Liam and I

Well Dave had to go back to the states and guess who’s here taking care of his puppy!  Yep, me!  I’ve had some good days and some not so good days.  Now I know as I write this everyone will probably have suggestions for me to break some of his habits.  That’s fine…I’ll try what I can.

I found out that Liam is a stone eater, yes the gross way – and the only place we have close to the apartment for him to go potty is covered in stones!  And don’t even go on the internet to see how to break the habit – all you read are horror stories of puppy's and dog’s consequences of eating stones.  So he had me worried for a day or so.  I think we’re in the clear for now since I am keeping him away from those areas.  Since that is the case, I have been taking him to the closest grassy area, which is about 3 blocks away, every morning about 6:45.  That would be fine if he would walk on a leash!  I am having the darnedest time getting him to walk on a leash so half of the way I am carrying him – aaannnddd he’s not supposed to go up and down stairs and we live on the third floor – yep, more carrying!  I guess I won’t have to lift weights for a while.  When we get to the grassy area I drop the leash and he’s pretty good at coming to me or following me but once we get back on the sidewalk, yep, sit down and watch the world go by.  Yes, I’ve tried treats, I’ve tried using a stern voice, I’ve tried just “good boy” – the only time I can get him to follow me on the sidewalk is if I let the leash go and he walks behind me and then there has to be treats every block or so.  I only do this on the back streets where there is no traffic!  If someone has a miracle answer, let me know!

One of my friends here suggested that I put his potty pad out on our balcony so he relates going potty with outdoors since I can’t rush him out of the house every half hour to go.  I was hesitant at first because we weren’t letting him in the bedroom but then thought I might as well give it a try – better out there than in the house.  I tried it a couple days ago and he seemed to really like it out there – I decided I would feed him out there and then leave him to do his business since that is usually when he does it.  It went well and when he got done he lied down and took a nap.  Yesterday wasn’t quite as successful.  Today has been really good.

Today, after the morning walk, breakfast and a little play time, Liam and I went out onto the balcony – it was cold out, still ice on his water, but the sun was beating down onto the balcony, there was no wind and it was just delightful to sit out there.  Liam had some toys and a chewy that kept him occupied and I started a new book.

The new book I’m reading – I’m not sure why I chose it when I downloaded it onto my Kindle, I think because I like stories set in England and Scotland – but just getting into the beginning of it made me think.  It’s called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  It’s a book of letters written in the 1940s mainly between a young writer and her publisher with other letters in between.  What fascinated me today while reading – mind you on a Kindle – is her fascination with books and bookshops.  Now I really enjoy the compactness, the ease of reading and all the “extra” features that my Kindle offers me but I don’t want to lose that fascination and inspiration you get from a real book or a real bookshop – the feel and look of both.  Reading this writer’s letters and her deep love of her books made me really think.  I have a friend in the states that always amazes me with her knowledge of varied subjects and I know she is just one of these people that loves her books.  I’m sure there are many of you out there with this same love of books or maybe of some other medium but this is just one that I hope we never lose.

Hugs to all.

P.S.  Oh yeah and I think he has doubled in size in the past week!

Ghent, Belgium

What a beautiful, inspiring city to see...I loved it, would recommend visiting it and would like to go back.  It is a no car city centrum so you do not need to worry about looking out for a cars and only an occasional bicyclist.  Walking through the small streets, looking at the architecture and listening to the bells chime – yes, it is one of those European villages that you see on TV.

Dave and I left Amsterdam early Saturday morning and drove to Ghent – about a 2 hour drive.  Dave had asked for early check-in at the Marriott and so we were able to put our bags in our room when we got there and tend to a few personal things after the drive.  J  I have to say we did not have the best weather – very windy, cloudy and cool – but we didn’t mind it at all.  Dave had visited Ghent on a previous trip and knew I would be totally awestruck by the quaintness, beauty and history surrounding this village.  We ventured out and began walking through the streets.

 

The first place we decided to explore was the Sint-Baafskathedraal translated St. Bavo's Cathedral which, to me, was as amazing as Notre Dame in Paris and is also the home of the 24-panel altarpiece titled The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb painted by the brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck.  I enjoyed viewing the altarpiece but the ornamentation in this cathedral was absolutely beautiful and then going down into the crypt where there were original frescos still on the arched ceilings captivated me.  The history is fascinating where the original structure on the site was a wooden church dedicated to St. John in 942.  It was replaced by a Romanesque church in 1038 which parts have survived in the crypt.  Construction on the new Gothic church began in the early 14th century and continued for about two hundred years.  I could have walked around in there for a much longer time but there were other places to see!

 

After the cathedral Dave and I stopped to have a sandwich and some delicious cauliflower soup.  We then went to the Gravensteen Castle translated to Castle of the Counts.  If you have never been in a castle and have only seen them in movies, like me, oh my goodness, what an experience!  More amazement for me!  The Gravensteen was constructed around 1177-1178 by Fillips of Alsasse who was count of Flanders.  I just loved going through each of the rooms and up the spiral staircases.  They also had weapons, torture equipment and a guillotine on display – what a barbaric time.  Movies make it look so romantic but when you see these things in person and also realize that in the dead of winter that castle was not so warm – you then can only visualize and imagine what that life must have been like.  We live in a very cushy and spoiled life – and we complain when the dishwasher doesn’t work or the cable went out!  I’ve decided we are a bunch of whiners!  How much more so we should be thankful each day for how blessed we are.

Dinner Restaurant

We then did some more walking around the village but darkness and the wind and cold were getting to be a little much so we headed back to the hotel room to rest for a bit.  After our rest, we went to a restaurant just across the canal from our hotel.  Dave had eaten at it before on a business trip and knew that I would enjoy it.  We had not made a reservation but they were able to put us at one of the bar's high-top tables which was still delightful.  And can I just say YUM!  The best sea bass and risotto topped with an arugula salad I have ever eaten.  My husband knows me well. 

After dinner Dave wanted to check out this tiny bar that he and some the guys had been to and show it to me.  Belgium and Holland are both known for their liquor called Jenever – I’ve been told it’s the same as Gin but it sure doesn’t taste like the Gin we have in the states.  The man that owns this little bar makes his own Jenever in many flavors and that is all he serves so Dave asked him what he would recommend for an after-dinner aperitif.  He brought us a small glass of his 14 year old Jenever that he makes.  Now I am not a big drinker but I must say this was tasty in a small dose.  However, while sitting there more and more people were coming in and ordering what looked like a creamy, tan colored Jenever.  So I asked Dave if he would find out what it was – he brought me back a glass (all are served in a shot glass size) – it was this gentleman’s homemade Belgian Chocolate Jenever.  Can I say it was the best dessert I’ve ever had.

If that wasn’t enough, we had dessert waiting for us in our hotel room also.  On our walk around the village we came across a place called Julie’s House which had a window full of homemade cakes, tarts and sweets – we purchased a couple of pieces – Tiramisu and a Flourless Chocolate Tart – no need to explain the taste!  We went to bed very full!



The following morning we took another walk to get our last little view of the village.  This is when Dave recorded the bells ringing that some of you probably heard on our Facebook pages.  After checking out of the hotel we drove over to a little town called Sint Denijs Westrem about 20 minutes away to the home of one Taylor’s new employees.  We had an absolutely delightful time with Frank and his family enjoying homemade pumpkin soup with crusty bread and cheese and just getting to know each other better.  A wonderful ending to a wonderful weekend adventure.



Belgian Work Horses