Friday, July 23, 2010

Brief pause on global excusions

The excursion commentary has been put on hold as I dive into a search engine optimization class. I find that my brain and body are worn out at the end of each day. Next week we will continue on to Antwerp and hear about lending someone a hand in the most painful way.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Bruges, Belgium

As with Sevilla in Spain, when in Belgium there is a different spelling. It's Brugge. Pronounced something like Brug-gah. I had the hardest time wrapping my tongue around the Flemish (Dutch) language. My lingual chameleon skills let me down when it came to this Germanic language.
Brugge is known as the Venice of the North. Beautiful.
I highly recommend taking the boat through the canals. There are steps but, they are wide runs with small rises and a hand rail on one side. I chose to plop my rear down and then swing my legs into the boat. Not the most dignified but, safe.
You will pass by a brewery with the yummiest beer in Belgium (if you don't like the sweet stuff), a 17th century hospital, homes of ambassadors, and one of the most painted bridges in Europe.
I had a lovely salad (so I had room for beer, chocolate and waffles) in Simon Stevin Square. The restaurant was housed in a building from the 15th century.
Use the restrooms located by Belfort tower(c1240). It does cost to use them but, the handicapped is large, clean and right by the entrance. If you don't choose to use the facilities here, you may be in for a spiral staircase climb in a restaurant or shop. Not fun. If beer is involved, do not get false courage and think you can do it. Trust me.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Got global followers?

Yep! With the addition of a couple of Aussies, gimpy guide is now followed globally. Thank you to those who have jumped through the hoops to fill out the google follow crud. Still catching up on blog posts from Spain and then on to Belgium. Not having internet on the road does make for much catching up on the return. Stay tuned. I may even figure out how to post some pics. Future adventures to include concerts, Canada and some new, alternative medical procedures. Ooooo-Ah...

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Beautiful Barcelona

Love Barcelona. If Madrid is the stuck-up mean girl from highschool, and Sevilla is the passionate and deep maybe not quite straight best guy friend who always looked fabulous, then Barcelona is the party girl who was nice and got along with everyone. While Barcelona doesn't have as much depth or passion as Sevilla ,it is a beautiful, busy port of call for Mediterranean cruise ships and almost anything goes.
It's smoother streets are easy to navigate. There are people from almost every country strolling the Rambla. There is an Irish Pub. Life is good.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Bar Jano and overview of Sevilla

Claudia is the delightful Brazilian who runs my favorite eatery in Spain. Wearing a t shirt with a make a wish dandelion, she buzzes around her establishment making the best sangria complete with cinnamon stick stirrers, delightfully crispy croquettes, an amazing pan con quesso and generous portions of olives with each beverage.
In general, the people of both Madrid and Sevilla dress up. You may feel more comfortable if you leave your tank tops and denim for Barcelona.
If you are non weight bearing, please consider renting a wheelchair. Enrique speaks English at the following location in Madrid. They rent for longer terms and you can pop on the train with the rented wheelchair no problem.
www.ortopediaplaza.com/esp/-ortopedia-plaza.php
Part of the charm of Sevilla is it's age and cobblestone streets. However, very difficult to navigate for the non weight bearing. I wish I had taken the walker (I have dubbed it the 4 wheel drive) to use and have a few more legs on the ground.
NOTE- the link may not work in all browsers. You may have to copy and paste. I am looking into this. Any helpful tips are welcome.