Travel with me abroad

Travel With Me Abroad

Hello to all. I’m very excited for the opportunity to share my upcoming adventures through Themetrip. In the next couple of months my husband and I will be starting a new chapter in our lives with our big move to Brussels, Belgium.
A little about the upcoming blog and myself:
I love food! While eating breakfast I’m already talking about dinner. I will be posting notes and pictures of where we dine, what we eat and sometimes what I cook.
I love adventures! With my husband being in the Navy, we have had and have the ability to visit and experience places all over the world. I will post about our travels and experiences while living in Belgium.

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Cologne, Germany

3/19/2015

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Cologne was a fun city to visit. The city has lots of museums, shops, pubs, restaurants and a magnificent cathedral. We spent two nights in Cologne and could have easily spent a third.

Cologne, Germany Itinerary:
·  Breakfast at home
·   9:30 Drive to Cologne (2 hour drive)
·   Check into hotel
o   We stayed at the Pullman Hotel. Highly recommend. Walking distance to everything. The hotel has a restaurant and bar on the top floor with beautiful views of the city. We had a drink at the restaurant, but went elsewhere for dinner.
·   Cologne Cathedral
o   This cathedral is breathtaking from the outside. The architecture is beautiful. If I remember correctly it’s supposedly the largest Cathedral in Germany.
·   Lunch at Gilden im Zims
o   The local beer in Cologne is called Kolsch. The restaurants serve the beer in small glasses to keep the beer cold. The server will refill the beer automatically until the drinker places a coaster on top of his/her glass.
·   Farina Perfume House
o   Johann Farina made the original cologne and the original cologne scent can still be purchased at the museum. The museum gives an excellent 45-minute presentation explaining who Johann Farina was and how he made his cologne. Some of the original customers were Mark Twain and Napoleon. Adam and I purchased a few bottles of the cologne. It smells really good.
·   Hotel Rest
·   Dinner

Second Day
·   Breakfast in room
o   Great way to save money and relax in the morning. I brought breakfast cookies and bananas.
·   Cologne, Cathedral
o   We went back to climb 533 stairs to reach the top of the South Tower. Unfortunately, the tower had graffiti all over the walls. It was difficult to enjoy the beauty and the history while being in the tower, because of all the graffiti.   It still was neat to climb up and the view was not disappointing.
·   Second Coffee
o   After climbing up the tower we stopped for coffee, which was right across from the cathedral. We were able to warm up and enjoy the view.
·   Wallraf-Richartz Museum
o   Art museum with Gothic, Impressionist and Renaissance paintings. The museum does a very nice job displaying the art pieces. It also has descriptions next to the paintings. The descriptions were in German and English.
·   Lunch
·   Chocolate Museum
o   We were able to walk along the Rhine River to the museum. Adam was so happy! He loves Lindt chocolate. This chocolate museum was as HUGE. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate… free samples. The museum shows where chocolate comes from, how it grows, and how it ships. Then we were able to walk through the factory and watch the chocolate being made. Unfortunately, we had already eaten or we would have stayed to eat at the restaurant, which overlooks the river.
· Kolsch beer stop
·   Hotel rest
·   Dinner

Third Day
·   Breakfast in the room
· Drive Home

We will definitely go back. There are still a few museums to see. It’s a fun little city.   For those who like cruises. It looked like different cruise ships pull into Cologne as well.

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Funny Happenings

3/12/2015

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I wanted to get a good workout in before the weekend so I headed to the gym. I’m getting used to being the only girl in the weight training area. If I see other women, they are usually in a fitness class or on a cardio machine. While lifting weights two older guys in sweat pants were chitchatting and lifting in between.   It was more chitchatting then lifting. After I was finished I decided to go for a quick run on the treadmill. I saw the two guys in sweat pants sit down with the employee to continue their conversation. I was almost finished with my run and I heard what sounded like a bottle cap snap off. I looked over to see the three chitchats’ eating a cheese plate and drinking beer. It was 12:30! Is this how all gyms are in Brussels or just the one I go to?   When I walked by them to leave, they didn’t offer me a beer. However, I was offered a complimentary croissant the following Wednesday at the gym. I said no thank you, but he insisted that I take at least a piece of one. I took a piece and then went for a run. The complimentary croissant at the gym has not been a one-time thing. Croissants have been at the front desk these past two Wednesdays. I didn’t take one the second time, because I already had a croissant for breakfast. My solution now is to have morning croissants on different days so I can eat them at the gym on Wednesdays.

Adam and I had a date night at Belga Queen restaurant. This beautiful restaurant was formerly a hotel and then a bank. During dinner I got up to use the restroom. The restroom was unisex. To enter I had to pull a huge velvet curtain open. The entry had a floor to ceiling mirror and in front of it was a large oval sink with different spouts. In the middle of the sink were little individual towels. After passing the sink, women go to the right and men go to the left. The bathroom stalls were glass. I opened the door and closed it. Anyone who walked by could see me and I could see them. I thought it was a bit strange, but it didn’t stop me from using the restroom. When I went back to the table I told Adam all about it and how the doors were glass. He asked me if I locked the door. I asked him why I would lock the door. I closed it and I’m pretty sure no one would walk in since they could see me and I could see them. He started laughing and told me if I locked the door it should turn completely white, so nobody can see in or out. Oops! Ha ha ha… luckily nobody came in and saw me. I used the restroom later that night and locked the door. Yep, it turned white. I couldn’t see out and nobody could see in.

This last month I have been having really bad back problems. My doctor referred me to an Osteopath. The Osteopath’s office is in a house. To be let in I had to ring the doorbell, then I was buzzed in. When I walked in there was no front desk to greet me, just an entryway with chairs. I decided to open one of the doors to find a doctor working on a patient. I put my head down with embarrassment. My cheeks turned really red. After the doctor was finished with his patient he opened the door and introduced himself to me. I went into his office and sat down. We went over the problems that I have been having with my back and then it was time to for him to examine me. He asked for me to undress and sit on the table. He continued to sit at his computer and work. I have never undressed while the doctor stays in the room. I was told about this before I moved to Brussels. I undressed to my undergarments and sat on the table. I left my goofy socks on, my underwear was not appropriate, and then my pits started sweating. I was so embarrassed, but the appointment was great.   I was more prepared this last appointment. I waited in the sitting area, wore appropriate underwear, left the goofy socks at home and put extra deodorant on before I ran out the door. My pits still started sweating… Oh well.

I’m sure this will not be the end of funny happenings while living in Brussels. I will continue to share...most of them.

Belga Queen restaurant. This is downstairs in the Cigar Bar. The restaurant kept the safes for decoration.

Belga Queen restaurant

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About Nakoma

I have always had a passion for Art. After attending five colleges (Navy families move…a lot) I earned my BA in Art History. I’m thinking our first few tours will be art, art, art and then food, food, food. I will post information about the tours we do.

Please note, that my blog posts will not be consistent. We have a very busy, and fun schedule ahead of us, that might limit my time to post.

For those who plan to follow, enjoy!

Cheers!