I’m enjoying my first weeknight in the new apartment by simply taking it easy and relaxing a little bit after a few hectic days in Brussels. Last night I was up until around four in the morning to see the end of the Giants-Packers play-off game at an American sports bar nearby, so understandably I’m a little tired tonight. I just finished off a delicious dinner of scrambled eggs and ham with some amazing bread on the side, all of which I picked up at the local grocery store this evening. As a result I’m feeling much more comfortable and confident in my ability to survive in this city for the next four months. So what if all I really know how to cook is breakfast food? There’s nothing wrong with eating breakfast for dinner a couple of nights a week, and that’s exactly what I plan to do. I bought some pancake mix and I’m sure that it will be opened before the week is finished. Also bought some canned green beans and a head of broccoli, and some pasta and tomato sauce, so I guess I’ll have a real “dinner” at some point too.

I was surprised how low a lot of the prices were at the grocery store, even when you convert from Euros to $$$ most of it wasn’t too expensive. Another nice thing is that they include the tax on the listed price of just about everything here, so when you look at a menu or a price tag, you know exactly how much you’re going to have to pay, and you don’t have to figure out how much extra will be added. Of course all that really does is keep you unaware of how much you are actually paying in taxes, but perhaps ignorance is bliss??

I’m going to finish off the night by loading some pictures online for you all to check out, I’ll leave the link to that page at the bottom of this post, so enjoy! Then I’m going to crack open the first book I bought for class today, The Great War by Ian Beckett, which is for my history class on Conflicts Since 1914. The most exciting part is that the entire first half of the class is going to be a study of World War I, which I have always found to be one of the most interesting and important events in history, but sadly is nearly ever taught with any sort of depth.

Tomorrow is my first French class since four years ago, so we’ll see how that goes. Here’s how the rest of my schedule looks:

Monday – History 11:30-1:00

Tuesday – French 11:30-1:00, Intercultural Communications 1:30-3:00, Belgian Experience 4:30-6:00

Wednesday – Belgian Experience 1:30-3:00, Political Communication 4:30-7:30

Thursday – French 11:30-1:00, Intercultural Communication 1:30-3:00, History 4:30-6:00

Friday – no classes.


A few other things:

This weekend a bunch of us visited the Comic Strip Museum and explored the city a little more. I actually took my camera this time and got some photos of some of the cool sites in Brussels. Here's a sampling:

This is the Petite Rue de Boucher (Little Street of Buchers) which is famous for all the small (and expensive) restaurants that are cramed in along it. They are really small so most of the seating is actually outside, which gives you even less room to walk. One of the cool things is that the owners of the restaurants will frequently stand outside and shout at you as you walk by, trying to get you to come in and sit down. Much like Grand Place, photos just don't do it justice, you have to really feel it.

We also visited the King's Gallery and Queen's Gallery, two large, indoor, shopping areas that were built late in the 1800s, arguably the first shopping malls in the world. Although the long corridor does have a roof, it is also open on either end, so it's not truly enclosed, but the architecture is far beyond anything you'll find in a mall these days. The stores inside are, as you might expect, pretty expensive, but some of the best chocolate shops in Brussels can be found here. We looked, but didn't taste, because the prices are a little steep for a group of students. Sorry I can't rotate the pictures....you'll just have to rotate your head instead.

Lastly, here's a couple of pictures from the Church of Saint Nicholas, just around the courner from Grand Palce. It's one of the oldest buildings within the city, although parts of it have been rebuilt over the years. I couldn't take any pictures inside, obviously, but it is so pretty and ornate. The outside isn't really anything special, but it is unique because of all the little shops built right into the walls. Apparently this is how all churches would have looked in the Middle Ages, but today most old churches have had the markets removed during renovations and restorations.

One final note, on politics:

Ron Paul finished 2nd in the Nevada primary this weekend, beating everyone except Romney!!! The Revolution might have hit a couple of little speed bumps in Michigan and New Hampshire, but we’re getting back on track in time for Super Tuesday. Also beat Guiliani in South Carolina, but he is hardly even a contender anymore. It’s going to come down to McCain, Romney, Huckabee, and Ron Paul after February 5th, and you have to like Paul’s chance to pass Huckabee eventually.

Hawaii and Florida are next!

Until next time,
E.