Queen's Day and Bruges

 

It's been an interesting week to say the least. On April 28th a heinous attack on tourists and locals in the very popular and historic Djemma el-Fna Square occured.  The explosion ripped through the Argana Cafe, known for it's beautiful terrace/patio overlooking the square. This attack is considered Morocco's deadliest in 8 years, injuring 2 dozen people and killing 16. Kirk and I never stepped foot in the cafe, but we did walk by this particular spot a few times a day since the Riad we stayed in was down the path from there. It is eerie to think that we were there a month ago and saddened to know that this will most likely prevent people from wanting to tour in Marrakech. We feel terrible for the families and friends involved in this tragedy.

On a lighter note, the next day, the Royal Wedding took place in London for Kate Middleton and Prince William. It was wonderful being able to watch the wedding at a decent hour, versus friends getting up at 4 am to watch in the states!  It was beautiful!

That evening we met up with some friends to celebrate Queen's Eve! This is our 2nd Queen's Day celebration and we had some amazing folks to share it with this year!

We started the day bright and early walking with the Kirk's to the Bowman's apartment. Kelly and Keith Kirk are our new neighbors upstairs, both from California! Glad they were able to join us for the festivities!  Jo and Scott put a nice spread together offering bagels, strawberries, mimosas and some early beers! We enjoyed their new apartment view and gathered the whole gang (20 of us) before heading off to the next stop.

The next stop was at Ruth and Brent's lovely home. Before getting there we were able to do some shopping, people watching and snacking. Queen's Day gives everyone an opportunity to sell their goods (food, alcohol, junk, etc) tax free. Queen's Day is the birthday of Queen Beatrix and it also represents the day of "togetherness." Ruth and Brent were kind enough to host us at their home even with Ruth being pregnant and due in 4 days. Lucky for her the group left after eating some yummy nachos, cupcakes and Jon's signature punch, before she kicked into full blown labor and gave birth in her home. It was impossible to get to the birthing center since the streets were so packed with people. Her baby boy is happy, healthy and mom and dad are doing great!

Next stop - our place! We put together a variety of dips and had VIP seats to a dj set right outside our place on scaffolding. The tunes were great and everyone seemed to find a good spot at a window and admired all the crazy people celebrating! Another great spot to see the canal, all the boats, the massive amounts of orange and eccletic people!

I love this picture since it really gives you an idea of the massive amounts of locals and tourists covering each inch of the city. This picture shows you the Leidsestraat which is right on the corner from our place.  Madness!

Our last spot was Jeff and Nidia's beautiful home near the Red Light. Jeff and Nidia whipped up some amazing eats, Portuguese sausages, chicken wings and cheese with spicy mustard! Yummy!!! We ended the night with some much needed dancing (disco ball included) before hopping in their boat and being dropped right off at our apartment! What an amazing night and such a fantastic crew to spend it with!!!

The next day, May 1st, Kirk and I stayed in most of the day trying to recover from the long and fun weekend. On this very day it was announced that Osama Bin Laden was killed.  Another point in our lives where we will always remember where we were and what we were doing when we heard this news.

More To Adore In Amsterdam:
Funny thought and something that is rare, we have a toilet in our bathroom.  You would think this is normal, but not in Amsterdam.  Toilets are usually in the WC - Water Closet - which we do have, but we also have one in our large bathroom (with shower/bath).  I just think it's funny that this is something you notice when going to friends houses -"you have a toilet in your bathroom, wow, that's nice!"

My mom and her dear friend Diane Erlenmeyer are here visiting for the next 3 weeks.  Diane's daughter is currently living with her husband in Italy (outside Venice) so she decided to join my mom and turn this in to a wonderful Mother-Daughter trip!

We couldn't ask for better weather! Such an easy and wonderful way to show the city we adore!  We started our first night with some much needed bites and drinks at the Molenpad - right on the canal!

The next day consisted of a long walk around Vondel Park, museums visits (Anne Frank, Rijks and Van Gogh Museum) and finally a boat ride around the canals, Amstel and the Ij.   That evening we walked over to the Albert Cuyp and devoured a Turkish feast at Bazaar!

On Saturday we rented a car and made our way to Bruges, Belgium (3 hour drive from Amsterdam).  A first for us and the Diane's. We really didn't know what to expect of this beautiful city. Bruges is the capital city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish region of Belgium.  The locals speak Flemish, French or English - and in most cases they speak each fluently.  The cities population is roughly 120,000 in which around 20,000 actually live in the historic city center.

Like Amsterdam, Bruges is covered in canals, bridges, huge squares, tiny mom and pop shops, a ton of character, great food and lots of bars!  We really enjoyed a wonderful lunch outside, sipping on Brugse Zot and each had our own pot of mussels!!! 

We made our way into the Church of Our Lady. The Church contains Michelangelo's statue of Madonna and Child which is said to be his only sculpture to have left Italy within his lifetime. Unfortunately due to our schedule, we could not make it in to the Basilica of the Holy Blood - which is the relic of the Holy Blood, brought to the city after the Second Crusade.

We really enjoyed walking around and looking at all of the midieval architecture.  Most buildings had high spires, unique brick designs, and charm that tickles your soul!

Also like Amsterdam, locals would bike around the quiet city. 

After strolling around the Burg Square with the City Hall we made our way to Markt Square and climbed up the 366 steep and narrow stairs of the Bell Tower (Belfry of Bruges).  The belfry was added to the main Markt Square in 1240.  We were lucky enough to go up in the tower when the bells rang thru the whole city! The view was spectacular!

Next stop, De Halve Maan Brewery tour!  Here we enjoyed a 45 minute tour of the brewery, learning all about Bruges signature beers, their old traditional brewing methods and finally receiving a big glass of Brugse Zot!  

If you ever watch the movie In Bruges you will catch a glimpse of a dog sitting in a window off the canal.  This was not staged, in fact, this dog exists and this is his home.  We saw him a few times hanging out his favorite window while his master sat in the back reading the newspaper!  So precious!

For dinner we ended up right off the main square with a front seat view of the Bell Tower.  Afterwards Kirk and myself stopped by for a beer at Bierbrasserie Cambrinus where they have over 400 beers to choose from!

For Sunday morning, we were lucky enough to share Mother's Day with my mom!  We took a nice canal boat around around the town - the sun was out, the temperature was perfect, what more could you ask for!? I know, Chocolate!  We purchased dark and milk belgian chocolates from an adorable shop called Dumon!

We took a long walk around the outskirts of the city - I would have to say walking around this area was a major highlight. The grounds were so green and plush, and it was so peaceful and romantic. Bruges is a lovely city, a place you should share with someone special - I am glad I did!

Kirk and I took a stroll through the Beguinage. The Beguinage means vineyard - it is extremely peaceful and quiet and surrounded by little homes.  In 1937 the Beguinage became a monestary for the Benedictine sisters who still live there now. 

                                      

We are so happy to have shared this spectacular city with two lovely ladies!  Happy Mother's Day to the Diane's!!!  The next day, we headed to Pancake! for some much needed dutch pancakes, took a walk thru the Wester Market and saw the Rembrandt Huis Museum. Our final night was shared outside on the terrace at De Itilian - again perfect weather, perfect meal and a perfect night together!  Off to Switzerland and Italy the next day!