Boog's Blog

10 Sept.

From Whites Ferry to Shepardstown via Brunswick (overated but ok), then Harpers Ferry (wonderful talk by the National Park ranger, walk through this underated historic park and town – replete with the history of John Brown, Lee and Antietam, six reoccupations during the Civil War, etc.) to the very cute town of Sheperdstown and a good meal.

One highlight was the company of blue heron. It flew along the canal right at my side as we were both going at the same rate. Lated between 1/4 and 1/2 mile. It was spectacular. No way to take a photo. Has to be great luck!

Flickr pics are already up. QB was energetic.

HiHi

aquaduct.jpg

clams and beer.jpg

confluence Shenandoh potomac.jpg

Harpers feeet.jpg

north brunswick.jpg

whites ferry road.jpg

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9 Sept.

Left the land of Porc and headed out on the canal path (after a breakfast at Deanne and Delluca, its origins are NYC) towards the oldest town in Virginia. Lee came through Leesburgh on his way to Antietam, the bloodest battle ground of the civil war.

The path is a real bone shaker, hardpack with rocks. The parts that are not bone shakers are bone breakers.

That said it is a lovely ride along the path. The Potomac is on the left and at milepost 14.1 is Great Falls, truely worth seeing. The Potomac narrows from 1000 feet wide to 60 feet wide. Ice ace blockages forced the water to carve a wonderful weaving path. Took a walk along a boardwalk that goes through this natural wonder, now a park constructed by Olmstead' yes the same one who designed Central Park NYC.

Pictures of Great Falls will be on Flickr site soon. If you need the URL please just ask.
Same one as the previous trip.

Leesburgh has preserved some of its old charm. A few pics attached.

HiHi

canal home lock 6.jpg

path.jpg

full timbered house.jpg

circa 1760.jpg

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8 Sept.

Arrived and after a nap off to see some Porc, Washington style. That is, what them dere folks are doing with our taxes.

Off to the Potomac and a bowl of Maryland crab seafood soup. Need to be in shape when viewing Porc.

It is just a short stroll to the Kennedy Center, a large concrete stucture with many theaters. Tax dollars certainly at work here – just not well spent. Virtually no Kunst on the roof top terrace. Boring expanses of outdoor tiled flooring without a sign. Great views, however. A stroll around the terrace is worth the time.

Georgetown row houses are a break from the Porc, but all roads lead to K Street, pictured. Hard to imagine the impact of this street from the view in Georgetown.

M Street has shops and restaurants. Figured a food pic was required; comparable to the Slanted Door. The Papyaya salad was different than I have seen before so I asked of the chef, where is he from thinking he might be from the far North of Vietnam. Mexico was the response; I gave up.

Back to the hotel for soak, 103F, in the hot tub. Perfect for a "boy" from Brooklyn.

Ride starts in the morning.

Moin

geoege town row.jpg

k street infamous.jpg

M street food.jpg

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12 July

Perfect cycling day especially to climb up the cliffs. The exit road tops out at 164 meters according to my gps.

That and a ball of string.

Wandered Dover for a bit and found that much of this beach coast is fully booked. Had the tourist office help us find the swan in hythe. A no star place run by a very helpful Nepalese family. Very helpful and friendly.

They were so nice we decided to eat at their pub restaurant. One of the better meals we have had. Just spicy enough with Nepalese spices.

After the climb we decended into Folkstone with its fish and crab centric harbor. But chilly to sit outside and eat the cold sheimps and crabs. Found and excellent greasy spoon with good mugs of tea and home naked scones.

The ball of string. A Victorian era water powered funicilar. Two cars. The upper car has a test that holds 5.5 tons of water. When filled it lifts the other car. At the bottom it dumps its water into the channel and the process continues. One of only three still operating.

cliffs.jpg

cliffs 2.jpg

dirt froml tunnel.jpg

folkstone harbor.jpg

folkstone.jpg

more harbor.jpg

most of the way up.jpg

part of cresant.jpg

promanade.jpg

Victorian water lift.jpg

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11 July

Bruges to Lille via train
Lille to Calais via train
Calais to Dover via fast boat

Such is the plan as of this writing. This will be the first time for us on French rail so we do not as yet know the system.

It takes more than a lifetime to know " the system of the world".

Arrived without incident except we had to wait for the next car bus truck four deck ferry as there was no room for our bikes on the one we booked. No room. Could not talk our way on.

Dover is a town of long faded glory. Everything is run down and need of a lift. The hotel bed sags almost to the floor but has a spectacular view if you ignore the cracked concrete on the balcony. Three star Best Western for 4 to 5 star continental prices.

The tourist brochure describes the pier walk, we biked in that way, as "virtually untouched since the day it was built". We concur and admire the real estate speak.

The white cliffs are indeed spectacular. Lots of beaches in this area. No sun, cold, typical British beach weather.

Pics from window and hotel front.

leaving Bruges.jpg

Lille France.jpg

view from hotel room.jpg

faded.jpg

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10 July

A rainy day with good walking around the periphery canals and smaller streets.

We leave the continent in the morning. Off to Dover via Calais.

Just a few pics today with more to come on flickr, to be posted when we next get a net connection.

The celebration party is just that. Bands and loud music and a good deal of dancing. A dancing fest. No particular occasion except, possibly, to wish is well on the final leg, or so we were told. Further research. Instead of asking the locals, two of them, about the festival we did some research. 11 July 1887!

It is a two part occassion. 11 July is the date of a medieval battle, 1302, fought in Bruges and won against the the king of France, read Burgendy. The year is the year of the flemish flag. The political part of the fest is a separatist movement. The music seems to reflect the politics. Folk songs, some with familiar melodies.

The pictured frites stand
has a long history. Very good crispy frites. Written up in the top 10 things to do book. I had them on my previous visit and both times they were perfect.

Le vrai waffel.jpg

frites since 1881.jpg

a continental Fairwell.jpg

more festival.jpg

wine and melons desert.jpg

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7 July

Short ride to Bruges but QB's stomach was not in top form. Rich foods?? So, we took the train for the 35 km or so.

Belgian trains are by far the worst we have seen for bikes. All trains, even the IC take bikes. Six bikes in random locations. Three different cars. Need to lift them up to a platform raised higher than passenger level. Conductor helps, reluctantly.

Then fill out a bike tag with information. Card is punched but they do not bother to take the info part. Tried not filling it out. Nope.

So I ask why are the trains so unfriendly to bikes. Lots of bikes here. Ah, the railroad wants you to rent bikes available at all, well many, stations.

The city is quite crowded. The shops are busy. There are chocolate shops and tea shops and cookies from Narbonne and more and more and more of the same.

Are cookies like bread in that the locallity of baking is critical? Ship cookies from Narbonne every day? A selection of 15 types each day. The large shop sells only cookies from Narbonne. Artisunal. My question is whether they could make in Bruges a cookie that was, taste wise, indistinguishable?

Welcoming was by the northwest Mississippi youth choral singing at the Dom. Fresh from two performances in Paris and finishing in Amsterdam at the Dom. Spirtuals and other church music in English. Very very very clean cut with angelic voices especially in a high vaulted Gothic.

Dinner of moules frite again. QB took it lighter with spaghetti. Not the best time to have a digestive problem.

Pictures of dinner and the cookies, yes the cookies are on flickr. Other pics too.

Moin

tea and waffels.jpg

choral.jpg

tapsstries in Dom.jpg

cookies.jpg

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6 July

The road to Gent is not well marked. No destinations on the signs only route numbers. The map that we purchased with the route numbers was often wrong. The system of roads and marking is very primstice compared to Germany or Holland.

I asked a rider why Belgium has not developed the bike tourism business. Oh, we are always at least 10 years behind. Why I ask. It is the two languages (two cultures) of the government.

Good bakery on the road. A real surprise. Stopped and had them make some good sandwiches and supply a fine apple bread.

Arrived to a festival. The opening of the river Schadle for swimming. Lots of smimmers and speeches by politicians. Cute swim costumes.

Walked the city and got a slice of some cake?? Made of gingerbread. Flour eggs milk sugar mollasses ginger naked in a casserole round stoneware. Have not yet eaten it.

Many fine medieval buildings, see Wikipedia. Especially liked castle pictured.

Parsley was nicely fried in the salade portion of the shrimp croquettes, just right. A good standard set for Bobby. My regional beef stew in a beer reduction sauce accompanied by perfect Frites. Ah, good to be within the influence of French cooking.

Hope to upload flickr pics, including a very good dinner captured by QB, tommorow.

Moin

atherton like.jpg

decoration done right.jpg

Gent fest.jpg

gent square.jpg

route Belgique.jpg

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This time with the pics

beer sample.jpg

cameras in market.jpg

De Valk.jpg

moules.jpg

real Belgian waffel.jpg

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5 July

This is the non-photo posting as we have a good net connection here. Will
upload the flickr pics later and include the cell phone pics later as well.

Perfect wandering Saturday in this city of large diversity. Just a pleasure
to see the mixture of cultures, countries, racial types, languages, foods of
course. This feels like a cosmopolitan European city, some thing we could
not say for much of our trip, with the obvious exceptions of Vienna and
Hamburg. The other big cities were interesting in their own ways but not as
cosmopolitan in feel.

Did the requisite visit to the big Dom, walked the old city, visited the
local stores, ate a Belgium waffle (they are everywhere, seeming to be more
prevalent than even the frites with mayo), visited the Saturday market and
sampled the wares. At a Turkish booth we bought what we can only describe
as a soft biscotti shaped like a roll and covered with little pieces of
almond on the outside. Could not understand the Turkish word he used so we
just bought it to try; good.

One severe weakness is the bread. The rolls for breakfast would have been
discarded in Germany. Good breakfast in the same style as Germany just
without and good rolls and only a few types of darker breads. When we
strolled the city we did not find any bread shops; in every German local
there was a bread shop within a radius of 100m, we visited 1247 of them (yes
I kept count).

Off to eat Moules Frites, pictures to follow.

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