Travel Throwback #4: Brussels

Let me start this travel throwback by saying there is no doubt in my mind that Brussels, or Bruxelles in French, is the most confusing city to navigate in the whole of Europe. I can only assume that the Belgians designed their capital in the hopes that any foreigners who managed to invade their borders would not be able to escape.

"...but sometimes you are." - me

I took a day trip to Brussels in February 2009 and can safely estimate I spent 70% of that time lost. Between my travel companions and I, we had five maps and were still unable to find our hostel. We wandered the streets asking shopkeepers and passers by. The locals gave such different directions it seemed they didn't even understand their own city. A local guy confirmed this theory later when he said he had lived in Brussels his whole life and still got lost. 

After a taxi driver told us the hostel was too close and not worth the fare, I decided it was time for some official help. I found a police station and cried « Je suis perdue » (I am lost) to the countless policemen standing around and before explaining in French about our desperate attempts to find the hostel. Next thing I know the bags are loaded into the boot of the police car, we're in the back seat and being driven to our hostel. Why pay for a taxi when you have the police?

The most important tourist destination in Brussels - Grand Place

Maison des Brasseurs in Grand-Place

The statue on top of Maison-des-Brasseurs looks like he is giving the bird

Museum of the City of Brussels

Town Hall

Grand Place is the central square in Brussels surrounded by guildhalls and the Town Hall. The square is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and perhaps the most memorable landmark in Brussels. Unless you count Manneken Pis, a small bronze sculpture dating back to 1618 that depicts a naked boy urinating into a fountain's basin.

 

The answer is blowin' in the wind - Bob Dylan

A visit to Belgium wouldn't be complete without trying one of its best street foods - waffles. There are over a dozen varieties of waffles in Belgium alone!

Q: Have you ever gotten lost during your travels?

Be sure to read my previous travel throwbacks to Disneyland, Windsor Castle and London.

Erin x

Travel Throwback #3: Disneyland

One thing people might not know about me is that I'm a certified Disney freak! My mom took me to Disneyland for the first time when I was two-years-old, and after that I went to Disneyland two or three times a year, most years I even had an annual pass. As one can imagine, I have a lot of Disneyland memories with my mom and my fellow Disney girl, Amy.

For this travel throwback I thought I would take the opportunity to share some of these with you. I dedicate this post to my fellow Disney girls, my mom and Amy, who made so many of these memories with me!

Disneyland Girls in New Orleans Square (April 2010)

First off, let me start by saying that one of the things I love about Disneyland is that everyone has their own unique traditions when they visit The Happiest Place on Earth!

One of my Disneyland traditions starts the night before, when I would watch Disney's Sing Along Songs' Disneyland Fun. My mom bought me the VHS before one of my trip to Disneyland to help explain where we were going. Later on we bought it on DVD and now you can watch it here in all its 90's glory thanks to YouTube!

This tradition still stands, I even made Luke watch it with me before our first trip to Disneyland together in April 2010.

  The second of my traditions is getting a picture taken in front of the White Rabbit from Alice In Wonderland's door. The door is located to the side of The Mad Hatter in Fantasyland. My earlier photographs prior to age fourteen are unfortunately still at my mom's house but I do have a number from my trips throughout high school and beyond.  

Selection of photographs in front of the White Rabbit's door in Disneyland

  Now, you don't become a Disney freak without learning a few secrets about Disneyland over the years. Rather than keep these secrets for myself, I decided to stop being so selfish and share some of these secrets with you! So here are my top 5 Disneyland secrets:
1. There is a secret members-only club in Disneyland known as Club 33. Walt Disney had it built to entertain his guests.

Dining at Club 33 in Disneyland

2. In the nursery on Peter Pan's Flight, the blocks on the floor spell out "Disney" and "Pan" but look quickly, you'll soon be flying off to Never Never Land!

3. If you are visiting Disneyland for the first time or celebrating a birthday there, then pop over to City Hall in Mainstreet U.S.A. to receive a "Disneyland 1st Visit" or "Happy Birthday" badge!  

My step brother proudly showing off his "Disneyland 1st Visit" badge!

3. The statuettes in Snow White's Grotto were gifted to Disneyland anonymously. All the statuettes are the same size but thanks to a little Disney magic (forced-perspective) Snow White appears bigger than the dwarves.  

Visiting Snow White's Grotto during our 8th Grade Disneyland trip!

  4. Walt Disney reportedly wanted to use real animals in Disneyland's Jungle Cruise but was advised against it. As a special BONUS secret, apparently Kevin Costner (one of my mom's favourite actors for some reason) used to be a Jungle Cruise Skipper! I'm assuming this was before his Dancing With Wolves days.  

This Jungle Cruise photograph would be so different with real animals.

  5. There are dead bodies in Disneyland! There have been reports of several families attempting to scatter their loved ones' ashes in the Haunted Mansion. Well, they did say there was "room for one more".  

Q: Have you ever been to Disneyland? Do you have any traditions or fun facts?

For more travel throwback fun, be sure to read my previous travel throwback posts to Windsor Castle and London.

Erin x

Travel Throwback #2: Windsor Castle

Two weeks ago I shared a travel throwback from my first trip to London, England in 2004 to celebrate my sixteenth birthday. Located on the outskirts of London is Windsor Castle which you can travel to easily by rail from both Waterloo and Paddington station. The train ride takes anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour (depending on the train you get), making it the perfect day trip from London, which is precisely what my mom and I did.

Windsor Castle is Queen Elizabeth II's preferred weekend home and is often used for hosting state visits, as well as being a popular tourist attraction (when the Queen isn't in residence of course). However the original castle dates back to the 11th century after William the Conqueror (whom I've currently been reading about in Stephen Clarke's 1000 Years of Annoying the French).

The Round Tower of Windsor Castle

The current reigning monarch isn't the only one to use Windsor Castle as one of her official royal residences. It has been occupied since the time of Henry I (1068-1135) making it the longest occupied castle in Europe! Famous residents include Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, the mad King George III, and Victoria.

During World War II, Windsor Castle served as the refuge of the royal family, perhaps explaining the Queen's attachment to the place.

Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park

The Guards Polo Club located in Windsor Great Park has been associated with the royal family since it's formation in 1955. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is president of the club and Queen Elizabeth II its patron.

Princes William and Harry have often played here. In fact the day before we visited, both princes had been in Windsor for a polo match. I was livid when I discovered we missed it by a day!

St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle

As well as being Queen Elizabeth II's place of worship while in residence at Windsor Castle, St. George's Chapel has been the site of many royal weddings. It was particularly popular during Queen Victoria's era, hosting the weddings of her children Prince Albert Edward (Edward VII), Princess Helena, Princess Louise, Prince Arthur and Prince Leopold. In more recent years, Prince Charles and  Camilla Parker Bowles received a blessing from the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2005.

Besides royal weddings, St. George's Chapel has been the site of many royal burials including Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville of The White Queen fame. Other famous royals who call St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle their final resting place include:

• Jane Seymour (one of Henry VIII's six wives)
• Henry VIII
• George III
• George VI
• Princess Margaret
• Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (The Queen Mother)

Windsor High Street

Besides the castle, the town of Windsor boasts a wide selection of shops ranging from gift shops around the castle to high street favourites like Marks & Spencer and Boots.

Windsor is worth a visit whether you're a tourist in London looking for a day out or living in England and looking for a weekend break!

Q: Have you ever been to Windsor Castle? What did you think?

Erin x

Travel Throwback #1: London

After recently moving house I uncovered a box of my old photographs from my junior high and early high school years, undoubtably taken on a hundred or so Kodak disposable cameras. Included amongst the photographs of friends, Disneyland and parties was a series from my trip to London in the autumn of 2004.

This particular trip was special for three reasons:

1. It was to celebrate my sweet sixteen
2. It was my first trip to England. 
3. It cemented me as an anglophile forever. 

Here are some of the gems I found starting with a jet-lagged sixteen-year-old me at our hotel, The Rubens At The Palace...

Funny story, we originally were in just a normal room but the toliet decided to turn into a fountain and we were promptly upgraded to the beautiful Clarence Suite.

I love the Autumnal colours in this photograph of St. James' Park. If you look closely you can see Big Ben in the background.

"If the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it."

For a Harry Potter fan, no trip to London would be complete without a trip to Platform 9 and 3/4 at King's Cross station!

And finally... one of the most cliché tourist photographs in all the world - posing with a red telephone box. I'd like the think the double decker bus in the background makes it slightly different. Does any tourist visiting London not have a photograph with a red telephone box? I think not!

Q: Have you ever travelled somewhere that made a big impact on your life?

Erin x