Skip to main content

Michali's Belgian Trip - Day 1

I want to start by confirming something that many of you already knew. I don't do boats. I really don't do them.

My parents, being the wonderful people that they are (and I write this in all sincerity) insisted on crossing the English Channel by boat. I tried my best to convince them to go by Eurostar, but I was never going to present an argument that could come anywhere near to the validity of using the ferry (it's cheaper).

Since I'm a guest, I can't really argue, but I still want it to be known that I don't do boats. I now have the motion sickness wristbands to prove it.

We reached the port of Dover early enough to catch the 11:05 ferry, despite being booked on the 12:15 one. It was a relatively calm crossing but the 90 minutes couldn't roll by fast enough as I longed to walk on a surface that didn't undulate.

From Calais, We made our way to the hotel in Belgium, which is very nice thank you and since we've arrived, I haven't done much else, aside from find my feet (ha ha ha) and getting into the holiday spirit.

The most important thing is that Michal is having a nice time and after all, this holiday is for her and her only. I'm just the chaparone. I believe that we will be visiting Ypres tomorrow, which promises to be quite an interesting experience, not least because this whole area was awash with blood less than a century ago.

Comments

Admin said…
Ya Michal,
I can understand you and your openion on ferry crossings!

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Jewberry Muds

To get the full effect, this message should be read out loud. You will understand what 'tenjewberrymuds' means by the end of the conversation. This has been nominated for the best email of 2005. The following is a telephone exchange between a hotel guest and room-service at a hotel in Asia, which was recorded and published in the FarEast Economic Review: Room Service (RS): "Morrin. Roon sirbees." Guest (G): "Sorry, I thought I dialed room-service." RS: "Rye..Roon sirbees..morrin! Jewish to oddor sunteen??" G: "Uh..yes..I'd like some bacon and eggs." RS: "Ow July den?" G: "What??" RS: "Ow July den?...pryed, boyud, poochd?" G: "Oh, the eggs! How do I like them? Sorry, scrambled please." RS: "Ow July dee baykem? Crease?" G: "Crisp will be fine." RS: "Hokay. An Sahn toes?" G: "What?" RS: "An toes. July Sahn toes?" G: "I don't think so."...

Magic Moments

At the end of a sunny day, Dana decided to start a water fight. She sprinkled a bit of tap water in my direction. Then her eyes lit up and she ran out of the room. I of course thought nothing of it, until she returned with a filled water pistol! That was it - The race was on to remember where I'd hidden the other three unopened packets. With pistols at the ready, the kids got in on the act and what could have been a ginormous water fight was almost immediately curtailed as Shira did not appreciate being spritzed in the face. The sheer impulsiveness of the moment was Dana all over and it's one of the things that I love so much about her. The pistols have been seized and are ready, waiting for another day when I predict we are all seriously going to have the most amazing and floodworthy water-fight. I can't wait (and neither can the kids).

A Breed Apart

I'll start with that rarest of things (at least for me), namely an apology. A number of people who read this blog have approached me and asked me how the new job is panning out. I know I should have followed the original posts with updates, but honestly, I came back so tired from work, that I didn't have the will to compose any reports. In short, I am really happy in my new school. The students line up outside the door to my classroom (yes, my classroom) quietly instead of rushing in like a pack of deranged beasts and then, to my utter delight, stand , yes STAND(!!) behind their chairs and wait until I tell them to be seated. These students are actually listening to my instructions. When I tell them to switch their monitors off, they do what I ask. I don't find myself having to wait for fifteen minutes until they can be bothered to be quiet, they do something that I've been longing to experience for two years - they show an interest, in fact, a very keen interest, in w...