Brussels is one European capital that\’s easy to miss on your grand tour of Europe. The whole little country of Belgium is easy to miss, but it\’s one that you really shouldn\’t. It has lots to offer. This grand old city is not only the capital of Belgium, it\’s the Capital of the European Union.
Something you\’ll have to get used to in all of Belgium, is that there are two languages… everywhere. Dutch and French, so you\’ll often see signs in both languages. It\’s Brussels in English… \”Brussel\” in Dutch and \”Bruxelles\” in French. You\’ll get along fine in either language or English. Our friends in Belgium slip from one language to another with ease that puts us to shame.
Right in the center of the city is where you want to be. \”La Grand Place\” or \”Grote Markt\” is the main square right in the heart of the old town. This huge cobble stone square is surrounded by the city tower and 300 year old buildings… most of which were guild halls.
There are really only a few old streets left around the square, but they\’re fun to wander. Shop for chocolates. Have Belgian Waffles with caramelized sugar on the square. (Luikse wafel or gaufre de Liege). Definitely have a beer. The Belgians are known for their beers… there are over a hundred breweries in this little country producing hundreds of different brands and many types of beer!
When you stop to eat, you\’ll have to have mussels (moules). You can have French fries (fritjes or frites) with them, or have fritjes as a snack. If you want to eat those fries as the Belgians do, have them with mayonnaise. The first time we visited friends in Belgium, they made it a point to serve us Brussels sprouts… but you don\’t have to eat those if you don\’t want to! If you order any of these as a snack, you can take them and sit on steps or benches around the square just as the locals do.
Just a short walk from the Grand Place-Grote Markt is the Manneken Pis. EVERYONE wants to see this fountain with its funny little statue. And it is little…. smaller that you think it will be… especially since it\’s reputation precedes it all over the world. You know what we\’re talking about… the funny bronze statue of a little boy… well, Manneken Pis says it all doesn\’t it? Maybe he had one too many beers?
There is a museum full of little outfits that have been created for the little boy… if you\’re lucky (or unlucky depending on your viewpoint), you might even see him dressed in one, but they are usually kept in the museum. Signs will direct you to the corner where he stands.
For a little culture, visit the Royal Museums of Fine Arts off one end of the main square. There are two museums linked together here, the [...]
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Rafting Guided Tours Make for a Very Memorable Vacation
Are you looking for a vacation this year that involves actually doing something instead of just lounging on a beach somewhere? Why not try rafting for a change? Rafting guided tours make for great vacations and you can bring the entire family. Just don’t forget to take lots of pictures because you’re going to want to remember this vacation for a long time. There are many locales you can choose from when deciding to go on a rafting guided tour. You can go to Alaska, Hawaii, or anywhere else they have rafting guided tours. Just get online and do a search and you’ll find very reasonable tours your family will love.
Provides A Skill
The great thing about taking the family on a rafting guided tour is that you are providing them with a skill. The rafting guided tour will teach them how to ride in a raft, how to use the oars, even in rough waters, how to use the safety equipment and what to do in case anything goes wrong. What your family will do with that skill is up to them but, who knows, one of them could become a rafting guided tour instructor.
Choosing Where To Go
You only have to decide where to go on your rafting guided tour. There are many destinations. You might want to go online to see if you can find good deals on travel, hotel, rental cars as well as rafting guided tours. Just imagine taking the entire family on a rafting guided tour instead of the usual boring road trip or other vacation your family typically goes on.
The Ride
When you are given all the instructions by your guide on your rafting guided tour, make sure you pay attention to everything your guide says. It could save someone’s life or it could prevent injuries. Remember, the rapids that you’ll be traveling on are very unpredictable. Of course, it’s not likely that you’ll go over rapids that present a high level of difficulty, as the ride is supposed to be fun not dangerous. But you never know when you’ll feel skilled enough to try one of those high difficulty rides.
This year, take the family on a rafting guided tour and forego the usual vacation destination this year for something a little more exciting. The only thing you’ll need to bring is your family and your appetite for adventure as the guide company will provide everything else you’ll need.
Travel Europe Tours To See Venice In A Day
Many people try to see Venice in a day. Time and money are often short when you\’re traveling, so you want to get to as many places as you can. You really shouldn\’t see Venice just in daylight…. a day and a night maybe. Or two nights and a day.
Venice really is a small town. You can walk right across it from the train depot to St. Mark\’s Square in less than an hour… but that would be if you were just walking and not looking, and what you really want to do is stroll and SEE Venice…. La Serenissima herself is the main attraction.
The first time we went to Venice, we arrived by train at night and stayed near the train station. As soon as we settled in, we hit the street and started walking. To see Venice by street light is magical. Narrow winding streets…. Blue and red stripped \”barber poles\” holding boats and gondolas on the canals…. Little arching bridges to cross….
Don\’t worry too much about your direction or getting lost…. Follow those signs that say \”Per Rialto\” or \”Per St. Mark\’s\”… (Per Rialto means the direction for Rialto Bridge; Per St. Mark\’s means… well, you get it…). Sometimes the signs \”Per St. Mark\’s\” point in BOTH directions…. isn\’t that wonderful! Wander where you want! All of the day trippers have gone home in the evening, and the narrow streets are all yours and so romantic!
Do what we did and wander all the way to St. Mark\’s Square. If you don\’t want to spring for an expensive drink at one of the cafes on the square, buy a gelato on a side street, then stand in the square and enjoy the dueling orchestras playing sentimental old favorites.
In the morning, try to see St. Mark\’s Basilica and the Doge\’s Palace. You probably won\’t have time to go up the Campanile for the view with only a day, but it\’s your choice…. if you only have a day, you\’ll be back.
Stroll the streets, shopping along the way. There are lots of wonderful expensive things to buy in Venice, but there are some affordable Italian fashions too… and what better, easily packable souvenir could you ask for than some flamboyant Italian creation?
Find a table at one of the restaurants along the Grand Canal with a view of the Rialto Bridge for lunch. Yes, it\’s touristy… it has been touristy for centuries, so you are in good company.
In the afternoon try to sample some of the art… at the Church of the Frari or the Scuola Grande di San Rocco. Or if you\’re interested in the history of Venice, you could venture into the Museo Correr. If you want to see one of the grand palazzi that line the Grand Canal, see the Ca\’ Rezzonico, the museum of 19th century Venice.
When you get all the way to one end of Venice, take a vaporetto to the other end… you\’ll never tire of seeing Venice from the water, watching all those palazzi [...]
Adventure Tours Rafting for an Entire Day!
Have you ever done something only to feel saddened that it didn’t last as long as you’d hoped? What about adventure tours rafting? When you go on adventure tours rafting, it can often feel as though the time passes too quickly. You start and before you know it, you’re done. Well, you should try an entire day rafting tour. This will allow you to go on an adventure tours rafting vacation that lasts all day long. What could be better than that?
Finding Tours
Not every company that offers adventure tours rafting offers them for an entire day. That’s because they want to be able to offer as many people as possible an adventure tours rafting experience. They keep it nice and short on purpose so that they can quickly make a turnaround and make the most money as well. So you’ll want to do a special search of these companies to see if they allow adventure tours rafting for a day. You may have to pay a little extra for a full day of rafting but the time you spend with your guide, and your raft, will be yours for much longer than usual.
What You Get
When you find a company that offers adventure tours rafting, contact them to find out what they offer. What exactly do you get? Do you get a tour guide? Will you be taught how to use the equipment? Will you be taught what to do in case anything goes wrong? And most importantly, will you be fed and be provided water? These may sound like silly questions and most of them may seem like common sense but you definitely want to ask them so that you’re not surprised by anything.
There are many ways an adventure tour rafting can go, especially if it lasts all day, but it will definitely be a trip to remember. The best part is that you can actually enjoy yourself instead of being rushed through a raft ride because the guide wants to give others a chance to go.
Take your entire family or go by yourself but one thing’s for sure, you’ll be able to completely enjoy yourself at your leisure. Hopefully, you can find a good deal on your ride so that you can save some money but as long as you ask plenty of questions, and you’re very thorough in picking your adventure tours rafting company, you’ll have the vacation of a lifetime.