Bish Encounters: 2013

There's nothing quite like catching a train under the sea (aka the English Channel) and through three countries for a weekend away. Thanks Eurostar! It's also 10 times easier leaving from central London than having to mission it out to one of the many London airports (most of which aren't in London). Plus I got a little train stamp in my passport too! Win!

So the Train to Brussels took just over two hours from London and when we arrived we jumped in a cab straight to our hotel. We stayed at Hotel Le Plaza which was amazing.

The staff were all super friendly and asked what we wanted to see and do. We didn't really have too much of an idea so the guy just pointed us in the direction of Delirium, well known for it's list of many, many beers.

We didn't go out that night (mainly because I was stuffed from working all day) but we did have fun watching the nightlife out the window. I'm not sure what the occasion was, but there was a parade of all sorts of people on wheels. There were bikes, roller skates, skateboards and probably a few others I missed too.

The next morning we woke up and headed down to reception because I'd cleverly forgotten to pack a travel adapter. We asked the lady at reception where we should go for waffles and she pointed us to some super touristy place in the middle of town. The waffles were delicious, but somewhat created for the tourist palate I think.

Wandering around town after breakfast was mind-blowing. There is an area called the Grand Place. It's a square in the middle of town surrounded by amazingly intricate guildhalls and the town hall.

We also visited some chocolate shops. *Drool*

Then we got started on the beer. We headed to Delirium, with 2000 beers on the menu! It's actually split in to a number of different bars, each serving (mostly) different beers.

I didn't drink that much because I'm not really a beer drinker at all. Over the course of the weekend I did try an apple beer, a raspberry beer and a mango beer. Mango was my favourite.

Having had not that much food, but a number of beers, Sam was feeling quite light-headed when we continued wandering the town. He was enthusiastically chatting about Trappist Beer (brewed by Monks in a monastery) when we came across a shop in town. Thinking is was a trappist beer shop, he excitedly posed for a photo in front of it, before realising it was a tapestry shop... apparently Belgium is big on tapestry.

That night we went to dinner at a place called Nuetnigenough on a recommendation from the bartender at Delirium. He said 'I'll give you the best piece of advice you'll get all day... if you want good food, don't eat anywhere on this street' - it was full of touristy restaurants with their menus in four different languages. The restaurant was delicious. Traditional Belgium food, with frites and homemade mayonnaise on the side. We knew it would be good when we had to que for a table outside.

The next day we ate more waffles. Drank more beer. And spotted some more Tin Tin.

One of the 'big' attractions in Brussels is Mannekin Pis. Which is a statue of a little boy taking a piss. I'm not sure what the significance is, but it's pretty popular with the tourists! I even found a female version in the alleyway by Delirium.

There are lots of things sponsored by Coca-Cola (it's almost like they feel threatened by the large consumption of beer) and some cool street art.

On a side note - for anyone heading to Brussels, I highly recommend it buuut there is a strange lack of ATM's in the touristy parts of town. We walked for about an hour looking for one! So come prepared with Euros!

Cam-bridge. The river Cam. Bridge over the River Cam = Cambridge. That’s one way to name a city.

And what a beautiful city it is.

Sam & I headed to Cambridge for a weekend staying with Sue & Phil, who are relatives of mine (so distant, I didn’t actually realise we were related). Where we stayed was a place called Rectory Cottage in Great Chishill, just outside of Cambridge. The house is an amazing 16^th century thatched roof cottage.

We were only there for two days and on the first day we went for a walk around Great Chishill and the neighbouring towns. There were many wheat fields everywhere and I had fun playing in them.

I also got stung by a nettle for the first time. It wasn’t fun.

After that we headed to Saffron Walden, a little market town and wandered round the town. It’s crazy seeing all these old medieval buildings and realising how young New Zealand really is!

It was raining so Phil got his poncho on.

Heading back to Great Chishill, we made our way to the local pub, The Pheasant, which is approximately 30 metres down the road from the house.

The next morning we headed to Cambridge for some touristy fun times. We parked the car and walked through a park and in to town. Cue old buildings and tour groups galore.

I particularly enjoyed this tour group who had matching outfits.

I tried to take a photo of this guy doing an impressive lunge while taking a photo but alas, I was too slow and only caught the end of it.

We explored the streets for a bit, wandering around all the colleges – Queens, King, St Catharine, Trinity… there are 31 in Cambridge! And of course the illustrious Cambridge University, where your exam results are posted (with your name) in the middle of a courtyard for the whole world to see!

The students even played a prank on King Henry VIII and replaced his sceptre with a chair leg!

We hired a punt and went for a leisurely trip down the River Cam. The best part was watching other tourists who’d not bothered to go on a chauffeured punt (Phil was an expert punter) and instead were trying to manouver their own.