Electrolux Pop-Up Restaurants

Sadly Nomiya, the instillation restaurant atop the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, is closing. We were lucky to visit twice - once for Stefan's surprise birthday and to celebrate the 1.1.11 New Year. Both were unforgettable experiences.

Electrolux has started The Cube, a new pop-up restaurant venture in Brussels, which will run until 3 July.

After that it appears Stockholm and Moscow will be added to the mix.

(photos courtesy of: Electrolux)

Happy Mother's Day!

Yesterday as I was walking through an increasingly crowded Marienplatz, the flower shops were buzzing with people. There were plenty of signs proclaiming not to forget Mom. How could anyone? Days like this definitely make me miss family get togethers that we have at home and wish I wasn't so far away.

Sometimes it's funny what a coincidence things are that can remind me of my Mom. Today Stefan and I went to enjoy the weather at the Englischer Garten and then to have a beer in her honor. Low and behold we saw a Great Pyrenees - the same breed as Mieka, our family dog. That instantly brought a smile to my face, especially since they are quite rare. I don't know that I have ever seen one in Munich. I also loved that this Pyr had enjoyed some time in the water. I know she would have loved this - fortunately I am the strange girl that takes pictures of other people's pets.

We had a lazy afternoon at the park, where everyone seemed to be speaking English. Sometimes it's nice just to eavesdrop and understand everything, although some of the conversations were rather interesting. On our bike ride back home we stopped to test out a relatively new restaurant called Pommes Boutique.

They claim to have fries like those in Belgium, and I must admit they did quite a decent job of replicating them. They also have about 20 different sauces to choose from. It's definitely a niche restaurant they don't have a huge menu, but the restaurant itself is quite simple and nice.

We chose to celebrate Mother's Day at the Wienerplatz beer garden since we hadn't visited this season. Although I appreciate the small reminders of my Mom, nothing beats having her around.

I think tonight I'll enjoy some salt chocolate (something we both love) and think of you Mom! I can't wait to hear how you spent your day - or for the package I sent to arrive!

Happy Mothers Day with love from Munich!

Senator's Lounge

We are currently sitting in the Lufthansa Senator's Lounge in Brussels. It's always fascinating the kinds of characters we see here. And it never fails that we are the youngest couple.

The reason we get this privilege is because Stefan flew over 100,000 miles last year, and he is now a 'Senator' for two years. Most of the travelers are here for business. We come waltzing in with our backpacks and look somewhat out of place. It's funny to see the reactions of the women who check our tickets and card. They always eyeball us, probably in disbelief we are requesting entry. I find some kind of solstice seeing other wives there, who I assume are with their frequent traveling husbands... even if they are 40+.

I also love comparing the selection of foods and drinks. There is a self service bar, that is typically fully stocked. Munich has a great lounge, Stockholm also has a nice one. Brussels has a small selection. There are English newspapers, often British ones, which have random British gossip, that I don't understand. Regardless it's nice to be able to read the news.

The bathrooms are also greatly appreciated. They are always clean, and I figure with less people using them, there are less germs.

And so we sit here for a couple of hours. Fortunately it is quiet and there is internet so I can bide my time.

Brugge

We took the train (an hours ride) from Brussels yesterday. The ride was a nice time, particularly because we enjoyed my birthday cake on the way. It was a rich chocolate mousse and with a hazelnut crust on the bottom.

Once we got to Bruges, we were struck by the old-world charm. It's such a spectacular little place. There are horse carriages, old bricks and architecture, as well as the sweetest little bridges. Again I was sensing that the UK/ Ireland had a love child with France, and this was the product. We checked into our hotel, which was located directly behind the Belfort Tower. We had a short walk to the Markt, where we stopped to try some of the famed 'frites'. If you call them fries, I have heard Belgians get offended. We had them with sauce 'Americain', which was a somewhat spicy tasting sundried tomato mayo sauce.


Around the corner from our hotel was a cute little tea shop where I saw the most beautiful white tea pot, which Stefan bought me for my birthday. Tea reminds me of such a European thing to do, and the longer I am here the more I enjoy it. Stefan is just about as excited as I am to break it in for a proper tea. I also bought our Belgian children's book, with beautiful forms and colors at a shop in the 'Markt'.


After walking around town and around the beautiful waterways, we decided to visit the windmills on the North East edge of the city.

It was a drizzly evening, so we wandered back through town and eventually to a cute little Michelin-starred restaurant. Stefan wanted mussels, and I opted for some shrimp and salmon. Later, we shared our peach beer, which smelled similarly to baby food. It was very fragrant and flavorful. Definitely unique.

Today we woke up at a normal time and decided to climb the Belfort Tower. The day was perfect and clear. We were able to see a lot of the city from over head, which I always love.


We roamed through town, until we made our way to the Snow and Ice Festival, that we intended to visit. It was about -5ºC or 20ºF to preserve the sculptures, which were indoor. There were quite a few visitors, but the beauty was still very apparent. I loved the glowing lights and all of the intricate details.

There was a stunning wall of flowers, a hedge hog, a rabbit, a lot of death themed sculptures, and the end had an ice bar.




One of my favorite touches, which I didn't partake in, was the ice slide. The poor children had to be freezing, but it was fun for them nonetheless.
Belgium has been really good to us. I think it's is due to the fact that we came not knowing what all to expect, so every turn had some kind of surprise. Also it was the perfect birthday weekend.

This week I need to work on getting our photos on the computer, which is easier said than done due to the saga of 10,000 photos. I guess I should say 10,500 after this trip!

Bruxelles

We made it to Brussels, early this morning. As soon as we bought tickets for the train and subways we noticed how inexpensive things are in comparison to Scandinavia (48 euros for tickets into the city and back vs. 12 euros!). I also first smelled something that reminded me of baby powder and then urine. Interesting.

Then we went to catch the 'tram' - it felt like we were in the subway, but then this tiny tram thing came and took us into day light. We figured out we were going the wrong way because the subway maps ended at one place, however the tram kept going. Once we got off there was a man peeing on a bush. Also kind of strange.

We got our bearings and were able to get settled in our cute hotel, called Bloom, (right next to the botanical gardens), we knew things were going to be OK.

We stopped for some drinks and a quick lunch at the mini grocery across the street. Stefan was excited to see Canada Dry Ginger ale - in a can! He said it reminded him of my parent's house and the US. We walked into town and stopped for chocolates at 'Mary Chocolatier' on the way. At every turn there was something beautiful and exciting. The Cathedral of St. Michael was enormous and ornate. The architecture was an interesting mix of modern and old. I loved to stumble upon things and constantly be surprised.

The typical tourist sites were great - The Grand Place, Manneken-Pis, The Royal Palace, and Atomium, which twinkles like the Eiffel Tower. Just wondering around town was fun. We even stopped for the essentials... a divine waffle, covered with chocolate and strawberries, and some unique beers - a chocolate beer, a peach beer, and something of a surprise with a beautiful little pink elephant on it. I have a feeling we'll be sampling some of the other strange flavors while we are here.





Dinner was also terrific. We went to Bazaar, a restaurant that I had read about. We each got a 'menu' which was 3 courses, (mine was tomato + ricotta salad, coconut curry chicken, and a chocolate bombe dessert, with a glass of cava). I would definitely recommend this place. It's very unassuming and the interior is beautiful. The food is really simple, fresh, and delicious.



Tonight we will be celebrating with our chocolate beer. I'm doubting we are able to drink much more after such a long day of walking around town. Brussels is a fantastic city.