Peter
United Kingdom
30.12.2023 - 08.01.2024
Liige alates: 1996
Liikmesus kehtib kuni: 03/Jun/2024
We have been home exchanging since 1996 for about 30 times. We’ve also done 23 house sittings (with Homelink and Trusted Housesitters)
I, Michel (65) am a retired head chef (in a seaside hotel of the army). I like cooking, reading, listening to music (I am a huge fan of Deep Purple and blues(-rock), watching TV, gardening, traveling; I really am into photography (I even am employed – on voluntary service - by the city of Bruges as a photographer for evenements) and love photographing churches.
Gina (59) is a cleaning lady in a children's ward in a hospital. She likes traveling, reading tear-jerking books, home design magazines, and doing the household.
We are a happy couple since 1977 and have been married since 1982.
We have 2 grown up children: Lynn (38) and Maaike (34).
And since July 1st 2017 Maaike and her friend are parents (and we are very proud grandparents!) of the premature baby Emil (28 weeks and 990 grams!) But he is doing great :-)
We are big fans of Escape to the Country.
We love exchanging and do our utmost to make people feel at home here, welcoming you with a self-prepared Flemish Stew (loved by every body). Whilst taking the best possible care of your home. We provide guide books, maps, heaps of tourist leaflets, a "Home Survival guide" and much more, to enable our guests to make the most of their stay in Brugge.
We have a very well behaved dachshund, Pippa, which will be joining us on our holidays. She really is loved by all.
Võõrkeeleoskus
inglise, prantsuse, saksa
Ühised huvialad ja teemad
aiandus,
lemmikloomad,
gurmaanid,
muusika
RohkemVähemÜhised ametid ja tegevusvaldkonnad
õppejõud,
veteranid/kaitsejõud,
pensionärid,
pensionärid,
avalik teenistus,
kunstnikud/meelelahutajad
RohkemVähemAmet
chef (Pensionil)
Lemmikloomad
Pippa, our well behaved sausage dog
Peter
United Kingdom
Pete & Trish
United Kingdom
Bram en Gea
Netherlands
Roger
Belgium
Terry Sharrock & Anne
United Kingdom
Sigo and Tosca
Netherlands
Fijne ruil in Brugge !
Read Less...Denise Hulst & Peter
Netherlands
Billy & Eleanor
United Kingdom
Michel's beef casserole was a wonderful welcome, as were the selection of Belgian chocolates we enjoyed. We so enjoyed meeting Michel and Gina with th...
Read More...Michel's beef casserole was a wonderful welcome, as were the selection of Belgian chocolates we enjoyed. We so enjoyed meeting Michel and Gina with their family guests. The location of the house was excellent for visiting beautiful Bruges and the surrounding area. We also really enjoyed meeting Nick and Lydia. Perhaps another exchange in the future?
Read Less...Irene
Netherlands
Mathijs
Netherlands
We had a verry good time at Brugge. De woning van Michel en Gina is van alle gemakken voorzien. Heerlijk geslapen, vlakbij het centrum en toch rustig....
Read More...We had a verry good time at Brugge. De woning van Michel en Gina is van alle gemakken voorzien. Heerlijk geslapen, vlakbij het centrum en toch rustig. Mooie gezellige uitvalbasis.
Read Less...J.A.
Netherlands
Kathy
United Kingdom
Elly & Hans
Netherlands
Henry and Marjan
Netherlands
Roger & Sheila
United Kingdom
We enjoyed our time in Michel and Ginas comfortable home, a real high point was Michel's Flemish stew, something we are going to try to emulate. We w...
Read More...We enjoyed our time in Michel and Ginas comfortable home, a real high point was Michel's Flemish stew, something we are going to try to emulate. We were very comfortable in their home with a comfortable lounge and great TV! We enjoyed cooking in the evening in their kitchen, especially the frites, a must do in Belgium, and then eating in the garden watching the fish in the pond. With the local bus only a few minutes away and then a short journey to Bruges centre or the railway station we hardly needed to use our car. We did make trips to De Hann on the coast as well as Ghent and Ypres. Close to Bruges the small town of Damme is well worth a visit and we also had a great visit to Castel Ooidonk. Thanks to Michel and Gina for a great exchange. Roger and Sheila
Read Less...Michael & Andrea
United Kingdom
Thank you Michel, Gina & Pippa! We had a fabulous fortnight in Bruges. Even the weather was kind to us particularly in the second week. We were mad...
Read More...Thank you Michel, Gina & Pippa! We had a fabulous fortnight in Bruges. Even the weather was kind to us particularly in the second week. We were made to feel very welcome with yummy home made casserole and a selection of Belgium beers on our arrival as well as other food. The TV and surround system was like having our own cinema screen and we loved feeding the fish in the pond and 'chilling out' after a day sightseeing. The house and kitchen were well equipped and very clean. Lots of instructions for everything and a box full of tourist brochures meant that we had no problem filling our days! We would definitely recommend these exchange partners and loved Bruges.
Read Less...samaaegne koduvahetus
vahetus nädalalõpul
suitsetamine keelatud
lapsed teretulnud
ei paku isikliku auto kasutust
Avatud kõigile kuupäevadele | Denemarken | Verenigd Koninkrijk | Zweden |
Koduvahetuseks pakutava kodu kirjeldus
BRUGES! Need I Say more ...?! We live in a rural area with all conveniences of urban life. Previous exchangers were delighted with our home and location. Bruges has been elected as "The 3rd friendliest city in the world 2019" according to a poll by travel website Big 7 Travel: "One of the friendliest cities in Europe is Bruges, a fairytale place in Belgium. The
charming atmosphere is hard to match, with a village feel and locals who go the extra mile to welcome tourists. From walking guides to the waiter who serves your hot chocolate and waffles, the people here make Bruges stand out".
Omio (French online travel comparator) examined which European cities are the most budget-friendly overall. In doing so, they looked at activities as well as catering and public transport. They examined how cheap the beer is, how much you pay for dinner for two and whether there are free drinking fountains. In that case, Grenada and Bruges come out on top. London, on the other hand, turns out to be very expensive when transport and food are also considered: the British capital is only 93rd in this overall ranking.
The prestigious and authoritative American luxury travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler just (2022) made its annual lists of favourite destinations, with Bruges coming in at number 8 in the world ranking of smaller cities, moreover as the only Belgian city in the list. "Impeccably well-preserved city centre with cobblestones and canals" and chosen by travellers looking for quiet, small and understated destinations where comfort comes first. "The right kind of less is more," concluded the editors of Condé Nast.
Bruges is the loveliest city in Europe: her museums, historical sites, restaurants and cafes (with more than 1,500 kinds of the world-famous Belgian beers)...Keeping a visitor occupied for more than a few days. It is an ideal destination if you are looking for a low-key place to relax. in 2018 Bruges had 8.3 million tourists! And it is a good base for visiting Ypres, Passchendaele (less than 60 km), Brussels, Ghent, Amsterdam or Paris ...
We have been Exchanging about 35 times; and have done 23 house sittings. Since our daughters left home, we are home Exchanging again. We still are good friends for over 25 years with a family from our first Danish home swap, once in a while, we visit each other (and had a wonderful exchange again with them in 2017); also with Dutch couples we still have nice get-together's.
Preferably no small children: we have a pond.
We do answer all mail!
Eluaseme tüüp
eramaja, 2 või enam korrust/ peamine elukoht
Mugavused
Meelelahutus
Muud võimalused
Keskkond
Ümbruskonna kirjeldus
We live in Sint Andries, only 5 Km from the centre of the well-known city of BRUGES. (Europe's 2002 Cultural Capital) a lively city, but a city for people.
And in October 2023: "As usual, the prestigious travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler announced its annual Readers’ Choice Awards of favourite destinations. We are proud to announce that Bruges once again ranks 8th in the world ranking of smaller cities :-) "
Our neighbourhood is very nice, with peaceful surroundings. The maximum speed in our quarter is 30 km/hr. We have friendly and welcoming neighbours. In addition it is very child-friendly: our street is a save and quiet cul-de-sac, of only 4 houses. The only traffic is very local.
It is real nice to wake up in the morning while listening to the singing birds (30 years ago, we used to live on a very busy road).
Different shops (department stores as well as neighbourhood-shops, butchers, bakeries…) and lovely forests (which were highly appreciated by most of our home exchange friends) are very nearby. You only need to walk 5 minutes to our Olympic swimming pool, the football stadium (FC Bruges), and the bowling hall. Tennis and horse riding are also nearby.
A few km from here we have a brand-new cinema-complex (since July 2006).
Bus stops are just within a few minutes walking distance. Nearby, we have a very user-friendly and cheap park-and-ride bus system.
One of our previous home exchangers described it as:"...feeling that we are out in the country while enjoying all the conveniences of modern urban life...This is the 4th time we have exchanged houses, but the first time we are leaving 'too early', wishing we could extend the exchange for another two weeks, staying in your sweet home has been a very relaxing and pleasant experience"
Huvitegevused
Vaba aeg
Kultuuritegevused
Lähim ühistransport
Ümbruskonna teenused
Meie soovitused, kuhu minna ja mida teha ajal, kui viibite meie kodus
Bruges! Ghent, Antwerp, Paris,... The Commemoration of the First World War in Belgium.
Ypres (In Flanders Fields), Passchendaele (Tyne Cot) are less than 60 km away.
27 WWI memorial sites in Flanders Fields are now recognised as Unesco World Heritage.
I do not think I have to tell you much about Bruges and surroundings.
It is very touristy, well known in the whole world and beyond (Venice of the North!).
Cultural with lots of museums (famous for, amongst others, the Flemish Primitives),
theatres and the canals. The horse-drawn coaches, lots of very good restaurants (including Michelin stars - even in our direct neighbourhood.
Of course our world famous Belgian chocolates, our world famous beers (we have a choice of more than 1500 (!) old-traditional brewed Belgian beers!), and so on.
We must not forget to mention the things children like: sea, sand, the dolphinarium, amusement parks, boat trip on the canals, and so on.
BRUGGE was chosen, in 1998, by the British readers of The Sunday Times as the second most enjoyable city in the world with 97.2 % (first was Sydney with 98.6 % Paris ‘only’ had 82.8 %).
One of the most perfectly preserved medieval cities in Western Europe, with its beguinage, that is one of the 200 UNESCO patrimonies of the world, and the whole inner city is now on that infamous list (including the pyramids of Gizeh, the Acropolis in Athens...) too since Nov 2000.
It won prices as one of the cleanest towns in Europe. In summer, we have "Festival of Flanders" with Musica Antiqua,... as well as festivals with pop, rock, blues, world and other kinds of music.
Once a hanseatic world market, Now the source of the Flemish Art and unique in Europe:
With its entire inner city classified as world heritage,
Bruges is a lively city but a city for people,
where it is nice to wander in an almost immaculate environment.
In Bruges you do not have to do anything.
In Bruges you can do almost everything.
Bruges is unique, loves tradition, has charm and offers tranquillity.
Bruges is a city for all seasons.
Meie lemmikrestoranid
Toredad kohvikud ja pubid
Head ostlemiskohad
Mis meile meeldib ja mis mitte ... Siin on meie eelistused ja kodu reeglid.
We are a couple that takes a pride in our home and we like to keep it clean and tidy, but also cozy and welcoming; and will take as much care of your home.
We would just ask that - whilst making yourself comfortable and at home in our house - you keep it clean and tidy for our return. We promise we will do the same for you; at least as tidy as we have found it.
Tingimused
Isikliku auto kasutus
Koduvahetusviisid
Liige alates: 1996
Liikmesus kehtib kuni: 03/Jun/2024
We have been home exchanging since 1996 for about 30 times. We’ve also done 23 house sittings (with Homelink and Trusted Housesitters)
I, Michel (65) am a retired head chef (in a seaside hotel of the army). I like cooking, reading, listening to music (I am a huge fan of Deep Purple and blues(-rock), watching TV, gardening, traveling; I really am into photography (I even am employed – on voluntary service - by the city of Bruges as a photographer for evenements) and love photographing churches.
Gina (59) is a cleaning lady in a children's ward in a hospital. She likes traveling, reading tear-jerking books, home design magazines, and doing the household.
We are a happy couple since 1977 and have been married since 1982.
We have 2 grown up children: Lynn (38) and Maaike (34).
And since July 1st 2017 Maaike and her friend are parents (and we are very proud grandparents!) of the premature baby Emil (28 weeks and 990 grams!) But he is doing great :-)
We are big fans of Escape to the Country.
We love exchanging and do our utmost to make people feel at home here, welcoming you with a self-prepared Flemish Stew (loved by every body). Whilst taking the best possible care of your home. We provide guide books, maps, heaps of tourist leaflets, a "Home Survival guide" and much more, to enable our guests to make the most of their stay in Brugge.
We have a very well behaved dachshund, Pippa, which will be joining us on our holidays. She really is loved by all.
Võõrkeeleoskus
inglise, prantsuse, saksa
Ühised huvialad ja teemad
aiandus,
lemmikloomad,
gurmaanid,
muusika
RohkemVähemÜhised ametid ja tegevusvaldkonnad
õppejõud,
veteranid/kaitsejõud,
pensionärid,
pensionärid,
avalik teenistus,
kunstnikud/meelelahutajad
RohkemVähemAmet
chef (Pensionil)
Lemmikloomad
Pippa, our well behaved sausage dog
Peter
United Kingdom
Pete & Trish
United Kingdom
Bram en Gea
Netherlands
Roger
Belgium
Terry Sharrock & Anne
United Kingdom
Sigo and Tosca
Netherlands
Fijne ruil in Brugge !
Read Less...Denise Hulst & Peter
Netherlands
Billy & Eleanor
United Kingdom
Michel's beef casserole was a wonderful welcome, as were the selection of Belgian chocolates we enjoyed. We so enjoyed meeting Michel and Gina with th...
Read More...Michel's beef casserole was a wonderful welcome, as were the selection of Belgian chocolates we enjoyed. We so enjoyed meeting Michel and Gina with their family guests. The location of the house was excellent for visiting beautiful Bruges and the surrounding area. We also really enjoyed meeting Nick and Lydia. Perhaps another exchange in the future?
Read Less...Irene
Netherlands
Mathijs
Netherlands
We had a verry good time at Brugge. De woning van Michel en Gina is van alle gemakken voorzien. Heerlijk geslapen, vlakbij het centrum en toch rustig....
Read More...We had a verry good time at Brugge. De woning van Michel en Gina is van alle gemakken voorzien. Heerlijk geslapen, vlakbij het centrum en toch rustig. Mooie gezellige uitvalbasis.
Read Less...J.A.
Netherlands
Kathy
United Kingdom
Elly & Hans
Netherlands
Henry and Marjan
Netherlands
Roger & Sheila
United Kingdom
We enjoyed our time in Michel and Ginas comfortable home, a real high point was Michel's Flemish stew, something we are going to try to emulate. We w...
Read More...We enjoyed our time in Michel and Ginas comfortable home, a real high point was Michel's Flemish stew, something we are going to try to emulate. We were very comfortable in their home with a comfortable lounge and great TV! We enjoyed cooking in the evening in their kitchen, especially the frites, a must do in Belgium, and then eating in the garden watching the fish in the pond. With the local bus only a few minutes away and then a short journey to Bruges centre or the railway station we hardly needed to use our car. We did make trips to De Hann on the coast as well as Ghent and Ypres. Close to Bruges the small town of Damme is well worth a visit and we also had a great visit to Castel Ooidonk. Thanks to Michel and Gina for a great exchange. Roger and Sheila
Read Less...Michael & Andrea
United Kingdom
Thank you Michel, Gina & Pippa! We had a fabulous fortnight in Bruges. Even the weather was kind to us particularly in the second week. We were mad...
Read More...Thank you Michel, Gina & Pippa! We had a fabulous fortnight in Bruges. Even the weather was kind to us particularly in the second week. We were made to feel very welcome with yummy home made casserole and a selection of Belgium beers on our arrival as well as other food. The TV and surround system was like having our own cinema screen and we loved feeding the fish in the pond and 'chilling out' after a day sightseeing. The house and kitchen were well equipped and very clean. Lots of instructions for everything and a box full of tourist brochures meant that we had no problem filling our days! We would definitely recommend these exchange partners and loved Bruges.
Read Less...Üle 70 aasta kogemust
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