Someday Saturday: Belgium

Today's Someday Saturday is BELGIUM!

For me, it has always been a place of quintessential European charm mixed with some mystique.  The mystique may come from the fact that my favorite author's most famous character, Private Detective Hercule Poirot, hails from Belgium.  While most of the novels are set in London (another place which has been featured in Someday Saturday), Poirot makes it very clear to people that he is Belgian. If you haven't checked out Hercule Poirot or Agatha Christie yet, please start with this book or maybe this one.  Hope you love them half as much as I do!

Here are a few other interesting facts about Belgium:

• While Belgium is the 5th smallest country in the EU (after Malta, Luxembourg, Cyprus and Slovenia), it is the 6th highest importer of coffee in the world!
• Belgium has been producing chocolate for almost 400 years. There are over 2000 chocolate shops!
• The international presence, in organizations and embassies, is second only to New York.
• There are more castles per kilometer than anywhere else in the whole world.
• Belgium can claim 3 distinct language regions, and parts of its populations speak Dutch, French, and German.

Beautiful, isn't it?

What about you?

Have you been to Belgium? Do you have any desire to go? It it on your list now? Do you know something else interesting about Belgium to share?

Someday Saturday: LONDON!

 

No, that is not a typo.  I have never been to London.

What? How does someone manage to make it to 5 continents and consider herself a world-traveler without having been to London? I'm not sure and I realize that needs to be remedied as soon as possible.

Ok, technically...I have been to London.  Several times, in fact.  Those occasions are layovers through Heathrow on the way to much more exotic locations, but none of my layovers have been long enough to leave the airport, so I just cannot count them. I still have not seen the city I love.

City I love, you ask?  How could I so love a city I haven't properly visited?  Let me tell you: I am a long-time Anglophile!

I was a little girl in the era of Princess Diana marrying Prince Charles.  I had her pictures all over my room when I was younger.  Then came Fergie and I was sure I was the missing part of a very fun Princess trio. So what did I do?  I wrote Prince Edward a letter asking him to marry.  I made my case as seriously as a 14 year old could.  I never did hear from him. Strange.

I woke up my young daughter at 4 a.m. so we could watch the royal wedding of her generation. I love the pomp and circumstance!

If you ask me my favorite book?  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. (By the way, you can download the kindle version free from that link!)  I am sure I have read everything written by Agatha Christie at least 3 times.  What great English mysteries they are!  One of my favorites is The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.  Read it and thank me later.

I adore Jane Austen and Agatha Christie so much that Agatha Jane was (I'm not kidding about this) on my list of potential names for Petunia.  Mark would not go for it, so she does have a much prettier name. (Hint: It's English.)

Afternoon tea?  English history? The Tower jewels? Changing of the Guard?  Oh, for crying out loud. I need to go to London.

Your turn!  If you've been or plan to go, what's on your MUST SEE list.  Since my trip is still theoretical, I can include whatever I want.

Someday Saturday: Santorini

Photo credit

For my first Someday Saturday post, it was easy to choose Santorini!

Why?

• The mysterious architecture and history
• The stunningly beautiful water views
• The food and wine
• What's not to love?

Fun facts (and more!) to know:

• Santorini is 11 miles long and covers about 29 square miles
• Most of what we know now as Santorini was created by an earthquake in 1500 BC.
• There is a tale in the hearts of some who believe it is left over from the legendary civilization of Atlantis. Oh, the mystery!

Want to read more? Here's another article about the Top 5 reasons to visit Santorini.  So, have any of you been?  What do you recommend? When did you go? Do you agree with the article's suggestion that October is the best time?

Happy Travels!

Someday Saturday

"Someday Saturday" is the name of a feature that will regularly occur on Saturdays (duh!) and feature places that I would like to go someday.  I've been to a fair amount of places, but in this whole wide world, it seems as if I have barely scratched the surface.  Let's both be inspired to add some places to our dream location list with Someday Saturdays!