Brussels

This weekend I traveled to Brussels to meet up with my friend Liz from UofM and with my Uncle Hank. I was really excited to go visit a friend from my old life. I love everything about my program and my time here in Germany, but it’s always nice to see someone familiar. Liz and I are good friends and we’ve gone through basically 5 years of University together. Liz was in Brussels because she was visiting her future Mother-in-law who lives there.

I left for Brussels from Frankfurt on the direct ICE train. I was able to book my travel on line and the ticket, although a little expensive 63€ was the most convenient way of getting there. The train took little over 3 hours to travel the distance. This was also my first visit to Belgium.

Liz met me at the Brussels-Midi station with P-, Liz’s to be mother-in-law. She drove me directly to the hotel where I was staying, (the 4 Points Sheraton which Uncle Hank so kindly provided). Since everything in just about every European Country is closed on Sundays, we stayed in the hotel and chatted about our new lives in Europe.

The next morning, I travelled the Brussels public transportation system, which is not organized, not comfortable, nor efficient. I had to wait over 15 minutes for the bus to arrive at the stop during morning rush hour, and it’s not like in Germany where there is a sign explaining which busses are on their way and when they are going to arrive. In fact, you look at the schedule and see that there are supposed to be quite a few busses, but in Brussels as I figured out, things do not run on time. Again, I wasn’t in Germany.

That was probably the most difficult thing to adapt to when I went to Brussels. German efficiency is something that Germans and I take for granted. Living in a culture where punctuality and efficiency are ubiquitous, it’s hard to transition into a more French society where things are laissez-faire. Anyways, after what seemed 2 hours, I made it to P-‘s house. It’s interesting to always see how different people live, and P- lives has a very nice apartment in a relatively new building. She also has a Golden Lab, Kipling, who was very friendly.

That day we went to the train station again to pick up Liz’s other friend Geraldine, who also happens to be a UofM graduate. It’s amazing to see how many there are of us in Europe. P- then took us on a tour of Brussels by car. She told us that she never uses the transportation network, and I don’t blame her. Basically it’s very efficient in the center, but when you need to go the outskirts, it’s hard to navigate and use. P- took us to many places in Brussels and showed us how the city is transitioning and redeveloping depressed areas.

We saw the World Exhibition Fair of 1958 and the specific atomium monument built for the world exhibition. It’s basically a giant atom which is the size of the Eiffel Tower. It stands in the northern part of Brussels in Flanders. We also saw mini-Europe, a kitschy re-incarnation of all the European capitals.

Later on, we went to see the Palace and Palatial Gardens of the Belgian Royal Family. I have to say that my first impressions of Brussels were negative, as the city is very odd. In fact, my personal feelings of the entire country are mixed. It has a very strange feel. I couldn’t tell whether I was in Northern Europe like Amsterdam, or in Paris. The city is very divided. The old part looks very similar to many Northern European cities, but the southern part of the city is very reminiscent of Paris. Also, the city is huge, 4 times bigger than what I had expected to see.

Belgium has many problems though, and the biggest one is the riff between the North, Flanders; and the South, Wallonia. In the south they speak French, and in the North they speak Flemish aka Dutch. Brussels is actually located in the North (Flanders), but over 80% percent of the population speaks French. Both languages are plastered all over everything. It’s interesting as I’m finding Dutch very easy to understand now with my knowledge of the three languages it’s based off of, German, English and French. However, there are tensions between the people, and the country almost split in two last year.

The Grand Place is spectacular, and few probably realize the beauty that Brussels has. Many of the building are very ornate, built primarily at the end of the 17^th Century. It’s exactly a mix of French Baroque with Dutch simplicity and practicality. Many building are built of brick, but the older one’s in the center are mostly of sandstone. There are many different districts within Brussels as well.

After roaming the streets of Brussels, we went back with P- to her apartment where we ate this fantastic Moroccan couscous with lamb, chicken and vegetables. Afterwards we had tea and tried these macaroons that I bought from Paul, a very famous French pastry shop. The macaroons were deliciously and in general, it was great to see Liz and Geraldine and feel the warmth of the Belgian hospitality.

The following day, I met up with Liz and Geraldine on the Avenue Louise. This was relatively near where my hotel was, and it is the expensive shopping street of Brussels. The girls wanted to go shopping, so I went with them, but I have really no money to spend on such things. Brussels and I must say is significantly more expensive than Germany. Clothing is the same, but food is about 3 to 4 times more expensive. That means getting something to eat on the street is also more expensive.

Of course, since we were walking through the city, we had to try the famous Belgian specialties. The first thing I tried was Kriek, which is a Belgian beer with cherry flavor. It’s different from the things that I tried in Germany with coke and beer. I have to say I’m not a fan of cherry flavor as everything of cherry flavor tastes like cough medicine to me. I don’t think I’m a fan of Kriek, but it’s very loved in Belgium. The other thing that I tried was of course a Gaufre belge, or Begian Waffle. You have to buy them from one of the many street vendors. The waffles are sweet, and they these crystallized sugar granules in the batter which makes them taste different. Usually you get it with whipped cream and chocolate, but I opted for just a half and plain. It’s basically a heart-attack waiting to happen. The last thing that I tried were famous Belgian pomme-frites or french fries. The Belgians are notorious for their potatoes. These fries you also get from a street vendor or a whole in the wall place. They’re pretty good although, I think the outsides need to be more crunchy. In Belgium, you also eat fries with ketchup and mayonnaise mixed together.

After the entire day of walking and shopping, we went back to P-‘s house where we played cards and relaxed. I had to get back to the hotel early as the following day I was supposed to meet Uncle Hank at the airport in the morning. Although I was late, I met up with Uncle Hank the following morning. Again, I’m not used to trains being late and buying a ticket in Belgium is complicated as you can’t use the automated machines as they don’t accept credit cards or cash. You literally have to have a Belgian bank account to use them. Therefore, I had to stand in line and buy a ticket. Also, I had to figure out my way to the station using the public transit system, again, not as efficient as I’m used to.

After meeting up with Uncle Hank, I took them to the Grand Place where we had something to eat. We walked quickly through the center and then we already set to leave for Germany. Brussels was great and I enjoyed it very much, but I’m happy to be back in Germany now. I think that Germany is the European country where I am supposed to live.

Also, for those of you who are interested, in Belgium I spoke in French. At first, it was a catastrophe as I couldn’t speak at all. All that came to mind were German words and German grammar structure. However, after a couple of house of listening to just French. P- speaks French with Liz, and everywhere we went we spoke French with the locals, my French was improving. By the end of the 3 days I was in Brussels, I was at least conversational again. I think that if I were to spend a week or a long weekend again in a French speaking country, I would be able to regain much of my French. Interestingly, just after three days of being in Belgium, it was difficult for me to transition back into German.