14 December 2011

Beginning of December

again at the christmas market

on the train to... anvers? I suppose

Train station at Antwerp

Chinatown at Anvers

Green Fanta and ginger beer.  Thanks New Zealand for the introduction.  That stuff is good.

Antwerpen

Street... piano...

woah that was way too much food.  pepperkok smaakt

ST NICOLAS came to my breakfast plate!!  Joyeux st nicolas

on the way to Germany with a rotary wednesday trip



Welkenraedt.  it's in Belgium.  They speak french, but they also speak German.

And this is the big statue thingy at Welkenraedt

And Rotary gave us all Christmas hats to go sur le marché!

This is a cool ad.  It happens to be a promotion for quitting smoking.

That's a taxi.  IN GERMANY

That's the Opera House in Aachen (Aix-la-Chappelle in French)


Hotel des villes.  Government chambers.  This is very famous.


It was one of Charlemagne's favorite places, Aachen.

This building has hosted several extremely important treaty signings throughout history


and this is Lord Sandwich, of the sandwich.

Our destination, Market!

Weihnachts Markt!


Awww exchangers

This Cathedral is worth a visit.

Wurstardennen.

And market candies.

You may have loved apple before.  NOW AVAILABLE IN: GERMAN


This man is our Rotary District Organiser, and basically dude extraordinaire.  He's the bomb.

On a day of congé,  Françoise and I drove to a nearby chateau to get some christmas déco ideas!

the Chateau de Modave, in the village of Modave


With those little tour guide ear listeners!  I got mine not in English, but in French :)








Another old picture of Liege

This large Arbre de Genaolgie covered the entire ceiling of the entrance hall.

and it's a real one.


This is called Regence, Liège style.  No joke.


My host family tells me this particular chapel on the second floor is very popular of Japanese weddings.  Something about a tourist brochure that got produced in Asia for this very chateau.  Funny ol' world in'it?




And the Christmas tree at home!
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!
Maybe I really should have just used a flickr!
lol