May 01, 2009 12:00 AMLondon to Brussels on Eurostar
It has been a very long time since I was on Eurostar. In fact, the train was still departing from London's Waterloo Station (if not a sarcastic then at least ironic name for a station for French travellers coming to London from Paris...), very convenient for my home. It was in the summer of 2007. Now, the train departs from a magnificently restored St Pancras station in the northern part of central London. Not very convenient for my home anymore, as I need to change underground lines at least once. However, the journey time on the actual Eurostar train has been reduced by almost half an hour since, so I am not going to lose too much time as a consequence of the change over.
I was actually contemplating of taking a plane from London to Brussels instead, but the airlines were not asking for much less and the journey would have taken much much longer from any airport other than London City for me. If I travelled from Luton or Stansted it would have taken at least twice as long than on a train and if I taken a plane from Heathrow, it would have taken me about an hour longer, plus all the cost of the train (the highest in Europe!) - this just did not compute well.
Recently, I have seen that Eurostar have published a guide how to purchase a return ticket from London to Paris/Brussels for £59... It is worth to check their website sometimes.
Apr 30, 2009 12:00 AMBelgium 2009 - the plan so far...
For now, having monitored weather forecasts, I think that apart from Ghent, where I will be based, only Bruges, Lille (France), Brussels and Antwerp look like viable options for this short trip. Saturday looks very promising for all those destinations, but Sunday is foreseen to be sunny only in Bruges and Lille (France). Monday, according to some meteo services, will be cloudy in Ghent with 25% chance of precipitation; sunny in Bruges with 20% chance of precipitation and the same in Brussels with 5% less chance for rain; and Antwerp will apparently see sunshine with some clouds that with 35% of probability may produce rain. What should I do then? The only place I have not yet visited is Lille, so maybe I should go there on Saturday morning and then spend the evening in Bruges before returning to Ghent for Saturday night fever of nightlife... Then on Sunday I could just relax in Ghent and on Monday check out some places in Brussels until my train departs for London. I wonder what my friend would like to do...
Apr 29, 2009 12:00 AMGhent - when I come...
As I arrive in Ghent, what should I do there? Last time I ventured to the city it was July 2007... I wandered around the crowded old town (there might have been a carnival there, or something), had lunch in one of the restaurants on the main square, and then did some shopping. I did not stay for the nightlife, so perhaps this is what I should definitely do this time round. I also did not go on a canals cruise, despite weather welcoming... I do not know. Well, I guess it all depends on what my friend, whom I will be visiting, will have in plans for me. But there are still a few places in Ghent that I would like to explore a little bit more. Like the castle for example.
Apr 28, 2009 12:00 AMBelgium, it's been a while
Between 2000 and 2002, it was over a 100 times that I passed through the Brussels airport and visited Belgium on seriously countless occasions. Then, I thought it was bit tiring, but now I think it was one of my greatest experiences. Anyway, then between 2003 and 2005, I was again in Belgium on many occasions, mainly Brussels, where I used to run training courses as part of my job. I went to Belgium for pleasure only a couple of times. First time in 1992 to see my friend studying in Antwerp, and then in 2007 to see my friend in Ninove. Now, it appears that this weekend will be my third time. And it will be Ghent.
This is going to be a long weekend, as Monday is Bank Holiday in the UK. I am still undecided what, apart from Ghent, to see in Belgium. There are a few options. One lies outside Belgium, actually...
Apr 26, 2009 12:00 AMBellagio (IT) - Lake Como, again
I missed the opportunity to photograph the sunset the day before. I was rushing to a super market to buy a lawnmower, but I did notice that the sun was setting in a complete different place in the sky. In the autumn and winter, the sun appeared to be setting behind the mountains still on the Italian side. Yesterday, the sun was setting behind the mountains on the Swiss side. Although there were a few clouds around, it might have been a nice shot. I am not sure if the spot from wich I wanted to take the shot was going to be any good - given the changed position of the sun - but obviously there is nothing to talk about - I did not take it anyway.
Weather changed dramatically for Sunday. In the morning it was very cloudy - quite a nice cloud movement between the mountains actually. But later in the day, it started raining and it was not that pleasant to walk around anymore. I went to see a local castle on the top of the hill, but because of bad weather it was closed. Bad luck. So, there was only time to go and eat some more home-made ice cream and drink nice wine... indoors.
Apr 25, 2009 12:00 AMVarenna (IT) - Lake Como, again
Fortunately, weather at the Lake Como, was not bad at all. There were clouds but the sun managed to peek from behind them and the temperature climbed to about 20C. This was much better than I expected, or rather was told by the multiple weather forecasts. Varenna did not change much since the last time I saw it, but many more visitors came wandering around. Probably because it was a public holiday, and weather permitting, the Italians decided to eat a little more ice-cream from places they normally do not visit. The legendary gelateria, at the old harbour of Varenna, was open and I could indulge on the pistacchio and tiramisu flavours!
Apr 25, 2009 12:00 AMLezzeno (IT) - Lake Como
I went to Lezzeno to see where my friends will have they wedding reception later this year. It is a very nice hotel in this small village by the lake with a restaurant's terrace overlooking the wooden beach and the most famous villa of the lake at the other side. There was not much to do Lezzeno rather than to admire the views, unless one was into water sports like waterskiing, waterboarding, or... swimming. The Lake was still rather cold. The mountains' peaks were still covered in snow and the warm day only created an illusion that it might be fun to dip in the lake. I only saw a few kids trying waterboarding and water scooters, but they had proper attire - thick wetsuits on!
Apr 24, 2009 12:00 AMTomorrow, if all goes well, I will be at Lake Como again!
TGI Friday! Long time coming but, if all goes well, I should be landing at Lago di Como, Lombardia, Italy. I am getting mixed weather forecasts, particularly for Saturday. Some say it will be sunny with some clouds, but some predict rain. Sunday does not look too promising with rain forecast in the majority of meteorological services. This obviously is not too good, as I'd like to browse through the lakeside villages a little more, take plenty of pictures, relax in the pavement cafes, sip coffees, eat ice-cream, drink Martinis. Rain or very cloudy weather will most certainly block the views of the Alps, too. And that is a real shame. And what about the sunset pictures I was planning to take for Petra? Hmm... this one is going to be tricky. I was also thinking of writing a couple of reports about the villages at the lake, but if weather is going to be bad, I am not sure how much motivation I will have. I think my muse does not like rainy weather, unless it is in Africa at night.
Apr 23, 2009 12:00 AMHappy St. George's Day!
Today is the national day of England. Sadly, it is not a public holiday (in contrast to St. Patrick's Day in Ireland) and for years it had been played down not to open a can of nationalistic worms. But this year, the authorities in England decided that the governmental buildings should fly the English flag if they have a spare post. The person of St. George has been controversial... (look him up!) and this had not helped to celebrate this national day. In London, and I think elsewhere in England (not in the entire UK!) there will be celebrations, festivals, etc. In fact, not just today, but for the entire week and mainly on the weekend. However, for the weekend I will be at Lake Como, so would not be able to report what's happening.
Apr 22, 2009 12:00 AMHappy Earth Day! Planted a tree?
Today, on the Earth Day, weather in London was again fantastic! There are no words! Obviously many thought it was summer, and, having learnt from the past, it might have just been the closest to the summer, Britain will have this year. Who knows... Anyway, the temperature must have climbed above 20C and there was so much sunshine in the city that people without shades struggled badly. It was very hard to concentrate in the office. But I managed to move one of my meetings into outdoors, sitting in a pub by the river catching the sunrays!
I received a few tweets from National Geographic and Larry King of CNN about the Earth Day. Larry had lunch with the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair and many people wondered if the former Labour Party leader was making any time to plant a tree today. I think it is a great idea about the Earth Day and planting the trees. Apparently, each year swathes of forest of the size greater than South Carolina disappear from the face of the planet. Can someone calculate how long it would take for the forest to disappear completely? Uh, and also coral reefs are home to more than 1/4 of all species of plant and animals of the Earth's oceans. How about that?
