I don't know if anyone is still visiting this journal but if it happens you are here by change: a big hello to you!

If you wondered... yes, I'm still alive and around but my life is so boring that I usually don't know what to talk about in here. And I guess I'm not very inventive to come up with all the things you all have in your journals. 

At least I managed to post an entry this time. Quite an achievement, huh.

Today it's exactly one year since I moved into my apartment. A happy anniversary to myself.  

Where did all those days, weeks and months go to? Anyway, some days are still hard, but all in all, things are going rather well and I really like living here. My finances aren't all that great lately, but I must and can say that I'm proud of myself for doing it all on my own without having to ask for help. Hopefully it will stay that way because I would be devastated if I would lose all of this because of that.  Everything becomes more and more expensive, but the wages stay about the same. That's just not very fair, huh?  I try to live economical, but there are those expenditures that you can't do without. I have managed so far, I just hope I will keep on being able to do it.   I'm thinking positive thoughts, though, but it does crosses my mind once in a while.

I'm back from my little trip to the Ardennes!  Well, actually, I'm already back since last Thursday afternoon, but I spent the last couple of days trying to get rid of a very bad cold. I didn't completely succeed yet, but I'm already feeling better.

Anyway, we had a nice time. The weather wasn't all that sunny (as you will see on the pictures), but we hardly had any rain, so that's already a good thing here.

Here are some pictures so you get a little impression of how our Ardennes look like. I hope you'll enjoy them.

This is the little village where the hotel was. It's called Frahan and it's located on the banks of the river Semois.

This is the river Semois.

This strange freak of nature is called 'le tombeau du Géant' (the tomb of the giant). With a little imagination, it does look like it.

And just some views on the nice surrounding area.

I'm off on a little vacation tomorrow. I'm going to the same place in the Ardennes I went to last year. I should be back Thursday or Friday, that will depend on the weather.

I wish you all a great and happy week!

Our brain is quite something, huh?

Two Belgian tourists were kidnapped in Iran this week. Yep, you read that right: TOURISTS! Who with a rightful mind goes to Iran for pleasure?  I know you aren't completely safe anywhere anymore these days - look at the English toddler Madeleine McCann who disappeared from Portugal a few months ago while on vacation with her parents and twin siblings - but you can at least assume you'll have a carefree vacation in those places. Going to Iran is just looking for trouble in my eyes. So I don't have much compassion for the Belgian couple. They released the woman later this week, but the man is still held. Our minister for foreign affairs is handling the case and is trying to negociate with whoever has him to set him free. Ha! Our hardearned money spent on stupid people!  Sorry to say it like this.

I do feel sorry for little Madeleine though. I assume this is news in America too, and for those who don't know anything about it, here's a short version: three year old Madeleine was asleep in the rented apartment in Portugal with her two siblings while her parents where having dinner in  a nearby tapas bar with friends. When her mom went to check on the kids later in the evening, Madeleine was gone! Both parents are doctors and they have a lot of money to spend on publicity. I understand them doing it like this, but there are a lot of children missing in this world and their parents don't always have the money to keep their child in the news and all that. Anyway, I've been following Madeleine's case since the beginning. Poor little baby.  What happened to her? Where is she? Did someone really take her?  Someone must know something and hopefully that someone will start talking soon. There are a lot of assumptions that maybe her parents are involved. I sure hope they aren't. I don't know how this will turn out, but I'm afraid it won't be a happy ending.

I found these while playing on the internet. How very resourceful the way they decorated a simple bag. I sure would love to have one of these. 

This one wouldn't really "fit" me, but I finally would have some kind of good figure.

And how 'bout this paper cup. Neat, huh?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has finally been released! People were standing in line in front of several bookstores for I don't know how long before you could buy it at 1 am here. How big a fan of Harry Potter I am, I didn't feel like doing that too. But I should have though. Most stores are closed here on Sunday, but a particular store make publicity in the newspapers that they would be open today because of the release. So I waited patiently and went there this morning to finally go buy my copy. What was I thinking? The store was open, no problem there, but the book was already SOLD OUT!!!  And it's only the English version. The translation of the book to Dutch will only be here in November!

I can hardly wait to know what happens to Harry and his friends (and enemies). People are speculating all kind of things. Even that Harry dies. I sure hope J.K. Rowling didn't let that happen! I try not to browse the internet in search for clues. But I have to force myself not to.   It won't be much fun to read the book when you already know what will happen. So I will wait patiently again and read all about it in the book myself.

The book should be back in the store on Wednesday. I've been stupid not to order it. Hopefully it won't be sold out again before I can go there after work.

Today is Belgium's national holiday. And since not many (or probably even none) Belgians visit my journal, I thought I could give the rest of you a little introduction to my small country. Some even say Belgium is the best kept secret in Europe. Read and decide for yourself.

"There's just something about Belgium. Maybe it's the friendly & welcoming people who with three official languages (Dutch, French and German) still find it easy to converse in English. Maybe it's the stunning architecture decorating the quaint cobblestone squares. Or perhaps it's the incredible cuisine found in the vast array of restaurants where each meal seems better than the last. Energetic and carefree, the overall mood in Belgium is infectious, summoning in all of us to live as Belgians and enjoy life to the fullest.

Well situated between France and Holland, the kingdom of Belgium encompasses all the best that Europe has to offer in an area no bigger than Maryland. Within the span of one day, you can take a romantice cruise down a canal in Bruges, hunt for diamonds in Antwerp, enjoy waffles on the beach in Oostende, get lost in a castle in Namur, discover antiques at an outdoor market in Liege, and explore a fine art museum in Brussels.

Offen called the Essence of Europe, Belgium is both multicultural and multilingual. Flanders in the north, a flatland criss-crossed by canals, is proud of its medieval art cities: Antwerp, Bruges and Ghent. To the south in Wallonia, you will find the rolling hills of the Ardennes, countless castles and the cities of Liege, Namur and Tournai. The city of Brussels is one of the world's great cosmopolitan capitals, home to both the European Union and NATO, as well as a weath of international trade and finance companies.

Belgium's history has always been linked to both commercial and cultural exchange, and much of its character is due to its role as the great meeting place of Western Europe. It would be difficult to name an European country who didn't want to stake their claim in Belgium at one time or another. Traces of the Austrians, Spanish, French and Dutch can still be seen in its architecture and in the lifestyle of its people. You will see superb examples of art and architecture past and prestent - Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau.

Somehow, Belgium has maintained a low-key approach to all of this international sophistication. It is a country for connoisseurs, but connoisseurs who do not take themselves too seriously. Because the Belgians themselves certainly do not.

And after all this, we didn't even mention the beer and chocolate!

From: www.visitbelgium.com

And if a Belgian does happen to read my journal: a very happy national holiday to you!

Summer is always that time with a lot more crawling, buzzing, tickling and stinging little creatures.  Whoaaaa! I hate them. They just give me the creeps. I could manage to keep most of them out so far and I can sort of live with buzzing flies in my house, although they can be really annoying, but I just have enough of the attacking mosquitoes every night. There really aren't that many mosquitoes here, but they seem to know a way to always find me. It's not such a big surprise though, I don't have an insect screen for my windows, so it's pretty easy for them to come in, and once they are inside, they only find me to sting.  Anyway, I just hate the itching spots they leave behind. I can't help but scratch until it bursts, with all it's consequences, of course.  It really looks bad. Thank goodness they only attacked my arms and legs so far... as far as I know.

I should do something about it. I don't seem to be fast enough to smack them, though.  We have those things here you can put in an electricity outlet. It spreads a smell mosquitoes can't stand or something, but I heard it's not really good for our own health and could even be poisonous, so I haven't bought that. It costs a lot of money anyway. But I don't know what else to do, so I might consider it nevertheless. 

Any good advice is welcome though. And what do you do to relieve the itching when you have a bite?