Orientation

I got into Leuven at about 9 p.m. After checking my email, I went to bed and slept for a good 10 hours. Despite my lack of acquaintances in the city, I did have plans the following day. The exchange coordinator had planned a lunch for all the law exchange students who were already in town and just waiting for the semester to start.

We met at Alma 2 (Cafeteria 2). The food was surprisingly decent compared to what I was used to at University of Washington. I sat next to a quiet couple from Iceland who I couldn't get to say more than a few words and across from a nice French speaking Belgian guy whose name I can't remember. When lunch was finished, we all made plans to meet for a drink later and the exchange coordinator said she'd email the students who didn't come to lunch. A few people had affairs to attend to, but eight of us went to coffee in Oude Market (the Old Market), the social center of Leuven. The cobblestoned, pedestrian square (more of a long rectangle really) is lined with around sixty cafes and bars. The only distinction between the two is that cafes open and close earlier than bars. The cafe's close around 1 a.m. while the bars are often open until 6 or 7 a.m. They both serve liquor, you can smoke in both and both feel just like a bar. Oude Market is full of students every night of the week until the bars send them home.

We stepped into one of the cafe's, Den@, on the West side of the square. Everyone got coffee of some kind. I ordered a mokka (mocha). It tasted fine, but it came in an esspresso shot glass, not the Grande cups I'm used to. We all sat down and preceded to get to know one another. There was Tim from Australia, Hanne and Kristina from Norway, Susanah from Denmark, Belinda from London, Susan from the U.S., and a few others I just can't remember. We talked of law school and our various educational systems, where we were living in Leuven, the gossip we had heard about which classes to take and which to avoid. We all lingered in the cafe for a few hours before deciding to split up. It was nice to finally know some people in the city.

I needed to venture to the laundromat before going out that evening. I won't bore you with the details except to tell you that laundromats in Leuven are remarkably similar to those in the U.S.

That night, we met at Erasmus, a bar near the law school. Almost 20 students showed up, not all of them law students, and I got to know some more people. I met a nice Polish girl named Natalia who studies English linguistics. She had courses in English and American literature so we had a nice chat about our favorite books.

For those of you not in the know, there is a lot of beer in Belgium. They don't claim they invented it, but they do like to say that they've perfected it. It's a small country, but apparently there are over 600 Belgian beers. And Belgians take their drinking seriously. As I mentioned, their bars are open late, well into the morning, and it seems like everyone goes out at least a few nights a week. Furthermore, there is a whole culture surrounding beer here. In the U.S. where we might go to coffee, they go for a beer. Each of the 600+ beers is usually served in it's own decorated and labeled glass. Some of these resemble tumblers while some look more like brandy snifters. Some beers even have their own pouring technique.

Much to my amazement, I noticed that people kept giving a pinkies up to the bartender. At first, I thought Sam had really spread his fad to Europe, but someone told me that's how people order the house beer in a noisy Belgian bar. You just put up your pinkie and someone will bring you a Stella or Primus. In fact, our word for the littlest finger comes from the Dutch word pinkje, a diminutive for pink.

Anyway, my new found friends were encouraging me to try a wide variety of beers. Stella is still my favorite, though that's not saying much. Needless to say, I've used the pinkies up quite a few times. After a couple of drinks at Erasmus, we went to Oude Market. It was atypically reserved that night because most of the Belgian students were finished with their exams and had gone home or skiing until the next semester began. We ended up back at Den@, this time drinking beer not coffee. I met Phillip, a law student from Duke University in the U.S. and Nella, a nice Finnish girl and a prodigious drinker. Nella had been in Leuven for a month already having come early for an intensive Dutch course. She became our unofficial guide for the evening.

After a drink or two at Den@, Nella led us across the square to a bar that had dancing. Unfortunately, the music at this bar was really bad. This bar was in company with all of the other bars I've been to since I've been here though. It's like they have taken all the "pop trash" from the last twenty years and put it on eternal repeat through all the bars here. They have a couple of modern songs they love to play too, including that awful "My Hump" song by Blackeyed Peas (sorry Dave, but it's just awful). I didn't need anything more to drink so I made an effort to dance to a few songs and then headed home. My companions were disappointed that I was quitting so early, but 3 a.m. seemed plenty late for me.

I slept in the next day and tried to get my room setup. I went shopping again, this time at the main grocery store near the center. They have their own grocery bags and a much wider selection, but it's still a stressful rush to bag everything with everyone waiting.

On Thursday the 9th, Orientation began. We gathered in University Hall, the gem of a building I had to register in. I found a seat next to my new found friends, Nella and Hanne. A rather dry official greeted us and welcomed us to Leuven, and then they unleashed us on the room next door for coffee and more socializing. Whenever they serve coffee here they have to include a chocolate or cookie and this was no exception. I'm going to be quite fat when I return to the states.

We broke for lunch. My friends from two nights ago and some new folks went back to Alma 2 for lunch. Later, we all went to the international student cafe. It's supported by the University, so if you pay 4 Euro you can drink all the coffee you want for the semester. It's great. Now, if we could only find the same deal for Sam in New York, we'd save all kinds of money. That night there was more beer drinking and more dancing, but I called it an early night.

Friday was more orientation, including a survival Dutch course. I didn't really learn any more Dutch than I already knew though. I'm still limited to please, thank you, and where's the restroom. It really does seem that everyone here speaks English though. I'm yet to meet someone I can't communicate with. I honestly wish there were a few more Dutch only speakers so I could use the little I know and learn some more, but as soon as they hear the accent, they switch to English.

That night there was a big party at the international student cafe. There must have been almost 300 people there from all over the world there dancing together. The party was good, though the music was the same stuff the bars play. A guy I met from Greece, Vassilis, got a drink with me after we left around 3. He's become a good friend since.

There were more orientation programs on Saturday, but they weren't really applicable to me. So, I just hung around home and recovered from all the late nights. I went to bed early because Sunday morning the orientation program was taking us all to Ghent, but that's a story for another time.

I didn't take a lot of pictures at orientation, but here's one of the school's main library. It's been rebuilt three times, once after each of the World Wars and once after a fire. After WWI and WWII American universities and schools donated a lot of money for it to be rebuilt and plaques lining the front of the library still commemorate the gifts. The thing that looks like an upside down fly pierced by the shiny metal pole on the left is just that. A gift to the university from one of Belgian's most famous sculptors. I bet the entomologists had a great party the night that went up.

London

Well, it's been much to long since I've posted. I'm sure at least some of you are wondering what happened to me (I know because I have gotten several emails asking exactly that). Nothing really, I just got distracted getting my bearings in Europe.

As I said in my last post, I went to catch my bus for London that Thursday night, the 2nd of February. The bus was set to depart around 11:30 p.m. (or 23:30 as they say in Belgium). It was unclear where I was supposed to catch my bus. I just knew it was in Leuven. I figured it would be leaving from the closed Eurolines office which is near the train station. I showed up about 5 minutes early and no one was there. I waited. And waited. And waited. No one showed up. About 5 minutes after my bus was supposed to have departed, I started getting worried. Then I noticed a very small sign on the door to the office almost obscured by shadows. "The bus will leave from terminal 12 of the Leuven train station". I ran across the street to the station and quickly found terminal 12. The only person there, a Polish guy waiting for the same bus, said the Eurolines buses were notoriously late and that the bus that brought him into Leuven was over 4 hours behind schedule. I heaved a sigh of relief that I hadn't missed the bus, and began to worry I would have to wait in the gusty, subfreezing temperatures for hours. The Polish guy had another bus to catch in Brussels so he gave up after about 10 more minutes of waiting and took the train. Luckily, I only had to wait another 5 minutes for the bus to arrive.

The bus wasn't as bad as I was worried it would be. It was surprisingly uncrowded. Everyone who wanted there own seat had it. The seats were close together, but no worse then on an airplane. I reclined the seat hoping to get some sleep, but this was nearly impossible. At every city we stopped in, maybe 4 or 5 in Belgium and France, the driver announced the city and then turned on the harsh overhead lights, waking me up without fail. Then, we reached the coast and had to exit the bus for customs. The French had to look at my passport and visa. Then the British had to look at my passport and visa. Then we got to climb back into the bus for 30 minutes. After pulling onto one of the massive ferries lining the terminal (shown here), I thought I'd finally get to have some rest. However, unlike in Seattle, passengers aren't allowed to remain in their vehicles during the trip. So, we all had to go up to the passenger deck. At this point it was about 2 in the morning and I had managed about an hour of sleep total. I had an expensive and revoltingly greasy breakfast on the ferry and then found a seat to pass out in until the ferry crossed the channel and we could get back on the bus.

When we finally did arrive in Dover and I got back on the bus, it was about 5 a.m. I got on the bus and immediately fell asleep. The next thing I knew I was in London. The bus arrived around 6 a.m. Just walking from the bus to the terminal made my muscles knot from the cold. The inside of the terminal wasn't that much warmer, but I thought I better wait for a little while before I ventured out in the city. After about 45 minutes a small shop in the bus station selling hot cocoa opened up. Hoping it's heat would help me tolerate the cold outside, I bought a cup and headed onto the streets of London.

I had thought that the grey light begining to filter through the clouds would help me find my way, but I still made a wrong turn immediately outside the bus station. I could have sworn the sign said Buckingham Palace was to the left, but I was wrong. After a lovely, if frigid, 30 minute detour, I ended up at the Starbucks across the street from the bus station. I must say Starbucks caramel lattes are just as delicious and warming in London as in New York or Seattle. Leaving the Seattle embassy behind me, I went the correct way down the street towards Buckingham Palace.

I had seen the Palace when I was in London in 1998, but it was at night and I remembered it poorly. The Palace and the parks opposite it are surrounded by cast iron gates with touches of gilding. It makes for a splendid affect that the distance of this picture does not do justice. Another thing that's hard to see in this picture are the guards next to the open arches on either side. These aren't the ones with the big black hats, they have guns and look ready to stop any intruders should they try to overthrow the powerless monarchy.

Outside the gate lies one of the best monuments I saw in the city. In the front, a queen (perhaps Elizabeth???), sits on her throne, scepter in hand. Intricate sculptures line the three other sides and a gilded angel alights on the top. Sculpted bronze fountains, not shown here, poured at the base of the monument despite the weather, and, to top it off, the whole thing is framed by the hulking Buckingham Palace in the background. Though it was before eight in the morning, the sun was dim behind the clouds and it was freezing, it was a thing of beauty that energized me for the next several hours.

On the way to my next stop, I passed through St. James Park which was breathtakingly beautiful. The park itself easily beats anything in New York, including Central Park. It was more sculpted than the parks in Seattle, but equally beautiful if in a different way. A number of birds I had never seen before in different sizes and colors played in the pond giving the park an air of life that New York's parks lack (rats and pigeons don't count).

After crossing the park, I walked up Whitehall, the road lined with many of the buildings housing the British government. I passed Downing Street hoping to see Tony Blair's current residence, but the small street is now closed to the public and massive gates have been erected to keep the tourists and, presumably, the terrorists at bay.

After a couple more blocks of drab government buildings, I went through an archway back towards the park. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I realized there was a motionless guard in the shadows. He was wearing a golden helmet and resting his sword against his shoulder. I'm not sure what he was guarding. The place is called Horse Guards Arch, so maybe horses. Interestingly, Princess Diana's funeral procession passed through this arch, a privilege only allowed to members of the royal family. In 1540, the parade ground in front of the arch, shown in the picture, was the site of a huge tournament held by Henry VIII that attracted knights from all over Europe.

I walked up the road and through yet another arch and found myself in Trafalgar Square. None of my pictures of Trafalgar Square really capture it in its entirety. It's a feast for the eyes, but the table is just too big to get in one picture. A giant column, Nelson's column, crowned with a bronze (I think) sculpture of, you guessed it, Nelson juts out of the South end of the square. It is guarded by four humongous, carved, black lions. Two fountains spray water into the air on either side of the column. Their source is refreshed by mermen perched on both sides of the fountains spurting water from the mouths of dolphins. Various other statues litter the square, including an unfortunate modern sculpture of a torso with women's breasts and a man's head. The North side of the square is marked by the columned facade of the National Portrait Gallery, and across the street to the East sits the beautiful-on-the-outside, hideous-on-the-inside Saint-Martin-in-the-Fields Church (that was a lot of hyphens).



From here, I walked up through Covent Garden. For much of it's history it was the largest fruit and vegetable market in England. Now it's just a fancy mall. I think I would have liked to see it as a produce market better. I did get interviewed by a TV crew that was interviewing people for a Valentine's day bit. They asked me which celebrity I'd most like to go on a date with (Prince William), what the worst date I ever had was (went to a movie with a guy who wouldn't stop trying to grope my leg despite my obvious lack of interest) and what the worst pick-up line was (Nice shoes wanna f!#$). I thought my last answer was a bit cliche, but they loved it. Apparently that joke is not as big in Britain as it is in the States.

After that quirky interruption and a failed attempt to find the Royal Opera house, I hurried to the British Museum. It was good to get out of the cold and the museum has an amazing collection. The museums walls hold the Rosetta Stone, one of the Easter Island Statues, the Discus Thrower, plenty of Greek and Egyptian statutes (including one Ozymandius affair complete with broken forearm the size of a tree trunk), several of those Assyrian sphinxes like they had in the Neverending Story, a large collection of Islamic and Asian art, numerous mummies, and much more. Those are just the highlights. I took a ton of pictures, unfortunately, I'm not really supposed to post them on the web. I'll just my favorite, at least until I get a cease and desist letter. They stole it from Turkey anyway. This is the Nereid Monument, so named for the female figures between the pedestals. Nereids were believed to be personifications of the waves of the ocean and friendly towards humanity. Here, though chiseled from stone, you can almost see the breeze from the Mediterranean blowing across their tunics. If you click on the picture to view the larger version, you can see that each of the stones making up the monuments foundation was also carefully sculpted.

I spent the rest of the day at the museum. When I was done, I was exhausted, but I had managed to see almost the entire collection. I met up with my friend Gary and we went out for dinner and a couple of drinks. Then we went back to his place where I'd be staying for the weekend. Gary lives in Essex, which I had thought was a suburb of London. In a way it is, people do commute everyday to London, but it's a long commute, almost an hour by train. It was further away than I had expected, but the price was unbeatable and it was nice to see Gary. We didn't get to his place until around 2 a.m. I quickly went to sleep and didn't wake up until almost 2 p.m. After Gary and I got breakfast, the day was pretty much gone so we just decided to stay in Essex. We went and saw what was once the longest pier in the world at 7080 feet or 1.34 miles and wondered through the town. It wasn't as old or as picturesque as Leuven but did have that small town feel that was a nice change from London.

Sunday, we again got up late, but we were determined to get into London. We walked by the tower of London, but neither of us were excited about paying the high entrance fee and I had done the tour on my last trip.

Here's a picture of Tower Bridge down the Thames, not to be confused with London bridge (one incarnation of which was bought by an American and moved to Arizona).


After a little bit of site seeing, Gary and I went to Tate Modern, London's modern art museum. I'm not as big of a fan of modern art as I am of older art, but the museum had several nice pieces including a large collection of Rothko paintings. There were also a few of Monet's Water Lilies, though I'm not as big a fan of these as I know many are.

Right next door to the museum was the reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theater.


After this, Gary and I grabbed dinner at a touristy place near the Tower of London and headed back to Essex. I got up at around 7:30 the next morning. I had to take the train back to London, the subway (tube) to the bus station and then catch my bus. Unfortunately, the subway was running really late because of an earlier breakdown. I was 10 minutes late for my bus. Luckily, my bus was running late too. I was the last passenger on board before it departed. After that lightning visit, I didn't have any trouble getting sleep on the way back to Leuven. In fact, I could barely keep my eyes open.

Arriving in Leuven

I took the train from Brussels to Leuven. The country side is made up of rather flat, rolling green hills. Much of what we passed looked like farm land, but I couldn't tell what was planted there. It is winter after all. The train had been going for about 30 minutes when it stopped at a station without a sign. I noticed a sea of bicycles parked at the station and the Stella Artois Brewery and realized this must be my new home.

When I left the station I wasn't sure I was going the right way. The directions I had been given said look for the big street in front of the station and go down it, and the map itself showed a large road across from the station. I finally realized that the narrow two lane road bisecting the brick laid square in front of me was the "big" road I was looking for, and for Leuven it really is a big road. When I discovered that from the square in front of the train station, I could easily make out the spires of Leuven's town hall breaking the skyline at the end of the street and, I knew, marking the center of the city, I began to realize just how small Leuven is. Walking across the entire city wouldn't take more than 30 minutes.

Thankfully, I only had to haul my uncomfortably heavy belongings two blocks to get to my room. Anneleen, the Belgian girl I am subletting my room from, had cleaned the place up nicely and removed the vast majority of the floral decor she seems to enjoy. The room was a bit bigger than I was expecting, and the other students she introduced me to seemed nice. They were all Belgian, which I was happy about, and two of them were even law students.

After Anneleen left, I quickly unpacked and then headed out to see the city. It really is quite beautiful and full on intriguing statues. At some point I pulled out my map and in no more than 30 seconds a kind woman on a bicycle was asking me in English if I needed help finding something. This is a bad picture of the center. The town hall is on the left and Saint Peter's church is on the right.

Not everyone here is so kind. The next day I headed to the law school the meet the exchange coordinator. I found the law school easily enough, just a ten minute walk from my room. Here's a picture of the court yard. I didn't have a room number for the coordinator and the info desk was closed. I wondered around for a while searching each floor before I asked a girl there if she knew where the office was. She looked me over, harrumphed and then looked away. "No, then?" I asked. She didn't even give me a harrumph that time, just kept staring into space avoiding my eyes. I thanked her for her kindness and continued looking. After 15 more minutes of combing the halls, the info desk opened and a women told me in broken English where the office could be found. The coordinator herself was very kind and invited me to a lunch the following week with all of the exchange students.

The coordinator informed me that I would need to go to the university registrar's office to complete my registration. After getting lost in Leuven's winding streets a couple more times, I found the registrar's office. Housed in a magnificent stone building that was at one time the weaver's guild house, the registrar's office seemed closer to a palace than the dingy, cubicle filled, modern rooms I got used to registering in at the University of Washington. Here, fluted stone columns supported the high, vaulted ceiling and the bureaucrat sitting at desks between the columns were bathed in light from the stained glass lining the walls.

After getting my student I.D. card and registering with the university, I had to go to yet another office and register with the city of Leuven itself. This is quite a process. After telling them where I live and showing them my passport and rental contract, I was told that the police would come and visit me to verify that I was indeed living here and that I was the only one living here. Then I would be required to come back in to the office on an appointed day with all my information and three passport photos to complete the process. It's all a big headache, but I suppose the police in Leuven need something to do besides chasing down bike thieves.

After all this registering I was tired and hungry so I decided to go pick up some groceries. Anneleen had told me about a cheap supermarket just up the street from my room. So, I headed there. Not seeing any baskets, I tried to grab a shopping cart, but they were chained together. Apparently, I was supposed to deposit a euro to release it from the chain and then I would get the Euro back when I returned the cart, but I didn't figure this out at the time. I decided I would just grab what I could carry. The prices were pretty cheap, at least compared to New York. I grabbed some staples, including shelf milk. I haven't seen fresh milk since I got here. Instead, they sell milk which has been so pastuerized and preserved that it can sit indefinitely in an air tight container on an unrefridgerated shelf. I got used to it in Russia, but it really isn't as good as what we have in the U.S. As I waited in the checkout line, I realized that not only were the customers bagging their own groceries, they were using their own bags. The supermarket didn't have any of their own. Luckily, I had my backpack on or I don't know what I would have done. I quickly shoved my groceries in my backpack. Meanwhile, the checker and the whole line waits for you to finish bagging and paying before starting on the next customer. Besides being inefficient, it's really stressful to be holding everyone up and trying not to smash your eggs at the same time. I go to the more expensive supermarket now. It has free bags and carts, even if everyone still waits for you at the checkout line.

Still recovering from my jetlag and partying, I got up late the next day. I managed to configure my computer for internet access here. So, Sam and I were able to talk and see each other over webcams using Skype. That was really nice. After chatting with him, I did a little bit of research on things to see in London, and then I was off to catch my bus for the United Kingdom. But that's a story for another day.

I don't have a lot of great pictures of Leuven yet. The weather here has been awful and not particularly good for taking pictures. However, here's a picture of the interior of St. Peter's Church for your viewing pleasure.

Brussels Part 2

Unsurprisingly, I was exhausted the next day. I set the alarm for 11:00 though because I wanted to get into Brussels time and see more of the city.

On my way to the center I bought an orange juice and stopped for yet another Belgian waffle. Though it was only a couple of blocks away from the Grand Place, somehow I had missed the Bourse, the city's old stock exchange. Studded with sculptures representing everything from Industry and Navigation to Asia and Africa, this building was one of my favorites in the city despite the ugly metal bars blocking the entrance. According to my guidebook, some of the sculptures were even designed by Auguste Rodin, my favorite sculptor.

Further away from the Grand Place, I made a point to visit the national botanical gardens. They were less than awe-inspiring in January, but it made for a nice walk and the indoor part of the garden gave me a chance to warm up and, hopefully, a preview of what spring will be like here.

On the side of the hill above the gardens, a gothic cathedral towers over the rest of the city. Construction was started on this beast in 1215, though it wasn't completed for another 300 years.

I spent the rest of that Sunday and the next day wandering the city. Here are a few of the highlights. By the way, don't let my few pictures of Brussels convince that there is not much worth seeing there. I took a lot more pictures, but my skills as a photographer leave quite a bit to be desired. I spared you the bad ones of which there are many.

This little street is just a few paces across but is loaded with restaurants. Brussels is full of cute little streets like this, and stumbling upon them makes wandering the city a real treat.

The interior of a large church. I'm not even sure which one. I ducked into numerous churches and was always rewarded with views of the high, vaulted ceilings, beautiful stained glass and even a few paintings and sculptures.

As a big fan of multilateralism, I had to visit the headquarters of the EU while I was in Brussels. Unfortunately, I missed the tour. I must say that the headquarters, though beautiful (in a modern sort of way) is almost impossible to take a photo of. The building itself is massive and it is surrounded by other EU buildings preventing anyone (or at least anyone with my resources and photography experience) from taking a good picture of it. But just to give you an idea, here's my best shot.

Still recovering from jetlag, I headed home early on my last night in Brussels. It was a nice visit and I'm sure I will return often while I'm living in Leuven. There is so much I didn't see, and it is only a 20 minute train ride from the city. Since a ticket costs less than 5 Euro, there's really no reason not to continue exploring.

Brussels

I'm back in Leuven now. My trip to London was exhausting and I'm looking forward to a couple of restful days before school starts up again. My next few posts are just going to go back over what I've been doing here in detail as I promised in my last post. I started this post 4 days ago, but then orientation began and I didn't have any time.

I got to Brussels on the 27th. I had a found a cheap bed and breakfast to stay in on the internet. The accommodations were minimal: a bed, a desk, a shared bathroom. I opted out of the breakfast part of the deal to get an even better price. The host, Wim, was very nice though. He had studied Law at Leuven as well and his son still lives there. He was Flemish, i.e. from the Dutch part of the country, but speaks fluent French and passable English. He was actually the only Flemish person I met in Brussels which is dominated by the French speaking inhabitants of the country.

As I mentioned in my last post, I hadn't slept at all on the flight over so I was completely exhausted. I just couldn't stay in though. I wanted to get out and see some of the city. Brussels has a nice subway, though small, but, since I wanted to see the city, I decided to walk. This wasn't the best decision since it was well below freezing out. Even bundled up with my hat and scarf I had to hold my self back from shivering.

I don't regret the walk though. Brussels is a maze of narrow, winding streets and old, beautifully ornate buildings. Sculpture, which is my favorite art form, crops up throughout the city, sometimes in completely unexpected places. I must have come across at least seven different statues just on my short walk that day.

The one pictured at left was tucked into a little ring of trees right next to a broad modern avenue and was one of my favorites. I discovered beautiful statutes like these all over the city. I'm not sure what this statue commemorates. The inscription was in French and the language barrier was a constant problem for me throughout my visit. It's so frustrating not being able to communicate or understand simple things like menus or signs. It really made me want to learn French.

After walking a little bit further I realized I had been going in the wrong direction and ended up taking the subway to Le Cinquantenaire, my destination for the day. Frankly, I was glad for the excuse to take the subway so I could warm up.

This little picture of Le Cinquantenaire really does not do it justice. Click on the pick for a bigger image. This amazing archway, which cars still drive through, was commissioned by King Leopold II to mark the 50th anniversary of the independence of the Belgian state in 1880. Attached to it are two giant stone halls that were originally built to house an exhibition of all things Belgian. Now they house three large museums, none of which I saw. The Belgian flag is hanging in the middle archway and the statute on top is of the raising of the national flag. If you can see the person near the middle archway you can get an idea of jut how massive this thing is. The gentle slope below the archway is covered by a disappointingly run down park, but it also had several nice statues.

At this point, I was freezing again so I headed back to the subway. On the way, I met my first waffle vendor. I'm not sure exactly what they do, but these waffles are fabulous. The edges are coated with a sweet, slightly carmelly sauce, and the smell, which is spread throughout the city by its numerous waffle vendors, is nearly impossible to pass up. This was only the first of many waffles I had while in the city.

At this point I was so exhausted that I went back to the B & B and went immediately to bed, even though it was only 8 pm.

I didn't wake up until almost ten the next day. Feeling quite refreshed, I took the subway to the center of town which is the oldest part of the city. I followed Wim's advice and got off at the top of the hill and worked my way down.

The subway lets out on a beautiful park, Parc de Bruxelles, laid out in the formal French style and including loads of statues. It made for a beautiful walk to the Palais Royal (for those who don't know French: the Royal Palace), which borders the parks eastern edge. The park, pictured at left, was beautiful, despite the lack or greenery and the fountains being turned off for winter.

It was impossible to get a good picture of the palace. It was to massive for me to get the whole thing in one shot and the light from behind obscures the picture, but it's the best one I've got.

This part of town was pretty ornate. Right around the corner, the Church of St. Jacques sur Coudenberg borders a cobblestone traffic circle that surrounds a statue of one of the leaders of the first crusade.

From here I headed down towards the oldest part of the city and the building Brussels is most known for. The Grand Place is at the heart of the city. Anchored by the Hotel-de-Ville or Town Hall (pictured below) and lined with guild houses built in the late 1600s it has served as the city's center since the marshland on which it sits was drained for use as a market in the 1300s.

On the other side of the Grand Place, across from the town hall, a number of guild houses line the square. Built in the same period, they are equally beautiful, if not as large. This one was my favorite.

A couple blocks a way, Brussels most famous fountain splashes before a constant sea of tourists. My friends Tymberly and Tristan might recognize their corkscrew based on this diminutive little man. Whenever a dignitary comes to town, it is a tradition that they bring an outfit for the little fellow. Here is dressed as a baker.

A few blocks North of the Grand Place the opera house where the Belgian revolution for independence began celebrates the 250th anniversary of that event. The opera, the Mute Girl of Portici, so inspired the audience with its nationalist themes that they poured out of the theatre to raise the local flag against the Dutch, signaling the start of the rebellion. Who said theatre is just for entertainment?

After touring around the center a little bit more I went up the only hill to the art museum. It was rather disappointing. Their sculpture gallery and modern art wing were closed, which left little but scenes of the crucifixion. They can be beautiful, I admit, but after a few hundred of them it gets a bit tiresome.

That night I went out to a big party. It was held near the canal in a catacomb like structure called the Caves of Cureghem under a square that was once a vast market. Goods used to be stored there before shipment. It was really very beautiful, and I met several nice guys from the French speaking part of Belgium. I stayed out until the subway started running again at 6am. It didn't help my jetlag, but I had a great time.

By the time I made it home to go to bed my trip to Brussels was half over. Luckily, the next half wasn't so intense, but I'll save the rest for another post.

So far

Ok, I know it's high time that I update this blog, but I've been in a whirlwind of activity since I got here. I'm in an internet cafe in London, so I've got to make this quick unless I want to pay an arm and a leg for it. The exchange rate here is awful. Thanks W.

You may be asking yourself why I'm in London as you know if you've been following along that I'm supposed to be in Belgium. Well, here's the story. I left New York on the 26th, landed in Zurich, Switzerland on the 27th. Seems like a beautiful place from what I could see from the plane. Tall mountains poking through clouds, beautiful countryside. I wanted to stay, but I had to get another plane an hour later and fly to Brussels, Belgium. I was going on no sleep at this point, but, let me just say, if you have to travel on no sleep, Swiss Air is the way to do it. Hot towels in the morning to wipe your face with, chocolates after every meal and a wide selection of entertainment options.

Brussels was beautiful too. It's highly underrated. I took a ton of pictures that I'm going to post when I get back to Belgium. I stayed there for 4 days while I was waiting for my room in Leuven to be ready for me to move in and had a great time. As I said, details to come.

I got to Leuven on the 31st. Even prettier then Brussels but much smaller. In fact, even with all the students, it's the smallest city I've ever lived in. I'll post a lot more about Leuven, but I was only there for two days before I came to London. I spent most of that time wading through administrative bureaucracy, so I haven't seen much of the city yet. What I did see, I liked though.

School doesn't start until the 13th and all the students go home between semesters so Leuven was pretty abandoned. I decided to go to London since it was only going to be 50 Euro to get here on the bus. I had to take an overnight bus, but it was cheap and now I'm in London.

It reminds me a lot of New York. Again, I'll post pictures when I get back to Belgium. I got in at 6am and just hung out in the frigid bus station for an hour until it got light enough out that I knew I wouldn't immediately get lost. When I left, I got lost anyway, but not for very long. I soon found myself at Buckingham Palace. I walked up past Whitehall and through Trafalgar Square and then over to the British Museum where I spent the entire day. Theyhave aa huge collection from a broad swath of cultures and time periods. Some of their best stuff was closed though, which is too bad. It's going to be an early night tonight and then more museums tomorrow. The museums are free here, which is great because I don't have any money.

Anyway, that was all very rushed and there will be more on most of this later. I just wanted to touch base, and let you all know I made it to Europe. Things will settle down once school starts on the 13th and then you can expect a lot more posts from me. I go back to Leuven on Monday.

Take care,

Matt