Qatar - Doha

Earlier this month, we traveled to Qatar, where we stayed in Doha. On arrival, our first impression was how friendly the locals were. We were warmly greeted in our hotel and this continued for the rest of the week.

Qatar is not yet well-known as a holiday destination. Yet it is a country worth visiting. It is super safe - you can leave 100 $ on a table of for instance a restaurant, leave, come back a couple of hours later and find your bill as you left it. Prices are not too expensive, either. As a woman, you are quite safe walking the streets and dress western like. Personally I advise to be a bit careful, though. We went for trousers and t-shirts, out of respect for the country's culture. 

Qatari's are the richest of the oil states, still they don't show it like in Dubai. The emir himself doesn't drive a Maserati or Lamborghini, but an ordinary cruiser - and he expects his countrymen to do the same.

After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, we met our tour guide who took us to see Souq Waqif, where different trades have their headquarter. We first made a tour of the souq. What we discovered wasbhow clean everything was. You can of course find everything in the souq (we bought some items, for a reasonable price, like pearls which are dived for locally; and dresses, which cost us about 15 € a piece. Our guide also showed us into a little café, where older men gather to play Dammas. One of them was willing to show us the game.

Next it went to the falcon market. The Qatari like falcons, which they use to hunt. In the souq there are shops where you can find out which falcon you like best, and they also offer advice on how to train the bird. We got to opportunity of trying it ourselves.

We also visited the camel market. Here camels are trained to take part in races, which are also very popular in Qatar.

Worth seeing is the Blue Mosque in the souq. It is allowed to enter this mosque as a foreign woman, but of course you leave your shoes and wear a shawl.

What you must certainly try out in Qatar is the local drink 'karak'. It is based on black tea with milk andifferent spices, especially cardamon. It's quite tasty and we plan on making it here at home as well (we got the recipe from an old woman who was willing to share it).

Can you believe it, cars stand in cue at stalls where karak is sold!

We also visited the north of the country. We went to Al Khor where dhows (the wooden boats used by the pearl fishers) are repaired and where you also find a fishing harbour with fish market (also very clean).

Then we drove to the mangrove forest, one of the biggest in the world. Here Qatari come to spend a day out, kayaking and such. 

In the desert, we saw the Al Zubarah fort and rock formations that looked like mushrooms.

One thing I also must emphasize, is how clean this country is. Even the public toilets (or whatever toilet in whatever place) is clean. A cleaning woman or man is present at all times and they clean the toilet before you use it, and afterwards - for free. 

So I hope you feel inspired to visit Qater as well. You won't regret it!

Latvia - Riga

Somwhere in the afternoon we arrived in Riga, the capital of Latvia. It was raining at the moment, so our first impression was that of a dark city. And I must say that this first impression remained. When you read reports about the Baltic states, most people claim that Riga is the nicest city of them. I can't agree. I liked Vilnius a lot better.

The old town has narrow streets which circle this way and that, and it's not easy to find your way back to the hotel. The narrowness of the streets and alleys has a depressing effect, I find. We also took a city tour here with guide Erika. There are lots of old buildings, so you can spend a couple of hours seeing them all.

Riga is known for its Art Deco quarter. A whole block is filled with big mansions in this style.

Having discovered Riga, we did an excursion to Kemeri national park on another day. Here you find pine forests, bogs and old spa's.

This excursion ended in Jurmala, on the Baltic Sea. A storm had just passed by, and the sea was quite rough. We had planned to walk on the beach, but that was impossible.

So we went to a seaside restaurant instead and had a wonderful lunch with the local catch of the day. In these Baltic states, the way of preparation is different than ours. They smoke meat and fish more than we do. But I quite like the cooking.

All in all, it was a good trip and everything went to plan. We do all the planning on our own, never use a travel agency. And we never have a bad experience with this.

Lithuania - Vinius

In October we decided to visit two of the Baltic states. Our first stop was Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania.

We arrived late in the evening, so the only thing we could do was to check in, unload our suitcase and go for dinner. The following day we made a discovery tour of the town. Our private guide took us on a walk and our first destination was Cathedral Square. This is a central point in Vilnius. Worth seeing are the cathedral, of course, and also the tower which is one of those to guard the city. 

Then we went to see the university, one of the eldest buildings here. Normally you can't visit the university (unless you are a student enrolled there), but our guide used to work there and she had permission to show us the most important places there, like this wonderful reading hall:

After this visit (and a coffee) we walked to the Jewish quarter. This part of town suffered a lot through the wars, but it is still worth seeing, especially for the wall paintings.

With the tour guide, we saw Gediminas Tower from the outside (Gediminas being the first ruler over Lithuania), but on another occasion we also went up the hill and admired the views over town.

From Vilnius it is not far to Trakai, where the summer residence of the rulers of Lithuania is situated. The castle on the water is build with wood and stone, and is quite old.

I must say we rather liked Vilnius. Despite the autumn weather (sometimes sun, sometimes rain and even a heavy storm which uprooted trees and such) we could make nice walks and enjoy the town. It gives you an open view, with wide boulevards and lots of squares. The food is hearty and nice and for those who love beer, there are plenty of pubs around.

From Vilnius we traveled to Riga. We took private transport which is quite affordable. We use Daytrip for transfers between cities. You get a private car with driver, and they can be trusted to be on time. During the drive we passed alongside the Hill of Crosses, a memorial to the people of Lithuania.

The next part of the trip you'll find in another blog.

Morocco - Tangiers, Chefchaouen, Tetouan and Assilah

Earlier this month we made a trip to the north of Morocco, where the Rif mountains are situated. It was a trip we'd been meaning to take for a longer time, but covid intervened. 

We could take a direct flight from Brussels, with Air Arabia. Though low cost, I must say it was quite allright. New plane, spacious seats and friendly service. By the way, people in Morocco are generally friendly towards strangers and they don't hang around you like people do in for example Egypt, where they press you to buy anything.

We stayed in Tangiers, where our hotel was somewhat away from the old center, in a quiet new neighbourhood. Service there was also impeccable. Tangiers is an interesting town on its own, and from there it is easy to reach other places in the north. 

On our first day there, we did a exploration tour of Tangiers, with a local guide. He showed us around the kasbah and the soukhs, also took us to Cap Spartel, where the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean flow together, and where also Hercules' cave is situated. 

As a woman walking around on her own, Tangiers is quite safe. We went out strolling more than once and were never bothered by men. The Moroccans don't mind if you dress Western, but I guess you should not exaggerate either. We always wore bermuda's or pants and not-to-revealing tee shirts. 

Another day trip went to Chefchaouen, the blue city. This is a unique village high into the Rif mountains, where people still live as many centuries ago. It is famous for its blue-painted houses, which can be seen on many postcard. The ride by car to Chefchaouen took about two and a half hours.

We also visited Tetouan, another town in the north. Here the houses are build in Spanish style, as Spanish jews came over to start a new life there.

Quite different in style once more, there's Assilah, the coastal town of artists. It's a quiet place, with cosy streets filled with pieces of arts, like murals and statues. Very nice to walk around there, while you sniff the special air coming from the Atlantic.

Montenegro - Podgorica, Kotor and Budva

For those who haven't a clue as to where or what Montenegro is, it used to be part of the former Yugoslavian republic. It's a little state (about the size of one of our provinces) but it is certainly worth a visit, especially as everything is still quite cheap there. This will change, once Montenegro becomes part of the EU in 2025. 

Podgorica is the capital of Montenegro. There are direct flights from for instance Vienna, the option we took. We had a flight Brussels-Vienna and one Vienna-Podgorica. 

Podgorica itself isn't much of a capital town. It was completely destroyed during the wars, and part of town are still in full renovation. Still it is a good place to start exploring the region. It is easy to go to Albania from here, to Serbia and even to Croatia.

During our stay, we made a guided walking tour through Podgorica. It's already an ancient place, which belonged to several cultures.

As a mentioned, from Podgorica it is easy to reach other places. So we made some excursions to the Adriatic coast, to the more well-known resorts of Kotor and Budva. They both have walls around the center and the old towns are cosy places, with winding alleys, full of little shops.

Kotor is the town where the big cruise ships anchor for a visit to Montenegro. Real estate is a booming business here. And the coast line is really spectacular!

We found that Budva was a very cosy resort, so we returned to spend a day there. It has a fortress you can visit and from where you have a beautiful panorama over the town and the sea.

We've already planned to spend our next summer trips in this region. Probably we'll to and visit Skopje, also Albania and Croatia.

The Netherlands - The Hague

The Netherlands are very close to Belgium, so this makes them interesting to make a city trip. We visited Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht already, and in May last we went to The Hague.

The train ride from our town took about 2 hours and a half, which is not that bad. From the central station to the town center is not that far either. We had booked a room in the Hilton, which is situated in the heart of the center, in the former Head Postal Office.

From there it was easy to explore the many places to see. You can find the international court for Human Rights there, buildings of parliament, various musea - and lots of restaurants and cafés. People are quite friendly, as well.

The first day we made a walk around town, and could already see some places, Like Paleis Noordeinde,

During our first night at hotel, we were having diner and while having a drink we met an American woman who told us that the famous painting 'Girl with the Pearl' had returned to the Mauritshuis. We thought it was still in Amsterdam, on loan, for the big Vermeer expo. So we looked if we still could buy tickets, and were very lucky to find an open slot.

So it was really worth a visit. 

Germany - Dresden

In April, we made a trip to Dresden in Germany (former East Germany). We took the train. The route went from Brussels to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Leipzig and Leipzig to Dresden. On the first two trains you found a carriage where you can eat or drink.

We arrived at our destination in the late afternoon. We got a friendly welcome in the hotel (Hilton Dresden) and then went in search of some food. The hotel has several eateries, but we opted for the bistro with view on the Frauenkirche. 

The weather was so-so. The sun was out, but the temperatures were low (not even 10° Celsius). Howevern, it was better than in Belgium, where it was constantly raining.

On our first full day in Dresden, we went exploring. Dresden was completely destroyed during World War II, but since then the powers that be have done a great deal to restore the city in it's old glory - as a matter of fact, work is still going on and it may well last ten years or so before everything is restored. 

Our hotel was well based in the old town center. As I mentioned, most of it looked out over the Frauenkirche, the main cathedral in town. It was also close to other attractions as the Residenz palace and the Zwinger. 

The Residenz palace is not yet fully restored, but various collections have already opened in the renovated spaces. King August die Starke was reponsible for the building of this palace (and he conveniently had his mistress next door!). He is remembered by a golden statue.

The Zwinger is a complex (also still in restoration) reserved for the big parties the king of Bayern held. You can visit some parts and have a look at the building site.

It's nice to walk through the old town. Everything is close by. And you can also walk along the river Elbe. 

If you enjoy opera and ballet, there's the Semperoper (not far from the Residenz palace). A visit can be reserved and is interesting.

Dresden has plenty of restaurants and cafés. You should try some of the German specialities, like Sauerbraten and a dessert I don't remember the name of, but it looks like a pint of beer! Ingredients are pineapple and cream.

Needless to say we had anenjoyable stay!

Our planning for 2024

Because of the sale of the coastal flat, we have some money to spend. Part of it will go to the renovations of our house, but a big part will contribute to our travels. Yes, travelling is our joy and our aim is to see as much of the world as we can. We have inherited these travel genes from our grandparents, who in the 1930's already visited other places in Europe - like France, Italy and Germany. I remember how fondly grandma talked about her visit to the Milan Scala, where she saw La Traviata with one or other famous tenor. Or how wonderful the Black Forest in Germany would be, with all these storylike castles.

Our parents also got the vibe. And us, as kids, asked if we could go along. We could, as soon as we reached the age of 6 and could sit still at table and eat with knife and fork... Needless to say we managed that!

Since then, we've seen most parts of Europe, been to North America and South America, visited Asia and Africa. Last year we even made it to the North Pole.

At the end of this year, we'll make our big trip to Down Under, with a stopover at Singapore. And then in January we'll visit India. There'll be a chance to meet my penpal of more than 50 years, Rajeev Masodkar. That'll be a joy! And we finally get to see the Taj Mahal and the tigers in the Ranthambore National Park. Guess I just need to be careful with the spices. They can be rather hot there. 

Then, in February-March, there will follow another long trip. We'll travel to Hong Kong, where we'll board a fourteen-day cruise that willl take us to several ports in China, North Korea and Japan. We will leave ship in Tokyo, where we will stay for a couple of days before returning home. As we are flying Qatar Airways, we decided to make a stopover in Doha before returning to Brussels.

In May we intend to travel to the USA. We've never been in the Southern States, so now we'll try to visit some of the places there, like New Orleans and Savannah. 

In July we most likely will return to Scuol in Switzerland (mountain air does me good) and attach some days in France (Evian-Les-Bains) to it. 

And then, depending on how many Hilton honor points we save, we can do a trip to Helsinki in Finland and from there take the ferry to Tallinn, Estland. That would be a nice trip too.

Of course, in between we may spend a day or two in Antwerp or Brussels, or a place in Holland (Rotterdam, Utrecht). Or take the Eurostar to London to see a show. 

Anyway, I guess that by the end of next year, we'll have visited at least 55 countries world-wide. And those memories nobody can take away. 

Iceland - Reykjavik

During the school break in February, Christine and I took a trip to Iceland. We stayed in Reykjavik, and from there we did excursions to other parts of the island.

I advise to take a city walking tour when you are in the capital. It's not too big, and you can easily do it on foot. We had a great guide, and she brought us to all the interesting places, like the city hall, the Harpa concerthall (very modern building), Halgrim's church, ... The only bad thing was that there fell a cold sleet but of course that was hardly the fault of the guide!

We did the city walk on our first day. On another one, we made a half day tour to Raufarholshellir (those Icelandic names break your tongue) where you can visit the 5 km long lave tunnel. It's not dangerous at all, and you get a protective helmet with light. But how beautiful! It's really worth the visit.

On another occasion, we took a day trip to see the famous geisers in Iceland, also some waterfalls (there are about 130 on the island), a died-out crater and the shifting of the teutonic plates.

During our stay in Iceland we also visited a tomato farm (quite interesting, and the tomatoes they grow are the best I've ever eaten). We also took a trip to the south of the island, where you can find the black sand beaches, and authentic Viking houses. They built these against a cave, and they were supposed to be very warm in winter.

What I can also recommend in Iceland, is the very clean air you breathe. The purest on earth. After one day already, you could spot how your skin became softer and cleaner!