pics from our weekend by the sea (Pt 2)

and the pics you'll see here are from a little (6hr) ramble we took to France and back from De Panne!

(I think J looks like a rockstar in this pic!)

pics from our weekend by the sea (Pt 1)

we were (very happily) hosted by J's mom to a week at the Belgian coast; and here is a slice of the super-sunny, big 'n' breezy, retreat by the sea!

This is me at the Belgian themepark, Plopsaland, with double corkscrew rollercoasters, pirate ships and of course an over-sized water pump kiddie playground!

this was our daily view to and from the apartment in De Panne..yes, it felt like a holiday every single moment we were there!

when I looked down and saw this on the beach, I immediately thought this would make an excellent desktop image for the computer..

and more atmospheric pictures of the excellent weather amidst the laid back vibe..

nostalgia..

we'd made a (long) weekend to Groningen a couple of weeks back to celebrate friends' wedding - and I happily left the digital camera (which I usually use to make the pictures on this blog) in the 5euro locker.  So for the happy snaps for the rest of the day, I impulse bought a disposable camera, and I have to say....I wonder why we use digital cameras in the first place..

It's amazing how film just makes me with a bike in front of a dike bridge look super-retro!

J looks awesome too!  this is on the big weekend market where they sell fresh produce, lots of things to nibble on and everything you can imagine (yes, even chunks of fried fish, a staggering variety of breads, shoelaces and vinyl tablecloths)
this is a pic of the exterior of the church where our friends got married - the building's been there since the 15th Century....amazing..
and on our way to the church, we took the scenic route by bike and came across some cow-friends
so yeah, the pictures didn't all turn out spectacular, but these 4 we really really like!

and as you can guess, the wedding party was amazing, the day out in groningen was a big discovery, and we had a great time!

2nd wedding anniversary

well, we've just celebrated our 2nd year anniversary and i made a day out of the afternoon - with a bit of a ramble through our part of the world - but some rarely seen bits of Antwerp

this is a really rare find - a 1984 Honda Civic hatchback, my first ever car back in my uni days in Perth, Australia...mine was red, but it sure was nice to see a car nearly as old as me !

yes, your eyes do not deceive you, its spider-man with a watermelon!!

and this is actually an unused entrance to the subway line which goes along one of the busiest streets in Antwerp - they plan to start the line at some point, but for now, its a crocodile
and we took the time to take a picture of us - the now-married-for-2-years couple, but its been a great 8 years so far!!
umm...yah....just a picture of our drinks...i like it..
and as you can see the weather was super-excellent for a bit of a walk and a drink outside - the best way to spend an anniversary!!

battle royale!

this is  a little late, as I visited it on this past weekend with a friend - but the pics are well worth the wait!

I'd seen the poster for this medieval re-enactment weekend in the big park near Antwerp City, and ...

the pictures say it all!!

(and yes, the last picture has guys in their underwear - as part of the comedy act of the face-off between the armies!!)

there were medieval weapons, food, clothes, herbs, metalwork, sculpture and so much more!!

it was a great afternoon out - and we did get rained on quite a bit - but it was well worth the time we had there!