the land of waffles

so i guess its about time i wrote a little about our trip to belgium. definitely a place that should be on everyone's must visit list. its very european (well duh its in europe!) but not like paris or london which to me is so modern and commercialized. it was very cool to spend time in a small town where people still ride their bikes and get together for a pint every night of the week. (ok so that is all of europe) but still. anyway a few random smatterings from the trip, the race and beyond..

flying mounts by old ladies - i mentioned the bike riding all over town, to buy groceries, to commute.. but i was most impressed by the elderly ladies executing perfect flying mounts in long dresses and heels.. quite a spectacular feat!

i dont know german, and neither do people who live in belgium - it was my bad to assume i was told in no uncertain terms that they speak dutch.. note to self- spend some time to research where you are going. normally i'm really good about that but this trip seemed to bounce up out of no where..

seeing 4 x 100 men's relay on french tv! the Olympics perhaps did not reach the spectacle they have in the US, but we were able to catch some coverage on teh french and german (or dutch who knows..) channels.. how cool to hear the french commentators bursting with pride and excitement as the 2 anchors swam toward the wall. they thought they had the win.. and when the US started celebrating you could hear the WTF in the frenchman's voice. classic. that was a proud to be an american moment!

waffles and coke light - ok so everyone talks about beer and chocolate when visiting belgium. yes they were good. but in my heart of hearts, the waffles were to die for. warm and delicious, covered with powdered sugar that just melted just a little.. wow! and the coke light there was really good. a bit sweeter and more refreshing. simple things you notice..

cant judge an athlete by their bike - this was one of my race learnings. i get so siked out at bike check in when i'm ooogling other peoples $5000 bikes. thinking wow they must be awesome! but what i learned is yes, some of them are, but some of them are just normal people on expensive bikes!

no fat people and no long hair.. in belgium. why i dont know. just an observation.

the pros are FAST - lightening fast. it was a thrill to watch them compete up close.

i know my friend jen is loving that i got beat by an aussie. enough said.

always travel with your own pillow - this is a lesson for all - anytime any place. your own pillow beats the snot out of anything you might get at a hotel. plus if you are lucky it has the smells of home on it still to comfort you :)