Amsterdam at last

Friday: Drove to Amsterdam. In the Netherlands, every toilet we found was a pay toilet, except for the one at a gas station, where they charged for the toilet paper! Got into Amsterdam city this time, crossed the river and parked near Central Station. There was some rain and cold wind, but it was OK. we walked about, looking at stores and sex shops. I though it was a bit odd that the sex shops were right next door to the family-friendly McDonald's.

And nearby we watched some guys get arrested for drugs. Drugs are legal here but there are still rules, and you really don't want to break them because the police take those rules very seriously. We stopped in some souvenir shops and bought 2 Delft-type tiles for our kitchen walls at home and some wooden shoes. Randy bought some kind of fish sandwich and chocolate milk; it wasn't really milk but we weren't sure what it was, probably a yogurt blend. We bought pastry and soda for lunch, which was pretty good. Of course we got in another traffic jam when we left the Netherlands. We had dinner with Jim at what the Americans call the "Dead Llama" - that's not the restaurant name, of course - I think the real name was Delorna Zona. Randy got some wienserschitzel while I had Cordon Bleu. And as always, back at the apartment we had tea before going to bed.

Exploring Antwerp

Thursday: Got up late and discovered that there was no hot water in the apartment! Jim called from work and suggested we call the landlord at the bank downstairs. A bank teller came up to try to fix the water heater but he could not start it, so he called a repairman. Meanwhile we heated water on the stove for our baths. We drove to Metallo, then on to Antwerpen (Flemish for Antwerp), stopping at the Wommelgan supermarket on the way to buy kitchen utensils (a copper bowl, tea spoons, etc). We walked around Antwerpen: the train station (gorgeous!), church (beautiful artwork, some restoration in process), and stores. I bought a lace bowl-holder with delicate drawstrings so it can be adjusted to different bowl sizes. We went to a Marks and Spencer store to buy scented soaps. We stopped for coffee, then drove back to have dinner with Jim at a pita bar in Turnhout, which was very good. Then we drove back to Antwerp and walked through the red-light district. The store windows are set up with just a red light and a chair, where a woman in a nightgown or underware. In the back of this setting is a door, where the woman would go through to meet her customers when someone goes into the main door.  It was a bit surreal; after awhile we drove back home and had tea. 

New friends and real Belgium waffles

Wednesday: We drove to Metallo and on to Ria's parents Chris and Rick, who offered us coffee and cake. Rick spoke a little English. He makes beautiful hand-painted scarves; he cuts out the scarves, paints the design on them, and has them hemmed at a nearby nunnery.  He gave me a lovely  one as a gift; I appreciated his talent and work, and wanted to buy another one. Rita kept telling me I didn't have to buy any, and I kept insisting I wanted to. Then I started wondering if my ability to convert Belgium francs into US dollars was a little shaky - did I just agree to pay $300 for a silk scarf? If so, I promised myself I would pay up with every indication of enthusiasm, but I was worried for awhile. Fortunately my first estimate was correct - $30, which was a great deal for these lovely scarves! 

They had a visitor that day who has been to the US (New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore), as well as Egypt and Russia, even though he cannot read or write. Ria's sister Inga and her son Yonny arrived, with a friend who was also named Rick. Chris's brother Aurece also stopped by; he likes to speak English to us and is careful not to lapse into Flemish. Then Margie and her boyfriend Peter came over and brought their dog. We all sat in the living room talking, while Chris kept offering us drinks and snacks. A little later we went out to see their new tool shed which is being built in their back yard (Rick, Ria, Chris, Peter, Margie and Rick).

Later I put on one of my new scarves and we went to a downtown market with Ria, where we happened to met up with Rick with his friends Martin and Katrin. It was very cool and windy as we walked around, so soon we went into a restaurant for waffles. Genuine Belgium waffles come with chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Now this is the way to eat waffles!

After the party broke up, Randy and I drove back to Merksplas.

Tuesday - Turnhout instead of Amsterdam

Tuesday: Jim let us have the car today so Randy drove Jim to work, then came back and picked me up. The first thing we did was drive back to Metallo to ask Jim for directions to Amsterdam. Then we headed out, stopping to use the gas card for the first time. Driving to Amsterdam, we passed a group of old Cadillacs on the road, which look enormous compared to European cars. In Amsterdam we stopped to ask directions and learned that it was "Queen's Day" and much too crowded to get into the city. So we drove back to Turnhout and got lost for awhile. Had lunch of fritters (always good in Belgium) and soda at a little roadside cafe while we figured out how to get back to Merksplas. Later we picked Jim up at Metallo, then picked up an Audi for him to drive so we could drive the other car. Drove to Antwerp and got stuck in another traffic jam next to the railroad. Walked around town, into a small mall, and outside Peter Paul Rubens' house. Went to a large supermarket in Wommelgem. Tried 2 restaurants in Turnhout but both were closed; then we went to Ke Klepel restaurant in Beerse. Randy order lasagna and Juniper beer, while I had the chicken and mushrooms. On the way home we stopped at a bread-vending machine, which works just like a soda machine - drop your coins in, push a button, and get your loaf of bread out of the vending tray. Then we went home for tea.

Monday in Brussels, Begluim

Monday: When we arrived in Brussels, Jim picked us up and drove us to the apartment in Merkplas. He had to go back to work, so during the day we walked around town, went to the Cash Plus market and bought some Nuetlla. When Jim got back we all drove to Antwerp and checked out the diamond shops and the beautiful train station. Then we went to dinner with Mike Kelly, Elsa and Debbie Jerome. Randy had soup and beef, while I ordered a Jamón appetizer and lasagna. I ordered the appetizer because I had Jamón Jabugo (pronounced "Hamon Habugu") in Spain and loved it; it is one of the best Iberian hams available. But this Jamón had a softer texture and seemed too raw for my taste. After dinner we went to the Pilgrim, a coffee house in an old cellar, for coffee.