The first reaction we got from nearly everybody when we told them we were going to visit Amsterdam with a two year old toddler was… “What? You must be joking! That is travel suïcide – you cannot go on a citytrip with a toddler…” Why not? There is not a single reason why you should …
Travelling Europe in wintertime
Last weekend I visited Gemünd, in the German Eifel region. While I was walking around town with my friend Shira, we noticed that it was so quiet there. Ofcourse, we added, nobody travels in winter around here. Everybody seems to want fun in the sun and doesn’t consider winter chills. And that’s a pitty. Because …
Berlin: the quick photo selection…
We went to Berlin in the last week of 2014 and it turned out to be the perfect city trip: snow on the first day, the most amazing museum experience for me (Pergamon Museum), and a relaxed stroll-around for three days. The second day, our German friends arrived and they guided us through the city …
Eksaarde: local life
We live in a small village called Eksaarde, which is part of the city of Lokeren, located halfway between Gent and Antwerpen (Belgium). The village is rather large in terms of surface area though, but most of that are meadows and crop fields. Eksaarde is green, agricultural and the people here are uncomplicated and easy-going. …
Walls of Berlin (2): Berlin wall art.
In our latest blogpost, we told the sad story of the Berlin wall as we saw it during our recent (December 2014) city trip. While that post might have been slightly depressing, I am glad to announce that this one is much more heart-warming and colourful. When we strolled down the streets of Berlin, we …
China light zoo festival
The zoo in Antwerpen is the oldest zoo of Belgium. For this winter, they are celebrating the holidays the Chinese way: with a light festival. We decided to check it out and didn’t regret it. A big part of the zoo is illuminated with all kinds of animals, making it a light festival both adults …
Antarctica (3): reaching the ice and Neumayer station
These blog posts on my Antarctic trip have encouraged me to read my travel diary from 2006-2007 again. It brings back a lot of nice memories. I indicated that Friday 1st of December 2006 was one of the most wonderful days of the expedition: “I went out at 9 a.m., and what a spectacle: everywhere …
Walls of Berlin (1): the Berlin wall.
One cannot simply visit Berlin without being confronted with its grim past. There are two different stories to be told here: one about the second world war and its horrors, and one about the separation of eastern and western Berlin by means of a large, concrete wall. A lot of places in Berlin testify to …
Antarctica (2): crossing the Antarctic Convergence
“After a few days on board, I wrote in my diary: “Finally some excitement. The weather has seriously deteriorated (now 8 Beaufort), and that leads to some hilarious situations! Washing yourself in the shower of your cabin has become very impractical and during lunch I almost fell down with my chair and everything after a …
The Pergamon museum: a wonder to behold!
In the final week of 2014, we went citytripping in Berlin. For me, personally, it certainly was one of the most memorable citytrips, and one I truly enjoyed from beginning to end. It was the combination of culture (e.g. the Museuminsel), history (Berlin Wall and WWII memorial sites, and a wide array of associated musea), …