A La Bruxelles

So it is my third day here in Brussels, and it is already proving to be quite a contrast from the rest of our journey. We arrived miday Wednesday at Annas, and slept until 5pm, because we were just that tired from having gotten so little sleep the night before on the train. We had dinner with Annas family, who have just been so sweet and welcoming and watched a film, well Anna, Nicole and Steph did, I just passed out.

Yesterday, Friday, we spent the day wandering around Bruxelles, a guided tour, of course, courtesy of Anna. We saw the Royal Place, the beautiful Grand Place, all the chocolate shops (there are many of them), the famed fountain where a 5 year old boy got lost in the city and was found by his father who caught him in a compromising position- peeing of course, and thus a replica statue has been erected there in his honour out of his father's gratitude. We stopped at a cafe outside a really posh hotel with beautiful scenery. IT was pretty well a walking tour of the city, saw a lot of things, but of course, at an entirely more relaxed pace than what STeph and I had been used to in Germany. AH, the joys of NOT being a tourist....

That night we cooked dinner for the family, made chicken fajitas and tacos- I was quite impressed myself, and Anna, Steph, Nicole and I headed for a night out on the town. We first went to a local univeristy pub, wait, Anna is yelling at me over my shoulder- its THE school pub. where Anna introduced us to some of her friends. I had my first taste of Belgian beer- Jupiler. We then took a cab, where I had a 'power nap' to our next bar, called Delirium. THey had 2004 varieties of beer, even from Canada. I tried a variety of Belgian beers on tap- STraberry flavoured, apple flavoured, peach flavoured. ALl those were great, but I didn't particularly like the Delirium beer- I could not finish it. Additionally, not to give you a bad impression of the bar or the city at all, but Nicole asked for 3 peach beers but got something else, so when Anna ordered a round, she enunciated the word peach, even said it in French, peche. THe bartender asked her where she was from, although she is from Denmark, she has actually lived in Belgium for 18 years (but of course the bartender didn't know that). The bartender said to her: "Well I don't know how they do it in Denmark, but in Belgium we say please" and then he flashed her an insincere and according to Steph, a 'vile' smile. Well Anna made it a point to say thank you after he brought her those beers...how rude. TO make it worse, Steph asked if her beer was supposed to have 2/3rds foam on top of it. Rather than answering her, that same bartender resentfully yanked the glass from her hand and filled it up some more, handed it back to her, pointing at all the advertisements of foamy beers on the wall and stating rudely in his French accent, that "this is the way de Belgian Beer is served". What a sweetheart...... It was a fun night out, came home sometime after 3, don't really remember but for that reason we decided to postpone our day trip to Bruges until tomororw, which turned out to be a wise choice considering that it rained all day today.

Nicole, Steph and I went to the museum of Modern Art today. Sadly, Steph and I only got through the 19th centruty and 14th-15th century exihibits in about 3 hours. THere was just so much to see and appreciate and the time just flew by. But what was most interesting to see was how much art had changed in just 400 years, from being completely religiously based, to the romantic gothic era, to the abstract impressionism we see today. I think the whole idea of modern art lacks a sound institutional basis- it is rarely concerned with politics, religion- mostly landscape, portraits, and other such abstractions. As well,STeph and I were noting how it is only recently that facial features have become more pronounced and developed in art. AS well, I couldnt' help but notice some Hebrew scripture in a Christian painting, and I wondered why I didn't see a single 'Jewish' painting, but I figure that must be because so many synagogues and cultural artifacts were probably destroyed during the pogroms and religious persecutions. Anyways, it's always nice to visit a museum for a day, makes me want to take up painting, although if you do visit, make sure you give yourself a full day....

Anyways after our museum visit, we got some waffles from the street vendor (like hot dogs in Toronto). I must say it was the most amazing thing I have ever eaten. AS a side note, Nicole got to visit a museum where you walk aroundw ith headphones and hear a whole mosaic of instruments playing as you approach the displays. So little time, so much to do...

Steph and I wandered around into the chocolate shops- looked amazing, I intend to send some home and ventured into the Grand Place for the most spectacular musical and lighting display. In the square there are some old buildings, a church, a museum and many shops, with a Christmas tree in the middle. THere were lights coming from all corners, shining on the buildings, and bubbles coming from the Christmas tree, and images of snowflakes and reindeer on buildings and colour changing lights. IT was almost like a magical fairytale- so gorgeoys with jazz music in the background. WOw...

Just had dinner with Anna's family, with wine and music of course, which was so nice and delicious (especially desert). Tomorrow we should be heading to Bruge, an old town in Belgium. My experience here so far has been so different, in the sense that I am probably getting a more true sense of Europe by not spending my time as a tourist running amock. Belgium is a mix of Dutch and French in language and culture, with a hint of German. THe flag very closely resembles the German flag, but according to Anna, they don't like to talk about it. WIth cobblestone roads, old, gothic architecture, the city is so full of statues and history, and of course so much culture, but yet still modern. It is definitely on my list of favourite places, for food, culture, and scenery alike.

Well that is all for me now, I hope I haven't forgotten anything too entertaining, but if I have, I'll try to remember for next time! Anna keeps correcting my blog for details, spelling and grammar,.... this doesn't feel like a vacation anymore.... justkidding...Cheers and Happy Hannakah!