Pounding the pavement in London

As Jerel’s final project in Europe came to a close, Chana seized the chance for a weekend trip to London. She arrived with two missions: to visit with two Canuck-turned-Londoner chums and to add one more city to the growing list of “cities in which Chana can charge for a walking tour”. We were sad to miss our other London dwelling friends, Peter and Natacha, but happy to take them up on their generous offer to stay at their flat (complete with a yummy loaf of freshly baked bread).

Chana got a head start on her tour training on Friday, with a leisurely jog to Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Hyde Park, and Buckingham palace, including a chance sighting of the changing of the guards. Saturday, Jerel joined for the full-on tour day, whereby we hit as many of London’s ‘must-see’ sights as possible, all on foot. From Clapham, we headed north to see Harrod’s, continued to Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, and ended with a stroll along the Thames to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge.

We were equally successful on our social missions. Chana and Bronywn had calculated that we could spend precisely 3.5 hours together on Friday night if we rendezvoused near London Liverpool station. The three of us shared a delicious meal, serenaded by an electric violin, while Bronwyn and Jerel regaled Chana with ‘loads’ of stories about British expressions. Among the favorites were “the complete history of the word posh” and the word ‘pudding’ which apparently means any type of dessert.

Saturday evening, we met up with Andrew (a friend from Chana’s UBC days) and his girlfriend Helen in their old ‘hood (Islington). We started with a pitcher of Pimm’s at one funky pub and ended with dinner and ‘pudding’ at London’s first pub serving organic food …those of you that enjoy the Naam in Vancouver would have felt right at home!

We wrapped up our weekend with shopping in the bustling streets of Covent Garden. In typical fashion, we lost track of time and arrived at St. Pancras station just in time to catch our Eurostar train back to Brussels for one final week in the city of waffles and chocolate.

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Amsterdam Assembly

Unlike most bloggers, I rarely write a blog entry in close proximity to the inspirational event. The problem is that I am far too good at keeping busy (aka procrastinating) - planning the next trip, going to the gym, ‘puttering’ around the apartment and occasionally hunting for a job. Today, however, I have inadvertently given myself ample time in front of my computer without access to my usual procrastination tactics.

What should have been a 3 hour train ride from Amsterdam to Brussels has magically turned into a 6 hour journey to Paris and back...I was so engrossed in writing my latest overdue blog entry that I missed my stop! I would have loved to stay in Paris for the night but unfortunately I need to get back to Brussels to show our apartment to some potential new renters.

Onto Amsterdam… Four of us converged on Amsterdam for a festive weekend: Chana, Jerel, Mom and Katharina (plus Mom’s colleague Jennifer). The timing was perfect: Katharina had just aced the last portion of her medical school exams in Berlin, Mom’s conference in The Hague had concluded, I was determined not to leave Europe without seeing this (in)famous city. Jerel and I arrived by train late Saturday night, and barely made it to our hotel intact… one of us (the newbie) was nearly demolished by cyclists several times on the way home, having not yet adjusted to the extra (silent) lane of traffic on every street.

Sunday morning we kicked off two days of wandering Amsterdam’s narrow streets, criss-crossing its café-lined canals, and sampling its cultural and historical offerings. Jerel had to leave Monday morning, but was still able to join the crew for his most eagerly anticipated event – an evening boat cruise through the canals.

Aside from the abundance of bicycling juggernauts, the most memorable part of the weekend for me was our visit to the Anne Frank House. The exhibit was very simple– a few passage excerpts, photos, and videos - yet the experience of being in the space where Anne Frank hid for two years and trying to imagine what she and others must have felt was incredibly moving. Another sight that also merits mention is the very inviting, state-of-the-art Amsterdam Public Library, which I was gently encouraged to visit by a certain library-lover. I missed out on the Van Gogh museum (Saturday’s activity) but heard from mom and Katharina that it was very impressive.

Tuesday morning we all went our separate ways – Katharina by train to Berlin, Mom by plane to Vancouver, and me by train to Paris…I mean Brussels!

For more photos, please click here.

Introducing Chana Palmer Davis

Better late than never, I like to say!  

Just in time for our 2 year wedding anniversary, I picked up the first official document (US passport) bearing my married name...Chana Palmer Davis.  Don't worry if it takes you a while to get used to it - I've already messed up a few times when asked my name!

Brussels Abridged Tour with Mom

Mom and I returned from Paris to Brussels via the remarkably quick (1.5 hours) speed train, arriving just in time for an afternoon spinning fix.  Jerel soon joined us from London and together we enjoyed a mellow night in our apartment, serenaded by the cheerful birds in the garden out back. 

After another spinning fix Saturday morning (I couldn’t miss Jonathan’s rendition of ‘man, I feel like a woman’ with his strong French accent), we headed out to explore the nearby Flemish university town of Leuven, often likened to Cambridge.  The only item on our agenda was to check out the gothic Stadhuis and St. Peter’s Cathedral in the main square; otherwise we were content to wander around town, soaking in the atmosphere.  Our most exciting find was the farmer’s market, where the fruits and vegetables were so big, colorful, and plump that they inspired a fruit tasting event.  Based on my random sampling of cherries, blueberries, and blackberries, I and am pleased to report that they tasted as good as they looked. 

Sunday, I donned my tour guide hat for the ‘Brussels: Abridged” tour package (Grand Place and Place du Grand Sablon) with an extra dose of antique shopping (available upon request).  We started with a random walk through the myriad goods spread all over Place Jeu de Balle and proceeded with determined digging in several more selective shops in the area.  It was worth the effort to see the grin on Mom's face when she declared victory and proudly displayed the two new "313" number plates for the outside of her house.  We celebrated with chocolate sampling on the way home (it seems there is always something to celebrate in Brussels) stopping briefly to admire the exquisite delicacies created by Marcolini and Whittamer's choclateries.  We wrapped up the weekend with a quick meal with Jerel before preparing to go our separate ways for the week – mom to The Hague, Jerel to London, and me holding down the fort in Brussels.

For more photos please click here.

Paris Rendezvous with Mom

My mom and I continued our tradition of travel together with a multi-city sojourn, built around her academic meeting at The Hague. We rendezvoused in Paris on Sunday, a city that we were both eager to return to after recent visits that whet our appetites. Unfortunately, Jerel was unable to join us…someone has to pay the bills! We stayed in two different quaint hotels on the Left Bank, near Jardin de Luxembourg, and within striking distance of many major attractions (for hardy walkers or metro aficionados).

We filled each day to the brim strolling Paris’ eclectic neighborhoods, sampling its vast array of impressive museums and churches, and pausing frequently to enjoy the café culture. Not surprisingly, the Louvre won our vote for best - and most exhausting - museum, as well as for most worth-it café splurge (great service, food and ambience). The other museums on our agenda were no slouches either: the Rodin Museum, in an 18th century mansion on beautiful grounds, the Petit Palais, featuring an exhibit on William Blake, and Musée du Luxembourg, featuring “Lippi: The Renaissance in Prato”.

My favourite church was Sainte-Chapelle, built by King Louis IX in 1248 to house an expensive Jesus’ crown of thorns and known for its amazing stained glass. For the record, Notre Dame was ineligible to win favourite church as we did not re-visit this time. The award for coolest neighborhood goes to Marais, a hip and chic area that mixes old and new and has historic ties to the Jewish community.

Our evenings were equally packed, and we ended each day in a pleasant state of exhaustion. Our entertainment choices included a sunset cruise on the Seine and a variety of classical concerts amplified by their amazing venues (Vivaldi at Eglise Madelaine, Chopin at St. Julien-le-Pauvre, and Baroque choral at St. Clothilde). Our one ‘eventless’ evening was equally memorable – a baguette and cheese picnic on Pont des Arts, a local tradition that is now in jeopardy due to new laws on public wine consumption! As we left Paris for Brussels, we both felt that that although we now had a much better grip on the city, our appetites for Paris were still not sated…

For more photos please click here.

Davis Family Belgian Tour

Thursday – Awake and Moving
Steve and Janet arrived in Brussels at 8am on Thursday, whereupon Chana took it upon herself to help them to beat jetlag using her tried and true strategy: walking, walking and more walking. She took them on a marathon tour of Brussels’ parks, including nearby Bois de la Cambre and Etangs d’Ixelles, and not-so-close Park du Cinquantenniare, with great city views from its replica Arc de Triomphe. On the way home, Chana bemused Janet with her inefficient grocery foraging – stopping at not one, not two, but FIVE stores for ingredients. Steve and Janet were also treated to Chana’s break-in technique (oops, forgot the key!) which involved slithering through the air tunnel into the ‘Jardin d’Hiver’. Steve stared in amazement and remarked “I’m so glad I was here for this.”

Friday – The Standard
Jerel was working on Friday, thus Chana took Janet and Steve on the “Standard tour” of Brussels. This included the happening Chatelain neighborhood, the Grand Place, and numerous irresistible choclateries and patisseries in the Grand Sablon. Jerel joined in the evening for a home-cooked Italian meal accompanied by Chana’s (still) favourite Belgian beer – Raspberry Lambec.

Saturday – A Tour to Remember
Saturday, we drove to Bastogne, the epicenter of the “Battle of the Bulge”, and a town with something of a family connection. Toward the end of the battle, the need for more medics became critical. Janet’s father, a medic in the war, volunteered to help and was flown in via a silent glider. We poked around downtown Bastogne, where a restored tank sits in the central square, then visited to the very impressive war memorial and local museum outside of town. On our way home, we stopped in Liege (a first for both Jerel and Chana) for diner, ironically settling on a quaint café that specialized in Flemish cuisine.

Sunday – Market Madness
While most of Brussels is all too calm on Sundays, the markets really come alive. We started at the Gare du Midi (train station) market, which feels like a slice of Morocco, and is a great place to stock up on fresh, inexpensive produce, which is exactly what we did. We then headed to the two antique markets, including the rather raw ‘Jeu de Balle’ open market (can you believe Chana actually purchased something for once?) and the more refined antique booths in the Place du Grand Sablon. Along the way, Janet and Steve finally had a chance to sample warm Belgian waffles (two thumbs up!).

Monday – Medieval Times
We finished our Belgian tour with a trip to Ghent. The highlights were: (re)visiting the Belfry with its amazing views, lingering in St. Bavo's cathedral decorated with Reubens’ paintings and exploring quintessential Gravenstein Castle for the first time.

Janet and Steve left early the next morning. We were sad to see them go, but grateful for the few days that we were able to spend together showing them our latest home-away-from-home.