Dylan and I are leaving this afternoon for Tilburg to see The Trews tonight and I'm really looking forward to going away for the night and seeing them!
I thought I would send out an email this morning to let you know what we've been up to lately!
First of all, Halloween here is not celebrated like it is at home. I asked a few people and they all said that kids don't do the Trick or Treating thing in Brussels and it is a sad reason why. Years ago (I'm not sure how long) a pedofial captured, tortured and murdered 5 children who were out trick or treating in Brussels on Halloween. This put an end to the Holiday and now children go to parties instead of going door to door. How sad! The woman who told me this said that it is still too fresh in people's minds and is in general a very sad time in Brussells.
The parties are everywhere though!!! The bakery down the street is having a party - giving out baked treats to kids, the stores have parties and so on....so there is lots for these kids to do and candy to be had. I have yet to see a Halloween candy display at a grocery store - those big boxes of chips and big bags of candy are nowhere to be seen around here. It just isn't the same - thank goodness - my waistline thanks them!
We were downtown on Saturday night walking around and drinking beer in public (cheap entertainment) and didn't see one Halloween costume. I'm sure Halifax and Sydney were booming with people in costume - so here it is more of a children's holiday than an adult fun time!
So, on Friday we bought a futon for "Tara's Room" aka the living room and on Saturday morning, Dylan put it together. It was quite funny becuase we didn't have a hammer or screw driver, so Dylan used a pot as a hammer and a knife as a screwdriver. Beleive me, the neighbors were not happy with the choice of a hammer on Saturday mornning (although it was after 10, so I didn't feel too bad). After about an hour of this activity, I walked down to the bakery - partly to get out of the noise ridden apartment and also to get breakfast. On the way home, I stopped in at the corner store by our apt and asked if they sold hammers/tools/screwdrivers.... (describing a hammer in French was fun). The lady who owns the store ended up giving me their hammer and screwdriver that they own themselves.....and didn't even ask my name....just asked if i would return it. This was the first time I have seen an action of this kind from a belgian.....very nice of her. And of course, it was promptlyl returned once Dylan had the 1000 pieces together! :)
So instead of getting it delivered for 50e - we decided that we would get it home ourselves via the SUBWAY....fun, fun.....Dylan said that it was like in my old neighborhood (the HOOD) when you see people moving using shopping carts! We got it home in one piece and I took a few pictures so will post them on facebook soon!
It is really nice and comfortable and with a little rearranging, we fit it in the living room nicely!
Saturday afternoon we went to the big grocery store - it is at the end of the subway line and was like a big SuperValu. Just to clarify, the one in walking distance to our house is very small and is just a store front - no parking lot or even carts - just baskets. This is the type of store that they place close to a subway line so that people coming home from work and business people in the area stop in throughout the day. So on the way there, I saw about 5 Pizza Huts (they love their Pizza Hut here), a SHELL gas station (had to mention that for you, Allison) and an actual parking lot.....first I've seen since I've been here - literally!
As I mentioned, Sat night we went downtown and walked around and had a few beer. Whenever we are downtown, I always go into the Thon Hotel where we stayed in June to pee. I 'act' like I'm staying there - walk by the reception desk and head towards the bathrooms. We were too far away to go there on the weekend, so I had to settle for McDonalds. At McDonalds, they have a pee lady who has a table and chair outside the bathroom - it costs 30cents to pee and she collects the money and keeps the bathrooms clean......we spent 1.20e at McDonalds that night and didn't eat anything. :)
Sunday, we went to the Atomium which is outside Brussels and a huge building shaped like an iron atom. We went to all 9 of the huge spheres that make up the building and rode on the fastest elevator in Europe - 5m per second. On the way home, we stopped in at all the subway stations and areas we didn't see before. Some were sketchy, some were ok. We got a broom and a pepper mill at one of the areas, but left after that b/c we almost got hit by a car - literally (a Mercedes) - people aren't concerned at all here by pedestrians.....they have the attitude that if you don't get out of the way - it's your fault.
This is a link to the Atomium so you can see what the building looks like: http://europeforvisitors.com
At one of the subway stations, I saw a very sad sight. Anyone who has been to Europe knows that there are always people around selling single roses to make money. When we got off at one of the stations, there was this little girl with sandals on and dirt on her face and she literally FOLLOWED us asking if we would buy a rose - she might have been 6 years old. When we got to the top of the escalator, I saw that she had her little sister doing the same thing on the other side of the subway line...she might have been about 4 or 5....they were both really dirty and as soon as they asked everyone who got off the train, they played on the escalator until the next train came. They got on the train with us (by themselves - no adults around) and asked everyone on the car to buy the flowers.....it was so sad!!!
I read this article (and forwarded it to Dylan) last week about people begging for money in Brussels. I pasted the link below:
http://www.canada.com/ottawacit
It is really sad and we see so many people begging for money. We were talking last week about how alot of the people begging are holding children in their arms that look like they are too big to be laying there.....now we know why. In this article it says that some of the women drug their children so they will sleep in their arms and they will get sympathy....can you imagine??? anyway, read it if you have a chance - it is a huge problem here!
Well, that's about it for this week - the last few days have been busy with schoolwork for me and work for Dylan. It gets dark really early here now (we had our time change on the weekend). We're really excited about Tara coming on Friday morning and have a surprise planned for the weekend with her - so that will be fun!!!
Now that we have a spare bed - I hope that some of you will come visit!!! We would both love to see some faces from home!
Have a great Halloween!!!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Happy Halloween
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Hello From Brussels II
We haven't been up to anything too exciting, but I decided to write an email anyway!
Dylan had a good trip to Sweden last week - he said it reminded him alot of home and I think made him a little homesick! I enjoyed the time he was away as well - had a great day with Alison - went shopping, bought some books, new coffee mugs and a broom. We went for sushi for lunch - which was good - but not as good as Momoya at home!
Last weekend we walked around Brussels to see the city again. Friday night we went out for supper to a little Italian pizzaria in our neighborhood (ever since eating pizza for 2 weeks in Italy, we have become pizza addicts) - then walked all the way downtown - which took about 2 hours. It was a beautiful night and was great to walk through the communitites that we had never seen before.
I'm not sure if everyone knows, but Brussels has a red light district - something like Amsterdam's. On Friday night, we walked through it which was packed with cars and men - I was definatley the only woman walking the streets that night - was funny!
On Saturday, we went to Ikea and bought some household stuff that we were missing from home and 2 new pillows - our best purchase! All the pillows here are square. The other favorite purchase is the shower caddy for our mini shower. When we got home, we realized that 2 things we bought - cutting board and can opener - were not in our bag. I'm convinced we were robbed (mostly b/c i was in charge of packing the bag), Dylan thinks I forgot the stuff at the store - we will never know....
At Ikea they have the already set up rooms so you can see what all the stuff looks like....well, even in the kitchens they have set up, there are only MINI FRIDGES.....apparently there is no such thing as a regular sized fridge here......it was weird! All the sinks were really small too - I guess the europeans don't give as much attention to food as we do at home (I hope I get in that mindset before i leave)....
Saturday afternoon, we took off for downtown again and picked up a few things we needed - Dylan got some contraption to try to watch our downloaded shows on the tv (doesn't work yet) and a SIM card for my cell.
Sunday we went to what we call the "cheapie neighborhood" by the red light district about a 10 min walk from downtown. I didn't know what to expect, but it is a huge strip of stores where everything is especially cheap - like a big sidewalk sale.
We bought enough oregano and garlic powder for about 10 years - what do you do with a kilo of spices?
This week has gone by really fast!! We are both REALLY excited for Dylan's sister, Tara, to come next week - we have lots of exciting things planned for her trip!!
Some things about Brussels that I've noticed so far:
- all subways smell like pee.....you have to pay 40 cents to pee at any public place - subway station, mall, McDonalds....so instead of paying, ppl pee anywhere.
- dog owners don't have to pick up dog poop - which is gross. It is everywhere!!!
- at 12degrees, the Belgians think it is winter. Dylan and I wore sandals on the weekend (he also wore shorts) and ppl were staring hard at both of us. I walked to the GB yesterday afternoon with my birks on and everyone stared at my feet.....i stared at their parkas and stocking hats too.....who wins?
- the ppl who beg for money are relentless - they aren't friendly and nice, they hollar at you when you walk by and ignore them - it's a little scary.
- we bought a deck of cards on the weekend and on Tuesday night we decided to have a few games of crib....when we opened the cards, we realized that they were french.....so instead of a K, Q and J - there was a R, D and V.....try to get used to that. It was funny - thank goodness they had pictures on them!
Well, that's about it for now! thank you to everyone who has replied or sent me a message!
Hope all is well - hear the weather is amazing in Halifax - it's pretty chilly here!
Friday, October 19, 2007
Hello From Brussels
I arrived safe and sound after a bit of trouble getting here.
First of all, I had a great turkey dinner at Janet Lynn's sister's house in New Glascow on Sunday evening. When we left, heading toward the airport, we hit an accident in Elmsdale - and we waited almost an hour to get to the next exit. We took the long route to the airport and arrived about 9:30 or so - my flight was leaving at 10:30 - but I made it in time for boarding with not much time to spare!
Flight was fine. When I got to Heathrow (after not sleeping at all) I looked at the board of departues to find out that my flight was cancelled to Brussels. I was so tired and cranky that all I could do was cry. I found my way through London customs (they drilled me with questions - probably b/c i was in tears) and got a new ticket to leave at 430 in the afternoon. 6 hours at Heathrow was ok - I was cuddled up to a planter and got a bit of sleep - and was happy to see Dylan waiting for me in the Brussels airport.
I posted the pics of our small apt on Facebook - and for those of you not on it, it is tiny. The kitchenette (with no stove) has a bar sink and mini fridge - but we're getting along fine with it. It is easy to keep clean since there is so little space - there is no room to make a meal unless all dishes are washed and put away before the next meal. Toast and coffee at the same time is a challenge since I have to balance them both on the corner of the sink to reach the plugs.
anyway, i'm happy with it and it is quaint to say the least.
It took me 4 full days to get used to the time change - the first 3 nights I got up and played solitaire at 3am and went back to bed around 5am. The living room/bedroom/kitchen are pretty much one big room with french doors separating the bedroom, so Dylan had to deal with the clicking of me typing at ungodly hours. i think he is happiest that I am finally sleeping through the nights!
Last week i wandered around the neighborhood. It is absolutely lovely! We live across the street from a huge park, about a 10 minute walk from the small grocery store and there is a bakery around the corner. There are lots of trees and plants and it is only 5 mins away from the Metro stop. I am totally getting used to the European lifestyle of going to the grocery store every day - bakery for bagettes - i am not brave enough yet to try the cheese at the 'fromagerie' - the stuff on display in the window has mold all over it....doesn't look too tasty. Grocery bags cost 3 cents each, so i've been taking my backpack or the wheelie cart (like an old man pull cart - especially on "water days") that dylan bought when he got here. Noone drinks tap water here - so we aren't either, just in case it isn't up to the standards that we are used to (plus, dylan is addicted to bubbly water now - he doesn't drink the regular stuff anymore).
Most of the food is reasonable - we've been eating like we would at home (maybe a little healthier) except no oven, so mostly meat or fish with rice and alot of salads. There are 2 kinds of milk here (in Flemmish it's Mellech - I love saying that) - refrigerated or fresh and shelf milk. In June when we were here, we tried the shelf milk which was gross, so we've only been buying the fresh milk so far. None of the eggs are refrigerated at the grocery store which is a little odd. I put them in the fridge as soon as I get home though. When I cracked my first egg - i was disgusted b/c it has a bright orange yolk - pumpkin orange really.....they taste ok though, so i just add milk and water to scramble b/c they are really thick here. We only have a small grocery store in the neighborhood - called the GB - but we're going to a big one on the weekend. it's at the end of the subway line, so kinda far to do that during the week. we're also going to Ikea this weekend which will be fun. i need a big coffee mug!!! We only have the miniature ones that you would find in a hotel room here now.
Coffee is really strong, but i'm getting used to it. I'm looking forward to a Tim's coffee when i get home - although it will probably taste like water at that point.
The subway in Brussels has 3 lines. Dylan took me out my second night here and showed me how to use it and how to read the subway maps, so i'm an old pro now. I met him at Central Station last night (all by myself) b/c we looked at a new apt in another community. it was kinda sketchy, so we aren't taking it - even though I'm used to living in the hood in halifax. :)
We went to Paris on the weekend. We left at 315 and got the high speed train which goes 300 kms per hour. We got there in 1h20mins.
In the Brussels train station, there is a huge vending machine (a 24 hr grocery store is what they call it). Dylan got a 6 pack of Jupiler beer which we enjoyed on the train. You are allowed to drink in public places here, so ppl are always walking down the street with beer and such.
When we got to Paris, we found our way to the subway and eventually got to our hotel. Brussels has 3 lines, Paris has 15 - so there was a huge difference in getting around. It was easy once we got used to it, but a little confusing at first!
I was expecting a little city with cafes everywhere and people drinking red wine wearing berets - not like that at all - it was huge - 12 million people!! I think they were all at the subway station when we got there on Friday!
On Friday night we met up with a friend of mine from SMU, Michael, and we went over to a friends house who I went to high school with, Ryan. Ryan lives next to the Eiffel Tower, so we had a great view of it and took some pics from his balcony. we went to a party at a bar in the "moulin rouge' part of the city. It was great to see them both - familiar faces in an unfamiliar city!
On saturday we headed for the Louvre when we got up and saw the Mona Lisa along with many, many other pieces of art. There were only a few that I knew, but we enjoyed looking around. The best part was the garden at the front of the Louvre and Napoleon III's apt inside - was really cool!
We walked for many, many miles on Sat - saw the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, shopped at the markets and took in all the sights. we went to McDonalds for lunch and Dylan was pretty excited to find out that he could get a BEER with his meal (see pic on facebook).
In the evening was the World Cup Rugby game. France was playing so the city was wild with people. they had a big screen on the Eiffel Tower and there were thousands of ppl there sitting in the grass watching it. We walked around a bit, drank some wine and got some night pictures (if some of you don't know - Dylan must get both day and night pictures of every attraction).
On Sunday we wandered around to the Panthon, Jardin du Luxembourg, the saffron (sp?) and to that church featured in the Da vinci Code....and more that I can't think of. We walked up all 284 stairs to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and had a wonderful view of the whole city which was great! In the afternoon, we went on a cruise of the canal and saw all the attractions from the water. Did you know that Paris has a Statue of Liberty - we didn't - Americans living in Paris erected a replica in appreciation of the Statue of Liberty in New York (googled it) - it's just down the canal from the Eiffel Tower! In the evening we went to a nice little community near the Place de la Bastille. Our train left at 9:55pm on Sunday night - we had a busy weekend!!! and were super glad to be able to relax and sit down for more than 5 mins.
Dylan is gone to Sweden tonight for 2 days, so I am on my own! I'm really excited to have the whole love seat to myself this evening (we don't have a couch)! Tomorrow I am meeting a friend at Central in the morning and she is going to show me a few things around the city including an English bookstore - yahhhh! I've been using my french quite a bit and it is coming back quickly - no problems!
Well, that is it for now! Thanks to everyone who sent me emails and messages!
I'll keep you all posted on our adventures!
