Most Brusselent Adventures

Better than Wonderland (Cologne Carnival)

2012-02-20T17:10:00.000-08:00

It took about 5 minutes in Cologne for me to wonder, "Maybe the guy who wrote Alice in Wonderland wasn't on drugs. Maybe he hung out at Carnival in Cologne." Never before have I seen a city so joyous, lively, and dressed in such vibrant colors. The best parades were the ones where you just walked down the street to people (some more than slightly intoxicated) were dancing, kissing, drinking (German national pastime), and living. Of course there is a parade every day as well from Thursday until the beginning of Lent on Tuesday. Parades with massive amounts of candy, where the louder you yelled the better chances are of getting some; where people in the parade gave you flowers if you yelled certain things at them. We never quite figured out what we were saying in German, but we got lots of flowers so I think we did something right. Carnival brought embarrassment to the word Halloween; it's now more of an insulting word. The costumes were unmatched by any I've ever seen. There was a beer and bratwurst stand every 5 meters which only added to the joyous behavior of everyone. We also did take a tour of the History of Cologne museum and were able to enter the most awe-inspiring church there is (most likely true). The Cologne Cathedral has its own grand history which include being one of the few buildings in the entire city still standing after the bombings in WWII. Seeing as it was Carnival many of the cities museums (30+) were closed and is definitely a city worth traveling to at any time of the year. But we traveled to it at the best time of the year. When people celebrate living and are happy to be your friend whether or not they can speak your language.

First day costume:

Cologne is full of surprises. This is the padlock bridge (yes, I'm sure it has a real name too). The tradition goes that couples write their names on a padlock, lock the padlock to the bridge, and throw the key in the river. This brings them everlasting love. There is a lot of padlocks too. The bridge is a good 100 yards with padlocks locked to the chain-link fence.

Looks like a cool front entrance to the Cathedral. It's not. This is the side entrance.

Many stores boarded up their shops, but only during the parades. Now I never saw anything that would have broken the glass storefronts had the plywood not been there, but I imagine they learned from experience.

Windows inside the Cathedral.

Cologne is located on the Rhine.

More parades. These outfits were worn at all times by everyone though. Also I have no idea what an actual German police officer looks like. I saw probably 100 different versions.

This is the front.

Picture taken at the end of WWII.

The most overused costume: Maverick from Top Gun. Though none were very good.

Amsterdam

2012-02-11T09:54:00.000-08:00

Amsterdam is one of those cities that I think a weekend trip suffices. I loved my trip to Amsterdam last weekend, but three days was enough. It is a very touristy city and I find it hard to define who the people are that actually live there. It's the only place in the month or so I've been traveling where I have seen Burger King, Subway, or KFC; and there was multiple of all of them. That being said it is a very beautiful city and I'm sure it would have been awesome to go down the canals except that they were all frozen. The high in the past week has been -3 degrees celsius (and even colder in Amsterdam), so maybe that cooled down (pun intended) my opinion.

Lost in Translation

2012-02-07T08:51:00.000-08:00

"Are you ok?" Gauvain, my host brother (Is that what you call him?), asks me almost everyday when I get back from school. And while he doesn't speak much English or me much French, I could not understand what he thought was wrong. Every day, "Are you ok?". At first I thought this probably had something to do with the transition. The family I'm living with has had 4 exchange students before me, and they were all girls. My thought process of course was that some of the girls probably had a rough time transitioning. Duh, pretty simple idea. Until I got home from this last weekend in Amsterdam and again he asked me. Well it struck me like lightning, and I realized he was just asking, "How are you?". Some things I guess are just lost in translation. So when my host dad told me he was requesting 3 months off this summer, I thought that meant something else. Turns out he didn't. I can only imagine what his American bosses thought today when he broke the news...

Notes on Belgian (and most European) Labor Facts:
1. Belgian employers are required to give up to 3 months of unpaid vacation time off to employees (on request) if the employee has a child under the age of 12.
2. The government will subsidize this time off. While not in full, a parent can expect to receive about 1000 euro a month, or $1250. Remember they are getting paid not to work.
3. Employees who work 40 hour weeks are legally entitled to 20 paid vacation days a year. (In the private sector)
4. In the public sector up the age of 45 the employee is entitled to 26 days, above 49 years equals 27 days, above 50 years equals 28 days. And if you make it to 60 you gain an additional day off every year you grow older. So if you work until you're 70 you will receive 38 paid vacation days a year.
5. Women are entitled to 15 weeks of maternity leave, with 80% of their salary being paid. Many private employers have 6 months or more of maternity leave (often the % of salary paid drops down to around 60% after a few months)

**These are all tidbits that I've picked up from various sources since I've been here. They are generally correct but may very depending on the employer.

Nuts

2012-01-30T13:23:00.000-08:00

I've always like history classes. But it would be a hell of a lot cooler studying about WWII if you were on the battlefields of WWII. So even when I was told I would have to wake up at 6am and not get home until midnight to tour the area where the Battle of the Bulge took place, I was still excited. We left from Brussels at about 730 (getting college kids up early is difficult) and arrived in Bastogne (Southern Belgium) where we picked up our tour guide Henri Mignon. Henri grew up in a town near Bastogne and was 9 years old at the end of the War. His home was occupied by both German and American soldiers during the war. He joined the Belgium military when he got a little older and after he retired decided to tour people around the area since he knew it so well. He met with Spielberg before the making of Band of Brothers (which has episodes which include the area around Bastogne and are fairly accurate) and has given many veterans of the Battle of the Bulge tours back through. In other words he was very knowledgeable.

Bastogne is the most pro-American city I have ever been to outside of the United States. There are American flags everywhere and General Patton is pretty much the town's god.

Our first stop was at one of the major American cemeteries in the region. This one in Luxembourg where General Patton lays buried with his men. The next couple pictures are of the very impressive chapel that is right inside the gates.

Inside the chapel.

The ceiling of the chapel.

Picture out over the cemetery. When soldiers died their families had the option of either having them buried at one of the overseas cemeteries, brought home to Arlington or the nearest military cemetery, or brought home to a private place at the families expense. The largest overseas cemetery is in the Philippines.

The grave of General Patton. He had requested that he was buried with his men. About 1/3 of the men that died in WWII were buried in an overseas cemetery.

Grave of an unknown soldier. There are about 110 of them at this cemetery located in Luxembourg. There is an ongoing process to find out who they are, and they have been able to confirm 3 through DNA testing in the past 5 years or so.

The commander in Bastogne received a note from the Germans that was translated by one soldier as the Germans wanted to surrender. When the official translator came along and told the commander that the letter was really asking the Americans to surrender he exclaimed NUTS! His aide thought it would be a perfect response to the Germans rather than a no or something more explicit. Turns out the German translator had no idea what that actually meant and it took the Germans half a day to actually figure out what NUTS! meant.

Count the stars.

The famous 101st was headquartered in Bastogne for a while during WWII.

They had a lot of tanks from WWII that we were allowed to "play" on. This was the only french one. Which may or may not explain a lot.

Tim, Matt, and Myself

This tank was called Little John.

The biggest tank they had. Fought for the USSR.

The WWII monument in Bastogne. When it was finally finished almost the whole city (12,000 people) showed up for its opening. Most of whom aren't American, but are very appreciative.

We stopped at a German cemetery as our last stop (yeah, at night). One of the biggest points of this was to contrast the American cemetery. Where the American's used much white and brighter colors the Germans used grey as that is how they interpreted death.

A monument of General Patton in downtown Bastogne.

Flat

2012-01-28T15:51:00.000-08:00

It's very flat here. The tallest mountain, well it's smaller than Queen Anne. Once you get outside the city you have a lot of farms, and rolling hills. So we decided to venture up the Atomium (which is a lot like the Space Needle, including a pricy restaurant at top) to get a better view of the city.

Picture of the stadium of RSC Anderlecht, the top soccer team in the Belgain league.

Traveling between the spheres of the Atomium. Yeah it feels like you are in Star Wars.

You can also sleep/rent out the spheres for private parties. Also a large number of kids, at least those that go to school in Brussels, get to come here once during their elementary years through a special grant set up years ago.

The Tooth Mouse

2012-01-26T11:25:00.000-08:00

I learned something very important tonight when Eleanor lost her tooth at dinner. There is not a tooth fairy here in Belgium. It is the tooth mouse. Try saying that 5 times very quickly.

My room.

While I did take pictures of my lunch yesterday, it didn't look very good. However it did taste very good. So here is what I had. In English, French, and Dutch.

Pictures of the arc and surrounding park, which we will be touring in the near future to learn their origins.

Professors

2012-01-26T09:37:00.000-08:00

So I guess I was a little surprised after meeting all of my professors this week. None of them were there to go through the motions. They were all their to teach and for me to learn. Maybe I'm just excited because they can all speak english. But old guys who go out of their way to learn your name before you come to class, and then don't lecture but teach. Pretty cool.

I also found it interesting how much writing I would be doing over here.

International Finance Prof.
(Doesn't like equations. Wants us to learn the stock market. All he seems to really care about.)

History of U.S. Foreign Policy Prof
(Need a topic for an 18 page paper. Suggestions welcome)

European Economy Prof
(Get to write a 10 page paper on the economy of Norway. Should be interesting as I know nothing about Norway.)

I'm also taking a Belgian Culture class. Which talks about how screwed up Belgium is. Here is a great link for anyone that knows nothing about Belgium. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlwHotpl9DA

Also taking a French 101 course. Imagine a skinny little french dude with tight pants, kinda balding, a steve jobs black turtleneck, that sounds as if he has a horrible sinus infection. Yep thats him.

2012-01-22T07:53:00.000-08:00

Fries (Frites) are one of the most common foods found. Lots of store owners call them Freedom Frites when they see that theres an American ordering. And they are much better than any fries in the US. No doubts about it.

Cantillon Brewery

The first King of Belgium (Leopolod) saw this house while traveling, so of course he had them take it apart and shipped it back to Brussels to have as a lawn ornament.

Mussels and frites. Pretty big deal in Belgium.

Business Major

2012-01-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

Not really sure where in time I am. I'm totally lost. I feel like I have been here for 3 years and for 5 days (which of course is the reality). I get to register for classes tomorrow, and that should set up my schedule for the rest of the semester. I already went through I crossed out any classes on Fridays. I'm at business major at UW, so I don't see any reason to change that here. No pictures of the house yet. Will get around to that sooner or later Blair.

The next two pictures of from the bar Delirium, which has the world record for the most beers always available. They have over 2000. The book that has all the beers in it is extremely thick. Kind of like Belgian beer, which on average (according to me) is about 7 to 8% alcohol (comparison: Keystone Light is 4.1%) The lowest I have seen is 3.8 and that was a very very fruity beer.

The Atomium is the genetic shape of Iron. You can go inside of the Atomium to each of the spheres where they have different exhibits. The connectors between them are escalators. Many groups rent out the spheres for the night for team building activities.

For some reason this fountain is very important and a landmark in Brussels. I will pass along the information if I ever find out why.

Bus Tour

2012-01-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

Went on the bus tour of Brussels yesterday and learned more things than I could ever hope to remember. Some of the highlights were:

Grand Place:

Like the eiffel tower the Atonium was built for the worlds fair. Unfortunately it was greatly liked by everyone and is still here over 50 years later.

Part of the Berlin wall at the EU. Hopefully to remind everyone of the past mistakes that have been made. Interesting to note is that while this side has a ton of graffiti, the other side is clean. Of course you couldn't get within 50 feet of the other side without getting shot.

Food

2012-01-18T13:31:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of the creamer I got with my coffee on the plane. If you can't figure out the irony, then all hope in the world is lost.

Chicken waterzooi that I had last night was definitely a pleasant surprise. Similar to the filling of a chicken pot pie.
Also the diversity of Brussels becomes very apparent when you start looking for food. They have great Italian, Spanish, French, Turkish, Moroccan... food.
Frites (Fries) definitely rival the Belgian waffle for the most popular food in Brussels. There isn't a street in the entire city that does not have both.
My host mom is italian, so I will not starve this semester.

Cantillon Sour Beer

2012-01-17T17:11:00.000-08:00

Toured the Cantillon Brewery yesterday, one of the few place in the world that uses an open air fermentation process before it is barreled, and then sits around for 3 years until it is fully fermented. It is a sour beer and really seems like a cross between a wine and beer. Really great, and will attempt to bring some back to the states if I can find it, since even here it is hard to find. It is also a lot easier to let their website explain below everything that I learned, and saves me time since it is 2 am here and I have to wake up at 730.

Up to the 19th century, the people from Brussels and Brabant mostly drank two beers, Lambic and Faro. The glass bottle and the discovery of Dom Perignon will bring about a revolution in the small world of the Brussels brewers. The Gueuze became the icon of the Brussels beers.

Artist : Raymond Goffin, 1998

Lambic, which is the base for the making of Gueuze, is a spontaneous fermentation beer. All beers made with Lambic are naturally sour, but some will be more sour, more bitter or "softer" than the others.

The Gueuze is the result of a well-considered blending of Lambics of different ages and with different tastes.

The Lambic beers from the Cantillon brewery, which are conserved in oakwood barrels, are called "young" after one year, but they will reach their full maturity after three years. The young beers contain the sugars which are necessary for the second fermentation in the bottle. The three years old beers will contribute their taste and their flavour.

The main task for the brewer, however, is tasting. He will taste about ten Lambics from different barrels in order to select five or six which will be used for the Gueuze 100% Lambic presenting the typical characteristics of the beers from the Cantillon brewery.

Every blending will produce a different Gueuze. Since we work according to a natural process, it is impossible to make a standard beer. The bottles are closed with a cork, capped with a crown-cork. They will remain horizontally in a cellar for a year on average, in order to allow the sugars to be converted into carbon dioxide (second fermentation in the bottle). The saturation of the beer is slow and natural. When the Lambic becomes sparkling, it is called Gueuze. At that moment, this crown-jewel of the Cantillon brewery will leave the cellar of the brewery and find its way to the cellars of the lovers of the traditional Gueuze.

This beer is not only unique because of its brewing process, but also because it can be conserved for a long time. When kept in a good cellar, a Cantillon Gueuze will still have an exceptional taste and flavour after 20 years.

18 Hour Layover

2012-01-15T11:10:00.000-08:00

While the idea of being stuck in San Francisco for 18 hours waiting for my next plane was a little daunting, I was able to take shelter at Corey’s house. In the short amount of time I learned some very important facts. I was also able to go to the beach in mid-January in shorts and be more than comfortable, maybe even a little hot.

While drinking in Golden Gate Park (the second biggest park in the U.S. according to Corey and his roommate) is allowed, drinking at the beach in San Francisco is strictly prohibited.
The San Francisco public transportation system can get you pretty much anywhere in a reasonable amount of time. (Unlike Seattle).
In able to maintain sanity, if I go to law school, I will be doing so in California or somewhere where there is sunshine.