New Machines!

Last week my gym installed all new machines: cardio, free weights, and weight machines are all brand new. I did feel a bit sad that my old familiar machines were gone; also they've moved to more basic machines as far the displays and no more individual TV screens on the cardio machines (which I didn't use anyway). I guess that is part of the bargain for our gym changing its formula and my membership going from 46 euros/month to 23 euros/month - I suppose they have to save somewhere. And personally I'm very happy to pay the lower membership fee every month! I did feel a bit discombobulated as I made my way through my usual workout. But change can be good, right?  I couldn't help but notice a new cardio machine I had never seen before - it looked like a cross between an elliptical and a stair stepping machine.  Apparently it's called a Vario (by TechnoGym).

It can also be used with different strides: more of a stepping movement, an elliptical movement, or a running movement. I tried it out and it was definitely a different feel than the elliptical I am so used to; it was also challenging! It will take a little bit of getting used to, but I think I'm going to enjoy it! I'd be curious to know: have any of you ever tried this machine?

Royal Encounters

Yesterday was kind of exciting!  In July, King Albert II of Belgium abdicated the throne in favor of his son Filip.  King Filip and his wife, Queen Mathilde, will visit each provincial capital in Belgium to mark the start of his reign, and on Friday they kicked their tour off in our town, Leuven, which is the capital of the province Vlaams-Brabant.

So my friend Kristel and I walked downtown on Friday morning to line up with the crowds that were already waiting in front of the town hall:

The weather was gorgeous and people were in good spirits.  As we waited in the sunshine and enjoyed the performances by the circus school, the local parcours group, and an awesome drum band, flags were flying.

Little by little more and more security, press, and local politicians and dignitaries began to arrive at the town hall.  It was really fun to watch the TV reporters interview people, and to point out celebrities to each other.  Finally, the cameras all assembled themselves, our mayor came out on the front steps, a few police motorcycles with flashing lights flew by, and then this car drove up:

You must be pretty important if your license plate is number 1!  The King and Queen were welcomed with lots of cheers and waving flags and after a brief stop to wave at the crowds, they were welcomed into the town hall, where they were to meet the mayors of every town in our province.

We knew they were going to greet the crowd when they came out, so we waited with everyone else while the reception with VIP's went on inside.  Our mayor must have made a long speech because it took about 45 minutes!  But we were having a good time chatting with the people around us, and I was busy taking practice shots with my camera held up over my head, because all I was hoping for was just one decent picture.

The King and Queen finally came out, to more cheers, and they started walking along the barriers where all the crowds were waiting, greeting people and shaking hands.  Then they split up, King Filip greeting veterans and school children opposite us, while Queen Mathilde kept advancing in our direction.  As she came closer, I was ready with my camera.

And just as I took this last shot, I noticed the lady just in front of me had put her hand out to greet the Queen, and on an impulse I put my hand out as well, and Queen Mathilde shook it!

I was quite amazed, and tickled to death - all I was hoping for was a picture, honestly, and just to see our royal couple in person together.  Having the opportunity to shake her hand really made my day!  She comes across as a lovely, intelligent and kind person, and together, they're going to make a wonderful King and Queen for our country in the years to come.

Hallerbos

 I've lived here in Belgium for almost 25 years and one place I always wanted to go to was the Hallerbos, a forest in Halle which for a very short time every spring is filled with wild blue hyacinths, also called bluebells.

 The flowers are only in bloom for a very short time so most years, by the time they've announced on the news that the Hallerbos is in bloom, it's usually too late.  This year, however, I finally got my chance!

It was absolutely gorgeous. The blue carpet just spread out in every direction and what surprised me the most was the wonderful smell of all those millions of blue flowers - amazing.

After a long walk through the blue that just seems to go on forever, we felt like we were lost in an enchanted forest or a Harry Potter book. I half expected a unicorn or a wizard to turn up!

Loop van Vlaanderen

Yesterday my friend Ingrid and I participated in the first edition of the Loop van Vlaanderen, a new event for both trail runners and hikers in Oudenaarde, where the famous cycling race, the Ronde van Vlaanderen, takes place every year.

Oudenaarde turned out to be a lively little town, with a gorgeous town hall (here to the right) and a busy market square full of cafes.

The event offered 10K, 25K and 50K for both runners and walkers.  We decided to do the 10K.  We've been doing walks together all fall and winter on a regular basis, and we knew 10K would be doable for us; 25K would have been a real stretch.

 Oudenaarde is located in the Vlaamse Ardennen, a very hilly area in the southern part of the province of East Flanders.  I had never been to this part of Belgium before and it was beautiful - rolling hills, green pastures.  We were lucky with the weather - it was sunny but not warm, which was perfect for both runners and walkers.

I have to admit, when we lined up for the 10K start in the walker's corral and I saw all the runners up ahead of us, I did feel a bit sad and nostalgic.  This time last year I was still running 10K's!  I do miss it.

But then we were off and with all the hills and rough paths I was actually glad at the end of the day to be walking - it would have been a tough course to run.  There were at least 4 pretty steep climbs and several rocky descents.  Not to mention parts with treacherous cobblestones!  The whole thing was really well organized - with the three different distances start times being staggered, we even saw the winner of the 50K come in before we started out, which was impressive (he finished in 3:36).

Ingrid and I had a great time.  The nice thing about walking is that you can keep up a steady chit chat, you have time to really enjoy what you're seeing around you, and when there is a water stop, you really stop to drink and say hello to the volunteers.

That's not to say that we didn't put in an effort, however.  We finished in 1:57, which meant we kept up a good steady pace - and I am still feeling it in my glutes this morning!

We both agreed this would be a fun event to do again - and who knows - perhaps the 25K next time?

Valencia!

Imagine Paris and the Seine river.  Imagine if all the water was drained out of the river and replaced with a beautiful green sunken park, full of runners, bikers, walkers, picknickers, children on playgrounds, people walking their dogs...

Well, we were in Valencia last week and that is exactly what they did with the river Turia, which is now the 9 km long Jardines del Turia that runs right through the center of town.  Of course, they do have better weather in Valencia than in Paris, but it was just amazing to walk through this long park and see how active so many people were, young and old.  The long stretch of running paths was a runner's dream - and every day there were lots and lots of runners flying past us. 

They also had several exercise stations with strength equipment that was always in use, as well as orange tree groves, football pitches, ponds, cafés, artworks, climbing walls, an athletics track, a zen garden and more.  We also passed by some really funky spiky trees with fluffy cotton-like flowers:

The many bridges, some of which reminded me of those gorgeous historic bridges in Paris, carry traffic overhead across the park. At every bridge there are stairs and ramps to bring you down to the park. 

By the end of our trip we had covered nearly the entire length, some parts more than once.  The City of Arts and Sciences, with its amazing architecture, is located on the very end of the park as it reaches the Meditteranean seacoast:

 

And it was such a treat to see the blue sky and feel the sun on our arms for a few days.

 

The old city center of Valencia is also really nice.  There is a fantastic covered market where the stand holders don't bark at you if you take pictures (like they do in Barcelona), lots of tapas bars, and of course many places where you can enjoy paella:

And finally, really cool grafitti art all over the city:

My 16-year-old and I had tickets to see this concert last night. It was excellent, especially the two piano version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue they played (an excerpt of it starts at about 9.28 minutes in the video if you're interested). I think I've mentioned before how much I enjoy watching Jef Neve perform...I'll have to add Liebrecht Vanbeckevoort to my list, now, too!

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Sweet Potato

My middle son wanted to make foccacia bread today, and I thought I'd make some soup to go with it for dinner, which works perfectly with the cold and blustery weather we're having.  Three ginormous red peppers in the fridge and a large sweet potato were all I needed to be inspired!  Here's how I made it:

First heat up your broiler.  Halve the peppers, pull out the seeds and pith and place them skin side up on a non-stick or lightly oiled baking tin.  Put them under the broiler for about 15 minutes (check frequently) until the skins are blackened all over.  Take them out and let them cool off until you can handle them without getting your fingers burnt.  Peel the skins off and remove any remaining seeds and stems.

While the peppers are broiling, roughly chop an onion, a celery rib, and three cloves of garlic.  Peel and cube a large sweet potato.  Sautee the onion and celery in about a tablespoon of olive oil in a soup kettle til soft.  Add the garlic and sweet potato, and sautee another minute or so.  Now you can add your roasted and peeled peppers to the pot, along with 5-6 cups of vegetable stock, 2 Bay leaves, a pinch each of dried rosemary, thyme and summer savory, a dash of tumeric and some freshly ground black pepper.  Bring to a boil and then simmer gently until the sweet potato cubes are soft.  Remove the Bay leaves, blend until smooth with an immersion blender and check the seasoning.  Enjoy!