Funny moments

Travel always involves humourous moments - some intentional, some not. I thought we'd list a few of the funnier moments from our trip here:

• At the hotel in Paris, asking the desk clerk about internet cafes. She had no idea what we meant, until: "Internet? Internet? Ohhh, een-tair-net!" Apparently our French accent was off!
  
  
• The urinals in Verdun (see picture above).
  
  
• CrustyBill trying to subtly take the bartender's picture - over his shoulder - in Luxembourg.
  
  
• The big asparagus statues by the side of the road. Asparagus in Germany is white. Yeah, it looked a bit.... odd.
  
  
• Being unable to work the luggage lockers not once, but twice, in Belgium. We don't do well with Belgian lockers. Not funny then, but a little perspective helps!
  
  
• That huge Hoegaarden glass in Brussels! It was more like a bucket!
  
  
• That darn tour train! It kept following us.... and it never stopped! Where did it come from?!?!? -cb
  

Wow, I'm glad I lugged that home!

As you may already know, we stopped by Cantillon Brewery For anyone that is a beer lover, especially of Lambic style beers, this tour is a must when visiting Brussels. The process they use to make their beers is more like wine making, some of their beers taking up to 5 years to age in oak barrels. The taste is more bitter/sour, but very good and not as rich and sugary as the more corporate Lambics styles. The self-guided tour was excellent, we liked the tasting the best! At the end we decided to bring home 3 beers each, costing us about 11 bucks for each three pack. Last weekend I went to a bar that actually carried Cantillon (they have small distribution in the States), and I could have bought one bottle there for... 24 bucks! Holy Schmloley! Looks like I'm gonna be going back to Brussels with an empty suitcase!

Decompression

Just so you know, we definitely aren't done posting stuff about the trip. We did see some cool historical things we would like to talk about more, as well as post some photos and video of the trip. We're also adding in links to previous posts that we didn't have time to add while on the road.

It was really cool to see some of the place our grandfather might have seen, even if they look a lot different from when he was there. The museum in Diekirch is a must for any WWII buffs.

And oh yea, I made it home safe and sound yesterday. Thanks to Megabus! (Only 8 bucks, can't beat that!)

Team Crusty's Europe Tour: By the Numbers

Days traveling: 9
Cities visited: 11
Legs traveled by air: 5
Legs traveled by train: 6
Legs traveled by bus: 2
Legs traveled by car: 4
Legs: 4
Miles flown: 8895
Miles travelled via land: oh, I can't add that high!!!!
(over 1,250 km/780 miles - cb)
Miles travelled by foot: a whole heck of a lot
Beers (types) consumed: 20?
Beers brought home: 9
Waffles consumed by CrustyBill: 17
Frites consumed: 10 lbs.
Museums visited: 4
Pictures taken: 100+
Video taped: 2.5+ hours
Notre Dames visited: 3
Postcards mailed: 40

Team Crusty's European Tour Concludes

Well folks, Team Crusty has made it home (I think - more on that in a minute). We had a lovely afternoon and evening in Brussels, taking in sights, beer and waffles (I think CrustyBill had about 20!). We wrapped up the day with a beer on a restaurant patio in the town square, which was a tad chilly but beautiful.

No hitches getting to the airport or on our first flight yesterday... but after hanging out in JFK for 5 hours we ran into the curse that is O'Hare and bad weather. Our flight was delayed, eventually leaving at 10 pm and arriving in Chicago at 11 pm Central. Of course everyone else's flights had been delayed as well so there was an obscenely long line at the cab stand! Ah well, thank godness for CTA. We got to Polkagrl's apartment at 12:30 a.m., 24 hours after stepping out of the Hilton in Brussels.

Although Polkagrl was home, CrustyBill still had a ways to go, and after catching some zzzs headed to Union Station to try the new Megabus service to Milwaukee. Hopefully all went smoothly!

Glad to be home and have the chance to reflect on this fantastic trip. We saw so much that some of it has not yet sunk in! It definitely was a blast.

whew!

Brussels is great, lots of fantastic shops throughout the city. CrustyBill had a chicken sausage/frenchfry sandwich and Polkagrl had frites with mayonnaise for lunch. And of course.... beer.
Went to a brewery tour in the morning of Cantillon brewery, very nice place with delicious beer. Sad that the trip is ending soon... but don't fret, more is to come!
p.s. we are also bringing home some goodies, including..... beer!

Beer, glorious beer

Liege was a busy city. We walked a LOT around this crowded city. CrustyBill got his Gaufre (waffles), Polkagrl got her crepes with Nutella, both had a wonderful (large) apple tart and of course beer.

Liege wasn't too picturesque but there was a lot to see...

For dinner, we had a humungous sausage and onion sandwich with a beer on the street and then grabbed the train to Brussels. Our hotel was small, but nice... and close to some more beer and the pee pee guy (a.k.a. Manneken Pis).

Au revoir, le car

After another delicious breakfast of rolls, cheese, eggs, meat, and Nutella, Team Crusty hit the highway for their last drive in Europe. We arrived in Liege ahead of schedule and easily found the former hospital of the U.S. Army (now a school). Then it was off to the train station to store luggage, Hertz to return the car, and an internet cafe to.... POST THESE ENTRIES! (We have been desperately missing our Internet fix!)

Now that we are back to transport by foot & train, we are off to have a beer....

Alten Kirchen, Neuen Kirchen (old church, new church)

Had a wonderful German breakfast on the morning of the 14th. We left and headed onto the autobahn to Koln. Woohoo! Ed was hung over so CrustyBill drove. Landed in Koln around 10:30 and headed to der Dom, a huge, 700 year old church. absolutely gorgeous. Climbed the stairs (almost) to the top! Lunch was at a Brewery Beerhall, which was excellent even tho we weren't hungry. (picture to come) We didnt stay too long as we had to head north to Neuenkirchen around 3. Got there a few hours later and we were so happy to find it! We went to the distillery where Iggy and his company would sneak some drinks. It's expanded and still brewing. This was the best dinner yet, could not finish it all. Polkagr talked with the owner of the place (in German! I want credit for holding a conversation in German! -pg) and he took us to where the actual distillery and sold us a bottle for Iggy. Definitely the highlight of the trip. Drove back late and crashed in the hotel around midnight. Liege and Brussels next!

Hollenfels to Aachen

Driving from Luxembourg city to Hollefels turned out to be quite an adventure... adjusting to the local road marker system at night truly tested Team Crusty's navigation abilities! Luckily Crusty Bill is not averse to asking directions, and we made it to the hostel with 10 minutes to spare (whew!).

We had a yummy breakfast in the morning and took lots of pictures and video of Hollenfels Castle, which was literally right next door to the hostel. (more pics & video to come....)

We set off for stop #1 of the day, Diekirch. The scenery on the way was gorgeous - hilly and very green. Diekirch turned out to be an adorable little town, so we walked around a bit before heading to the museum. The museum was HUGE and there was so much to see, it took us almost 2 hours to get through. We had a tasty lunch afterwards!

From Diekirch we headed to Bastogne for a beer stop, where Polkagrl had an interesting beer glass, and to see the monument and museum there. After Diekirch, this museum was a bit anticlimatic (but still very interesting). We climbed to the top of the memorial, which gave us a great view of the area. Afterwards, it was off to Aachen!

Luxembourging

We walked all over the city of Luxembourg today (literally!) and picked up our car for the next few days. We got an upgrade to a Ford Focus (not the kind in the US). We had some great food (lots of wurst for CrustyBill) and great beer today.... even an NA on accident! People are nice and MUCH easier to understand... although the tourist office could use some help!

We're heading to Hollenfels for the hostel as soon as I sign off... Our feets are so tired and ready for a car ride.

The Wurst Day

In Luxembourg today, got up super early, nice train ride though.... and still a full day ahead. No internet in Verdun, so we're catching up!

Verdun That

Woke up and had a great breakfast at the hotel. Afterwards walked to get bakery treats for our trip to Luxembourg tomorrow. Visited the Citadel, which was pretty amazing from WWI. We had lunch from a bakery of cheese and bread for Bill and quiche for Cheryl, how can you go wrong with that? Visited Verdun's famous almond candy factory in the afternoon after we got our train tix. The tour was all in French, so we learned they make stuff there.

Had some beers along the Meuse river and then dinner at the restaurant next to the Hotel in the back patio. It would have been romantic if we weren't brother and sister! Early train in the morning so after a short post-dinner walk, we hit the sack!

Verdun There

We did have some great duck and wine in Paris for dinner...

Left Paris early and grabbed some bread, cheese and meat for the train. The train went as far as Châlon-en-Champagne and then we switched to a bus to Verdun. Arrived in Verdun around 3 pm and grabbed a room at the first hotel we saw. Walked around town, very nice, hard to imagine this town saw so much conflict. Had a wonderful dinner of steak and ham and a dessert I dont know how to pronounce. Went to the microbrewery till midnight and had some excellent French beer. (Ed and G.Nome got a bit too rowdy at the bar.)

Everyone has been incredibly nice and accommodating to our poor language skills. Thank goodness for that, as very few people speak English here!

Wet and French

After 12 hours in planes and airports we left for France, in Business Class! WOOHOO!

We arrived to a wet Paris at 9:30. After getting a hotel we trekked around the city in a drizzle, to see Notre Dame, the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Arch de Triumph (from a distance) and too much coffee. More Paris and on to Verdun tomorrow. Ed and G.Nome are starting to get too comfortable with each other.....

Yawn!

Ok, so we're leaving a bit earlier... which is probably okay since I was planning to get up earlier to lessen the jet lag. We leave for the airport in about an hour and we're on our way! Woohoo!

Yep, Crusty Bill, one week!

Looks like Crusty Bill and PolkaGrl are on the same wavelength - hopefully this bodes well for the trip!

Team Crusty wants to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has given us support (moral, immoral, and otherwise) in this endeavor. We're not going to do any shout-outs here, just a general note of appreciation - you know who you are. Well, maybe we'll do official Team Crusty sponsorship labels on our luggage. Like NASCAR cars. Ha ha I think Bill will kill me if I ask him to do any more artwork before we leave!!!!

Which reminds me, I wonder if my official t-shirt is ready or if I should adjust the t-shirt count for packing? And is one pair of shoes per day too many? We are taking a sherpa with us, right? Right?

What? One Week!

Holy Schmoley! It's down to wire now. I've never been gone this long and I'm trying to make sure I get everything done. I am also learning fast how to pack a lot of stuff into a teeny bag. Need enough room left over to bring back goodies of course! (but then that's what the mail and the magical expanding duffel bag are for!) We're planning to meet our friends from Germany, Heike and Andre probably in Aachen, so that should be fun. Although I will definitely get picked on for my German not getting any better. Also, it's very comforting know we can contact the Team Crusty Support Crew (Marcia) if we run into any trouble!

I think we're almost ready!