***

... Neige à Bruxelles ...

- Le petit Sablon -

- Avenue de la Couronne -

Second party team @ Leiden

- Pelikaan gracht -


The exams are finally over which is giving some space to relax a bit before second semester is starting. It's very quiet at Avenue Nouvelle as most of the students have gone home. After goofing some days with Seydi in Bxl I decided to have a long weekend myself with my family & friends. Leaving my simple student home in Brussels to THE PLACE TO BE - The Fusion @ Leiden - the student house of my bro.


- Mr. Ibrahim -

To make the second party team complete we invited Ibrahim to join us. I wanted to educate the kiddo a bit and visit The National museum of Antiquities to see the exhibition of Egypt with mummies & pharaohs. I was in minority as the girl and the two guys decided to stay in and play computer games all afternoon. But I don't blame the kid though: Tutankhamen or Batman... difficult choice for a 10-year-old!


During my stay in Leiden my brother was so kind to lend me his bike to move around a bit. I deeply love riding the bike, especially in The Netherlands because it's safe there! I have my own bike in Bxl but you must be crazy to take it, because it's so dangerous. In The Netherlands we have special paths & routes for the bike as where in Bxl you just ride between the cars on the road who are not so gentle with you. I've got deep respect for the Belgian people who do & even more for the ones who survive it!

As not many people take the bike in Brussels we have plenty of space to park your bike in the city where in The Netherlands it's the total opposite... you drive around for hours to find a place and to find it back again. It's like parking your car in Paris.

- O Brother's bike, Where Art Thou? -

To finish the weekend my brother took me out shopping for my b'day present which I for sure didn't refuse! I needed a new pc screen and we would look for a normal 17/19 inch flat screen, but when arriving in the shop we both completly fell in love with the new Samsung 22 inch wide screen. She is a true beauty and I think that secretly my brother is a bit jealous now :-)

As the "Soldes" in the Netherlands were still going on & I had some time left before catching my train my brother suggested to shop some more. It was the first time in my entire life that I went shopping for clothes together with my big bro but it was a great pleasure!

First party team!

- Bertine, Liz & Leonie on expensive home made cocktails -

The clock has passed twelve, it's officially the 07th of january 2007 & I just survived after a small birthday party my first day as a 22 year-old. As my apartment for the moment is really small & we are in the middle of the exam period we decided to celebrate my birthday at the end of the month. For some of my Dutch friends this was unacceptable & the party team took the car & drove to bxl.

My place is very easy to acces from the high way, but as simple as it was my friends got completly lost with the car & I had to go out on the bike to find them. You know that bxl is nothing without it's rain so after an hour searching & my being totally wet we finally found each other & the party could begin!

- My Belgian birthday cake! -

It was a last minute party which consisted out of improvisation. With no birthdaycake with 22 candles we used Belgian wafels with whiped cream and little candles to blow. My coffee mugs & take away coffee mugs that I bought 03 years ago in Manhattan were transfered into cocktail glasses. As a student in a small student apartment I'm very limited in my room and belongings. I have two knives, two spoons, two glasses, etc... It's not much but enough for me and an very effectic method which forces me to do the dishes at least every two days!

- No comment!... :-) -

Further celebration is to be continued @ the end of the month...

Kicking off 2007 @ the Hague

- Liz, Seraphina & the two gentlemen: my brother & little Taran! -



- Uncle Jan & Seraphina -

Since some years now we entered a new family tradition of gathering with uncle Jan, Dennis, Sanne & kids to celebrate the new year and enjoy the simple pleasure of being together. We moved the tradition this year from our family home in Hellevoetsluis to the Hague @ Dennis & Sanne. It was simple, great and heart warming to be together, talking, kids running around and eating the famous & delicious spinach/feta dish!


- Dennis our kitchen princess -

- The Theethbrushing Team -

Holidays at the Fusion

It's been a while but Liz has been travelling quit a lot these last months so no time to write much. It has been a hell of a crazy time and definitly in need of some holidays to calm down a bit and enjoy some quality time with family & friends. X-mas & New Year was to be spend in Leiden this time with my bro & his friends @ the Fusion. My first time to spend it in Leiden & and it was quit nice... we did nothing much but eat, play games & watch a lot of tv! Liz finally would have seen The lord of the rings part I till III but my bro invited another girl (there are only guys living there!) so... --> two girls & wine= chatty girls = never saw the movie!

- Josien in action during "Operation backing Oliebollen" -


When being Dutch you can't have the New Year celebration without oliebollen! Even though the best oliebollen in the Netherlands are to be bought in a little temporary shop on wheels in Rotterdam, my brother & I still preach that there aren't such good oliebollen like the fresh home mades. Josien was so nice to take over for me while I was having a phone call, but I forgot after hanging up and eventually she spend backing all!



- The Fusion -

We ended the old year with great French champagne & watching from the rooftop of my bro's apartment to the firework over entire Leiden... Pure magic! Afterwards more friends of my bro came and we drank, did singing star on tv, drank & sang some more again. Would like to tell more about it and I'll... someday... when I remember again! ;-)

- Josien again in action but this time oliebollen with raisins... :-) -