Our Moosey's Belgium Experience.

3 Jul '07 1:52 am

I am right now returning from Mary's/Moosey's latest Journal : "Holiday 2- Europe"!! I just feel the need to express my deep gratitude for all those warm comments concerning our garden!!

Thank you, our Mary/Moosey!! Our garden and all of us have been SO happy seeing you again walking among the garden borders! We have all been SO delighted and honoured having you with us!!

Concerning the Brugge/Bruges experience, we had the great chance that it was not raining that day!And the very bad luck that it was a weekend , and the beautiful city was packed by foreign and local tourists...

Those smoking old ladies Mary refers to in her Journal, belonged actually, to a whole tourist group of smokers, men and women! We were peacefully having lunch at the central beautiful Square of the city, when suddenly, all these talkative and loud people arrived! They were standing in front of our restaurant tables, and started smoking at once!! They were talking loudly a strange language, which was neither Dutch, nor French, nor English or something easily comprehensible...Mary was so funnily annoyed by them!!..It was a tragicomic experience, really...

Concerning the beautiful Cathedral we visited, where Michelangelo's Madonna is found , is called Our Lady. I personally feel a deep tenderness and admiration for this great work by Michelangelo, and I have the photo of Madonna in my little Nicholas' bedroom

Our Lady's Tower is 122 meters tall and can be seen from everywhere around. I personally feel a deep affection and respect for Our Lady's Cathedral!! Not just because it is a church, or a historical place , or a sort of museum ; but because , its energy it is really sacred, exactly the same with the one I feel being in The Chateau de La Hulpe (: its forests, lakes, pathways).I think, most of people in there perceive this sacred energy, and not even a whisper is normally heard!! Now, taking photos, I have not the slightest idea if it is permitted...

You can use this very interesting site, if you wish to know more about the beautiful Brugge/Bruges : http://www.trabel.com/brugge.htm

I will send you now some more photos of the Brugge/Bruges experience: they are taken while we were in the boat, except the Madonna's photo, which is found in my Nicholas' bedroom

3 Jul '07 4:14 am

I had a feeling there may have been "further adventures" during Moosey/Mary's stay. I know how she felt with the smoking hord off the bus. Well, actually I just remember all the years we non-smokers had to endure folks lighting up their after-dinner cigarette just as we were beginning ours. On planes, buses and in other closed spaces it was horrible. (My mother was a 2packsaday smoker who did not like us to open the window and have the wind muss her hair!) Now there are entire cities saying "not here".

3 Jul '07 8:22 am

3 Jul '07 8:51 am

Here in Belgium smoking is banned everywhere -- meaning public places , of course!!

I have NEVER smoked in my life, and I have suffered so very much (especially being pregnant) (!!) because of this --- in the way Mark describes --- when my paternal family members were ALL smokers , like ALL my colleagues at work!! I had once almost collapsed during a 3-hour long professional/meeting!! After this incident, my colleagues had arranged not to smoke simultaneously while we had meetings, but one by one, with at least, a window open....

3 Jul '07 9:20 am

We've begun planning a trip for next summer to the UK, mostly to look at gardens. This way everyone will have a year to get used to not smoking before we arrive. My own Lia smoked in her twenties before I knew her. When she got pregnant she stopped and hasn't had another in 30 years.

Liza, that sounds perfectly awful. The staff lounge at my school smelled like an ashtray whether or not anyone was smoking when I first started. Now you are not even allowed to smoke on the sidewalk infront of the school. Our last smoker left for another district just last year.

3 Jul '07 11:48 am

I had not realised that our Moosey's travelling journal was there,so thank you Liza for telling us.I have just been reading it,and laughing at the Moosey adventures.I adore the photos,and really appreciated the ones of Scotland-originally home of my family-* and Watt.Och aye!
Dixie.
Edited..my surname was starred out,O dear...It is my forum name plus 'son'.

4 Jul '07 8:21 am

[quote="Mark"]We've begun planning a trip for next summer to the UK, mostly to look at gardens. This way everyone will have a year to get used to not smoking before we arrive.

Contrary to media expectations, the enclosed-spaces smoking ban has gone very smoothly since day one, at least in Ireland Wales and Scotland. I deal with tourist/visitors all the time and have yet to hear a complaint/grouse about smoking restrictions; it's all been positive as bars, eating places and pubs are so much cleaner and pleasanter to be in.

Janet.

6 Jul '07 5:46 am

My Great Great Grandmother came to America through Belgium. I've always wanted to go over and try to search our family back.
Too bad about the smokers....I'd have had to move, as I'm extremely allergic to it Smile

Our Moosey's Belgium Experience.

Our Moosey's Belgium Experience.

Thanks Liza for filling us in.

Re: Thanks Liza for filling us in.

Smoking...

That is timely good news, Janet.

Mooseys journal

Re: That is timely good news, Janet.

what a fabulous trip that must be!