El Rocio, the end, snif...

Hi all,

In the meantime we're back home already after having spent 2 very relaxing days at Estancia El Rocio (www.estanciaelrocio.com)
It was a great way to end this magnificent trip that lasted 17 days.
I did some horseback riding again (think I became a fan :-) and Ophélie worked on her skin color :-)
The food was really delicious and our hosts, Patrice and Maccarena were very generous and kind, we received a bottle of Chamapgne as honeymoon present!

Please have a look at my facebook pages for the first 60 pictures (out of +/-700...):
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=699292699

This trip was by far the best voyage ever in my life, and for Ophélie it was her first "real" trip.
We both are really enthusiast and a little sad to be home again...

Many thanks for having followed our adventures on this weblog, it was a pleasure writing to you all.

Cheers, and keep coming to this blog for more updates on our life and activities!!

Mr and Mrs Boes

Voir Buenos Aires et... vivre :-)

Hi there,

We're back where it all started, in the capital of this amazing country, BA ( pour les intimes).
Back in hotel Costa Petit (http://www.costpetithotel.com/), which has become more or less our "home" during this trip (we came back 3 times to this beautiful place).

Today we took a cab to Plaza San Martin and went to do some shopping ( some birthdays have and will occur in the family these days :-) in Avenuda Florida, what a shopping area, De Meir and Avenue Louise and Kustlaan are peanuts compared to this!!! Ophelie was totally "en forme" here.

After a nice lunch in the Palermo Soho area, we are now waiting for our transfer by car to our last
:-( destination of this trip: Estancia El Rocio (http://www.estanciaelrocio.com/).
Just 2 last days of pure relaxation, luxury, decandence :-), good steak, polo horses and who knows what else!

CU there for a last update before the long trip back on thursday night, and back home on friday evening if Iberia keeps its promises :-)

Bye, adios,

Mr and Mrs Boes

Bodega Colome, te quiero mucho!

Hi there,

As you probably now by now, Ophelie and I are residing at the winery from Mr. Donald Hess, Bodega Colome.
Yesterday evening, when we arrived, we both couldn`t believe our eyes when entering our room ( a junior suite :-). This is the most impressive room I`ve ever been in!!!
Full domotica, background music, firehood, a gigantic shower, very high roof (like the "schuur" in Montenaken!!)

We had a marvellous dinner last night accompanied with the "Colome Estate" wine ( 85% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Syrah)... superb, and going very well together with the "riz de veau" and the veal saltimbocca and the assortment of local cheeses!

Today, the weather was beautiful again, and we only discovered now how extremely beautiful this place is! I made a few dozens of pictures.
We started with a great breakfast and a visit to the winery, very interesting.

After that, we relaxed at the superb pool side and socialized with a friendly Brit :-)
The lunch was nice and with a view on one of the highest mountains in the Andes (>6000 m).

This afternoon we went... horseback riding in the valley of the Colome Rio, yes, even Ophelie :-)
It was unbelievable and great fun!

Now we will have our last meal (laatste avondmaal on Easter :-) before leaving tomorrow to Tucuman and the airport.

Tomorrow evening we hopefully arrive on time in Buenos Aires where we will spend a morning before leaving by car to El Rocio in the Gaucho area, the Pampas.

HAPPY EASTER FROM THE ANDES AND COLOME.

Cheers,

Mr and Mrs Boes

Oh, the Andes!

Hi all,

Yesterday and today we discovered the pre-Andes, the Andes and the Punta (highland in between the two) by 4x4.

In the morning we got over the pre-Andes pass to the Punta at an altitude of 4100 meters, and then drove for over 100 km in the spectacular Punta at a permanent altitude of 3700 meters. We even had a private pick-nick with ... Champagne, offered by our guide and driver to celebrate our Honeymoon!!

We visited a salt lake, a seven coloured mountain, a local Easter procession, llamas (wild ones and domestic ones, and sun, sun, sun ( yes, I got seriously burned of course).

We had a local dinner last night with typical Andean dishes ( llama meat, sour potatous, corn, beans,...) all very tasteful and strange at the same time.
We finally stayed in a very sympathetic "refuge": El Refugo del Pintor, in a small town ( now crowded with locals to celebrate Easter) Tilcara.

Today we visited Humahuaca and Salta on the way back to the luxury and beauty of the House of Jasmins, for the last time :-(

Tomorow we visit Cachi and go for a well deserved "rest" for two days at Bodega Colome ( a winery domain belonging to a Swiss family). There we will stay for 1.5 day doing... nothing but swimming, horseback riding, tasting wines, eat steak and drink delicious Malbec wine!!

Ophelie and I are really more and more excited by (each other of course :-) Argentina and its people who are really friendly and generous.

CU later

Mr and Mrs Boes

Northwest Argentina

Hi all,

This afternoon we arrived in http://www.houseofjasmines.com (see the place on the right)
This is what one would expect on his honeymoon!! What a beautiful and romantic place, certainly for interior decoration amateurs like us :-)

Ophelie is having a full body massage right now ( by a woman, ouf :-)
This is an old farmhouse (estancia) which has been rebuilt as a small luxury place with only 7 rooms.
Tonight we will have dinner, guess what´s on the menu... grilled steak!!!!! Youhou!!!!

Tomorrow we leave for the mountains and we´ll climb by 4x4 up to 4000 meters in the Andes.
In this region, Easter is being celebrated for a whole week, with folklore and ceremonies etc... so with a little luck, I´ll be able to shot some great and colorfull pictures ( by the way, I hace already made 360 pictures in one week :-)

Voila, that´s it for the moment, tomorrow we´ll sleep in a "refuge" in the mountains, where I doubt there wil be an internet connection, but the day after we are back in the House of Jasmines and I´ll report our trip of course.

Ciao los amigos e gringos
Vive le steak, et vive notre voyage de noces!!!!

Mr and Mrs Boes

See you at the end of the world

Hi,

Today was our last full day in Ushuaia, the so called end of the world. We have had a wonderful stay in the middle of a magnificent nature, I would dare to describe it as the scene of Jurrassic Parc.

I made already more or less 300 pictures since we arrived, and we are not over half of our trip yet.

We did a splendid hiking trip on Gable island ending in a delicious fish and potato BBQ, and today we came back from a 4x4 trip around lago Fagnano, again ending in BBQ at the shores of the lake with a fabulous piece of Argentinian steak.

Now our winter period will be replaced by warmer and dryer climate up north after a short break back in Buenos Aires.

We will keep you posted of course.

Cheers from Mr and Mrs Boes

Don't cry for me Argentina

Hi there,

It´s already our fourth day in Argentina. We started out with some heavy air traffic delays in Brussels, slept one night in a dark hotel in Madrid, had great fun in Buenos Aires, and a superb little hotel (www.costapetithotel.com).

We had a great Tango evening accompanied by our first Argentinean steak, what a great steak they have here!

You should certainly visit Puerto Madeiro and La Bocca.

After, again, a delayed flight of 5 hours, we arrived at El Calafate, home of the famous Perito Moreno glacier, what a miracle of nature!!! Fabulous!

Tonight we will have another great steak with a superb Mendoza wine, hmmmmm :-)

And tomorrow... we will qrrive at the end of th world, literally, in Ushuaia!

We´ll tell you about it later.

So until now, a great experience, but the best is yet to come :-)

Cheers!!

Mr and Mrs Boes

There we go!

Hi there,

This is it, tomorrow we're getting married for God and Church and friends and family :-)
Ophélie did a great job organizing the day, and i'm convinced that we will have a great day all together.
The ceremony starts at 1.30 PM.

And then... monday... we leave for a superb voyage to Argentina.
Here are some links to places we will stay:

http://www.rincondefuego.com/
http://www.innsofargentina.com/hotels/Salta/Estancia-y-Bodega-Colome/
http://www.houseofjasmines.com/
http://www.estanciaelrocio.com/new/english/index.html
http://www.patagonia-argentina.com/i/tierradelfuego/ushuaia/ushuaia.htm

Looking great isn't it :-)

We will try to update our website from there where internet is available, promise!!

Vrijgezellen weekend (part 2)

Hi all,

It's now been a week ago that both Ophélie and I were surprised by our respective best friends and witnesses for the marriage.
Ophélie had a great time among girls in Brussels with a session about personal style with Bé De Meyer and afterwards a nice dinner and dance in a famous Italian restaurant in Brussels.

I started my surprise weekend with half a liter a Jupiler in Luk's car driving to... Montenaken :-)
There we were "drown" into my father's famous Sangria with way to much alcohol in it.
Of course, I had to change in a traditional Scottish kilt (first with, after without...)

We went out for a BBQ dinner in Gingelom and after that the night brought us to a few bars in St-Truiden, hik...

We staid in a B&B close to Montenaken.

On saturday morning, the big thing... QUAD just below the language frontier between Huy and Hannut... GREAT, SUPERB, FANTASTIC!!!!

After having drunk a few nice Maes Pils in the courtyard of a magnificent squared farm house, we drove to, of course, ALKEN where we first started with a Durum before going to play squash in kilt in the ATC Tennis Club (where I spent half of my youth :-)

From there, we went for dinner to De Wimmer for a superb Côte à l'os!!!

After thatn I was blind folded to arrive at, again of course, 't Kader where a few dozens of my friends were waiting.
I became a very nice and sympathetic party with a lot of friends I haven't seen in many times!

I would like to thanks all participants: Luk, Stephan, Jan, Koen, Thierry, Pat, Benjamin, Anton, Tom
And especially Stephan and Luk who were the great organizing talents of the weekend!!

It was an unforgettable weekend!!!

Vrijgezellen weekend!!!

Hi there,

This weekend Ophélie and I will be taken by surprise by our friends.
Both of us don't know anything, pretty scary I must admit :-)

We'll let you know what happened soon!

Last month before the BIG day!

Hi all,

I just recovered from my serious jet lag (and other lags :-) after a superb week at Lotusphere in Florida last week.

Now is the time to get ready for the big wedding day on March 8th. Ophélie has done a tremendous job with all the invitations. The first (mostly positive) answers are coming in already.
I have the feeling that it's going to be a great day for us and for all invitees!

Everything is also settled for our Argentina trip, we are really eager to leave already.
I bought myself a great reflex camera in Florida in order to enrich this blog with hopefully magnificent and spectacular Argentina pictures.

We will try to use this blog as news medium while we are on Honeymoon, I'm sure Argentina has discovered internet as well already :-)

Cheers!

Looking forward to several travels shortly!

Hi everyone,

Again, we wish you a Happy New Year!
January is the traditional month of Lotusphere in Orlando. For those who don't know this event, it's a huge yearly customer event for IBM Lotus software.

Mickey and Donald, here I come again!

Later in the year, Ophélie and I will go on Honeymoon to the land of Gauchos and Tango... Argentina, a place where I wanted to go for many years already.
We are really looking forward to it.

And of course, we are in full preparation of a hopefully great wedding party in Sint-Martens-Latem (B) on March 8th.

I have a couple of days off now to prepare morally for a great new year at work, hopefully even better than last year which I can honestly call a success year.

Cheers and CU later,