Day Trip to Bruges

Rather than sit at home all day, Jan and I decided to take a day trip to Bruges.

Bruges (Dutch: Brugge) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country.

The historic city centre is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO. It is egg-shaped and about 430 hectares in size. The area of the whole city amounts to more than 13,840 hectares, including 193.7 hectares off the coast, at Zeebrugge ("Seabruges" in literal translation). The city's total population is 117,073 (1 January 2008), of which around 20,000 live in the historic centre. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 616 km² and has a total of 255,844 inhabitants as of 1 January 2008.

Along with a few other canal-based northern cities, it is sometimes referred to as "The Venice of the North".

Bruges has a significant economic importance thanks to its port, and is also home to the College of Europe.

More Information

La Cure Gourmande

As with the previous slide shows: if you'd like to see a particular picture in series, just click on it. Enjoy!

A Quick Jaunt to Amsterdam and Anne Frank Museum

Today was a rather quick, and fun, adventure to Amsterdam with some of the kids from Antwerp British School. Two of the teachers were taking the kids to see the Anne Frank House, and asked me to go along.

There aren't very many pictures here, as the trip was only about 3 hours long. I did manage to see some cool stuff, and have a nice double whopper with cheese at Burger King. So enjoy the photos. I've tried to caption them as much as possible. To see the picture, click on it, and you'll be taken to a larger image. Enjoy, and please leave comments.

Anne Frank Museum

Antwerp British School Ski Trip to Italy

For the past week, Jan when on a ski trip with some of the kids from his school. Along with fellow teachers they travelled to Bormio, Italy for what appears to have been a wonderful ski trip. We hope you enjoy the pictures. (Click on the photo to see a larger version).

Fresh From Italy

Here's some wonderful parmesan straight from Italy. Mmmm, good!

From Random shots

I don't understand why this house is €245k.

The snow is starting to really accumulate. Reminds me of home.

Kasteel Boekenberg

The castle was built for Maria Theresia Cornelia Kneiff, in 1752, and was designed by architect Jan Pieter Van Baurscheit. The castle and park have an interesting history. Willem Smets bought the manor in 1798 and build a tower . After many different owners it became, after being purchased by the municipality, a home for sick children. Later, in 1925, poor families are housed. Less then two years later, it was transformed into a hotel and restaurant for the rich. The park was opened to public in 1928. After a sale in 1955, to the Commission of Public Allowance, the castle was used as a rest home. Sold again in 1974, it has been reclassified and is now a home for young people.

The park has finally succumbed to the icy hand of Winter

Attacker kills 3 at Belgian nursery

(Francois Lenoir/Reuters)

A man placing flowers at the entrance of a nursery in which the knife attack occurred in Dendermonde on Friday.

By Stephen Castle
International Herald Tribune

DENDERMONDE, Belgium: An attacker with a knife brought horror to this quiet Belgian town on Friday, killing two children under the age of three and one of their caregivers after tricking his way into a day-care center - then escaping on a bicycle.

In a frenzied attack for which a motive has yet to be established, the man, aged from 20 to 25 and wearing a bullet-proof vest, stabbed his victims after telling staff at the day-care center that he had a question for them, said Paul Putteman, chief of police in the village of Dendermonde.

Belgium has been traumatized by several high-profile child abductions and murders over the last 15 years, but the attack on the day-care center in the Sint-Gilles area has left the city in shock.

One of those who arrived shortly after the assailant fled described a scene of carnage.

"It was a catastrophe. People were screaming and crying, there was blood everywhere, babies were crying" said Theo Janssens, a social worker who was one the scene within five minutes. "People had children in their arms, they were bleeding. One of the children was already dead, another was in a bad situation," Janssens said. "And there was an adult - I think immediately dead."...(Click for remainder).

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UPDATE
No answers from accused assailant in Belgium

(Yves Herman/Reuters)

People crying during a march to pay tribute to the victims of a knife attack in a creche in Dendermonde on Sunday.

By Stephen Castle
International Herald Tribune

BRUSSELS: Two days after the stabbing deaths of a 9-month-old girl, a 6-month-old boy and a 54-year-old child care worker, the 20-year-old man charged with the crimes was refusing Sunday to explain the frenzied attack on a day care center that has traumatized this town and shocked the nation.

But here in Belgium, the news media have dubbed the assailant the "Joker killer." Newspaper and television reports have said that the unemployed man under arrest was inspired by the character of the "Joker" in the most recent Batman movie and that he was planning to attack at least one more nursery.

The authorities have identified the accused man only as Kim D., though the media here have named him. The police said he had remained uncommunicative through at least four hours of interrogation.

His thin, pale face - framed by long, black hair - stares out from a variety of Web sites, in some cases juxtaposed with images of the Joker character portrayed by Heath Ledger in the Batman movie released last year.

In the small town of Dendermonde, north of Brussels, about 6,000 people attended a march and vigil Sunday for the victims....(Click for remainder).

USS Wisconsin...Nothing to do With Belgium

As I'm sure you'll be able to see, this post has absolutely nothing to do with our adventures in Europe. Rather, this has to do with some great pictures my brother emailed of the ship I was stationed on during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. I just felt like sharing. If you have any questions about the ship, or my time in the Persian Gulf just post a comment, and I'll answer.