Notting Hill and Harry

Thursday night we wandered down to the park  at the end of our block - called Parsons Green - and enjoyed the beautiful weather. I hear Thursday nights are the big party nights and every bar/pub was packed. People were out with their dogs and kids, and these four young boys were hanging out, looking for trouble with their matching jerseys.

We came home and watched the Netflix show on Britain and the Blitz. Seemed appropriate to view it here.

Yesterday morning we decided to spend time up in Notting Hill. The last time we were here we stayed in a gruesome flat there, but we loved the area. The row homes, the secret gardens, the small shop fronts. The big Portobello Market is on Saturday, and we didn't think that there would also be another market on Friday. But it was in full swing. Mostly vintage items but fun to look at it all.

We found some vintage linen we plan to use as a runner but mostly we just enjoyed the vibe in Notting Hill.

A quick lunch and we headed down to the theater district. We had some time to kill so we located the Seven Dials Market, an out of the way food market that was new to us but obviously not to the locals. It is an old converted warehouse with two levels of food stands. One unique vendor had a conveyer belt with small cheese samples in little domes that moved around a bar. You simply grab the one you want as it goes by. 

We peeked into Neal's Yard Courtyard which is just a tiny little area rimmed with shops, a bakery, a bar. There are several of these hidden gems around the city. You just have to know where to look or you'll walk right by them.

We had tickets for the afternoon and evening performances of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. This play is presented from 2:00-4:30. And then the final part goes from 7:00-9:30. It's a lot of time sitting inside on a beautiful day, but it was what we wanted to do. It was basically like binging a 4 episode series in one day. Greg is a huge HP fan. He's read all the books, seen all the movies multiple times, and has even listened to the audio books. I read the first book, thought it was incredibly creative, loved how it brought so many young people to reading, and that's about it. However, we both thoroughly enjoyed the play. The staging and the magic performed was like nothing I'd seen before. I admit that I didn't understand all the references to the characters and events that took place in the books, but I still loved it. Just seeing the Palace Theater was worth the price of admmission.

It's Saturday morning now and the planning committee is meeting again. Another picture perfect day here.

Hello Again London!

Yesterday we packed up in Ghent, said our goodbyes there, and trammed, trained, and tubed our way to our new digs in London.  We've rented a flat in Fulham which is in the western part of London. We're very close to the Parsons Green tube stop which means we jump onto the District Line and can go anywhere in the city. As soon as we arrived, we felt such a different vibe here than we did in Ghent. As much as we enjoyed our time in Belgium, we just love the feeling here in London, and it energized us both.

The area we are in has a nice sense of community with lots of specialty shops and restaurants. Also kids on scooters and bikes heading home from school in their adorable uniforms. We unpacked and headed out for the essentials - a few easy items for breakfast and a bottle of wine. We also found a great butcher shop, a bakery, and a fabulous gourmet grocery store that had anything we could want! We walked to a small Italian place for dinner called Nuovi Sapori. Great food and the staff was terrific. But so many places to try here that I doubt we'll go back.

This morning we had a brief meeting of the planning committee to determine some activities for the week ahead. Then we were out the door and off to the tube. The first place we went was Old Spitafields Market. (This is where we met up with KF and JF several years ago when we were all here at the same time!) It's a huge covered market that has everything from antiques to clothing to old records. And then there's the food. Every kind of ethnic food you can imagine plus bakeries and sandwiches, and the smells were amazing. Some of the food is sold in stalls or booths and some of it is sold in these adorable little food trucks. Here's a few of them:

Greg chose the porchetta sandwich (slow roasted pork belly, carmelized onions, cheese, and a bunch of sauces). Delicious.

And here's a dress I'll soon need to buy if I continue eating as we are. Wonder what style you'd call this? Looks like something from Les Mis?

We probably spent close to two hours wandering the market. And then we moved our wandering out to the streets. Everywhere we turned, there was something fun to see. Elephant sculptures (for you BB), a multi-media show similar to the immersive artist shows but this one was just available for people to walk in off the street, (giraffe for you, BT), and some fun shops to investigate. We did a little impulse shopping and I bought some highly inappropriate birthday cards for friends. Beware.

Several years ago, someone (maybe you, JK?) recommended that we go to William Curley Chocolates. Greg discovered Millionaire Bars, and he's been dreaming about them ever since. So we found their new location located in a small alleyway with cute little shops, and Greg bought a month's supply of the bars. They are a shortbread cookie, covered with caramel and then everything covered in chocolate. He's a happy guy.

Our last stop of the day was the National Gallery. See? We do things other than eat sometimes. We had thought about taking a tour there, but it seemed too crowded to really move with a group. So we walked around as long as our tired legs would allow and then we tubed home. We did want to take a photo of this famous painting for FW.

The artwork in the Gallery is so impressive, and it's wonderful that it's free for anyone to see. I think if I lived here, I'd just try to stop by periodically and view a few rooms at a time. It's overwhelming to try to see them all.

Staying home tonight to try to figure out the washer/dryer combo (really, it's supposed to wash them and then dry them by just starting it up once. I'm skeptical.) 

Wrapping Things up in Ghent

We decided to spend our last few days here in Ghent rather than take another day trip to a different city. We spent our time wandering some of the back streets, having a last waffle, visiting a small museum, enjoying another hot chocolate, and taking a boat ride on the river running through the city. 

We also had one more thing we had to check off our list of "things we must try while in Belgium". We'd loved the chocolate, the Belgian pastries/cookies, the Flemish Stew, the waffles, the wonderful frites, and a variety of local dishes. But what about that Belgian beer? I'm not a beer lover at all, so I consulted with my personal beer advisor before the trip (NW), and he recommended I ask for something light and local. So we found a small bar with a friendly guy behing the counter who presented me with a book full of beer options. I chose one with a lower alcohol level and it said "cherry" next to the name. Greg said it was hardly a beer at all because it tasted more like cherry juice. Could have been made in Door County. But it was local and light so I can now check that off my list. What's really cool here is that every beer has it's own specific glass. They don't just serve it in any old glass. They all have different shapes and sizes with the brand names on each glass. 

The most popular museum in Ghent is the Design Museum, but unfortunately it is currently closed for renovation. So we went to the Museum of Industry instead. During the middle ages, Ghent was the second largest city in Europe (Paris was the largest). It was known for it's textiles, and the museum today had a lot of information about the factories used in the 1600-1800's and the working environment. Many of the workers were young children, and none of the employees were paid well for the long hours they worked. The museum is housed in an old factory and it includes a lot of the old equipment that was used. Of course, all of the factories closed down in the early to mid 1900's when cheaper items could be produced elsewhere.

The boat ride is something most people enjoy on their first day in the city. But it was also a nice finale. Can you tell which one of us was not that excited about this tour?

I mentioned before how everyone here rides bikes through the city center. In the morning, people commute to work and take their kids to school. There are all kinds of carriers for kids, deliveries, shopping, etc. And they are totally fearless riding on the roads around all the pedestrians and early morning delivery trucks. They also have to be cautious about the tracks on the road for the trams. Their wheels can get caught in them easily and we saw this happen last week. 

Here's the Ghent version of the mini-van. This is a fancier one than most I've seen. It can hold several little kids.

And a delivery bike...

Tonight we'll go back to the same restaurant where we had our first dinner here, Bonavia. It was good enough to return. Tomorrow we pack up and move to London. Anxious to get there!

The Cathedral and some Chocolate

Today was our day to go to St. Bravo's Cathedral to see the Lamb of God, also known as the Ghent Alterpiece. It's a well known, large piece (18 panels) that has a fascinating history. It was painted back in the 1400's, and has survived being stolen several times, divided up, and then reunited back in Ghent. In order to view it, we needed to make reservations days in advance. 

The Cathedral itself is magnificent, and the tour starts in the crypt which is part of the original church structure dating back to the 1200's. People are admitted a few at a time because you are fitted with headsets.

The story of the Alterpiece is told with what they called "Augmented Reality". You see holograms as you are guided around the crypt. I was enthralled with the technology of it all and the way that the story was presented. In addition to the history of the work, we were also given details about each panel and what the artist included and why. We opted for the one hour tour which included the past 100 years or so in the life of the piece. This part contained the information about the Nazi's taking the work, and how the American Monument Men found it hidden in a cave. It also included the story about how one panel was stolen and has never been found. After going through the history of the Alterpiece in the Crypt, we then walked up the stairs into the church and saw the real thing. I knew I couldn't take a photo of it that would do it justice so I'll just put one here from online.

The four panels on each end fold onto the center and there are other panels on the outside of the work. The colors in the Alterpiece seemed much more vivid in person. It really is beautiful and this tour was a highlight for us.

Greg was happy to see that the hot chocolate was back in his favorite chocolate shop. The weather has gone from 80 degrees to highs in the 50-60's. The rest of the day was spent here in Ghent doing to shopping and also planning the next phase of our trip in London. We head there in two days.

Mechelen and More Food

Yesterday we took a local train (lots of stops) to a town east of Ghent called Mechelen. I'd read it was a good destination for a day trip, and it was perfect. We were able to walk to the center of town where they have a beautiful square with interesting architecture.  It was their market day so the place was busy but it was all locals. There were no signs of tourists anywhere - no tours, no school trips - just the people of the town doing their weekly shopping. We had plans for lunch but the seafood stand called to us to try their calamari. Not a great decision since our stomachs have been weird ever since. Maybe we should have gone for the roast chicken instead.

A few blocks away was De Vleeshalle, a unique food hall made from an old meat market. Beautiful inside with lots of lunch options. We ended up sharing a small chicken mushroom pie and some gelato.

One of the reasons I wanted to visit Mechelen was to visit a museum called Kazerne Dossin. During WW2, this location served as a transit camp. The Nazis moved the Jews from Belgium and northern France to the barracks there until they could move them to the main camps like Auschwitz. The museum is very well done with photos and videos that were difficult to watch but that really told stories about the people who were there. It was emotional for both of us. Obviously, it was not a place where I felt like taking photos but those images will remain in my mind.

A bus and a train ride and we were back in Ghent. On the way to dinner, we ran into a lively group... I think a bachelorette party? I was trying to discreetly take their photo but they insisted I take a group one instead. I'm not sure about the horns on the ladies meant or why the bride was dragging around a suitcase, but they were definitely having a good time.

Dinner was at t'klokhuys (I think it means clock house which seems appropriate for us). It's a super old building and very cozy inside. It was the kind of place where you're almost forced to chat with the people around you because they are so close. I had a local dish called waterzooi which is basically chicken soup. It was served in a tureen and contained enough soup for a family of four. The chicken and veggies were good but it was the broth that knocked me out. I have no idea how they made it but it was not your usual chicken soup.

Virtually everyone here speaks and understands English. But I love trying to decipher Dutch and figure out some of the words. It almost seems as if our words are the same as theirs but the Dutch folks just add a few extra letters in there to make the word longer just for fun. For example, here's a book on wine. What's with the J?

And the dessert menu from last night...

And one final photo from yesterday. This little girl was so bored at the market yesterday while her parents were eating oysters and drinking champagne. She was squirming and whining but looked so adorable. Love that dress! I'm really missing our grandkids, can you tell?