Those of you who have some knowledge in geography would know that Lamia is also a city in Greece.
My Dad happened to spend a week in Greece and kindly took the below picture.
It does feel good to see one's name on a road sign :)
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Sunset, me too
It has almost become a habit now in the evening. Around 9pm we start checking the sky for sunset (that's assuming it doesn't rain). Once it's ready Wolfram grabs his camera and runs upstairs to get amazing shots.
Tonight I decided to join. After all there is no reason why I cannot have great sunset pictures as well.
Squeezed at the window upstairs we took many pictures. 18 for my side... basically the sequence of the sun going down. Except today there were clouds and all we could get was the reflection of the red light on them. Still extremely beautiful to watch.
So here we go, the best pictures from the series I took.
Now, let's see what tomorrow brings.
Tonight I decided to join. After all there is no reason why I cannot have great sunset pictures as well.
Squeezed at the window upstairs we took many pictures. 18 for my side... basically the sequence of the sun going down. Except today there were clouds and all we could get was the reflection of the red light on them. Still extremely beautiful to watch.
So here we go, the best pictures from the series I took.
We did it
After months of debate (i.e. me pushing back saying we have more important things to buy first) we bought this week-end a new TV. It's a Samsung 6000 something, carefully selected by Wolfram.
We've jumped at least 10 generations of TV from the old cathode ray tube to this brand new LED one. It looks so good and so thin, it's almost incredible. Quality of the image is unbelievable, especially vs. the old TV. This week-end is our test drive. Luckily it rains, so no regrets for spending hours watching DVDs or playing the Wii.
PS: a big thank you to Belgium who granted each of us 250 euros of eco-cheques so we could make our house more environment friendly. Yes people, getting a new TV with low consumption is a gesture to help the planet :)
We've jumped at least 10 generations of TV from the old cathode ray tube to this brand new LED one. It looks so good and so thin, it's almost incredible. Quality of the image is unbelievable, especially vs. the old TV. This week-end is our test drive. Luckily it rains, so no regrets for spending hours watching DVDs or playing the Wii.
PS: a big thank you to Belgium who granted each of us 250 euros of eco-cheques so we could make our house more environment friendly. Yes people, getting a new TV with low consumption is a gesture to help the planet :)
Bonne Fete Maman
Today is Mother's day in France and I arranged for some flowers to be delivered to mine. Before the bouquet I selected was sent, I received a photo of it, so I can see what flowers my mother will receive. Those roses look lovely and very colorful. Hope she will like them.
Bonne Fete Maman!!!!
Friday, May 28, 2010
If I didn't work...
... I would go to the swimming pool on Friday between 3 and 5pm because it's completely empty at that time.
Today having my back hurting I decided to stay home to lie down and rest. In the afternoon I went to the swimming pool to stretch. Usually it helps.
I was happily surprised to find it completely empty. 6 people in the pool, only 2 swimmers. At some point of time I even had the swimming lane just for me. And that was really nice, so nice I could even swim on my back without being worried I would hit someone.
It's a whole different world out there during working hours :)
Today having my back hurting I decided to stay home to lie down and rest. In the afternoon I went to the swimming pool to stretch. Usually it helps.
I was happily surprised to find it completely empty. 6 people in the pool, only 2 swimmers. At some point of time I even had the swimming lane just for me. And that was really nice, so nice I could even swim on my back without being worried I would hit someone.
It's a whole different world out there during working hours :)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
California, here we come!
Tickets are bought. Just received the travel guides I ordered.
We're one step closer to our exploration of the Wild Wild West :) !!!
We're one step closer to our exploration of the Wild Wild West :) !!!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Nap time
As I mentioned 2 days ago summer has arrived.
After our guests left, we grabbed a blanket and went to the Plantentuin for a nap. We picked a nice meadow, with a good tree and enjoyed 2 hours of nap. If that’s not heaven, then I don’t know what to say.
PS: we did mark the tree location on the plan of the garden. Such good nap location should not be lost.
After our guests left, we grabbed a blanket and went to the Plantentuin for a nap. We picked a nice meadow, with a good tree and enjoyed 2 hours of nap. If that’s not heaven, then I don’t know what to say.
PS: we did mark the tree location on the plan of the garden. Such good nap location should not be lost.
A day trip to Dinant (Dinant with a T because Dinan without T is in Brittany)
Summer has arrived in Belgium, at least for the week-end: sun is shining, sky is blue, 25C… perfect weather for a trip to Dinant and its citadel. Dinant is located in Wallonia on the river Meuse.
We drove over there late morning, wasted half an hour in a traffic jam caused by an accident just right before our exit on the highway (talking about bad luck), followed diligently the signs for the citadel, and nicely parked at our goal. The ticket for the citadel includes a tour of the place (obviously) and the access to the lift to reach the town down the cliff. The citadel was built to defend the bridge over the Meuse river… therefore it was positioned at the edge of the cliff, right above the bridge.
Immediately we were amazed by the view on the town, the river and … the bridge. Of course we had our first session of photos (with both Alex and Wolfram competing for the best photo, we have to thank little Fabian who was hungry and forced us to move :) )
We took the lift down to the town, found a restaurant on the riverbank and had lunch. Half in the sun, half in the shade… it felt like being on vacation!
Before going back up to the citadel, we decided to take a boat tour on the river. Adventurous as we are (and also to guarantee the best photos) we rented a small electrical boat.
With Wolfram and Fabian as captains we explored the riverside of the Meuse around Dinant.
Our 2 captains in action.
After 1 hour of “sailing” we gave back the boat and had a quick look at the church.
Back at the citadel we took the guided tour. Not much to say about the tour to be honest. It was basically a succession of rooms with reconstitutions of key moments of the history of Dinant. Boring, even for kids… one exception though. The last room takes you through a reconstitution of a trench from the first world war which was impressive and to a shelter which is perfectly preserved, just happened to have been bombed and simply flipped to the side. This means you get to walk in a shelter with the ground with a slope of 30 degrees, to hold pillars that have the same slope. Really weird experience.
One last look at the view from the terrace of the citadel (or most likely observation / shooting terrace back in the days when the citadel was active) and we left Dinant.
We drove over there late morning, wasted half an hour in a traffic jam caused by an accident just right before our exit on the highway (talking about bad luck), followed diligently the signs for the citadel, and nicely parked at our goal. The ticket for the citadel includes a tour of the place (obviously) and the access to the lift to reach the town down the cliff. The citadel was built to defend the bridge over the Meuse river… therefore it was positioned at the edge of the cliff, right above the bridge.
Immediately we were amazed by the view on the town, the river and … the bridge. Of course we had our first session of photos (with both Alex and Wolfram competing for the best photo, we have to thank little Fabian who was hungry and forced us to move :) )
Before going back up to the citadel, we decided to take a boat tour on the river. Adventurous as we are (and also to guarantee the best photos) we rented a small electrical boat.
Our 2 captains in action.
After 1 hour of “sailing” we gave back the boat and had a quick look at the church.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Food for Foodies
Today at 11:30am my section left the office. Finally we were going to have our xmas event (yes we know it's already May, but life being life today was the only slot we could all make it).
Destination: Food for foodies in Antwerpen.
The plan was to have a small snack and then go for a walk in Antwerpen to buy all the food supply we need. Once the shopping is done we would cook and eventually eat.
Indeed after a quick lunch eating consisting of 2 Turkish starters we took off for the shopping. We walked in the area and visited several grocery stores: one African, one Moroccan, one Russian, and one Turkish. It's actually amazing to find such grocery stores right there in the neighborhood. I'm guessing you can find all the specific / exotic ingredients you want to cook just like home. Might be a bit expensive for some, but potentially you can find everything. What was also nice is that the lady in charge explained to us most of those exotic fruits and vegetables. You know, those ones you've seen many times in shops but never dared to ask what to do with them.
Once shopping was completed we split into 3 teams and each of them prepared a dish: one from sub-Sahara Africa, one from Morocco and one from Poland. It was big fun to chop and cook altogether. It was even better when we ate what we prepared. It was really really good... and the crazy thing is that it was pretty simple to prepare. Just need the right ingredients, I guess :)
Now, how do we convince our boss to do that every Friday???
Destination: Food for foodies in Antwerpen.
The plan was to have a small snack and then go for a walk in Antwerpen to buy all the food supply we need. Once the shopping is done we would cook and eventually eat.
Indeed after a quick lunch eating consisting of 2 Turkish starters we took off for the shopping. We walked in the area and visited several grocery stores: one African, one Moroccan, one Russian, and one Turkish. It's actually amazing to find such grocery stores right there in the neighborhood. I'm guessing you can find all the specific / exotic ingredients you want to cook just like home. Might be a bit expensive for some, but potentially you can find everything. What was also nice is that the lady in charge explained to us most of those exotic fruits and vegetables. You know, those ones you've seen many times in shops but never dared to ask what to do with them.
Once shopping was completed we split into 3 teams and each of them prepared a dish: one from sub-Sahara Africa, one from Morocco and one from Poland. It was big fun to chop and cook altogether. It was even better when we ate what we prepared. It was really really good... and the crazy thing is that it was pretty simple to prepare. Just need the right ingredients, I guess :)
Now, how do we convince our boss to do that every Friday???
Thursday, May 20, 2010
The Cube game
Eugenie asked me today whether I had done already the Cube game. Quid? Never heard of it.
So here we start:
Imagine a desert scene. Now imagine there is a cube in the scene. Where would it be and what would it look like?
Now, imagine there is also a ladder in the picture. Where / how would it be?
And you go on adding a horse, a storm, and finally, flowers.
No this is not a description of a painting from Magritte. It's a kokology game. Based on the interpretation of your answers, we can learn things about you. While it's not bullet proof science, I have to say it's quite interesting to hear the interpretation behind your picture.
Now, close your eyes, imagine a desert scene. There is a cube in it. Where is it? What does it look like? Go on with the other elements and find out here what it means.
So here we start:
Imagine a desert scene. Now imagine there is a cube in the scene. Where would it be and what would it look like?
Now, imagine there is also a ladder in the picture. Where / how would it be?
And you go on adding a horse, a storm, and finally, flowers.
No this is not a description of a painting from Magritte. It's a kokology game. Based on the interpretation of your answers, we can learn things about you. While it's not bullet proof science, I have to say it's quite interesting to hear the interpretation behind your picture.
Now, close your eyes, imagine a desert scene. There is a cube in it. Where is it? What does it look like? Go on with the other elements and find out here what it means.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The word of the day
persiflage\PUR-suh-flahzh\ , noun;
1.Frivolous or bantering talk; a frivolous manner of treating any subject, whether serious or otherwise; light raillery.
Had never heard of it until today. Apparently it's a French word... but to be fair from 1757 which could explain why I managed to live my life without knowing it.
"Etymology: French, from persifler to banter, from per- thoroughly + siffler to whistle, hiss, boo, ultimately from Latin sibilare"
In case you want to sound smart(er) in your next conversation, I'm sure you can find a way to use "persiflage" instead of "mockery" for example.
1.Frivolous or bantering talk; a frivolous manner of treating any subject, whether serious or otherwise; light raillery.
Had never heard of it until today. Apparently it's a French word... but to be fair from 1757 which could explain why I managed to live my life without knowing it.
"Etymology: French, from persifler to banter, from per- thoroughly + siffler to whistle, hiss, boo, ultimately from Latin sibilare"
In case you want to sound smart(er) in your next conversation, I'm sure you can find a way to use "persiflage" instead of "mockery" for example.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Vacation is over :(
We're back home, getting ready to get back to work tomorrow. It sucks!
I wish we could have staid longer and enjoy more vacation.
I wish we could have staid longer and enjoy more vacation.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Fish Fish Fish
It's raining today so no outdoor sightseeing :(
Luckily for us there is always Oceanopolis, the big aquarium in Brest to visit.
It does feel strange to see it celebrating its 20th anniversary. I still recall when they started building it, some time when I was in primary school. I guess time is flying and I'm not getting younger... Oceanopolis on the other hand is getting better and better, actually bigger and bigger. They now have 3 halls (temperate, polar and tropical) filled with fishes and other sea animals. Plenty enough to keep you busy for half a day.
Obviously fish are in tanks which are sealed by heavy glass window.
Obviously the light is low to recreate the "deep" sea atmosphere.
Obviously on a rainy day all the families are at the aquarium.
Obviously we wanted to take pictures of the beautiful creatures we could see.
So big deformation due to the windows, poor light, lots of fighting to access the window, and still we managed some shots. Not our best ones, especially mine as I didn't have enough patience to wait long enough for the shark to finally pass exactly where I was waiting for it.
On top, did I mention fish do not stand still!!!
So ladies and gentlemen, here are my best shots...
PS: Don't zoom too much, you would reveal the blurry lines ;)
Luckily for us there is always Oceanopolis, the big aquarium in Brest to visit.
It does feel strange to see it celebrating its 20th anniversary. I still recall when they started building it, some time when I was in primary school. I guess time is flying and I'm not getting younger... Oceanopolis on the other hand is getting better and better, actually bigger and bigger. They now have 3 halls (temperate, polar and tropical) filled with fishes and other sea animals. Plenty enough to keep you busy for half a day.
Obviously fish are in tanks which are sealed by heavy glass window.
Obviously the light is low to recreate the "deep" sea atmosphere.
Obviously on a rainy day all the families are at the aquarium.
Obviously we wanted to take pictures of the beautiful creatures we could see.
So big deformation due to the windows, poor light, lots of fighting to access the window, and still we managed some shots. Not our best ones, especially mine as I didn't have enough patience to wait long enough for the shark to finally pass exactly where I was waiting for it.
On top, did I mention fish do not stand still!!!
So ladies and gentlemen, here are my best shots...
PS: Don't zoom too much, you would reveal the blurry lines ;)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
48 bottles
We made a little detour on the way back to Quimper to buy some Kerne Cider. After a quick tasting confirming the one we prefer is the sweet one "doux" we piled up the cartons on the trolley:
- 2 for my parents
- 2 for my sister
- 4 for us... we don't come that often to Brittany so we bought enough supply for 1 year
On top we bought 6 "bolee" in sandstone, the traditional cup to drink cider.
Now let's make some crepes!
- 2 for my parents
- 2 for my sister
- 4 for us... we don't come that often to Brittany so we bought enough supply for 1 year
On top we bought 6 "bolee" in sandstone, the traditional cup to drink cider.
Now let's make some crepes!
Quimper
Today we decided to take it easy (one cannot get up at 7am every day on vacation, can he?) and drove to Quimper.
After a good lunch in a creperie we walked in the historical center taking a look at the medieval houses.
Who said a house had to be straight to stand? as long as there is one next to it to support, everything is fine.
Highlight of Quimper is the Saint Corentin cathedral which presents the particularity of having its axis slightly bended (reason why is still unknown).
The cathedral also hosts a collection of stained glass windows from different ages (some as old as 1417...). It's quite interesting to see the evolution of the styles throughout time.
After a good lunch in a creperie we walked in the historical center taking a look at the medieval houses.
Who said a house had to be straight to stand? as long as there is one next to it to support, everything is fine.
Highlight of Quimper is the Saint Corentin cathedral which presents the particularity of having its axis slightly bended (reason why is still unknown).
The cathedral also hosts a collection of stained glass windows from different ages (some as old as 1417...). It's quite interesting to see the evolution of the styles throughout time.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Cote de Granite Rose
After the 2 previous stops we arrived at Ploumanac'h and the Cote de Granite Rose where you can admire the pink coast line.
The erosion of the granite rocks gives a unique landscape of smooth pinkish shapes. When the sun is shining and the water is turquoise blue, it's simply breath taking.
No matter how hard we try, human beings will never beat nature when it comes to creating such beauty.
Zoom on the pink Granite and the sand
Perros Guirec
On the way to Ploumanac'h we stopped to admire the beach of Perros Guirec.
Look at the color of the water. It makes you want to jump in, forgetting the outside temperature is only 12C.
Look at the color of the water. It makes you want to jump in, forgetting the outside temperature is only 12C.
Trestel Plage
Today after the few medical exams I was scheduled for we drove to Trestel in Cote d'Armor (in the north of Brittany).
Trestel Plage
Some handsome guy by the beach :)
Trestel Plage
Some handsome guy by the beach :)
Monday, May 10, 2010
The day when Mokka sounded like an owl
Tonight, Samia, the neighbour's dog, passed by at her usual time to beg some food from my parents. Given how irresistible she is she usually gets some old bread.
This time how ever she triggered the weirdest sounds ever coming from a cat. Mokka, small cat, decided to challenge Samia, huge Labrador. All her hair went up on her back and tail. More importantly she started to growl. Now her way of growling was hilarious. She sounded more like an owl (or even a small monkey)than anything else.
Unfortunately we couldn't record her "growling".
For sure Samia was not scared at all. Not even sure she noticed Mokka from behind the window.
But, boy, we did laugh for 5 long minutes thanks to Mokka.
This time how ever she triggered the weirdest sounds ever coming from a cat. Mokka, small cat, decided to challenge Samia, huge Labrador. All her hair went up on her back and tail. More importantly she started to growl. Now her way of growling was hilarious. She sounded more like an owl (or even a small monkey)than anything else.
Unfortunately we couldn't record her "growling".
For sure Samia was not scared at all. Not even sure she noticed Mokka from behind the window.
But, boy, we did laugh for 5 long minutes thanks to Mokka.
The day when Muffin disappeared
This morning my Dad let Muffin and Mokka out so they could play in the garden.
Mokka, not the bravest cat on the planet, explored around the door and quickly came back in.
Muffin, on the other hand, started to chase butterflies and other flies in the garden. Following one of them he disappeared from my parents' sight and from the garden.
We searched briefly in the morning but no Muffin. Everyone had to leave for work / hospital so we left leaving the cat outside somewhere.
Came lunch time, we searched and called again. Without any success. Already wondering whether we would come back to Belgium with one cat or 2.
After the afternoon out, when we arrived my mother told us she heard him but wasn't sure where. So there we go the 3 of us calling him and discovering him on the other side of the wire fencing. Somehow he made his way through but didn't want to come back or didn't find his way back (we're still debating on why he stayed on the other side). After some bushes climbing, cat catching and a few scratches we successfully brought him back in.
Obviously we are happy to have him back.
Obviously he is not happy to be locked in.
Obviously Mokka was pissed he left her behind and is giving him a hard time.
It's cats' war time in the house...
Mokka, not the bravest cat on the planet, explored around the door and quickly came back in.
Muffin, on the other hand, started to chase butterflies and other flies in the garden. Following one of them he disappeared from my parents' sight and from the garden.
We searched briefly in the morning but no Muffin. Everyone had to leave for work / hospital so we left leaving the cat outside somewhere.
Came lunch time, we searched and called again. Without any success. Already wondering whether we would come back to Belgium with one cat or 2.
After the afternoon out, when we arrived my mother told us she heard him but wasn't sure where. So there we go the 3 of us calling him and discovering him on the other side of the wire fencing. Somehow he made his way through but didn't want to come back or didn't find his way back (we're still debating on why he stayed on the other side). After some bushes climbing, cat catching and a few scratches we successfully brought him back in.
Obviously we are happy to have him back.
Obviously he is not happy to be locked in.
Obviously Mokka was pissed he left her behind and is giving him a hard time.
It's cats' war time in the house...
The day when I was nearly blown away
Location: Pointe de Pen Hir, Bretagne with its famous "Tas de pois"
The sea, the coast.... one of the most beautiful peninsula Brittany has to offer.
PS: it's one of those rare occasions where you're happy not to be a size 4... otherwise you would have been blown away by the wind today. Wind was VERY strong today, so strong it was hard to keep one's balance on the slopes. But we made it so we could bring back some good pictures :)
The sea, the coast.... one of the most beautiful peninsula Brittany has to offer.
PS: it's one of those rare occasions where you're happy not to be a size 4... otherwise you would have been blown away by the wind today. Wind was VERY strong today, so strong it was hard to keep one's balance on the slopes. But we made it so we could bring back some good pictures :)
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