We arrived in Brussels and hopped on the train to Ghent where we had a B&B booked. Ghent is a bustling university town with a huge pedestrians-only city centre. The Belgians are famous for their bicycle commuting but we were limited to foot-power with my disability (broken collarbone - rugby). We spent the day and evening, walking around, window shopping and sampling the delicious beer and chocolates. For dinner we found a great fondue place and had a great evening.

We were really impressed with the bicycle culture.

We found this little alleyway that is famous for it's graffiti.

The next day we took the train to Brugges, a more touristy destination, 50km away. Brugges is the quintessential Belgium town, huge chocolate industry, amazing beer pubs, canals, and interesting architecture. We bought some chocolates and coffee before snuggling up on a canal boat tour.

Mmmm, the chocolate.

Mmmm, the waffles. (Covered in chocolate)

After the canal tour we sought after a famous little pub, De Garre, that our friends Gord and Rebecca recommended. Not to be disappointed. BEST. PUB. EVER. They had a beer menu with 200-300 different beers and would serve cheese alongside. We met a few different couples from the UK and had a wonderful afternoon sampling new beers and visiting with new people.

Mmmm, the beer.

So many decisions.

The door, down a tiny little alleyway.

On Saturday, Kelly’s birthday, we were planning on seeing more of Ghent but decided to rent a car and drive to Holland. Amsterdam was about 2.5 hours north so we decided to check it out for the day. Crazy city. As it was a bank holiday Saturday, the city was jam-packed with people. We walked around the city, window shopped, enjoyed the canals, saw the red-light district but didn’t have time to see all we wanted. We saw the Anne Frank house but the line was ridiculously long, didn’t get to the flower market, and didn’t find a calm, quaint neighbourhood to sit and enjoy a slow coffee. Gives us a reason to go back I guess!

The canals were amazing.

The Red Light District.

Our last day, in Brussels, was spent in the city centre, fairly low key. Kelly was ill from the street vendor food in the red-light district the night before but the weather was lovely to sit and enjoy a coffee. We did have a nice walk about to see the cartoon graffiti, churches, and some of the other famous sites of Brussels.

Ironically, it's the Monks who make the best beer.

Mannekin Pis

Statue and Kelly had the same idea.

Belgians love their cartoons, they were everywhere.

Even in church.

This spring our friend Ed Bourgoin (aka Fast Eddy), who many of you remember from our wedding party, came over to visit for his spring break.

Unfortunately I had freshly broken my collarbone and my arm was in a sling so I was relegated to Team Photographer while Ed and Kelly played.

We had fantastic weather, Ed got to visit Galway and Clare, meet some of our friends, and get some surfing in. It was great to have him over, such a treat!

Here are some photos of the action:

Kelly getting warmed up.

She was studying when I snuck this sequence in. hehehe

Sunset at the Cliffs of Moher

Then we headed off for an Oldring/Armstrong/Mieske family holiday to South America. We flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina, got on a ship and hopped down the coast to Cape Horn and made our up the Chilean coast to Santiago. We were 19 days on the boat so we got used to a very high level of pampering. The trip was amazing and we got a chance to spend time with family and watch our new nephew, Gavin, grow up a little. He was the star of the ship and, thankfully, took the attention away from his ill-mannered father and rowdy grandmother.

I took a couple thousand photos so here is a little sample of some trip highlights. So much to see in 3 weeks so it's hard to do the trip justice on our little blogsite.

The harbour in Punta Arenas.
Montevideo, Uruguay

Montevideo, Uruguay

John and I went Scuba diving in Puerto Madryn with a huge group of sea lions. They were so curious and would come right up to you to play. Best. Dive. Ever.

Camarones, Argentina

Camarones, Argentina

Camarones, Argentina

I went for a run in Camarones down a completly isolated stretch of desert along the coast. As I got back closer to town, a family had came down for a BBQ. They insisted I stop running and sit down for a beer and some roast meat. How could I refuse?

Near Punta Arenas, Chile

Punta Arenas, Chile

Down the Chilean Fjords towards Ushuaia.

Getting ready for New Years south of Cape Horn.

Looking fantastic, just waiting for some ladies.

And here they are!

Cape Horn at midnight on New Year's!

Walking through a campground on our way for a hike in Tiera Del Fuego National Park, near Ushuaia.

Lookout near the top.

I went for a run to try for the summit but ran out of time. There were a couple Spanish climbers that were able to take my picture.

Heading back north through the fjords.

Ancud, Chile

Ancud, Chile

Market in Valdivia, Chile

La Serena, Chile.

Gavin and Grandma, swimming in the pool in Santiago, Chile.

Loving the beans. So much.