Touring the Acropolis & Acropolos Museum, Athens, Greece
The Parthenon, Acropolis, Athens, Greece
I knew there was no way I could visit Greece without visiting the Acropolis in Athens.
The Margi Hotel, Vouliagmeni, Greece
We spent many hours on this terrace of this restaurant in Vouliagmeni
After a hectic summer and autumn, Andrew and I took a short holiday in Greece, to relax and spend some time together. We were lucky to find a perfect balance of sightseeing in Athens and chilling out by the Aegean Sea, by basing ourselves in the lovely beach town of Vouliagmeni.
Dod – Affordable Fashion in Belgium
I’ve never been one of those girls who lives to shop, but I must confess, the sight of an amazing bargain makes my eyes light up like the Las Vegas Strip. So when I discovered a bargain-hunter’s mecca, not 4 blocks from my house, I got a little bit giddy. If you like brand name fashion and don’t like spending a lot of money, you’re going to love Dod.
You’d be forgiven for passing right by the original Dod store on chaussée de Louvain. It looks a bit run-down and cluttered like the other shops near-by, selling low-quality goods. But if you watch the doors for a moment, you’ll see a steady stream of smiling women emerging, loaded down by bulging carrier bags filled with their bargain finds.
Road Rage | Flashback
I first wrote this post waaay back when we arrived in Belgium. I was literally terrified every time I got in the car. I’m happy to say I’m a bit calmer now but, even five years on, I’m still not driving in Belgium. Interestingly, I’ve been in many other places in Europe where I’ve felt, ‘Hey, I could drive here.’ Granted, living in Brussels, I don’t have a real need to drive and Andrew is happy to play chauffeur when necessary.
I was reminded of this post when, on a recent outing, we spotted the sign in the photo. It pretty much sums up driving in Belgium.
Montaigle Castle Ruins, Falaën, Belgium
The atmospheric ruins of Montaigle are one of the many castles in Belgium you are free to explore. Learn about this family-friendly day-trip from Brussels to the Namur region.
Wieliczka Salt Mine Day Trip from Krakow Poland
A day-trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of the top things to do in Krakow Poland. The mine is an incredible UNESCO site of underground salt carvings.
The Best Things to Do in Krakow Poland on a Weekend Trip
We share the best things to do in Krakow Poland on a weekend trip, including the top Krakow tourist attractions, where to stay in Krakow and tasty restaurants to try in the historic centre.
Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick, Canada
On the Way to Grand Manan
One nice thing about living overseas is being a tourist, when you visit your own home town. While spending the summer on the East coast of Canada, with family and friends, we had the opportunity to take in some of the sights we hadn’t bothered to see when we actually lived there. My favourite of these was Grand Manan.
Grand Manan is the largest Canadian island in the Bay of Fundy. It is technically part of my home province of New Brunswick but it is actually closer to the coast of Maine. The island has a population of about 2500 residents and besides summer tourism, the main industries remain fishing and aquaculture.
When English Rules | Flashback
Confused about language?
This second post in my Flashback series looks at the pitfalls of being an English speaker in Belgium. When I first wrote it, we were living in Flanders and struggling to learn Flemish. Five years later, I still don’t speak Flemish. In fact, since we moved to Brussels, the little bit of Dutch I had picked up has totally lapsed.
It is very easy to be lazy about language in Brussels, as so many people speak English these days; And it’s not just because of all of the expats in the city. Often, the common language among French and Flemish Belgians in English. There is more and more English popping up on signs and used in slogans. More websites are defaulting to English and English menus are more commonly available. Despite this, I still think it’s important to try and speak the local language. My French, although far from perfect is much better now that I use it frequently in Brussels. There’s still part of me that feels I should learn Dutch, even though I don’t have occasion to use it.
As I suggested when I wrote this post, I still can’t imagine how much more difficult it is to travel as a non-English speaker.