Les Aventures de Simon à Lille

May 26 2011

Antwerp

Category: Anniversary Trip 2011,Belgium — Simon @ 12:00 pm

The third destination of our Anniversary trip was Antwerp, my favorite city in Belgium. We were staying in the Hotel Rubens which is located right near Antwerp’s Grote Markt (town square). They have a few parking spaces in a nearby underground garage but it took a while to get into a space due to some business men having parked in the wrong spots (and parked badly at that). When we were unloading the car we discovered one of the beer bottles I had bought in Amsterdam had managed to break and leak very tasty smelling beer everywhere. The car smelled of beer for a fair while after that!

Hotel Rubens

It was about 9:30pm so we went in search of a late dinner. Not a lot of places are open late for dinner in Antwerp but we headed to one place in Grote Markt and were seated by one waiter only to be told by another waiter a couple of minutes later that the kitchen was closed! We ended up just having frites from a great little frites store nearby.

The next morning we visited the tourist info centre and walked around the old city area. There are a lot of nice buildings in this part of Antwerp. At one end of the Grote Markt is the Stadhuis (town hall), built in 1564 in the Renaissance style (there were plans in 1540 for a Gothic style town hall but the materials were used to fortify the town defences, and by the time they were ready to build the trend had moved on from Gothic to Renaissance). In front of the town hall is a large statue/fountain called Brabo – according to legend there was a terrible giant who demanded toll from sailors on the Scheldt river, and he would cut off the hands of anyone who didn’t pay. A roman solider, Silvius Brabo defeated the giant, cut off the giants hand and threw it into the river. This statue depicts Brabo throwing the hand. The ‘hand’ is now the symbol of Antwerp.

Stadhuis (City Hall) in Antwerp

Brabo Fontein in front of Stadhuis in Antwerp Grote Markt

Brabo Fontein (Brabo Fountain) in Antwerp Grote Markt

Also in the Grote Markt are the Flemish Renaissance style Guild Houses which date back to 1580, replacing the earlier ones which burned down in a fire in 1576.

Guild Houses in Grote Markt, Antwerp

Brabo Fontein and guild houses in Antwerp Grote Markt

Guild Houses around Grote Markt in Antwerp

There are various interesting small streets and shops in the area surrounding Grote Markt, and we spent a little while exploring these. We found a great shop called “Let’s Go Bananas” that had a good collection of bizarre and amusing t-shirts, several of which we bought Besides the shops there is, of course, a lot of nice architecture – including the Neo-Baroque style Hansahuis build in 1903; the medieval fortress Het Steen which dates back to the 9th century; and the Butcher’s Hall (Vleehuis – literally “Meat House”, built in 1504 in the Gothic style.

Buildings near Grote Markt in Antwerp

Adorments on a building in Antwerp

Buildings near Grote Markt in Antwerp

Hansahuis, Antwerp

Het Steen in Antwerp

Butcher's Hall in Antwerp

Antwerp architecture

We walked around a bit trying to decide somewhere to have lunch, and ended up in a nice restaurant, Brasserie Applemans. The service was good and we enjoyed the food. I had the Flemish stew accompanied by a glass of De Koninck (Antwerp’s local beer), and finished with a tasty piece of Tiramasu.

Brasserie Applemans in Antwerp

Flemish Stew at Applemans

De Koninck, Antwerp's local beer

Tiramasu at Applemans

After lunch we wandered around a bit more – we started by admiring the Gothic “Cathedral of Our Lady” (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal) which was built 1352-1521 (and never quite finished – the south tower never being completed). The cathedral was the tallest building in the Low Countries for several centuries and is now on the UNESCO WOrld Heritage list.

Our Lady's Cathedral in Antwerp

The other side of the cathedral is Groenplaats (Green Place) – once Antwerp’s main cemetery, it was converted to a square in the 18th century. Today the square has an underground carpark, is bordered mainly by tourist-filled cafe’s and features a statue of artist Paul Rubens (who lived in Antwerp from 1587 until his death in 1640). There’s also an underground metro station here plus a load of connecting trams and buses. I was trying to find a store I had been to on my previous visit to Antwerp in 2010, and so we caught a tram – in entirely the wrong direction! So we ended up catching another tram back to Groenplaats and then one heading in the right direction. We got off the tram somewhere random, walked around a bit and did eventually find the store I was looking for – which turned out to have nothing interesting in it. We then walked back to Groenplaats – which was only a couple of blocks away! The whole tram thing was pointless

Groenplaats (Green Place) in Antwerp

Sharon headed back to the hotel to do some postcards while I wandered around a bit more. One of the nearby buildings towers over the others – the Boerentoren (now the KBC Tower) - this is an Art Deco building built in 1929-1931, one of the first skyscrapers in continental Europe and it was the tallest building in Europe for 50 years.

KBC Tower (Boerentoren) in Antwerp

Antwerp architecture

Random window cat in Antwerp

Letterenhuis (House of Literature) in Antwerp

Antwerp architecture

Comic Strip mural in Antwerp

A bit later we had some dinner at at Chinese restaurant called “Tong Mien” a block or so away from the hotel. We enjoyed the assorted appetizers, shredded beef, and duck at Tong Mien considerably.

Appetizers at Tong Mien

Shredded Beef at Tong Mien

Duck at Tong Mien

After dinner we headed over to Kulminator, a truly excellent beer bar. They have been operating since the 70′s, and thus they have an awesome collection of beers that have been carefully cellared, with vintages going way back, and many hard to get or discontinued beers. They also have a bunch of cats so Sharon was happy to be there as well. My first choice for the night was a bottle of De Struise Brouwers Pannepot Reserva 2006 (10%). This beer is the 9th highest rated Belgian beer (ratebeer.com), and it was very tasty. Next I had the De Dolle Brouwers Stille Nacht 2005 (12%) which is a seasonal Christmas beer and it was also very tasty.

Kulminator in Antwerp - best bar in the world

Some of the cats at Kulminator, Antwerp

2006 Pannepot Reserva - delicious

Stille Nacht beer

On our way back to the hotel we were able to admire the old city architecture lit up at night.

Our Lady's Cathedral in Antwerp at night

Statue of Rubens in Groenplaats with Our Lady's Cathedral in the background

Our Lady's Cathedral in Antwerp at night

Stadhuis, Antwerp at night

Guild Houses in Grote Markt, Antwerp at night

In the morning before we headed out of town we went back to the Cathedral to take a look at the inside – there is not only a lot of nice stained glass inside but there are also many Baroque masterpieces from Peter Paul Rubens and other masters – mainly altarpieces and triptychs (3 panel altar paintings).

Inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Stained glass inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Lamentation (Christ on the Straw) by Peter Paul Rubens inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Fall of the Rebel Angels by Frans Floris inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Adoration of the Magi by Artus Wolffart inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Stained glass inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Saint Luke Painting the Virgin by Marten de Vos inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Our Lady of Antwerp

Stained glass inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

John Preaching in the Forest by Hendrik van Balen inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Stained glass inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

The Raising of the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Stained glass inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Jesus Among the Doctors by Frans Fracken inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Stained glass inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

St. Francis of Assisi at Prayer by Bartolome Esteban Murillo inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Stained glass inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Choir stalls nside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

The Descent from the Cross by Peter Paul Rubens inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

The Marriage at Cana by Marten de Vos inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Stained glass inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Saint John Altarpiece by Quinten Metsys inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Tabernacle in the form of the Ark of the Covenant inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

The Pulpit inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

The Last Judgement by Bernard van Orley inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Stained glass inside Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp

Tags: Adoration of the Magi, Antwerp, architecture, Ark of the Covenant, Artus Wolffart, Baroque, Bartolome Esteban Murillo, Bernard van Orley, Boerentoren, Brabo, Brasserie Applemans, Butcher's Hall, De Dolle Brouwers, De Koninck, De Struise Brouwers, Fall of the Rebel Angels, Frans Floris, Frans Fracken, gothic, Green Place, Groenplaats, Grote Markt, Guild Houses, Hansahuis, Hendrik van Balen, Het Steen, Hotel Rubens, Jesus Among the Doctors, John Preaching in the Forest, KBC Tower, Kulminator, Lamentation (Christ on the Straw), Marten de Vos, Masterpieces, Neo-Baroque, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, Our Lady's Cathedral, Pannepot Reserva, Peter Paul Rubens, Quinten Metsys, Renaissance, Saint John Altarpiece, Saint Luke Painting the Virgin, St. Francis of Assisi at Prayer, Stadhuis, Stille Nacht, Tabernacle, The Descent from the Cross, The Last Judgement, The Marriage at Cana, The Raising of the Cross, Town Hall, triptychs, Vleehuis

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May 24 2011

Amsterdam

Category: Anniversary Trip 2011,Netherlands — Simon @ 8:00 pm

The second destination of our Anniversary trip was Amsterdam in The Netherlands. Amsterdam is only a 3 hour drive from Lille, or about 2.5 hours from Ghent, our first tour stop. I had some difficulty booking a hotel room for the days we would be in Amsterdam due to some large trade conference going on. We ended up booking a hotel in one of the neighbouring suburbs, Zaandam. This actually worked out well, because it was easy to get to and was right next to a train line that headed into Amsterdam Central and only took a 12 minute journey. Our hotel was the Inntel Hotel Zaandam-Amsterdam, quite a nice room and quite an interesting looking hotel.

Inntel Hotel Zaandam Amsterdam

We headed out the next morning and caught the train into the city. Naturally this way the first thing we saw was Amsterdam Centraal station, which was built in 1889 in the neo-Renaissance style and sits on man made islands supported by nearly 9000 wooden poles driven deeply into the underlying mud and sand. Approximately a quarter of a million people pass through this station every day. Adjacent to the station are connecting buses, trams and ferries which will get you to just about any part of the city.

Amsterdam Centraal Station platform

Amsterdam Centraal Station

After some slight confusion due to some construction near the station we found the tourist information office, where we were able to get a map, some 2 day transit tickets, and tickets for the Hop on – Hop Off bus tour. We also pre-booked a visit to the Anne Frank House for the following day. Once that was done we headed over to catch the Hop On – Hop off bus which has 9 stops around the city and also includes a free canal cruise in the ticket price. Through headphones you get a commentary in English (or you can choose on of several other languages). We found that the commentary doesn’t always match up with where the bus is travelling though, when the bus takes slight detours from its regular route due to road works etc.

The Victoria Hotel near Centraal Station

De Karpershoek, one of the oldest bars in Amsterdam

Random Amsterdam Street Cat

Random street in Amsterdam

Westerkerk

Random Amsterdam Canal

Diamond Exhibition

House of Bols

Random Amsterdam graffiti

Heineken

Random canal in Amsterdam

Hotel de L'Europe

Nice buildings lining the canals of Amsterdam

Dam Square with the National Monument

Nice buildings lining the canals of Amsterdam

Madame Tussaud

New Church (Nieuwe Kerk)

Royal Palace (Koninklijk Paleis)

Magna Plaza shopping mall (the old post office)

New Church (Nieuwe Kerk)

After enjoying our bus trip, seeing the sights and learning some of the history of Amsterdam, we decided we were overdue for a late lunch. We looked around at a few places and decided we were too hungry to spend any more time trying to decide so just went to the Hard Rock Cafe. Nothing exciting about our meal but it hit the spot, there was free Wifi from the Irish pub next door and Sharon was able to write some postcards.

After lunch we looked around at some of the nearby sights, such as Vondelpark (a 47 hectare park opened in 1865), Rijksmuseum – a Dutch national museum built in 1876 with a combination of gothic and renaissance elements, and Museum Square (Museumplein) – which features large “I amsterdam” letters which everyone (including us) was taking their picture in front of.

Random Lizard sculptures in an Amsterdam park

An Amsterdam Canal

Vondelpark

Random Sculpture

Rijksmuseum

Posing in front of the I amsterdam sign

Amsterdam architecture

We also rode the trams back and forth a little as we saw interesting shops and buildings along the way back towards Amsterdam Centraal.

Awesome Cheese shop

An Amsterdam Canal

Some of the many bikes in Amsterdam

Amsterdam architecture

Not far from Amsterdam Centraal is the Church of St. Nicholas (Sint Nicolaaskerk), which was built in 1886, combining Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Baroque styles.

Church of St. Nicholas (Sint Nicolaaskerk)

Inside the Church of St Nicolas (Sint Nicolaaskerk)

We decided to head back to our hotel for the night, grabbing some supplies at a mini-supermarket inside the station for a light dinner along the way. Of course, I couldn’t resist trying one of the hot food self-service vending stores as well, where I ended up with a tasty fried cheese snack via random choice.

Hot food vending

The next morning we headed back into the city for another day of sightseeing. We spent a bit of time on the Hop On – Hop Off bus once more, and then joined the included canal cruise. The canal cruise was great, it travels around many of the canals and gives you a unique perspective on the city. We learned that there are over 100km of canals in Amsterdam, about 90 island and 1500 bridges. There are around 2500 house boats which are connected to city services such as gas electricity and water.

Bike Parking near Central station

Pancake house

View from the Canal tour

After our canal tour we decided to get some lunch. We ended up at a restaurant we had walked past the previous day – “Players” and were drawn in by the Mini Chocolate Souffle that was listed on their menu. It was around 2:30pm so the restaurant was virtually empty – but that didn’t mean we got good service – for some reason the waiter decided to ignore us, and we sat there for ages after our main course before we could attract attention enough to order the dessert we had came in for. At least the food was tasty, though. We shared a great club sandwich and selection of Dutch fried treats. The dessert, when it arrived, was almost worth the wait – I had the very tasty warm chocolate souffle and Sharon as usual had the Crème Brûlée.

Club Sandwich and Dutch Fried treats

Mini Chocolate Souffle

Crème Brûlée

After lunch we caught some trams around town and headed towards a house boat we had read about - De Poezenboot which translates to The Cat Boat in English. This house boat is a refuge for stray and abandoned cats and so somewhere Sharon just had to visit! Unfortunately when we got there we discovered it is not open on Mondays! We did meet a nice cat that was sunning itself outside though.

Amsterdam architecture

An Amsterdam canal

Amsterdam architecture

De Poezenboot - a house-boat cat shelter

Cute cat we met outside De Poezenboot

After not visiting De Poezenboot we walked over to a street named Haarlemmerstraat which is reportedly good for walking down and shopping. We actually only found one store worth going into for a few knick-knacks, and we probably walked a bit too far along as we ended up a fair distance from where we wanted to go next and ended up having to catch several trams to our next destination.

Amsterdam architecture

Saint Antonia's Church

Haarlemmerstraat

Amsterdam architecture

Random Amsterdam sculpture

Canal Bridge

An Amsterdam canal

Paddle boats for hire

Our next destination was the Anne Frank House. This was quite a moving experience – they have preserved the Secret Annex where Anne and her family hid from the Nazis (there was no furniture as all the contents were seized by the Nazis when the family was arrested). As well as seeing the small complex of rooms (which totalled less than 500 square feet) which housed 8 people for 2 years, the adjoining buildings form a museum with a lot of information about the Anne Frank and her family (and the others that joined them in the Secret Annex), along with videos, pictures, papers, some of the original diaries and of course other information about the persecution of Jews by the Nazis and the concentration camps. No photography was allowed inside so all I have is some pictures from outside.

The Anne Frank house

The Anne Frank House

Anne Frank Statue near Westerkerk

Right nearby the Anne Frank House is the Westerkerk (Western Church), a church built in 1620-1631 and boasting the highest church tower in Amsterdam.

Westerkerk (Western Church)

A relief sculpture on the Western Church

Westerkerk (Western Church)

From here we headed across town and ended up in a pub (or Brown House as many of them are known in Amsterdam – mainly due to the old wood furnishings) called Bierproeflokaal In De Wildeman (generally known as “The Wild Man” in English). This pub is one of the must visits in Amsterdam for beer enthusiasts – it is nice and cosy with lots of dark wood and a large blackboard showing their current tap list – which changes regularly. The selection is great with good beers from around the world on tap and from a large bottle list. The service was great and the staff know their beers and are happy to give recommendations. I enjoyed a couple of nice beers here – first was a Dutch beer, De Prael Melkman, a stout made with milk sugars, which was 4.9% ABV, dark black and tasty with tastes of creamy mocha and sweet licorice. I also tried a German Dunkel - Fässla Zwergla which was 6% ABV and not that interesting – not a huge depth of flavour, malty with a bitter finish. We were randomly approached by a somewhat drunk Dutch guy while we were here, I guess so he could practice his (minimal) English. Awkward and yet somewhat amusing conversation ensued!

Beers on tap in The Wildman (De Wildeman)

Enjoying a beer in The Wildman (De Wildeman)

By this time it had finally got dark so we headed on out and, as hundreds of other tourists were doing, took a walk through the famous De Wallen Red Light District. This is a series of alleys containing around 300 tiny single room cabins rented by prostitutes who stand in bikinis behind glass doors illuminated by red lights, offering their services to the passers by. There are also many stores, clubs and theatres offering associated products and shows. Taking photographs is frowned upon so we kept our camera put away. After the Red Light District we found a restaurant still open near Amsterdam Centraal for a late, uninteresting dinner, and then we headed back to our hotel.

Now the plan for Tuesday was to visit The Hague (Den Haag) on our way to Antwerp, but we decided that there was still a lot we wanted to do in Amsterdam – namely going to places which were closed when we went the previous day – The Cat Boat, a beer store and a toys/collectibles store. So we had the hotel store our bags after we checked out and caught the train into Amsterdam Centraal once again, stopping by the tourist centre to get day transit tickets. We went for a bit of a walk and then made our way over to the Cat Boat (De Poezenboot) for opening time. There are quite a lot of cats in the refuge, some in cages under special care or medication, but most free to wander around the boat (including a bit of the outside via a cat door – but protected from the canal by fence wire). There are ample cat beds, climbing structures, toys, and of course litter trays and they seem to be well looked after by the staff. We got to pet some of the cats although many of them are a bit wary of people or downright unfriendly (Sharon managed to get a nice scratch or two) while trying to make friends. We made sure to leave a good donation on the way out as they rely solely on donations and volunteers for everything.

Cat in De Poezenboot

After the Cat Boat we headed to a store called “Space Oddity” which was full of toys and collectibles. The owner was unpacking boxes of goodies straight from Japan while we were there. Willpower was invoked and we managed to look around and leave without buying much at all. Can’t say the same for our next stop – De Bierkoning (The Beer King) – a great beer store near the Royal Palace. They have a lot of beers from The Netherlands as well as a lot of Belgians as well as beers from around the world (even some nasty Australian beers). I asked about the De Prael Melkman that I had sampled the night before and they told me that so far De Prael have only brewed it for a couple of bars on tap and have not bottled any. I did manage to pick up some De Molen Hel & Verdoemenis (Hell & Damnation) imperial stout which is supposed to be one of the top Netherlands beers (note I later discovered it is very good and that De Molen make 44 of the top rated 50 beers in The Netherlands).

A Space Oddity - fantastic store full of collectibles

De Bierkoning (The Beer King) - a fantastic beer store in Amsterdam

Random grafitti

After the beer store we had some lunch at a nearby Irish pub (Beef & Guinness stew for me), and then hit a couple more stores (such as the Cheese Store for some very tasty Pesto Gouda) before heading to Amsterdam Centraal and back to the hotel to grab our bags and driving to our next destination. The last sight worth photographing before we left town was The Munttoren (Mint Tower). The tower was originally part of one of the main gates of Amsterdam’s medieval city wall built in 1480-1487. It was one of the only parts of the gate to survive a fire in 1618, and in 1619-1620 it was rebuilt/extended in Amsterdam Renaissance style. During the 17th Century, coins were minted here which led to the name by which it is now known.

The Munttoren (Mint Tower)

Tags: A Space Oddity, Amsterdam, Amsterdam Centraal, architecture, Bierproeflokaal In De Wildeman, Brown House, Canals, cat refuge, cat shelter, chocolate souffle, Church of St. Nicholas, collectibles, Crème Brûlée, De Bierkoning, De Molen, De Poezenboot, De Prael Melkman, De Wallen, De Wildeman, Fassla Zwergla, Hel & Verdoemenis, Hell & Damnation, I amsterdam, Inntel Hotel, museumplein, Neo-Baroque, Neo-Renaissance, Netherlands, New Church, Nieuwekerk, Players, pub, Red Light District, Rijksmuseum, Sint Nicolaaskerk, The Beer King, The Cat Boat, The Wild Man, toys, Vondelpark, Zaandam

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May 21 2011

Ghent

Category: Anniversary Trip 2011,Belgium — Simon @ 7:00 pm

Sharon visited at the end of May for our 12th wedding anniversary. To celebrate we planned a short vacation touring around a few cities that we were interested in visiting. The first destination was a short (only a few hours) visit to Ghent (Gent) in Belgium. The first challenge was finding somewhere to park as a lot of the parking stations were full – it was a beautiful sunny day which made it quite a busy town. We eventually found somewhere a number of blocks from the city centre.

I’ve been to Ghent once before – around a year ago – and recognized much of the city centre area, but still managed to become disoriented trying to find the particular part of town I remember being the most interesting. After going around in a few circles and stressing out somewhat, I managed to find the information centre and get a map and finally figure out where everything was. We later discovered that our starting place – Korne Markt (corn market) - was just around the corner from the area along the river Leie that I was trying to find! Unlike other cities in Belgium, Ghent doesn’t have a large central square, or Grote Markt, but rather has several smaller ones, and we managed to start off in one I didn’t see on my previous visit.

One of the first things you see when visiting Ghent is St Nicolas’ Church (Sint-Niklaaskerk). The church was built in the 13th century using the local Scheldt Gothic architectural style, which features a blend of Romanesque elements with classical Gothic features. From the 16^th century onwards the church had a history of neglect and decay, and went through several periods of restoration early last century. It was closed in 1960 for a more intensive restoration and didn’t reopen until 1992. Even then there were still parts of the church closed for renovations, with another part opening towards the end of 2010, and some parts still under renovation until 2018.

St Nicolas' Church, Ghent

The Korenmarkt (Corn Market) square adjacent to the church is a large square established in the 10^th century for the trading of grain which came via the river. The square is quite busy with tourists, cafes and terraces and is surrounded by several historic buildings (including St Nicolas’ Church). One such building is the Old Post Office (Oude Postkantoor), built between 1898 and 1910 for the World Exhibition of 1913, using a blend of neo-gothic and neo-renaissance architectural styles.

The Old Post Office (Oude Postkantoor) in Ghent

Buildings lining Koren Markt in Ghent

Buildings around Koren Markt

Behind St Nicolas’ Church is another of Ghent’s landmarks – the Belfry of Ghent. This is a 91m high tower built 1313-1380, and has served as both a bell tower and watchtower. The Belfry is on the UNESCO World Heritage list, along with the attached Cloth Hall (built 1425-1445), which now houses the tourist information centre.

The Belfry of Ghent

Just near the Belfry is the City Hall (Stadhuis), which consists of two wings in different architectural styles. The oldest wing was built 1519-1583 in the Flamboyant Gothic style and is quite ornate, but only about a quarter of the originally planned building was constructed. When the second wing was built in 1595-1618, it was in the Italian Renaissance style and forms quite a contrast to the other wing.

Ghent Town Hall (Italian Renaissance half)

Ghent Town Hall

At this point we were getting rather hungry so there was a lot of wandering around trying to find anywhere to eat. Many places were packed out and with all the terraces it can be hard to tell which places are restaurants and which are just drinking establishments. We eventually found somewhere that had menus in English and seats available and restored our enthusiasm with a good meal. The name of the restaurant was Picarde and I had a delicious mixed grill, and Sharon had a tasty serving of mushrooms on toast.

Tasty Mixed Grill

Mushrooms on Toast

After lunch we had a walk around the shops and buildings that line the river Leie (Lys). One of the more notable buildings is The Great Butcher’s Hall (Groot Vleeshuis). This gothic building dates back to the 15^th century and served as a covered market where meat was sold, as by law meat could only be sold in a central location where quality could be controlled/monitored.

The Great Butcher's Hall (Groot Vleeshuis) in Ghent

Timeless buildings alongside the river Leie in Ghent

The other major landmark in this part of town is the Castle of the Counts (Gravensteen). It was built in 1180 and served as the seat of the Counts of Flanders until the 14^th century. It was later used as a courthouse, prison and then fell into ruin. It was saved from being demolished in 1885 when the city of Ghent purchased it and started a restoration project. It is now a museum and tourist attraction.

Castle of the Counts, Ghent

That was pretty much it for our visit to Ghent, besides some shopping for souvenirs and Belgian bier. Here’s a few random photos to finish up with:

An Australian shop? In Ghent?

Its a Ketchup restaurant!

Giant Door in Ghent

Tags: architecture, Belfort, Belfry, Castle of the Counts, City Hall, Cloth Hall, Corn Market, Gent, Ghent, gothic, Gravensteen, Great Butcher's Hall, Groot Vleeshuis, Italian Renaissance, Koren Markt, Korenmarkt, Mixed Grill, Mushrooms on Toast, neo-gothic, Neo-Renaissance, Old Post Office, Oude Postkantoor, Picarde, Romanesque, Scheldt Gothic, Sint-Niklaaskerk, St Nicolas' Church, Stadhuis

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May 07 2011

Kortrijk

Category: Belgium — Simon @ 10:00 pm

About 25 minutes from Lille, just across the border in Belgium is a town named Kortrijk that I thought would be nice to visit. I set my trusty GPS navigator to direct me to a parking station near the centre of town. However, there was a festival on in Kortrijk that day and most of the streets in the centre of town were filled with carnival rides and food stalls. Unfortunately my GPS device doesn’t listen when I tell it (loudly) that I can’t turn right down a particular street and I ended up going around in a few circles before I found some parking on the banks of the river Lys.

So my first impression of Kortrijk was of an interesting town filled with people and carnival rides blocking the view of most of the interesting buildings and some other random strange things.

One of the carnival rides in Kortrijk

Recycling bin in Kortrijk

An amusing random sign in Kortrijk

Didn’t take me too long to find some interesting architecture, though. A few blocks down the river from where I parked there is a stone bridge flanked by two towers – the Broel Towers (Broeltorens). The Southern tower (Speyetoren), was built in 1385 to control river traffic, and the Northern tower (Ingelborchtoren) was built in 1415 and was used as an armoury. The Broel Towers are the last remaining parts of the medieval walls that once surrounded the city.

Broeltorens (Broel Towers) in Kotrijk

Speyetoren (Southern Tower) on the Lys in Kortrijk

Ingelborchtoren (Northern Tower) on the Lys in Kortrijk

Speyetoren (Southern Tower) on the Lys in Kortrijk

The next point of interest on my walk around town was the Church of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk), which was built in 1199 in the Roman architectural style.

Church of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) in Kortrijk

Statue of Guido Gezelle in front of the Church of Our Lady in Kortrijk

Church of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) in Kortrijk

There were services going on in the church when I was there so unfortunately I could not take photos of the inside.

From the church I made my way into the main square (grote markt) of town. This was, of course, filled with carnival rides, food stalls and festival goers, so it was hard to see the architectural highlights. The most prominent feature of the square is the Belfry, a tower that was once part of the medieval Cloth Hall (Lakenhalle) built in 1411. The Belfry is listed on the UNESCO world heritage list. Another prominent building in the square is the City Hall (Stadhuis), which was built in 1520 using Gothic and Renaissance elements.

Carnival Ride in the Grote Markt of Kortrijk, underneath the Belfry

The Belfry (Belfort) in Kortrijk

City Hall (Stadhuis) in Kortrijk

From the very busy main square, I wandered down the street to St. Michael’s Square. One the corner of the square stands the Weigh House (Stadswaag) where goods could be weighed. It was built in 1904 in the Flemish Neo-Renaissance style. Although originally functioning as a weigh house, it has served several other purposes during its life time, including housing the Office of Sanitation, when it was popularly referred to as “the shit castle” (het strontkasteel). Also, at least according to my GPS device, until recently it housed the Kortrijk Tourist Information Centre, but it definitely doesn’t any longer.

Weigh House (Stadswaag) in Kortrijk

The other main building in St Michael’s Square is, naturally, St Michael’s Church (Sint-Michielskerk). This was built during 1606-1611 in the Late Gothic architectural style.

St Michael's Church (Sint-Michielskerk) in Kortrijk

I am King (Ik Ben Koning) statue outside St Michael's Church, Kortrijk

After St Michael’s Square I walked back through the main square towards another church, the Church of Saint Martin (Sint Maartenskerk). This church was built between 1390 and 1466 in the Gothic architectural style. When I was there it looked like preparations were going on for a wedding so this was another church whose interior I will have to photograph another time.

Church of Saint Martin (Sint Maartenskerk) in Kortrijk

After photographing the church I followed some signs which were indicating the way to the tourist office. After a few wrong turns I think I found the tourist centre, which was closed, within the grounds of the Groening Abbey (Groeningeabdij). The abbey was built 1600-1627 and has a history of financial difficulties, and was eventually abandoned in 1797 and left to ruin. It was only a few decades ago that it was renovated and reopened. The old dormitory building now houses the Kortijk 1302 Museum which details the history of the Battle of the Golden Spurs which took place in Kortrijk in 1302.

Groening Abbey (Groeningeabdij) in Kortrijk

Groening Abbey (Groeningeabdij) dormitory building

Groening Abbey (Groeningeabdij) Kortrijk 1302 Museum

That pretty much concludes my afternoon in Kortrijk, although I feel I may have to visit again on a non-festival day to get some better photos of the main square and church interiors. To finish off here are few other random pictures I took around town.

Youth (De Jeugd) sculpture in Kortrijk

Carnival rides in Kortrijk

The recycling frog

Nice building in Kortrijk

The Registrar, Kortrijk

Vintage Car in Kortrijk

Tags: Belfry, Belgium, Broel Towers, Broeltorens, carnival rides, Church of Our Lady, City Hall, Cloth Hall, festival, gothic, Groening Abbey, Groeningeabdij, Grote Markt, het strontkasteel, Ik Ben Koning, Ingelborchtoren, Kortrijk, Lakenhalle, Late Gothic, Neo-Renaissance, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk, Renaissance, Saint Michael's Church, shit castle, Sint-Maartenskerk, Sint-Michielskerk, Speyetoren, St Martin's Church, St Michael's Square, Stadhuis, Stadswaag, UNESCO World Heritage, Weigh house

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Apr 30 2011

War Memorials

Category: Elsewhere in France — Simon @ 10:00 pm

Back when I made the decision to take this assignment in France, one of the things I really wanted to do while here was to visit the Australian War Memorial, as my Great Grandfather, Charles Alexander Jinks, was killed in Action here in 1918.

So naturally this was my first road trip once I had secured a car. I set out with my Canadian colleague to visit both the Vimy Ridge National Historical Site of Canada and the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux.

First stop was Vimy Ridge, only about 40 minutes drive from Lille. The Vimy Ridge National Historic Site of Canada stands on Hill 145, the highest point of the 14km long Vimy Ridge. On April 9, 1917, all four divisions of the Canadian Corps stormed the ridge, taking all their objectives by mid-afternoon expect for Hill 145 which was captured the following day. This was a significant victory for the Allied forces and in particular for Canada, but came at a cost of 3,598 Canadian casualties.

The monument that stands at the top of the hill took 11 years to build and involved 11,000 tonnes of concrete and nearly 6,000 tonnes of limestone.

Canadian National Vimy Memorial

After visiting the memorial we also had a look around the rest of the Historic Site, visiting the 2 Canadian Cemeteries and the Visitor Centre, which features some trenches to give visitors an idea of the magnitude of the task that faced the Canadian Corps.

Vimy Ridge National Historic Site of Canada

Trenches at Vimy Ridge National Historic Site of Canada

After our visit to the Vimy Ridge National Historic Site of Canada we headed off towards the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux. This was about a 90 minute drive, and we made a brief stop in small town named Corbie where we found a nice church.

The Abbey Church of St. Peter (Abbatiale Saint-Pierre de Corbie) was built in the gothic style from 1501-1775 as part of a large Benedictine monastery. The church was closed in 1791 and ongoing neglect meant it was considered for demolition in 1816 – but it was decided that it would only be partially demolished – from the transept and beyond, bringing its length down from 117 to 36 metres.

Abbey Church of St. Peter, Corbie

From Corbie it was only a few minutes drive to the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux. The memorial consists of a great central tower flanked by wing walls carrying panels commemorating the 10,771 Australians who died in France and have no known grave. On those walls I found the name of my great grandfather, Charles Alexander Jinks. On 8th August, 1918, the Australian, Canadian and British forces made a carefully planned surprise move against the German front near Amiens. This became known as The Battle of Amiens (also the Third Battle of Picardy) and was the opening phase of an offensive known later as the Hundred Days Offensive that ultimately led to the end of World War I. The first day of the battle was described as “the black day of the German army”, as the allied forces advanced over seven miles and German losses were estimated at 30,000 that day. The 6th Battalion of the Australian Infantry Forces – which included my great grandfather – joined the advance the following day, striking out from Villers-Bretonneux and taking part in the capture of Lihons. Unfortunately the advance was not as successful on the second day, as the infantry had outrun the supporting artillery, and it was on the 9th August 1918 that my great-grandfather was killed in action.

The Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux

As ANZAC day was the week before my visit, out the front of the memorial there were a lot of flowers, including wreaths sent by the Government and People of Australia. Inside the memorial is a registry of names as well as a vistors book in which you can leave comments.

Floral tributes at The Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux

Registry of names at The Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux

Comment book at The Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux

The Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux

I feel grateful that I had the opportunity to visit the memorial where my great grandfather is honoured. Seeing the memorials, and the many other memorials and graveyards that we passed on the way, really emphasizes the magnitude of The Great War and the millions of soldiers who lost their lives.

Tags: 1918, 6th Battalion, Abbatiale Saint-Pierre de Corbie, Abbey Church of St. Peter, ANZAC, architecture, Australian National Memorial, Battle of Amiens, Charles Alexander Jinks, Corbie, gothic, National Historical Site of Canada, Villers-Bretonneux, Vimy, Vimy Ridge, war memorials, WWI

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Apr 26 2011

Rental Car

Category: travel — Simon @ 8:00 pm

Just after Easter I managed to acquire a rental car for the remainder of my stay here. This will not only make it easier to find food, etc during the week, but also allow me to get out and about on the weekends.

My Rental Car - Renault Twingo

Of course the first thing I did after getting the car was go out and buy a GPS Navigator. Took me 35 minutes to get to the shopping mall to buy it – and 6 minutes to get back with the help of the navigator!

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Apr 25 2011

Tourcoing – Church of St. Christopher

Category: Elsewhere in France — Simon @ 6:00 pm

Not far from Lille is a city named Tourcoing. Since I had nothing better to do on Easter Monday I decided to take a trip to Tourcoing to check it out. Getting there is very easy – a tram runs from the Gare Lille Flandres station and takes about 20 minutes. Right in the centre of town, near the station, is the Church of St. Christopher (Église Saint Christophe), the town’s main attraction. Its roots go back to 1130 as the church of St Vaast and some time later it became the Church of St Christopher. It was expanded in the 15th & 16th centuries and reconstructed and considerably enlarged in 1853-1898. It is now considered one of the most beautiful neo-gothic (gothic revival) buildings in the North of France, but there are still some visible elements of the original Medieval architecture. The church features a 80m tall bell tower which contains over 60 bells.

Unfortunately the tourist information centre was closed for the day and there is a lack of information on the church on Wikipedia so I can’t provide any further information on the church or the chapels inside, so just enjoy the many pictures I took.

Church of St. Christopher, Tourcoing

Inside the Church of St. Christopher

Stained glass inside the Church of St. Christopher

Confessional in the Church of St. Christopher

Inside the Church of St. Christopher

The pulpit inside the Church of St. Christopher

Stained glass inside the Church of St. Christopher

The organ inside the Church of St. Christopher

I didn’t really do much else in Tourcoing after looking at the church. I visited the recently opened Saint Christophe Shopping Mall and bought some supplies at Auchan, and took a photo of the nearby Chamber of Commerce , built 1903-1906 in the Flemish style.

Tourcoing Chamber of Commerce

Tags: architecture, church, Église Saint Christophe, gothic revival, neo-gothic, St. Christopher, stained glass, Tourcoing

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Apr 16 2011

Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

Category: A day in Lille — Simon @ 10:00 pm

The second weekend Sharon was here we decided to head into old Lille, despite the fact we were both sick with colds! Our first stop (after getting medication from a pharmacy) was to peer in the window of Patrick Hermand at all the tasty tasty treats.

Tasty Treats in the window of Patrick Hermand

Next we went to Our Lady of the Trellis Cathedral (in French, Basilique-cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille de Lille), a neo-gothic cathedral which I had visited previously (but never went inside) and which Sharon had yet to see. We took a few photos outside and then proceeded inside to admire the stained glass windows and cathedral architecture.

Sharon in front of Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

One of the doors of Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

You can see above that the modern facade looks rather plain from the outside – but from the inside it is quite beautiful:

The facade of Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille from the inside

Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

And now for some of that beautiful stained glass…

Some of the stained glass inside Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

Some of the stained glass windows of Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

One of the prominent features inside the cathedral is the massive organ – one of the largest in france with over 7600 pipes – installed in 2008.

The organ of Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

Around the choir are 8 chapels built between 1890 and 1937 – Chapel of St. Joseph, Chapel of Joan of Arc, Chapel of St. John the Evangelist, Chapelle Notre Dame de la Treille, Chapel of St. Anne, Chapel of Charles the Good, Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and Chapel of St. Peter. All feature beautiful stained glass windows, and most have elaborate neg-gothic murals and altars.

Mural in St Joseph's chapel

The tabernacle in St Joseph's chapel

Chapel of Joan of Arc in Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

The Altar in the chapel of Joan of Arc.

Chapel of St John in Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

The altar in the chapel of St John

Chapelle Notre Dame de la Treille

Chapel of St Anne

The altar in the Chapel of St Anne seen through the fencework

Altar in the Chapel of St Anne

Chapel of Charles the Good in Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

Altar in the Chapel of St Charles the Good

Mural in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

Tabernacle in the Sacred-Heart Chapel in Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

Above the altar in the Chapel of Charles the Good is a reliquary containing bones of St. Louis, or Louis IX who was king of France from 1226 to 1270, when he died during the 8th Crusade.

A reliquary containing bones of St. Louis in the Chapel of Charles the Good

In one quiet corner of the cathedral there’s a model of the originally planned cathedral with the original gothic facade:

Model of the planned Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

Finally before we leave the cathedral, here’s some of the various works of art and statuary:

The Altar of the Rosary in Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

Artwork in Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille

After our visit to the cathedral we headed down an alleyway into another part of Old Lille and specifically to a beer shop that I had found mentioned on the Internet as one of the best beer shops in Lille - L’Abbaye des Saveurs. The store was excellent, featuring many good Belgian and French beers, as well as some regional products and various whiskeys.

L'Abbaye des Saveurs, a great Lille beer shop

Busy courtyard in Old Lille

After a bit more of a walk around we stopped in for a meal at Cafe Leffe, where Sharon had an awesome hot chocolate – it was served as a mug containing some great thick chocolate paste and a jug of steaming hot milk.

Great way to serve a hot chocolate

We ended our day out by making another visit to Patrick Hermand where we actually went in a bought a large box of tasty treats and a small box of delicious macarons.

Delicious treats from Patrick Hermand

Macarons from Patrick Hermand

Tags: architecture, Basilica of Notre Dame de la Treille, Basilique-cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-la-Treille de Lille, beer shop, cathedral, chapel, L'Abbaye des Saveurs, macarons, neo-gothic, Old Lille, Our Lady of the Trellis, Patrick Hermand, stained glass

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Apr 10 2011

Disneyland / Walt Disney Studios

Category: Disneyland — Simon @ 12:00 pm

In April, Sharon came over for another visit and so inevitably one of the first things we did was make a day trip down to the Paris Disneyland Resort. We are annual pass-holders there now so we may as well take advantage of it. This time we decided to spend a bit of time in the second park, Walt Disney Studios. This park was opened in March 2002 and was expanded in 2007 (and slightly more in 2009). We had visited there back in 2003 and found that there wasn’t much to do, but thought it was worth checking out again now that there is a bit more to see.

The gates at the entrance to Walt Disney Studios park

Closeup of Mickey on the gates of Walt Disney Studios

Sharon posing outside Walt Disney Studios

Sharon with the broom statue at Walt Disney Studios

From the entrance gates you proceed through Disney Studio 1 in the Front Lot to gain access to the rest of the park. Disney Studio 1 is basically a large studio building filled with shops and a fast food restaurant. Passing through this building takes you to the main park which consists of 3 other areas – Production Courtyard (The wonders of cinema and television), Backlot (Action, excitement and special effects) and the newest land, Toon Studio (Where the Toons come to life).

Inside the main Studio building at Walt Disney Studios.

The Walt and Mickey Partners Statue in Walt Disney Studios

We decided to start with the Toon Studio land of the park, since we hadn’t seen most of it before . We skipped past the Art of Disney Animation exhibit, the Animagique show and Flying Carpets Over Agrabah and went straight to the queue for Crush’s Coaster – an indoor rollercoaster inspired by Pixar’s Finding Nemo where you “Plunge through the East Australian Current aboard a spinning turtle shell”.

Art of Disney Animation at Walt Disney Studios

Magic Carpet Ride in Walt Disney Studios

People enjoying Crush's Coaster

We had to line up for a fair while but it was worth it – Crush’s Coaster was well designed and a lot of fun. It runs (mostly) inside and is well themed with lots of undersea scenes and characters from Finding Nemo. What makes it unique is the fact that while you are travelling along the coaster track, your turtle shell vehicle is also spinning around. So just when you think you know where you are headed, the shell will unexpectedly turn and you’ll be facing a completely different direction and hurtling along the track sideways or backwards.

Signs in the queue for Crush's Coaster

Inside Crush's Coaster - loading area

After the fun of Crush’s Coaster we took a look around the rest of Toon Studio – most of which is aimed at a young audience – Cars Quatre Roues Rallye (inspired by Pixar’s Cars) and Toy Story Playland – “a gigantic world where you’re the size of a toy” (relatively speaking), which features Toy Soldier’s Parachute Drop, Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin and RC Racer rides.

The cars from Cars make a cute ride

Giant Buzz Lightyear at the entrance to Toy Story Playland

Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop in Walt Disney Studios

We headed over to the Studio Tram Tour: Behind The Magic – which is a trip around the “Studio backlot”. This is meant to be reminiscent of the Universal Studios backlot tram tour – but whereas Universal Hollywood’s tour is mostly around a real working studio backlot, this ride is around a purely fictional backlot with some aging props, sets and production equipment. This was actually quite a disappointing ride – the wait time was fairly long and there have been no changes since we rode it in 2003 other than wear and tear and the removal of one section to make room for some of Toon Studio. The ride features props and sets from these Disney movies – “Pearl Harbor”, “Dinosaur”, “Reign of Fire” and “Armageddon”. The highlight of the tram tour is “Catastrophe Canyon” with explosions, fire and flood, and the only other interesting part is the set of London in ruins from “Reign of Fire” (has anyone actually seen that film?).

One of the trams on the Studio Tram Tour

Dinosaurs set on the Studio Tram Tour

Catastophe Canyon on the Studio Tram Tour

London from Reign of Fire on the Studio Tram Tour

Various cars on the Studio Tram Tour

After the Studio Tram Tour we headed over to the parade route to watch the parade, Disney’s Stars ‘n’ Cars. This consisted of a collection of Disney themed classic cars carrying various Disney characters – then they all get out of the cars and do some song and dance numbers.

Mickey and Minnie in the Stars 'n' Cars parade

Mary Poppins and Bert in the Stars 'n' Cars parade

Dance number in the Stars 'n' Cars parade

By the time the parade was over we were starving so we went to Restaurant des Stars, which had a very good all-you-can-eat-buffet. There was a great selection of international cuisine and tasty desserts, and we were paid a visit by the rat Remy from Pixar’s Ratatouille.

A chef with Remy from Ratatouille in the buffet restaurant

After lunch we passed by a most of the old attractions in the park like Armageddon: les Effets Spéciaux, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith and Moteurs…Action! Stunt Show Spectacular and instead went on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, a thrilling and very well themed elevator drop ride. This means we have now ridden all the versions of that ride – Walt Disney Studios (Paris), Disney’s Hollywood Studios (Walt Disney World, Orlando), Disney California Adventure (Disneyland California) and Tokyo DisneySea (Tokyo Disney Resort).

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster with Aerosmith

Armageddon

Tower of Terror in Walt Disney Studios

After riding on Tower of Terror we headed out of the park – popping in to some of the shops along the way of course – and over to Disneyland park for the remainder of the afternoon and evening.

Exit from Walt Disney Studios

Statue outside Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris Entrance

Sorcerer Mickey welcomes you to Disneyland Paris

We entered Disneyland just in time for the Once Upon a Dream Parade, so we found a good spot to stand and watch it.

Once Upon a Dream Parade

After the parade we decided to catch the train around the park. The train carriages are quite ornate and it was a pleasant ride, although they seem to take a very long time with the loading and unloading of passengers at each stop.

Euro Disneyland Railroad train

Euro Disneyland Railroad train carriage

Stained Glass window on the Disneyland Railroad platform

After a train trip around the park we walked around to Frontierland for a ride on our favourite attraction, Phantom Manor.

Phantom Manor

The newly restored Molly Brown

After Phantom Manor we had a bit of a wander around and started thinking about dinner. We ended up at another buffet restaurant, the Lucky Nugget Saloon Tex-Mex buffet. We had to join a queue of people to go to the discrete window around the site of the Lucky Nugget Saloon building where you pre-pay for the meal. This took a while, but we eventually got the receipt and were shown inside to the buffet. This buffet was not as tasty or as diverse as the one we had at lunch. We were quite amused to see that the pair of girls sitting next to us kept stuffing food (wrapped cheeses, yoghurt tubs, bread rolls) into their purses!

By the time we came out of the restaurant it was getting dark so we took some pictures of the pretty lights and headed down Main Street USA to visit the shops on our way out.

Disneyland Paris Castle (with maintenance facade) at night

Main Street USA in Disneyland Paris at night

By the time we’d looked around all the shops and made some purchases it was time to head to our train. In fact, almost time for the train to go, so we had to move quite fast to get to the station in time. Except it turns out we weren’t quite in time – while we were trying to find our train listing on the overhead boards (it didn’t seem to be listed), we saw a train leave the station, and when we found someone to ask about where to find our train we were told that it was gone, and it was the last train for the night. Apparently the 9:53pm train is the last service to Lille even though Disneyland is open until 10pm. We had to go down to the ticket office (which was only open for another 15 minutes) to try and figure out what to do next. Unfortunately they weren’t able to provide us with any way to get back to Lille that night, but they could exchange the tickets for tickets on the first train of the next day. After some discussion we able to get them to exchange them for tickets on a later train the next day (we did have to pay a slight price difference) and they provided us with a photocopy of a page from the phonebook with all the local hotels highlighted. We then had to call around and find which had rooms at non-ridiculous prices.

We ended up at the Kyriad hotel, which was a short taxi ride from Disneyland – we discovered the next day it was actually a short complementary shuttle bus ride away. We got a room for €140 which was much better than the €400+ that the “official” resort hotels were charging! Unfortunately at 11pm the hotel staff were unable to provide simple necessities like toothbrushes or toothpaste, and so I was right out of luck trying to find some contact lens solution for my contacts so I ended up having to leave them in overnight. Also we found that a few things didn’t work – the air conditioning, the Wifi, the pay Internet terminal in the hotel lobby. The night staff at the reception weren’t able to do anything other than write a note in a “to be ignored” book at the reception desk.

The room did include buffet breakfast in the morning, and we had to pre-pick a time slot the night before and were given a card with the time range which we handed in after lining up at the breakfast hall entrance for about half an hour. The breakfast was fairly uninteresting but filling and at least the hotel shop was open so we were able to get toothbrushes and toothpaste.

We were able to pop back into Disneyland for a bit before going to the station well in advance of our train time to wait for the train back to Lille. Finally got back in the early afternoon so our Sunday was pretty much written off.

Big Thunder Mountain in Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris Castle (with maintenance facade)

So as well as enjoying some time at Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios we learned some valuable lessons – get to the train station well in advance of your departure time, take note of when the last train is, and pack a few essential toiletries when going on a day trip

Tags: buffet, Crush's Coaster, Disneyland, Kyriad, Phantom Manor, Tower of Terror, Walt Disney Studios

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Apr 01 2011

March Eating

Category: Food — Simon @ 11:25 pm

So not much happened in the second half of March other than some great meals. So here’s yet another post of food pictures!

First of all, joined some work colleagues for some tasty food at Le Barbue d’Anvers, so far my favourite restaurant in Lille. Had a very tasty lamb dish with mushrooms, and a good rhubarb Crème Brûlée for dessert.

Tasty lamb dish in Le Barbue d'Anvers

Crème Brûlée in Le Barbue d'Anvers

Another of my favourite restaurants is La Petit Belgique, where we often go for lunch, and I usually have the Beef Carbonade. Previously I had seen some of my colleagues get a “Cafe Gourmand”, which is an espresso with a small sampler of mini desserts. I finally discovered that most places also do a tea version, so I enjoyed a fantastic Tea Gourmand for the first time.

Tea Gourmand in La Petit Belgique

Occasionally on a Friday night a few people from work gather in the hotel for drinks, since it is close to the office and the drinks are cheap. Sometimes this can turn into a big night, especially when certain colleagues insist on buying strange drinks and shots. One particular Friday we got talked into trying some liqueurs called “Get 27″ and “Get 31″. They are basically like alcoholic liquid toothpaste.

Friday night drinking gone wrong. Beer, tequila shot, and glasses of Get 27 and Get 31 mint liqueurs

One Saturday night some colleagues and I went to an Indian restaurant in town, called Maharani. The food here was very tasty. We started with an appetizer platter and then moved on to various dishes including Butter Chicken, Lamb Korma, Daal, Paneer, all accompanied by some very tasty Garlic Naan bread and rice. For dessert I had a refreshing lemon sorbet.

Maharani restaurant in Lille

Delicious indian fare at Maharani restaurant in Lille

A tasty homemade lemon sorbet at Maharani in Lille

One other lunch time a bunch of us went to another nearby restaurant, Au Bureau. It was somewhat amusing to watch all the French eat hamburgers with a knife and fork. I decided to have a nice simple steak and frites, which was delicious!

Very tasty steak and frites at Au Bureau Villeneuve d'Ascq

Another dinner out with my colleagues was to a small but quaint place in town called “La Petite Table”. We started with a small mediterranean appetizer. For entree I had a Canard (duck) Confit, followed by a tasty lamb dish and finally a very nice apple crumble. Everything here was delicious and well presented.

Tasty appetizer at La Petite Table

Delicious Canard Confit at La Petite Table in Lille

Delicious lamb dish in La Petite Table in Lille

Delicious apple crumble at La Petite Table in Lille

After this fine dinner we decided to head out for some drinks at a nearby drinking establishment. We ended up at “Cafe Oz”, an Australian Bar. One of my colleagues had a pint of Fosters, which I refused to partake in, instead choosing a nice Belgian beer. Seems that Australian bars around the world serve Fosters, despite the fact that hardly anyone in Australia drinks it. Not that any of the other macro-brewed pale lager style beers from Australia are any more drinkable. Most people in the bar that night seemed to be drinking some strange bright blue drink anyway.

Cafe Oz The Australian Bar in Lille

Fosters beer on Tab at Cafe Oz in Lille

Glass of horrid Aussie beer in Cafe Oz

Finally, one lunch time the work crew headed out to Léon de Bruxelles, a restaurant chain that specializes in Mussels and Belgian dishes. I decided that I should try mussels for the first time! I ordered Les moules à l’Ardennaise – mussels with bacon and mushrooms in a white wine and cream sauce. It was actually pretty good but I’m still not sure I’d rank mussels anywhere among my favourite foods.

Les moules à l’Ardennaise at Leon's

Tags: apple crumble, Au Bureau, Australian, Cafe Oz, Crème Brûlée, dining, food, Fosters, frites, Get 27, Get 31, Indian, La Petit Belgique, La Petite Table, lamb, Le Barbue d'Anvers, Léon de Bruxelles, Les moules à l’Ardennaise, Lille, Maharani, Mediterranean, Mussels, steak, Tea Gourmand

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