Last night when I went to pay for dinner with the Visa - it was rejected. Oh dear - perhaps with all the stuff and booking the next couple of days hotel - I am over the limit. I leave M at the restaurant and go to the bank to get cash. Back at the hotel I check - Nope - lots of room on the Visa so can't be that. I make a payment just in case there is stuff backed up in the system, but not posted yet.
Today when I went to make a purchase, bAM - card rejected again. It appears that the card is on hold because of the hotel transaction. Hopefully it will get sorted out before tomorrow morning when we check out of this hotel. What a pain in the butt and that was even going through the VISA verification process. I mean what good is that if they put the card on hold for a couple of hundred dollars??????
Anyway - we had a bit of a relaxed day today. I started off by getting a couple more geocaches. OK - so I went a bit crazy here, but there were lots that were close. And let's not forget the croissant covered with chocolate and almond slivers!!!! Then back to the hotel to collect M so we could do a bit more sight seeing.
We went to the Markt which technically we had been to before, but not not knowing that we had been there. Mostly restaurants. Then off to the Burg which is connected to the Markt through a small street lined with tourist shops. We found a Christmas shop but decided that what we had bought M for her ornament collection was more than sufficient. Did see the REAL nutcrackers though, but didn't buy any since I had gotten one last year and don'e really need another.
The BElfort (a large church) is situated in the Markt and you can walk up the tower. Holy crap - this tower while not as high as Notre Dame, was pretty creepy and scary. The stirs were so TINY and you were trying to pass people in a VERY SMALL space. And all while on a twisty staircase with steps barely big enough for your foot to step on. It was pretty amazing though to see the sky line of Bruggges.
And guess what happened when we were at the top??? Oh yeah - my memory card was full!!!!!! Crap - I had bought an * GB, but with 1000 pictures on it - FULL. Well we will just have to find another one. Of course - I dod not need 1000 pictures, but I will prefer to edit them at home. Off to find a place to purchase a new card.
I also wanted to walk to one of the old city gates and of course M protested the entire way. Well - she did NOT want to walk, but nothing is that far in this city centre and just as she was about to feint from the exhaustion - we arrived at the gate. Just in time to see the drawbridge raise up for several barges and pleasure craft to go through the canal. It was worth the walk and we also got to see the two windmills in Brugges which were right beside the gate. Not a bad haul for not really knowing where you are going.
Now we have a map of the city, but there are FEW street signs around and everything twists into the other - it can be a very confusing place. We hardly pulled the map out in Paris at all.
Then we walked back to the Markt and I found a big electronics store and lots of memory cards. Bettter price than in Paris, but then we were NOT exactly in a tourist store either.
Then we decided to take the City Tour bus. This wasn't hop on/hop off, but just a 50 minutes tour of the city. We got on the little bus and it was HOT HOT HOT. After waiting about 10 minutes we took off. While it was neat to see the city - it was very hard to get pictures on the tiny streets, but we did see a lot more of the city that we had missed. There are so many churches!!!!!!
And while we were waiting for the bus - I found a setting on my camera that will NOT allow it to take pictures if there is NO card. Yeah!!!!!
Of course - I always carry my small camera with me just in case and it came in handy today!!!!!
While we were on the bus, we got stuck in a traffic jam. Actually think the traffic was waiting for the bridges over the canal, but we got stuck in that anyway. And it was HOT HOT HOT HOT on the bus - we were all dying. While waiting - there was a HUGE clap of thunder, a bit of lightening and soon enough it was pouring. We have been very lucky with rain on this trip as it has been cloudy, threatening to reain and when it did - we were always inside and here we were inside again - only on a bus. By the time we finished the tour and got off - it was still raining, but not much. Back at the hotel - it did start to rain on and off and it is still damp, but not a big deal.
After another dinner of waffles - they mistakingly put chocolate sauzce on the waffles instead of whipped cream so they wer a bit heavy and not as nice as the whipped cream. We are not ensconced in the hotel again - hanging out with our technology!!!!! God - I LOVE LOVE LOVE my iPad. Can't wait to get back to Canada with the 3G service, but can't complain with the free Wi-Fi in our room.
Oh yes - we've got chocolate and we've got fudge to tide us over the evening. If we can't get out of bed in the morning - well we'll know why!!!! Oh should I say - if we can't find anything that fits us in the mooring!!!
Last night - I went into the bathroom and there was a GIANT spider in the tub. I mean the body was a good 1/2" ball and the legs were LONG. Of course M is freaking out and after trying to drown the poor thing (yes - I know - we caused it to rain), it didn't die though. Finally we left it alone (she jut about freaked out having to pee next to the spider in the tub). Anyway - it was still there this morning, so I scooped it out and put it out the door. You see our room is RIGHT by the front door. As soon as you enter off the street - there is our door!!!! Even before the reception desk. It is pretty weird. I must remember to take a picture of that. Yes - I haven't taken a picture of that yet, but I now have room for 1000 more pictures. Can't you all just wait until I get home to bore you with those pictures!!!!!
Don't worry - not until I have edited them and put them on the blog.
Oh yes - one more bug story to tell you. I was out caching this morning and again came upon a couple of beautiful spots that I would not have seen otherwise. I thought the cache was gone, but scouted a bit further afield and found it under a fence. Then I reached in and it was closed up in a plastic bag. I am holding the bag and then realized that I feel something on the bag - it was a GIANT snail or slug. GROSS GROSS GROSS!!!!!!!
Time to get ack to my book. I hope I can find some English books at the airport before we leave or I will have to try and download something on the iPad as I am on my last book!!!!!
Have a great day!!!!
Ciao!!!!! (oh Marian - we are going to bring back Dutch Sudoko for you!!!!! Ha HA)
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!!
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