Most of the Christmas decorations were centered around the Grand Place, with a Ferris wheel and a tree (with most of the lights working) as the central draw. As you moved further from the center, other stores had some of their own lights and decorations. The Bruges market was mostly food and drink, so we were pleasantly surprised with the options that Lille provided. On both visits there was a wood smoke scent in air and general joviality. Several stalls were selling food including ... continue reading...
Euro Christmas Markets 2022: Lille food & drink
Sunday After dropping our bags off at the apartment, our first destination was the Marché de Wazemmes which closes at 3p on Sundays, and wouldn't be open on Monday. It took about a 15 min walk from the city center, and there were lots of clothing, flower and kitchenware vendors outside the market shouting for your attention. Inside (where it was not much warmer) there were lots of food options. After walking through the aisles once we decided to have lunch here and bought some ... continue reading...
Euro Christmas Markets 2022: Bruges sights
It was quite chilly while we were in Bruges, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the canals, street art, and seasonal Christmas decorations around town. We started our first night walking north through the old town, where we were treated to a wonderful sunset. From there we continued north in search of a Roa mural. The next morning we walked along the main canal toward several street murals toward the east. The Christmas market was fairly small, ... continue reading...
Euro Christmas Markets 2022: Bruges food & drink
Friday Our favorite pub in Bruges, De Garre, was absolutely packed so we decided to try another fave, t'Poatersgat, instead. We had about 30 minutes before it opened so we killed some time looking for two murals I had marked on our map on the north side of town. We returned at 5:20pm to a still closed bar with no signage explaining why. Frustrated, Eric suggested nearby Cafe Rose Red and we luckily got a table where we could hang out until we had to vacate our spot at 7pm for a reservation. ... continue reading...
Euro Christmas Markets 2022: a night in Ghent
Our first two trips to Ghent had been day trips from Brussels in 2012 and 2014, and each time we really liked the city. For this visit we originally considered a day trip from Bruges, then decided we needed at least one night in Ghent, so we made it our first stop. After checking-in we headed out to Waterhuis aan de Bierkant, a beer bar that we had visited on each of our previous trips. I started with the house beer, then a Bush Noel, and Leandra choose the St. Bernadus Christmas ale. After ... continue reading...
Euro Christmas Markets 2022: introduction
In 2020 we had planned on a Thanksgiving trip centered on European Christmas markets, as it had been 6 years since we were last in Europe late in the year. Of course, all of our 2020 plans were wiped out, so we made an extra effort to get in a pre-Christmas trip this year. After finding a good deal on the direct flight to London, we crafted a trip that had us on our first Eurostar train to Belgium, with stops in Ghent (1 night), then Bruges (2 nights), followed by Lille, France (2 nights in a ... continue reading...
Shelton Vineyards
Our drive back from the mountains took us near the North Carolina Yadkin Valley AVA, so we figured it would be a good opportunity to try out a winery. Shelton Vineyards had both red and white wine, plus a restaurant that was open for lunch, so it made for a nice stopping point. We each ordered a 5 taster 'tree' - Eric went for whites, and Leandra choose reds. Seating inside the tasting area was surprisingly limited, and given the recent rains much of the seating on the large patio ... continue reading...
NC Mountains, November 2022
I was feeling a bit stir crazy in mid-October, so I suggested we head to the mountains for a weekend in early November. Unfortunately it rained for a majority of the trip and our room was small, but we made it work. Where we stayed I found a good deal on a room in Blowing Rock that was available at the last minute. It was small but comfortable and had everything we needed for a weekend trip. Well, except a TV to watch the Georgia v Tennessee game when our hike(s) got rained out - but the ... continue reading...
Poland 2022: Krakow food & drink
We tried quite a few different places in Krakow, including cafes, restaurants, bars, bakeries, and street vendors. Our only regret is that we couldn't try even more spots! Thursday Koliba Góralskie Przysmaki was our very first stop in the city as we had to try their grilled and smoked Oscypek cheese. Much like cheese curds, the cheese squeaks as you chew. The smoke is fairly intense, and I got mine with cranberry which balanced out the saltiness of the cheese. Delicious, and not the only time ... continue reading...
Poland 2022: Wieliczka Salt Mine
The bus to the Salt Mine looked a bit complicated so we opted for the train. Got up early and grabbed a coffee in the train station, then waited for the on-time and completely uncrowded train. It took about 25 minutes and we saw a lot of construction for new rail lines along the way. The train only runs once an hour so we had some time to walk around town before our 10am entrance for the English Tour. I stood in line and watched as more and more people joined the queue for the ... continue reading...
Poland 2022: Auschwitz & Birkenau
A week before our trip we booked transport through Prime Tours Krakow to drive us to/from Auschwitz - Birkenau. Rafal picked us up on time, showed us a (very) sobering documentary on the hour-long ride, and walked us through the security line. Entry tickets are free but you have to pre-book your time slot and show ID after passing through a security checkpoint. Our arrival around 3:45pm meant we were not required to do a guided tour, so that left us about 90 minutes to see as much as we could ... continue reading...
Poland 2022: Krakow sights
Rynek Główny The main square of Old Town Krakow is split into two sections, separated by the Cloth Hall - now an covered market for tourist items. There were daily protests in support for the Ukraine and approximately a thousand pigeons. It was also a two minute walk from our apartment, so we had many opportunities to photograph this area at different times of day (and weather). pigeons keeping warm by the vents! Including from above when we climbed to the top of St. Mary's ... continue reading...