Alexandria

Alexandria stretches over 20 km on the Mediterranean. It's main
street hugs the coast and is lined with palms. Old, stylish cafes with
delicious pastries are scattered throughout. Egypt's second biggest
city, Alexandria seems quite small in comparison to Cairo.

The Alexandria Library with the modern architecture, high ceilings,
and students buried in books was a refreshing stop. It contains a
very respectable number of books and resources as well as (modern)
Egyptian paintings and sculptures. The cool and quiet peace of a
library was thoroughly enjoyable as an escape from the heat and noise
of traffic. We also saw an exhibit on Palestine which documented
Palestinian individuals' stories from 1948, when they were removed
from their land, to their lives now in refugee camps or elsewhere.
Then, just as we were leaving, we wandered into an exhibit on the
former President Anwar Sadat who was assasinated in 1981 in Cairo. He
was one of the first from the Arab countries to initiate peace with
Israel and is admired by most all Egyptians. There were personal
letters handwritten by Jimmy Carter on the White House stationary.
Also a peace pipe from a tribe of Native Americans in Colorado was
given to Sadat commending his efforts for world peace. He seems to
have been loved by his country and honored internationally.

We spent the night strolling the coastline. The sandy beaches were
littered with plastic tables and chairs and full of families eating
together. Children played in the dark water at night. Some men went
in the water. We saw one woman in up to her knees, still covered head-
to-toe including her face. Men were out fishing at night in boats and
from the shore. Some used nets and tried to catch anything left in
the tidal pools.

Last night we took the sleeping train south to Luxor. We had our own
little double cabin. After dinner the attendent helped us turn the
cabin into a bedroom. It was odd to wake up in the middle of the
night and realize we were moving on a train. It was not the smoothest
train either. The attendent woke us in the morning an hour before the
arrival. We looked out the window to see people working in fields of
corn and palm trees.

Exploring Luxor today and tomorrow.

Cairo

The enormity of the city (+20 million) is immediately apparent. After
passing through immigration, asking many people how to get to our
hotel, and refusing the many offers for tours and taxis, we were
pointed towards a shuttle bus that would connect us to a public bus
that was supposed to take us to our hotel. We were at the mercy of
those who spoke English as most everything is written in Arabic.

Thankfully we met a man at the bus terminal who was very nice. He was
going on our bus and even insisted to pay for our bus fare to welcome
us to Egypt. We saw pictures of his wife and two boys (one two days
old) and his engineering projects on a slide show on his phone. He
was a completely innocent and kind though we were suspicious until we
said goodbye. His stop was before ours and we still weren't quite
clear where to get off. But an hour later with the help of a couple
others, we made it to the last stop across a frightening street of
traffic from the hotel. We'd had time to observe Cairo traffic, and
it's laughably crazy. No lanes, often no lights. Continous honking
and buzzing of cars. Pedestrians holding tight to each other to
cross. Motorcycles zooming through cars without any rules. So to
cross the street (5 cars wide) we used more confident people as human
shields. We are much more comfortable now with the roads, though
every time we feel our bodies respond with a sort of "fight-or-flight"
response. The later it gets the streets are jam packed of honking
cars. We even saw a horse-drawn carriage galloping on a major street
with cars following close behind and all around. The horse was
frantically running being chased by buses and cars. Quite funny.
Many of the electronic walking men signs on crosswalks have the man
running. Cairo city planners must have a since of humor.

It's very hot here. Lots of pollution brings a haze over the city.
At night the Nile is filled with light beams, florescent neon light-
decorated cruise boats and feluccas (small sail boats). We often see
individual men or groups of men on the streets praying towards Mecca.
At sunset we walk pass groups of people gathered to break fast
together or iftar. It is a communal activity here like in Istanbul.

Most all women here wear the headscarves and dresses that cover their
arms and legs. Men wear pants, if not the long robes. Almost eveyone
has been very friendly and welcoming. Though we are often approached
by someone who "loves Americans" and "is not a tour guide" and just
wants to give us their business card or address in America, but to do
his we would need to follow them down streets, so we exercise patience
and endurance till we can break away. One man even said, "say yes, or
I will kill myself". They often yell anything just to get you to pause.

We've tried lots of delicious Egyptian foods - felafel sandwiches,
fava bean paste sandwiches, swarma, and a noodle, rice, and lentil
dish. We've found a place where we can both eat for about a dollar
together. The people who work here are starting to recognize us.

The Egyptian Museum was really cool, though it is really more of a
massive warehouse without air conditioning. We weren't allowed to
take the camera inside. It is overflowing with ancient and priceless
treasures. So much that many are without labels or behind something
in a corner. The oldest statue was from the 4th dynasty, around 2500
BC. The most jaw-dropping treasures were from King Tut's tomb. Over
1500 treasures were found in the tomb of the young king, from jewels,
to thrones and boats and leopard-skin shields and golden claw-footed
beds all of which he would use in the afterlife. The ancient Egyptians
were fascinated with the afterlife. We saw King Tut's famous golden
mask. The face looks just like him because it helps the gods to
recognize him amongst others.

Day two - the pyramids and sphinx of Giza. We are unable to describe
the feeling of being there. As we drove through the city, the point
of a pyramid began to poke through the crowded housing and buildings.
The city seems to stop abruptly, and all of a sudden we were standing
in desert gazing up at the magnificent pyramids. We crouched down
through a very narrow slanted pathway into the tomb and burial chamber
of one of the pyramids. Still have the dust of the pyramids on our
sandals. Then we saw the papyrus institute, where we learned about
the process of paper-making from papyrus reeds. We had an interesting
conversation about women in Egypt with the guide of the tour who was
an Egyptian woman.

On the tour we met a friendly Singaporian who was working in Israel.
He is an executive member of the Marriott collection and invited us to
the executive lounge for dinner and dessert and then breakfast. Then
we spent our last day with him seeing Islamic Cairo, Old and Coptic
Cairo.

In Alexandria now.

Modern Istanbul, Ramadan Celebrations and a Hamam

We are getting caught up on updates. Free wifi has been difficult to
find in Cairo.

So... This is about our last two days in Istanbul.

There was a fascinating (and free) exhibit near the Aya Sofya. It
opened our eyes to the Muslim peoples' contributions to modern
science, math, astronomy, and virtually all others areas. Not only
did it give a sense of hope and inspiration but also showed us how
much we didn't learn in school. Huge contributions to modern surgery
and timekeeping, for instance, came from the Ottoman Empire during the
(not so) "Dark Ages.". It was really interesting.

Then we visited the Grand Bazaar which was more like a mall. But
nearly 700 years old! We expected something more like the chaos of
the medinas in Morocco. We were on our guard for hassling, but got
none. There was even a sign warning people not to hassle tourists.
It is gigantic with over 4000 shops and 66 connecting streets selling
Turkish carpets, jewelry, ceramics, leathers, sweets, and much much
more.

We also visited modern Istanbul in the district of Beyoglu. We napped
in the breezy tree-lined Taksim Park then walked down the popular
Istiklal Caddesi, which is basically an outdoor mall with many
recognizable Western stores intermixed with Turkish restaurants and
the occasional Turkish shop. We saw Whole Foods grocery bags for
sale, the ones that say, "the better bag" on the side. A lost
shipping container maybe? Off the main street we found many
fashionable boutiques filled with Turkish designed clothing and
jewelry. Creative and energetic young people are everywhere.

The next day we took the cheap ferry across the Bosphorous to Asia.
Still in Istanbul though. The view from the ferry was very nice with
barges and other ferries criss-crossing with the city as the
backdrop. The Asian side brings less tourists (and less English) but
we enjoyed walking around.

After we went to the spice market which was full of all the Turkish
delight and bahklava we could ever eat, peaks of colorful spices, and
Turkish decor. We then crossed the Galata bridge, passing lines of men
fishing in the Bosporous. This bridge connects the old city to the
modern.

Ramadan has been great time to visit allowing us to observe
behaviors. There have been many outdoor concerts of beautiful
Turkish instrumental music and random western favorites including a
strange rendition of Summer Lovin' from Grease. Families gather in
the parks to picnic, bringing bags of homemade kabobs and drinks ready
for Iftar. Restaurants have been busy preparing for the feast, and
every surface is covered with ready-to-eat plates. People sit
languidly at the table not touching their bread. We try to hide in
the park and eat dinner before sundown not wanting to make their wait
even more difficult. Then the call echos from various minarets around
the city and eating commences. Smiles reappear. Life returns to the
streets. Musicians throw down their instruments and run for food.
Celebrations continue late into the night. The area feels very
carnivalesque, with a man walking on stilts through crowds, whirling
dervish performances (we saw a man spin for over two minutes
continuously, pause for about 45 seconds, and start again), stands of
calligraphy painters, weavers, glass-blowing, and more, and lots of
sweets (popcorn, ice cream, cotton candy). We tried a delicious soft
lollipop that the man makes and swirls right in front of you.

The last night in Istanbul Kristin tried the Hamam experience - a
Turkish bath. It was a women only hamam. So here is her story:

I was taken down some steps to a room with individual changing rooms.
Then woman attendant whistled and motioned with her hands that I
should remove everything and wrap a towel around me. Then she took me
to the bath room. It was a rectangular room with gray marble flooring
and a large raised marble square in the middle. There were six low
marble sinks spaced three on each side of the square. The sink was my
basin. (I had thought a basin meant a bathtub and was caught off-guard
when I realized I would be bathing in the nude not partly hiding in a
tub, because as you probably know, I am modest). So, she pulled off
my towel and told me to sit next to the basin/sink. It was constanlty
running warm water. I was told to douse myself with the water for ten
minutes, then she would be back for the massage. I was the only one
in there and started to think maybe it'd be a little more interesting
if someone else was in there. Before I knew it, the woman came back
in only in white undies followed by three tourists in bikinis. What?
She told me to get naked! Now I wished I could escape the
awkwardness. Being alone wasn't so bad. As the others found their
sinks and starting dousing themselves (in their bathing suits), she
caught my attention and patted the marble slab indicating it was time
for my massage up on the slab in the middle of the room. I tried to
appear fine with being the only naked one in the room as I briskly
walked to the middle. She puts on a scrubbing mitt, and following her
broken commands, I laid on my stomach, then back, then sat up to be
wholly exfoliated. Then back to the basin for a rinse. Now soap and
massage. The scene repeats, only this time instead of a mitt, it's a
huge soapy loofah. I am covered in suds and get a little massage.
Turning over is a challenge because soap and marble are a slippery
combination. It ended with her shutting her eyes tight to indicate
that I should follow. As soon as my eyes were shut, the huge loofah
was exfoliating my face almost too well. Then a bucket of water
rinsed enough soap off for me to make my way back to my sink and
finish the rinse. Then she comes and sits behind me for a shampoo.
At this point, though very awkward, I am feeling very nice and clean.
Then a rinse and off to the sauna before the final cool-off rinse. I
am clean and refreshed. It was a totally awkward though great
experience.

Ephesus

Today we saw ruins of the ancient city of Ephesus (Efes is Turkish).
Bonus info: Efes is also the name of the most widely available beer.
Besides Pompeii, Ephesus is the largest, best preserved ancient site
by the Mediteranean. What we saw today is from roughly 300 BC to 200
AD, but the city was founded by Grecians in 1000 BC. Most
recognizable was the huge theater, the beautiful two-storey library,
and stadium. Ferral cats roam through the ruined marble walkways,
Roman columns, and scattered statues. The detailing is truly
beautiful and ornamental. Mostly ruins now, we walked through
bathhouses, arcades, a brothel, and a temple. Paul, of course, made
Ephesus famous but did not arrive until around 50 AD. Imagining the
busy city of Ephesus with thousands of people walking the marble
street everyday makes Paul's letter seem more vivid. The ruins are
surrounded by a picturesque hilly countryside near the sea. Even the
bus loads of tourists could not take away the mystique and beauty of
this place.

Taking the night bus to Istanbul for a couple of days before Egypt.

Kas

Kas (in Turkish there is a squiggle under the s which makes the pronounciation "kash") is a fashionable harbor town on the Mediterranean.  And it's really hot, so we spend most of our time next to or in the sea.   The town is surrounded by mountains with scattered ruins and a harbor with various types of boats docked and paragliders sailing overhead.  The hostel is family run with a panoramic view on the rooftop terrace.  

Kas seems to be a local Turkish destination with the occasional European traveler.  It is so nice to see so many local travelers.  We can blend in completely if we keep our mouths closed. There's an old city center that's alive into the night with restaurants and cafes, little boutiques, and sidewalk stalls selling antiques and jewelry.  We took some halva (helva in Turkish) and drinks to an open square by the harbor one night, and other days we grabbed a chicken or lamb pide. The square turned out to be a fun people-watching location as families and children had gathered to play.  We were run over by speedy tricycles and scooters.  One kid even had a velocipede.  We had such a relaxing time in Kas.  

We are headed to Selcuk (pronounced Selchuk), which is near Ephesus.  

As a side note traveling in Turkey has been super easy.  Also it is one of the safest feeling places we have been.  Turkey transport has been awesome - really easy and straightforward and cheaper than Swaziland, when we'd travel crammed between people and bags of maize meal.  (It is odd because - we were told - Turkey's petrol is the most expensive in the world at 1.8 Euro/L which is about 8.7 USD/gallon).  We are in a super nice and roomy bus with individual tv screens for free movies (though Turkish), music, and wifi, reclining chairs, a/c with individual fans, and bus stewards who bring free drinks and snacks.  That is right, wifi.  Traveling in Turkey must be more pleasant than traveling even in the US.  The route we are currently taking is spectacular, winding along the coast  between the turquoise Mediterranean and mountains.  We've passed hidden coves and isolated beaches along the way.  This six hour bus ride is actually exciting!   

Olympus

Olympus is a really beautiful turquoise cove and pebbly beach against
a backdrop of cliffs and pine-forested mountains and ancient ruins.
Our hostel is in an orange grove, which gives the accomadation the
nickname of treehouses. We looked like ghosts sunbathing and swimming
because our sunscreen won't rub in or off (even in the shower)!
Andrew's beard looks grayish. It makes our already white skin almost
freakish.

No burned skin though. Beach bums for the next couple days.

Underground City

We toured an ancient underground city in the village of Derinkuyu full
of smoke-blackened kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms, dining areas,
wells, chimneys, a church, a winery and a horse stable linked through
horizontal and sloping tunnels. The city protected the people during
invasions, and the design was ingenious! It has 15 floors to a depth
of 80 meters. Because of flooding we were only able to crouch our way
through tunnels down to the 8th floor. It's very cold (50 - 60 F).
There were places that we barely fit through! Clostrophobics would
not do well.

Then we hiked along a stream through Ihlara Valley full of butterflies
and rock monasteries.

After, we explored the rooms and tunnels of the extravagant Castle
Monastery built high into rock peaks. The breeze up high through rock
openings and along with the spectacular view was a special moment.

Tonight we take an overnight bus south to the Mediterranean through
Anatalya ending in Olympus.

Churches and Chimneys

We had an amazing day! We joined a tour of the northern Cappadocia
region.

The Goreme Open-Air Museum was a valley full of tiny rock-hewn early Christian churches and houses connected with narrow tunnels. Some still had remnants of frescoes and geometric patterns depicting or representing various Biblical stories. This was from the 9th to 11th century. The colors came from red orchre or different plants. The faces or eyes were, well, defaced, and our guide explained that when the Ottaman Muslims came they removed the paint with rocks as it is unholy to paint a prophets face. And Jesus and others are prophets in Islam.

We explored a couple different rock-hewn villages and valleys seeing
fairy chimneys and a rock castle in Uchisar. Sometimes we had to climb ladders to get into these places, which, for the record, would never be allowed in the States without some handrails and 'watch your step' signs.

After lunch we toured a family-run 6th generation pottery making store. It is underground to help with the cooling process. The pieces are all handmade, hand-painted and absolutely gorgeous. And very pricey. A man demonstrated a couple of pieces, and then Kristin volunteered to try. She made a bowl. She shows some promise but needs some practice.

Deverent Valley (Imagination Valley) is a collection of the fairy chimneys where people go and create shapes (like we do with clouds).
We saw a very large camel, kissing ducks, a penquin, and a hand.

After wine-tasting Turkish wine from the region, we saw three fairy chimneys that our guide said wouldn't last more than 50 years. Because these bizarre formations are always exposed to the elements of erosion, overtime they disappear.

Walking around the village we were asked to sit and chat with some
very old Turkish men with thick graying beards and eyebrows of inch long hair. They really loved Andrew's thick beard and said he looks like Muhammad, which is funny because he is often told he looks like Jesus in Christian countries. Never have we seen a picture of Muhammad but it must be a complement.

Göreme

After an 11 hour overnight bus, we made it to the village of Göreme in
Cappadocia. The bus travel was comfortable with reclining seats
(believe it) and soda and a chocolate cake snack served early in the
ride. There was even a bus steward who raised arm rests and lowered
seat backs. However, the lead-up to leaving Istanbul was frighteningly
disorganized. Couples shuffled around each other in a sort of musical
seats without logic or rationale and more confusion resulted from
multiple double-booked seats! We arrived the next morning getting
decent sleep with our ear plugs and eye masks.

Background on the ancient village: Göreme's landscape seems straight
from a sci-fi film or fantasy land. Volcanic eruptions millions of
years ago provided soft stone of compressed ash and centuries of wind
have created eerie dry, dusty cone-shaped peaks (curiously called
fairy chimneys) and valleys. Early Christians carved ancient chambers
and vaults into the weird landscape to serve as churches, stables and
homes. Some people still live as cave dwellers in Göreme. Our hostel
is built into a rock cave. We were supposed to be in dorms, but when
taken to our room they had put us in a private room with 2 Italians
(Stefano and Silvia) and pulled 2 twins into the living area. We ate
lunch and dinner with the Italianos. They are very nice. Stefano lived
in China for many years speaking fluent Chinese and Silvia studied art
in Venice and now designs wine bottle art. Very cool. We now have a
private bath and a double bed!

Topkapi Palace

We spent the majority of the day in the grounds of the Topkapi Palace, the residence of the sultans. Now a museum, the structures and courtyards are extravagant. We went through the harem (in Turkey this refers to a residence) which was largely decorated with the blue tilework so prevalent here. Then saw beards cut off in golden boxes, an arm and a skull of some prophets. The pavillions overlook the Bosphorous and Sea of Marmara towards the Asian side of Istanbul. The Treasury rooms were full of extravagantly and intricately decorated swords, pendants, armor, thrones and loot from conquests in Iran, India, and China. Of course the items were of gold and other valuable metals decorated often with emeralds, red rubies, mother-of-pearl and diamonds. Sometimes jade. The sultans lived every detail of life as an expression of their wealth and power in unimaginable extravagance. There were even gold and diamond coffee cup holders, gold and precious gem encrusted water jugs, a gold and gem-plated cradle for little princes, and the 5th largest diamond in the world. This 86 carat diamond surrounded by over 40 brilliant cut diamonds was once a ring and then a pendant for a turban. The legend says that the center diamond was found in a rubbish heap by a peddlar, sold for 3 spoons, discovered to be diamond, and bought. Too bad for the peddlar. As we exited the last room of the Treasury, the alarm sounded. Fortunately we avoided capture by moving quickly and stealthily through the crowds of people pulling off our disguises only when were out of the palace. Maybe we'll give it to the first street peddler we see.

Istanbul

Istanbul so far: very friendly and helpful people, delicious food, very old and impressive architecture, so much history, and free wifi everywhere! It's easy to see why Istanbul is the 2010 European capital of Culture.

After a delayed flight from Amsterdam yesterday, we landed the Istanbul airport on the Asian side at 1:30 am. So we (Kristin having more success) tried to sleep in the baggage claim until things started moving. Around 7:00 am (still in the airport) we had a sesame seed and Turkish cheese sandwich and hopped on a bus (45 minutes) to the ferry, which in maybe 20 minutes whisked us across the Bosphorous Strait to the European side of Istanbul. From here we walked about 15 minutes to Sultanahmet, the old city of Istanbul right next to the Aya Sofya and Blue Mosque to where our hostel is. The roof terrace has marmelous views of the Sea of Marmara.

We ate a Turkish lunch and a deliciously super sweet dessert - baked shredded wheat saturated in honey. Saw a woman weaving a small Turkish carpet with silk and a loom. Kristin helped her make two stitches in "double knot" form. Then spent some restful time in the parks and the cool breezy gardens of the sultans (Gulhane Parki).

Later we found a movie theater and a massive 6 floor mall (they say the biggest in Europe). Saw Inception, which played in English with Turkish subtitles. Halfway through the movie during the absolute pinacle of climax, the movie jolted to a stop and everyone stood up and started walking out. We were confused. Apparently movies have intermission? 15 minutes later we returned to the scene, the car chase/gun fight continues seemlessly into the second act. It was interesting to see the mall and surrounding neighborhood of Beyoglu. It could be anywhere in the US.

Today we've seen some amazing sights. The Aya Sofya (Church of Divine Wisdom) was impressive with it's marble and mosaic walls, golden domes, and Byzantine architecture. We sat fascinated for a while contemplating the history of this place, built originally in the 400s as a Christian center for the Byzantine Empire, then turned mosque with the Ottomans and now secularized into a museum. Turkey, more specifically Istanbul, was a valuable point of interest in history, with a foot in Asia and the other in Europe, and it's location on water for trade. Upon leaving we passed through two huge brass doors from the 2nd century BC. Way old. Then we had some delicous lokum (Turkish delight) - pitashio crusted pieces and traditional rose. We lounged eating lokum with our Turkish coffee and cappachino waterpipe. Then we saw the tombs of other sultans and family before entering the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) built in the 1600s to rival the Aya Sofya in grandeur. It is called the Blue Mosque for its decorative blue tiles. We were surprised that we were able to enter with today being the start of Ramadan. Afterwards we explored the underground Basilica Cistern (Yerebatab Sarnnici or "Sunken Palace"). The huge source of water to the old city was built in the 4th century and enlarged a couple centuries later with over 300 marble columns and fish swimming in it. It became disused after the Ottoman conquest but was restored in 1987 with walkways. There are two hugely carved Medusa heads (one upside down and the other on its side) at the base of two of the columns. Entering the cistern was like entering a underground city. The cool and darkness was a beautiful contrast to the hear and motion of world above.

Amsterdam

Chaos. Neon lights, bikes (motor and leg powered) dominate walking space, loads of people (high tourist season + gay pride canal weekend parades) make for a busy city. Gentle rain, canals and beautiful narrow pointed houses have a calming effect.

We've hit the tourist highlights and predicably managed to get turned around in the cobweb of canals and narrow streets and alleys. We found the Red Light District. Predictably shocking. Coffee shops are everywhere. Enjoyed learning about the progression of Vincent Van Gogh (Gogh is pronounced "hoff") as an artist at the Van Gogh Museum. It is full of masterpieces. The museum houses the Dutch artist's largest collection of his work in the world. Starry Night is in NYC, but favorties here included Sunflowers, Almond Blossoms, Twilight in the City, & The Bedroom (which was unfortunately under restoration). Also saw the Anne Frank House (now museum), where the eight-year-old wrote in her diary for almost two years in hiding. Only the outside. The line was outrageous.

Spent some time in a beautiful park and along the canals. Sunday and Monday were perfectly beautiful, cool and sunny.

Leaving for Turkey this evening.

Antwerp

Antwerp's Central Train Station is massive and beautiful. The many
floors are packed with shops and restaurants. If that is not enough
for a short layover, there's a zoo practically attached to it.

Next - MOMU, the fashion museum. The exhibits are always changing but
the current one was the color black: Masters of Black in Fashion &
Costume. The exhibition explained the evolution of black in fashion
throughout history, including clothing from paintings, historic
costumes, and contemporary fashion. The most famous attitude toward
black wardrobe being Chanel's Little Black Dress, introduced in 1926.
Somehow we both wore black today. Coincidence? We think not. Anyway,
it was fun and maybe inspiring to see the variety and creativity of
textures and materials used.

At the end an exhibit displays the work of a graduate from the Royal
Academy. Her themes were hard to follow but fun. Sea shell hats,
anyone?

The rest of the day we explored the city's streets and plazas,
beautifully ornate Gothic architecture, enjoying the cafe culture,
sitting by the river and resting our feet.

Tomorrow morning we are taking the two hour train to Amsterdam.

Brussels

We spent the morning in Brussels at the Belgian Center of Comic Strips.  We learned about the creation process and the many stages in the development.  The expressionless Tintin who sees a lot of the world was a favorite. And the Smurfs (or Schumpfe) before they made it to American cartoons were fun mostly because they are familiar. Turns out the Smurfs are Belgian.

The Galeries St Hubert, which opened in 1847, have a mix of high end shopping and cafes.   Wandering through the old arcades, we were drawn to the beautiful displays of stacked chocolates through the glass window of a fancy chocolatier.  Belgians call the chocolates prailenes.  Of course we bought a few to sample.  The lady seemed surprised when we said that was all we were buying. The truffle was especially delicious.

After wandering down narrow side alleys, we found ourselves standing in the center of a magnificent square, the Grand Place.  It's Gothic style hotel (previously town hall) built orginally in the late 1400s and richly-colored antique guildhalls lining the square were enchanting.  It seems like Neuhaus must be paying a fortune for the rental of their slice of space.

Then we followed the signs to see the infamous Manneken Pis fountain, a little boy cheerfully peeing into a pool.  It was surprising to find crowds and flashing cameras gathered around the surprisingly small and, to us, insignificant statue.

We couldn't leave Brussels without admiring a showpiece example of Art Nouveau architecture, which we found at the Museum of Musical Instruments in the Old England building. The dark colors and iron work are classic Art Nouveau.

Just as we entered the Parc de Bruxelles, the threatening dark sky started to drizzle.  And then rain.  We hid under a large tree, but when it wouldn't let up decided to keep on.  We knew it would stop later, and there would be time to dry.  (which happened, luckily).

We then visited the EU parliament, with flags of member countries and men and women in black suits.

Lastly before catching the train to Antwerp, we toured a unique working brewery called Musee Bruxellois de la Gueze.  It is interesting because it uses a similar fermentation process as wine (think 2-3 years and wooden barrels).  There is an aerated bacteria that exists only in and around Brussels (we were told) that allows the fermentation process to happen spontaneously.  It is the only brewery in the world producing beer by this method (also we were told), which gives the beer the sour taste.  They also produce fruit-flavored beers, though more sour than sweet.  We tasted the orginal Gueze and a raspberry beer blend.

Then we caught a train to Antwerp...

A Jazz Bar, State Rooms, and a Museum

Last night we found a cozy underground jazz bar/pub. It was an
intimate stone vaulted cellar with dim lighting, candelight and jazz
music. A perfect escape from the cold night air.

Wednesday we went back to Wawel Castle to tour the State Rooms, which
were full of French and Flemish tapestries, detailed and heavy Italian
wooden chests and tables, portaits and scuptures, and Persian
carpets. Items dated from the 13th - 19th centuries. The State Rooms
are on the second floor of the castle complex surrounding a central
courtyard.

Grabbed some street food for lunch - a zapiekanka to share - which is
basically a pizza baguette topped with a roasted ketchup sauce. It's
supposedly the quintessential street food of the Jewish quarter. We
ate it on a bench in the main square where children (and adults) fed
thousands of pigeons!

We arrived back to Brussels late yesterday evening.

...and we made it. Yay! In Brussels seeing the sights.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

No words can describe or do justice to the haunting, shocking and chilling evil done against the Jews, Roma, political prisioners, Soviet POWs and many others during the halocaust. The organization of it all. The unimaginable crimes and evil against humanity and methodical torture, and murder is truly disturbing. Experiments such as injecting leprosy into victims were performed. Upon arrival doctors decided the fate of millions of men and women, young and old, children - to die by work or straight to the gas chambers. Doctors that should be giving life were deciding death for at least 1 million at the Auschwitz camps alone.

On the bus ride through dense evergreen forest to Auschwitz, we watched a documentary of the sobering footage and commentary from a Soviet journalist who covered the liberation of Auschwitz. He captured the shock of exposure to skeletons, the dead and barely living, the fear and distrust in the blank eyes of victims. The recovering of evidence that the Nazis tried to destroy.

Auschwitz is located in a remote and quiet area with the intentions of hiding the horror there. The tour took us through the gate with the words "Arbeit Macht Frei" or "Work Sets You Free" overhead, giving the newly arrived a false sense of hope. Then we walked over train tracks and through the camp grounds and roll-call areas and into bunkrooms and prison cells and finally underground through the area where victims were stripped, gassed and then cremated. We also saw the Wall of Death, where thousands were lined up and shot. The most shocking exhibits tend to be ones that portay lost individual lives, such as personal photos, luggage, brushes, clothes, shoes. Probably the most horrifying exhibit was a room filled with thousands of pounds of human
hair, which were sold to make cloth and blankets. A blanket was displayed made from the women's hair still with traces of poison used to murder them. About 1.5 million people (1.1 milion Jews) were murdered in Auschwitz.

Afterwards we went to the grounds of the Birkenau camp, where most of
the mass killings took place. Its enormous size gives a sense of the
extent of the crimes, though much of it was destroyed by the Nazis
during retreat in an attempt to destroy the evidence. We were able to
tour a wooden barrack that housed some laborers, but mostly brick
chimneys dotting the landscape along with a central train track was
all that was left. As we were leaving a group of Israeli soldiers
stood at attention in silence in front of the barbed wire outside the
camp.

We will contemplate and process what we saw today for a very long time.

Later on we had a Polish lunch at a milk bar (bar mleczny). During
the communist era they were established as a cheap, self-service
cafeteria to provide wholesome meals to the poorest citizens. The
menu used to largely reflect dairy products. Now they are a more
modern cafeteria serving traditional Polish dishes cheaply. We had
tomato soup, borshe, and pierogi, a Polish ravioli with cream cheese
and potato filling.

Krakow

Sunday night we arrived to Krakow. Our hostel is in a great location in the heart of the old town in the Rynek Glowny, a huge medieval market square. Summer months mean the square is full of outdoor seating, musicians (from a quartet of accordians to a a flute-guitar- drum combo) and entertainers (most notably a flame-thrower). The lights reflected beautifully against the walls of buildings around the square.

Monday morning we strolled around the grounds of a hilltop castle overlooking a river. The medieval Wavel Castle was the residence of kings and queens for over 5 centuries and is surrounded by walls and complete with a tower and dragon's lair, which supposedly housed the
legendary fire-breathing Wavel dragon (Smok not Puff). We also toured the Wavel Cathedral with it's Gothic spires, built in 1364, and full tombs and chapels.

After wandering around the old town (there are many piano statues in various squares), we made our way to the Jewish quarter, Kazimierz, which at one point was a center of Jewish culture in Poland, and still holds an annual Jewish festival. Almost overnight during a mass deportation the past cultural vibrancy disappeared. Today the population is small. We saw the old synagogue, which is he oldest Jewish house of worship in Poland from the 15th century. Much of Shindler's List was filmed here. Then we explored Podgorze, where thousands of Jews were herded. It became a Jewish ghetto. There is a memorial to he victims at Plac Bohaterow Getta, located a the departure point for trains to various camps. The open square has empty chairs throughout representing discarded possessions and remnants of deportees. It is impossible to not feel a weight in your chest while standing in the plaza. Then we walked to Shindler's Factory, which is being made into a museum. This previous enamelware factory was where the German Oskar Schindler employed thousands of Jewish prisoners, saving many lives.

Today we go to see Auschwitz.

Gent

Saturday morning we left the farm and headed to Gent for a day and a night. We've been here before briefly but it was crowded for a festival and we wanted to see it minus festival madness. It's really pretty with lots of medieval architecture and cobbled streets, similar to Bruges, but with a more subdued and calm vibe.

We saw the beautiful Sint-Baafs Cathedral which was built in the 1100s with a blend of Romanesque, high and late Gothic influence. High ceilings, large sculptures, lots of detailing and stained glass windows. The stained glass windows were explained as the "poor man's Bible," telling Bible stories to the poor and illerate. The cathedral holds one of the earliest-known oil paintings, the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. Completed in 1432, it was done with attention to minute details of beards and jewelry.

There was a short drizzle, which seemed to fit with the style of the town. We tried a Belgian waffle, walked through shops, and sat on benches watching Belgians on bikes and walking dogs.

Heading to Krakow, Poland this evening.