before. One tiem they looked like a quilted blanket with a lot of ripples on top of each other and yet a different time you could see about four layers of them and looked wispy and like soft cotton. I saw the 'Old Pond' where Else grew up ice skating, and it actually was one that I had seen in a reoccuring dream before as well, amazingly beautiful and serene. We saw baby ducks too and it was so cute to see them swim to thelilly pads and when they were there they would walk across the top of the flaoting leaves. I also saw a few rock formatioins that were left randomly, usually in fields, of large boulders. Some of them balancing on each other like little tables. It is a bit ofa mystery how they got likethat and also how they can remain balanced like that as well. We saw at the town square where they were setting up a sand volleyball court in the middle, complete with sand transport for the 2012 European volleyball championships that will soon take place. I have been in luck to see theareas of different big championships onthis trip. A week before I arrived They had the World Kiteboarding Championship at a beach about 10 minutes away from us. We went to a nice resturaunt and had poufajes with slagroom and the best hot chocolate melk I have ever had (with the Belgian hot chocolate coming in a close second). Wimbledon was on in the afternoon and prefect time with the rain to end our tour and watch it. I also factored in a nap with myself falling asleep to the tiny beating raindrops as the window was cracked open. Very nice train ride back, including seeing the hint of the last of a rainbow as the backdrop to the green farmlands!