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EUROPE - 2006 |
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BRUSSELS / COLOGNE |
In July 2006 Tony & I headed of to Germany, to spend a couple of days with Uncle David & Aunty Renate, near Wesel. We enjoyed 2 hot sunny days spent swimming in the river & quad biking with them, cousins Carmen & Dieter, Miguel, Lena, Wolfgang & Alex, and friend Julia before leaving for a day at Belgian theme park Bobbejaanland, en route to Brussels... |
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| We met up with Andy in Brussels and spent the morning exploring the Basilica, a modern cathedral hailed as the largest art-deco edifice in the world... |
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| ... and onto the Atomium, which was built in the 1950's for the Expo. This building is a model of an iron crystal, magnified 165 million times! The balls house exhibition spaces, cafe's & other exhibits and are connected by a high-speed lift (with a cool glass roof!) and escalators... |
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| Views over Brussels from the top of the Atomium, looking at the approach boulevard, the Expo centre, the Basilica & a model village of Europe... |
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| From the Atomium we drove to Walibi Belgium theme park, and had a great afternoon, almost welcoming the thunderstorm rains after a hot & humid morning. Not only did the rains keep us cool, they pretty much cleared the park of patrons leaving us free to ride with minimal Q-ing. From Walibi we drove to Koln & checked in at the Flandrischerhof before an evening meal at Farmers restaurant... |
| Cologne / Koln: |
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| The following day we showed Andy the Cathedral, shops & cafe's we know in Cologne, before making our way down to the riverside for the evening. A The hot day was drawing to a close in the square, where break dancers performed among other street entertainers & roller - bladers. |
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| The Koln Lichfest takes place every year at the end of July. It starts off late afternoon when locals start gathering on the riverside with their pic-nics, or packing - out the cafe's & bars. We eat in the square at the same restaurant we ate in last year with Tracy, (delicious local cuisine!), before a quick tour of the fair while the sun sets, when we go to find a spot to watch the Lichtfest from... |
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| The 1st part of the Lichtfest is when a boat race along the Rhine passes through the city centre, to applause. Then the music starts while a parade of illuminated boats passes, before the main show of music & fireworks... Tony & I revisited the Ice Bar (part of the Hilton) for Tracy as she couldn't be with us on this trip... |
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| The following day we spent on 1 of the world's best roller coasters, Expedition Ge Force at Holiday Park, near Frankfurt. We attempted to visit Phantasialand on the Monday, but crowds beat us to it, and none of us had the patience to q so we decided to return later, and went to do more shopping in Cologne, before a head-ache of a journey back thanks to the highly incompetant HLX! There's more pictures from Cologne & the cathedral from last year - here! |
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