Brussels for a change!

We finally had a (short lived, as it turned out) bit of warm weather at the weekend, so V and I decided to head to the big smoke of Brussels for a day out.  I had not been in Brussels for years and a quick poll of colleagues in the office revealed that they had not either....with hindsight, that may have been a sign!  Oh well - we had to go first class on the train and although it was supposed to be an inter-city express train, shortly after leaving Antwerp it turned into a local "stroptrein", so we also got to see all the places in Belgium that you have never heard of or wanted to visit!

Pictures from the day are here on Flickr.....enjoy!

Barcelona for a bit

Was in Barcelona the other week on business, but I did manage to take some time off afterwards to wander around the city and meet up with a friend.  Of course I went to all the usual places....La Pedrera, Sagrada Familia and down by the old town and the port.  Not enough time to really  appreciate the city but it was a great experience.  

See the full set here on Flickr

Myanmar at the moment

Currently taking a break from the cold, European winter in Southeast Asia.  What better place to visit than Myanmar?  Governmental considerations aside, this has got to be Asia at its purest.  It is like stepping back 10-15 years....mobile phones are still a rarety and internet is hard to find. Despite all the hardship, the people are as friendly as you could imagine!  Will be posting more pics and anecdotes from the trip - keep watching here or here on Darckr  or Flickr ...whichever you prefer!

Laundry Day - Nieuw Zuid, 5 Sep 2009

Laundry Day was 2009 GREAT.   I was, and am still, a bit sceptical about the new location; I much prefer the old location at the other end of the Kaaien.   There is also the element of hyperinflation that they need to deal with.  At EUR 20 it was twice the price of last year which was twice the price of the year before…and the year before that (if my memory serves me right) was free!   Previous washes here.

That, said, the ambiance was great and the weather was about perfect....the last rain fell 6 minutes before it started and the whole afternoon was mostly sunny and even pleasantly warm (certainly not hot)....cooled off in the evening but it was only around 21:30 that I had to put on my fleece jacket!  Tiesto was OK...I think I am getting too old for this stuff..and if I understand correctly, he is the reason it was so expensive this year.  Still, it was the first year that I have stayed till midnight...and have pictures to prove it.

Next wash, same place 4 Sep 2010.   The first cut pictures from 2009 are here.

Antwerp by bike - recommended!

 

Found this one by accident via Flickr (and then went along to try it out), and it is great way to spend a weekend summer afternoon.   Antwerp by Bike is an enthusiastic of city-guides-in-the-making.  They are all students who are also studying to be city guides.  They are so enthusisatic about our great city that they are offering their weekend afternoons over the summer to introduce you to the place by bike. 

Interesting route and explanation stops at 't Steen, Schelde, 't Eilandtje, Park Spoor Noord (my favourite), Rivierenhof, Cogels Osylei, Centraalstation and Conscienceplein...among others!

See the pics from the afternoon here.