Bonjour!

Today is the first day I am to fend for myself in Belgium!  Dustin woke me up on his way to work this morning to say goodbye.  It is a bit surreal...  I felt like it was every other morning that he use to wake me up before heading off to work, but once I woke up myself, I realized this was much different.  Here I am this little southern girl trapped in a big foreign world!


You might say the past few months have been a bit busy, but I would say they have been a whole lotta crazy!!!  Dustin came home to New Orleans to "celebrate Christmas, " which really involved running around like chickens with our heads cut off.  Finding time to pack, purchase all of my American essentials, and say goodbye to everyone.

Waiting to take our first
train ride from
Mons to Brussels

We arrived in Brussels on December 29th and spent the day preparing for our New Years London Adventure.  Our plan was to take the bus with the SHAPE tour group to London the next morning, but of course we both overslept and missed the bus.  Which meant for a morning of frantically getting ready and looking up train tickets.  About an hour later we were in the Mons Train Station, right down the road from our apartment, boarding a train to Brussels.

Sam's Cafe in the Brussels
Train Station

There was some trouble with our tickets from Brussels to London, so as Dustin sorted everything out at the customer service desk, I took the opportunity to stop at the cafe and get a cappuccino.  I was quite excited to see Sam's Cafe... reminded me of our sweet little Sammy still at home.  Dustin met me there and we both chugged our cappuccinos and headed through customs to board the train.  We both fell asleep for a quick nap, waking up on London!

Black Taxis!

The station was beautiful especially knowing the relief of making it to London.  Upon first impression, I was in love with the city!  It reminds me of a classy, more beautiful New York City, and I was relieved to be in a country that spoke English!  Now don't get me wrong, I do love New York, but let's face it the Black Taxis are much nicer than the Yellow Cabs, the Underground is much cleaner than the Subway, and the famous local pubs are much more fun than pretentious night clubs.  I was in awe for the entire taxi ride from the train station as I compiled a long to-do list in my head.


Much to our surprise, we arrived just after the rest of the group.  Our rooms were not ready yet, so we left the hotel to grab a quick lunch with Dustin's co-worker, John, his wife, Amy, and their two boys, Austin and Seth.  We were on a mission to try fish and chips!  Let's just say a restaurant with Indian servers who speak little English, is not quite the best place to try the famous British dish!

Winter Wonderland in
Hyde Park

After arriving back in our hotel, we freshened up and went out to see the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park.  The walk was much longer than Dustin and I had anticipated and I was definitely not wearing the correct shoes.  So we made a few stops at some shops as well as the Victoria & Albert Museum.  The museum was absolutely amazing.  I took in as much as I could as we briskly walked all four floors to catch a quick glimpse at everything!  Then it was back in the cold rain to Hyde Park.  The Winter Wonderland was not as exciting as the Christmas Markets we had visited while I was in Europe for Thanksgiving, but a few glasses of mulled wine, hot spiced cider, and a freshly made crepe made it well worth our time.  We also purchased a bottle of honey liquor which I can't wait to try in a glass of hot tea.


The lady at the honey stand recommended we go down to Picadilly Circus, so of course we started walking that way.  It would have been much better if we had taken the Underground, but of course we had a bit of liquid lubrication and thought our feet could withstand the walk.  Sore feet and cold rain led to a grumpy couple!  I was not too impressed with Picadilly Circus as I prefer the more historic, less commercial sites.  It is simply a British Time Square, and once you see it there is really not much left to see!  By this time I definitely had to find somewhere to eat.  I knew if I was hungry, Dustin was on the verge of becoming hangy (so hungry he becomes angry)!  Somehow we ended up in China Town and the number of buffets were very unappealing.  About thirty minutes later Dustin had already hit his end and luckily we found a nice, neither over priced nor China-buffet, restaurant.  We sat at the bar and had some scotch and wine accompanied by grilled octopus & potato salad, salmon, and veal ravioli.

The Victoria Memorial
in front of Buckingham Palace

Our happy, full bellies and once again liquid lubricated bodies decided we would walk back to the hotel.   As if the blisters under my toes were not enough of a fore-warning!  We did some site seeing on the long walk back (our excuse for being lost!).  We walked down the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk to the Victoria Memorial, around Buckingham Palace, to a few different pubs, back to the Victoria & Albert Museum, and finally (about an hour later) to the hotel!  My feet were so swollen, Dustin had to help me get my boots off!  We both elevated our feet for the night and were asleep before our heads hit the pillow!

Dustin & I with one of the Police
Officers in front of Buckingham Palace

The next morning we ate breakfast at the hotel restaurant and made a quick Starbucks run before boarding the Underground to Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guards.  The site was amazing, people filled the circle all hoping to get a glance of the ceremony.  Somehow Dustin and I were able to wiggle our way to the front gate of the palace for a fairly close view.  Dustin hoisted me on his shoulders so I could get pictures.  The music playing from the marching band was so entertaining and much more relaxed than I had anticipated.  By the end of the ceremony, we were able to shimmy our way to the gate to get some really close up pictures.  I also made Dustin wait to take a picture with one of the police men.  They are like celebrities to all of the tourists.  There was a large line of people waiting to get a quick pic with each of the police officers.  They are so kind and patient and the gentleman offered us some great advice for our New Years Eve celebrations to come later that night.

Dustin in front of Big Ben

We then met up with John, Amy and the boys to make our way to Westminster.  We took the Underground to see Big Ben, which is absolutely a site.  As soon as you walk up the steps, Big Ben is right in front of you!  We spent some time enjoying the view of the Parliament Building, Thames River, and the London Eye, before venturing to Westminster.  The buildings and views were amazing.  I have to say Westminster Abbey was my absolute favorite!  We wanted to take a tour, but the boys were all hungry and I definitely have learned my lesson about making boys wait for food!

Our View for Lunch

We walked back across Westminster bridge and ate at a nice Chinese restaurant next to the London Eye.  Our view for lunch was breathtaking and we were able to see them begin the set-up for the fireworks show later that night. I definitely enjoyed the European lunch, which always takes at least an hour and a half... the break was well needed.


After lunch we took the underground to the London Tower and the Tower Bridge.  All of the history was so interesting and once again everything was beautiful.  We left there quickly in order to make it to the London Bridge.  After a short Underground ride, we stopped in a small corner store to ask for directions to the bridge.  The store clerk chuckled and pointed to a small, plain, old bridge and said "there's the London Bridge!"  Supposedly, the bridge has been burnt down so many times that there is nothing impressing left to see about it.

Happy New Year!

Then it was off to the hotel for a quick nap and to get ready to count down to 2012.  We ate at the pub down the street so we could finally have some good fish and chips... and they were delish!  Amy and John then met up with us to go to the famous Prince of Whales Pub to celebrate.  The pub owner was so kind, greeting us at the door and wishing us a happy New Year.  We enjoyed beer, champagne, and Pimm's as well as some awesome American music (yes that is one thing we have better in the states!).  We tried to see the fireworks, but the buildings were blocking our view, so we opted for a television view!  It really was a nice night and it was wonderful getting to know John and Amy better.

Tea at Harrods

We went back to Westminster the next day to catch part of the New Years Day Parade.  We were right where they film the parade for television.  I was so excited when the first person they talked to was from New Orleans!  After about three groups, we had enough of the parade and weighing the time we had left, we decided to skip riding the London Eye and take the Underground to Harrods for afternoon tea!


Harrods was absolutely breathtaking!  I was like a kid in a candy store!   I wanted to see everything but the large crowds and limited time led us to hurry up to the Georgian Restaurant.  We enjoyed some tea, a wonderful beet and goat beignet salad, squash salad, smoked salmon, and pistachio creme brulee!

Sammy Merchandise

We walked off the delicious meal throughout the store, trying to see as much as possible.  we found a large assortment of "Sammy Stuff" which I immediately fell in love with, of course, and I also purchased my cookbook souvenir.  The merchandise and displays in the store made it feel more like a museum.  It was the best of the best of absolutely everything you could think of!  I really hated to go, but we did have a bus to catch.

Pimm's & Lemonade at the
St James Bar

Once again we had to take the Underground to the other side of the city to get to the Sofitel Hotel, were the bus was to pick us up.  We made a quick stop to get Dustin's souvenir shot glass, and rushed to the hotel.  For some reason the bus was about twenty minutes late so we stopped in the St James Bar for one last Pimm's & Lemonade... Yummy!


Then it was onto the bus for a long ride back to Belgium.  I was able to talk to my dad and wish him a happy birthday, which made my day!  It was definitely a reality check as I realize I will not be able to be home for all of the special days like that one.  It is hard to be away from my family but their love and support are the only reason I am where I am today.

Dustin's Scary Face in the Chunnel

A Nicer Picture in the Chunnel

Our bus ride did include a unique experience on the chunnel.  The process of loading the bus into a sort of train car to be shot under the water, was a little scary to say the least.  We were able to get off the bus for a quick potty break and really experience this chunnel thing!  Everything was pretty wet and kind of gross but it was crazy to think about the technology and work that went into building this transportation!


The bus dropped us off at SHAPE and we took a cab back to to the apartment, were I once again battled with this time change thing!  I stayed up all night, so both Dustin and I slept until noon the next day.


Now I am waiting for Dustin to get off work so we can go to the base and buy some cleaning supplies.  You can definitely tell a bachelor has been living in this apartment for the past few months!  I am sure this will be an interesting experience to share with you tomorrow!


While it was exhausting our London trip was my first, once in a lifetime experience from this move.  It is still all new to me, and a bit overwhelming.  I feel so grateful to be here, yet so scared and homesick.  I can't wait for the new adventures and experiences each day brings and look forward to sharing it with you.


I know this will be a trying time for me as well as Dustin and I.  As if a tight budget, moving in together, and living in a foreign country aren't all challenges in themselves!  My hope is that I will continue to learn more about myself and to grow through my time here.  I could not do this without the love, support, and prayers of everyone back home.  I hope this leap of faith I am taking will motivate and inspire someone else to do the same, to experience life, and to challenge themselves to do something new!   Cheers to 2012, and all the adventures it promises to bring!!!