This past week we've visited Ghent - see earlier blog, and at the weekend went to Amsterdam. We enjoy Amsterdam because it is easy to get about, lots of things to see and and it is seemingly always busy. And it is flat so walking about is pretty easy; which is a consideration these days, as well as being quite easy to find your way about. Most people speak English which also adds to it's attractiveness. Amsterdam, we are told is actually some 3-5 metros below sea level! Hard to appreciate when you're walking about or going on a boat cruise around the city canals.

We caught the train to Amsterdam - getting tickets in Brussels was not so easy as we had to queue for about 1hour and thus missed the fast train. We settled for a pretty fast train that stopped a several stations along the way. Peter drove us back this afternoon and we have been catching up on Aus news.

Here we are not aware that there is much public discussion re economic matters

but certainly the Euro is losing value against the AUD. As you will note, the value of the AUD against the USD is falling a bit - we expect it may fall a bit more as our time

to be in the US approaches. . . .

It was great to see that Sam Stosur won the US title and it seems there has been

quite a bit of positive media coverage in these parts. Perhaps Ms S Williams 'spoilt

brat' performance has the media looking elsewhere in women's tennis for something or someone to write about?

Lots of coverage over here of the 9/11 tragedy -some of it on the National

Geographic channel and on CNN was interesting and informative.

We will take a look at a couple of iconic landmarks such as the Grand Place and

the Auto Museum for RT. We will also start organizing ourselves for the trip to New

York. We leave Brussels mid Friday afternoon;to Frankfurt and then to JFK, scheduled to arrive around 7.30pm after an 8 hour flight so we are 'losing' about 6 hours.

Tomorrow will post some pics of Amsterdam.