Its All Bruges To Me

I know what you must be thinking....What is Bruges and how do I get there? For those of you who fail to come and visit us, getting to this charming little town would be quite the problem. However, when you have the luxury of being a stone's throw from various attractive European destinations, driving 2 and a half hours to Bruges, Belgium is not such a bad deal. Not to mention easy access to one of the finer aspects of German culture: The Autobahn!!!


Bruges is a very small town on the northwest side of Belgium and about a 15 minute drive to the English Channel. The beauty of this city lies in its ability to convey a sense old European charm that has been spared being damaged from the many wars that have been through this region. Many people refer to it as the "Venice of the North" because of the many canals and style of architecture. In an effort to keep dentist's in business world wide, Bruges has taken the claim of being the chocolate capital of the world. Also, being in Belgium, waffles and "pommes frites" are mandatory. Finally, Bruges is a very romantic setting for enjoying while with your loved one.

Day 1
We spent the day walking around the city and stopping in some of the shops. One of these fine establishments was called the Chocolate Line. This was just one of the gazillion chocolatiers flooding the city. Seriously, its like Starbucks in Seattle, if you blink you might miss one. The Chocolate Line is famous for one very peculiar reason. The owner had the bright idea of creating a machine, as a gift for Mic Jagger of Rolling Stones Fame, that would pulverize cocoa into a very fine powder....as if its not already. This would then be sniffed and used in place of a more traditional drug. All we can say is: Weird. We took a multitude of pictures which we conveniently posted on smugmug (link to the right) for your viewing pleasure.



Day 2
Elizabeth saved the day by booking a fabulous 3 hour bike ride with Pink Bear Bike Tours. Yes, that was a plug because the tour and the guide were excellente (as they say in the spanish). We were outfitted with some sweet mountain bikes and some gloves because Rob was not prepared. Elizabeth actually was able to experience life on an adult bike without an accident. Nice!!! The trip went through some of Bruges, but mainly the Flemish country side surrounding the city. We were able to see some windmills, a variety of animals in their natural setting, and the historic village of Damme. While in Damme, we stopped at a nice little cafe for some famous waffles and beer. Elizabeth wimped out and had a plain waffle with some sugar on the side. I at least asked for some whipped cream on top. I mean if you're gonna do something, you might as well do it right. Both waffles were delicious. Elizabeth claims the beer was good too. Although, I have my doubts. After the bike tour we didn't have much time before heading back so we walked around the city some more and stopped in one of the many Markt Square eateries for some local cuisine.



That was our trip.

Stayin Alive...

For those of you who read this you probably think we are dead, but we are ALIVE and well. We have a lot of updates so we will start with a couple and continue to write more as we have time.

First things first, we have landed on the moon, aka, our internet is connected. This is our only means of communications as well as our one method for conducting shady business operations. Needless to say, we were lost without it (Rob was crying in his cheerios because he almost missed some deadline for fantasy hockey)! The internet company had us on house arrest because they said they would come to our home and install it but never showed up. This was a major problem because we could not just call and complain because nobody speaks english and if they do, they hang up on you. Luckily, we had our main man, Gungor, at Media Markt (BestBuy Germany), was able to help us out by calling and yelling at the internet company. He also hooked us up with a 200 Euro gift card which helped us purchase our Speed Link Speaker System and a Blender, which does not fit in our kitchen. Speaking of kitchen...

Secondly, we are finally settled in our new place. The place is OK but has some major flaws.

1. Shady construction--the place was obviously rehabbed by a blind man. We have random holes in the middle of walls and if Rob gains anymore weight he will fall through the floor by the end of the year. Disclaimer: If you come to visit and weigh more than Rob we are not responsible for any injury that may happen while being here.

2. Ceilings--we are on the top floor of a building that is shaped like an A...so, our ceilings are majorly slanted. This would not be a problem for Scott Wendell or Johnny Ballgame but the entire Globke crew would have dents in their head from bumping it on the ceiling every single day. To make matters worse, anything used frequently in the kitchen is placed under the lowest part of the ceiling. Rob is left with two options: a. double his arm length or b. ruin his back by crouching down like Montgomery Burns.

3. Bathroom--one word...bushleague. It's hard to explain without actually being able to see it or be in it, but let's just say only one person who is 4 feet tall can fit in there comfortably. The space is awkward at best and more confounded when you throw in a washer and a mirror system in a random corner behind the door.

Vacuum Cleaner?

My departure date is nearing and I am anxious but excited. I leave on September 10th and arrive in Dusseldorf on September 11th. Rob has been living in a shoebox size apartment but is moving into our new pad tomorrow. I only hope there will be some curtains and useful kitchen items in the APT before I get there. Rob has the responsibility of contacting the internet guys, which we've heard can take a month or longer to install, but we hope to be the exception and they come in two weeks(hopeful thinking). I am bringing our computer so Rob will now have access to read and return emails, write amusing blogs, as well as participate in fantasy football leagues (he's most pumped about that).

Rob is doing well and is currently 6 hours from home in another part of Germany playing in a three game tourney. His last tournament in Poland he received the most valuable player and was given a vacuum cleaner for his efforts. In most cases when a player receives this honor they are given a watch, ring or nice sized trophy, but it looks like the economy has also affected the rewards the players are given. I prefer the vacuum over a ring or watch because I will actually see Rob use it at least once or twice a month(yes, he knows how to use a vacuum). All of his never-worn rings and watches are stowed away in a box somewhere collecting dust bunnies. Hopefully he plays well in this tournament and he gets a swiffer, then I will be able dust while he vacuums (the cleaning duo)!

I'm going to leave you with a little video clip of Rob's team, not sure what the song is or what the words are saying, but enjoy!

Poland

Rob is currently on his way to Poland...via bus...oh my. From Krefeld, Germany to the middle of nowhere, Poland is about a 15 hour bus trip. I could not imagine being the size of Rob and sitting on a bus for that long...glad I'm not him. While there, they will be playing four games in four days and turning around to come back home on another 15 hour joy ride.

They had a preseason game on Sunday vs. Dusseldorf. Rob's team won 6-1. He said the fans do not care if they win or lose any games during the season except for when they play Dusseldorf (DEG Metro Stars). They must beat Dusseldorf in order to keep their fans, so they are off to a good start...even though it's just preseason, hopefully this is a sign for future games to come. The teams season opener is on Friday, September 4th...Go Penguins!

Fussen

hey all, or to the few who actually read this....
this will be short because i am running out of minutes in this internet cafe and i am trying to type on a german keyboard....and that is no easy task.

right now, i am in fussen, geramany. its a small bavarian town on the austrian border nestled amongst the mountains. it really is beautiful although i have not had much time to explore because we have been on the ice twice a day for the week we have been here. my day is pretty much...eat...skate...sleep...repeat. i know...really exciting.

hockey has been good. got my first point in our second preseason game and the level of play is much more enjoyable to play over last year. it is actually easier to play because most of the guys know what they are doing.

as usual there are some funny stories and some other random stuff, but i do not have that kind of time at this moment. just wanted to let yall know how it was going on this side of the pond.