The Randalls arrived in Europe by sea. Above, you can see a rare photo of John in formal ware aboard the QE2.
The Weather in Belgium
Everyone told the Randalls that the weather in Belgium sucked.
They were expecting every day to be cold, gray, overcast, and raining.
It turns out that there are days like that, and when they happen they are
expected and no big deal. It also turns out that the sun comes out and
there are some beautiful days in Belgium as well. These are real treats
since they were not expected.
The Randalls live in Overijse (pronounced over-rise) on the east side of Brussels. They are renting a house there that is made of sticks and rocks. The location is near ideal. They are walking distance from their bank, a video store, a hardware store, AND (very important) a PIZZA HUT and McDONALDS. It takes John about 25 minutes to get to IMEC which is in Leuven. Happily John is heading away from Brussels in the morning and towards Brussels in the evening, the opposite of most of the traffic.
In Texas the Randalls owned Swedish cars, (Volvo and Saab) so in Europe
they own a Ford and a Toyota. Go figure. The Ford is a station wagon equipped
with a cage in the back to hold the family fur dispenser Max. John bought
an old Toyota that was previously owned by a little old man who only drove
it to the beer garden on Thursday nights.
Overijse is not much of a tourist attraction. But many wonders are short distance away. To the west of Brussels, just over an hour from our house is the Beautiful Medieval City of Brugge. We visited there in the winter and were admiring the view from the top of the 13th Century Belfry that dominates the City when it started to snow. We plan to go back to the city when the weather is warmer and we can ride in boats on the canals. (Been there. Done that.)
Even closer to us than Brugge is Gent. There are several Catherdrals that could each take days to explore. Of the castles we have seen so far, the 10th Century castle Gravesteen in Gent is the most awesome. Most of the castle is still standing. The Castle keep is a huge room with a fireplace large enough to roast an ox. The classic castle walls have many archers slits and several special seats so that one could relive oneself directly into the moat. The dungeon had a museum, complete with implements of torture.
Travelling in Europe:
Trier, Germany: The first place outside of Belgium that we went was Trier Germany. It was just a weekend trip. A 3 hour car ride that passed through Luxemborg got us there. Trier is the oldest city in Germany and was settled by the Romans in 16AD. A Massive City gate (Porta Negra) constructed by the Romans still stands in the middle of the town along with an Ampitheater, Imperial Baths, and a few other Roman ruins. The Mosel river runs through the town. To see more about Trier press here.