HAPPY EASTER!

Today we woke up at 4am. Ah the joys of this jetlag. So hard to describe yet such a real thing.

We left Paris at 7:30am, punched in the coordinates for Belgium and off we went.  BTW... here is a pic of me in the car. I look like an amazon in a tiny town car.

When we flew into Paris we saw all kinds of crops laid out. 

 One was bright yellow. I have no idea what it is that is growing but it was beautiful from the air and even more beautiful driving along.

At one point, I pulled off on exit looking for a gas station. As we went around the round-a-about, Tim exclaimed, "Oh my gosh! Look at all the bunnies!" Of course, we HAD to pull over! We see deer in Utah occassionally but never a field FULL of bunnies...and on EASTER SUNDAY! I know there are only a couple of bunnies in the pics but that is because we got out of the car and started walking towards them. They ran off into the bushes but there were probably 30 or so out there at first. Who gets to chase bunnies on Easter Sunday? I thought about the kids. I bet they had a fabulous easter egg hunt today with grandma and papaw...but we chased the easter bunny! LOL

We arrive in Belgium...We arrived at our hotel at about 10:30am and of course our room wasn't ready that early. So the kind front desk guy and probably the owner of the hotel, gave us a map and sent us away to walk the streets of Brugges.

A pic of our hotel. Do you think that building next to it is where the witch ate the kids?

How to describe Brugges...It's like Hansel and Gretel meets Disneyland and the world of Harry Potter with a little bit of Venice canals thrown in for good measure. The streets are all cobblestone. Everyone rides bikes or walks. In fact we saw a couple of teenagers riding their bikes, listening to their Ipods AND texting while driving their bikes down the roads full of people, bikers and cars. Is that legal?

A Cholcolate Store

There was only one thing in Brugges Tim had on his list of "must see." The Madonna and child by Michaelangelo.  So off we went to see the sites and find the church with the statue in it.  

One of the first things we did along our walk was find a really old looking church. We went in, knowing that THIS church was not one to go in and take pictures in.  As we walked in, there was a service happening.  It was so beautiful and solemn. Huge arches and stained glass windows and beautiful woodwork.  My first official Catholic church service in a real Catholic church. I couldn't understand a dang thing. I think it was German or Flemish or maybe Dutch. Doesn't mater. It wasn't English and we didn't stay for very long. We kept walking. 

Today I went to church. Seems fittting as it is Easter Sunday.

Next we found the main square first.

 I was overwhelmed. So much to see and takes pics of yet knowing full well that the pics would never do what I was seeing justice.  A huge clock tower, churchy looking buildings and restaurants. Remember Beauty and the Beast? When Bella is walking in the main plaza, singing and dancing as people sold their wares? There were places where you could go on a carraige ride, rent a segway, a bike or go for a ride in the boats on the canals.  (NOT a gondola boat but a motorized boat.) We chose to walk.

There was a street with store after store of chocolate. Has anyone ever heard of Belgium chocolate?

Around 11:30am we decided it was lunch time and found a little place to eat. Tomato soup and Lamb stew. It actually was called something else with a big long name but it boiled down to Lamb Stew. It wasn't to bad, but we were both quickly hitting a wall.

Tim at lunch

Kym at lunch

 LUNCH

Time to find the statue. We went to where we thought it was but the church was closed for renovations. You would have thought I took a child's favorite toy away from him. He looked so sad and I was really bummed for him.  We sat down for a few minutes to regroup and looked aour map.  Ah, but wait! We were at the wrong church! We went off again in search of the correct church and found it.  THIS church I got to take pictures in! :)

 The Church of Our Lady

There was one of these in the first church we went to and I really wanted to take a picture of it but not during an actual service. Look at the beautiful woodwork. Absolutely ornate.

It is so easy to see why people can find God in churches like this. They are amazingly beautiful and even I was filled with a sense of awe. I don't know if it is "God" I feel or just the sense of amazement that people actually spent so mch time planning and building something so amazing. All churches should be like those.

The Madonna and her Child. She is the one in the middle behind bullet proof glass. This is the only statue Michealangelo did to leave Italy during his lifetime.  It was stolen by the Germans at the end of the WWII and recovered later. At which time it was placed behind glass to protect it.

 A close up

And alas, the blessed statue of Madonna and child. Something about Michaelangelo's work is truly amazing. It is indescribable.

Now that we had seen the Madonna, it was time to head back to the hotel. The wall comes fast and hard. Our room was ready. It cracks me up the terminolgy that is used in other countries. Lift for elevator. "Go get money out of the wall," for ATM machine.

Here is a pic of the "Lift" or elevator to our room.

Our room has one key, like a deadbolt key. The same key is for the front of the hotel AND to turn on the electricity in our room. No shit. You have to inert and turn the key in the wall for the lights to work. 

After we passed out again for about 2 1/2 hours, we awoke still feeling like crap but needing food again and knowing we have to get up so we can sleep later tonight. I DO NOT remember feeling like this the last time we came to Europe.  While I laid next to Tim, he got out his IPAD with "Trip advisor" and started looking up places to eat. We are both normally the kind of people who like to at least TRY the food in differnt places.  These are the kind of menus we have to choose from: Stewed eel, pureed celery (yes Tim was begging me to go to THAT restaurant), Asperagus- Brugges style, rabbit and it is always done up in some ind of sauce. Incredibly gross. It's like they take all the grossest foods in the world and figured out how to cook them or prepare them in "special sauces" to make them even grosser. Mission accomplished. EWWW.

A restaurant here in Brugges. It looked really cute and inviting. Thank goodness they post the menus out in front of the restaurant.

The menu of the cute and inviting restaurant. What the hell? Wait, next pic is of English menu

Ostrich Fillet? Stewed Eel? Are you freaking kidding me?

Off we went in search of PIZZA! At least we know what that is, what it looks like and what it is supposed to taste like!

 Kym waiting for PIZZA!

Tim waiting for pizza

Not only did we find a yummy pizza place with a really friendly waiter (The people in France are known for their rudeness and they have totally lived up to their reputation), we also found chocolate row! The street of chocolate. You can't go to Belgium and not buy chocolate!

 YUMMY!!!

 Those are swans! They make them out of chocloate and then let people buy them to EAT!!! I am pretty sure I couldn't do it. Make the chocloate swans OR eat them!

 MMMM...Which chocolate to choose from! OMG CHOCOHOLIC HEAVEN!!!

Back in our room now, trying to get the pics uploaded, the blog written and the email checked up  on before we fall asleep. To late for Tim. Looks like he hit his wall headfirst.

Here is one final pic before I sign off. This is Tim's "safe word." Tomorrow we head to AMsterdam and Club Vondersex! LMAO. If you don't know what I am talking about, I would suggest watching Euro Trip.

If he writes it on his hand would he still be able to SAY it?

AMSTERDAM tomorrow! The city of sex and sin...and hash brownies!

My wall has arrived. Goodnight!