Brussels and Bruges

Here are a couple of highlights from my program's trip to Brussels and Bruges, Belgium.

• We heard speakers at NATO.




• We meant with EU lobbyists from the company Diageo, one of the largest alcohol companies. They told us about their job.




• We went to La Grande Place, saw the Manneken Pis, and found a girl version of the statue!




• I ate a delicious dinner of mussels.




• We went to the European Commission and the European Parliament and heard multiple speakers on the EU.




• We had a roudtable discussion with representatives from Coca-Cola Europe, the President of the Parliament, and the European-American Business Council in an EU Parliament cafeteria.




• On Thursday, while we were in Brussels, Belgian Prime Minister Mr. Van Rompuy was elected the President of the European Council. He is little known, but this is actually a plus. The EU wanted a person with few enemies or interests to fill the position.




• Pieces of the Berlin Wall were on display near the EU.




• We took a boat tour through Bruges, "the little Venice of the north."




• A Christmas market in Bruges had just been set up in the town square. I bought a bratwurst and watched people ice skate.




• I ate more Belgian waffles and learned to seek out places that plop the dough on the the waffle-maker and hand it to you hot. Don't give me a reheated one that tastes like Eggo.




• One chocolate shop was hand making truffles. Of course we couldn't resist and bought one to taste. That was a minute of bliss.

I saw the President!

While everyone was celebrating Veterans' Day back home, I was celebrating Armistice Day with the French. November 11 marks the day of the armistice that ended WWI.

I went with my friends Alison, Alex and Kate to L'Arc de Triomphe this morning and piled into the crowd waiting for President Nicolas Sarkozy to arrive at 11h. An enormous blue, white and red flag hung from the center of the monument. Sarkozy's wife was the first to arrive. She recieved quite a cheer.

Then we could see Sarkozy's sleek, black vehicle on the large television screen, moving slowly down Les Champs-Elysees, surrounded by motorcycle protectors. He arrived with Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany.

The two circled the monument and then stoof seriously as a band played the Marseillaise, France's national anthem. Then they laid a flowery wreath on the Tomb of the Unkown Soldier and lit a flame in the torch beside it.

After a few more songs, Sarkozy gave a short speech. We watched him on the screen with German subtitles (What a help!). Merkel gave a speech as well, this time in German with French subtitles. They both talked about the countries' past and current friendly relations. According to Wikipedia, Forbes Magazine named Merkel the msot powerful woman in the world freom 2006 to 2009.

The ceremony ended with instruments playing Ode to Joy. We slipped away before the metro became a mob scene and went to visit Pere Lachaise Cemetery. It is the most famous one in Paris. We got lost; it's so big. Many famous people are buried there. We saw Balzac's grave, and Alison pretended to kiss Oscar Wilds' tomb, which is covered in red lipstick.

Tonight I went to a connect group from Paris Hillsong, the church I have been attending here. A small group of about 10 young adults met together at Starbucks. Everyone spoke some English, but once the group discussion began it was all in French, so it was more good practice.

French Fact: Twelve roads spill into a roundabout encircling L'Arc de Triomphe. Napoleon I had the monument commissioned, and it was later dedicated to an unknown soldier killed during WWI.

Back to where my life began

A very stressful 48 hours preceded our 6-hour bus ride to Liege, Belgium. Finding out about the train strike in Belgium was only the beginning of our problems. Caroline and I had actually been given tickets for the wrong month. We thought we had lost a chunk of money, but my host dad came to the rescue and worked some magic. Even he was surprised they cooperated with us. We got our money back and bought bus tickets. We had to leave a day later, but we were just thankful it worked out! This was my most stressful experience yet. In the end, God answered out prayers!

We went to Liege, and Caroline's friend Audrey picked us up. Caroline met her when she was an exchange student in Florida during high school. We stayed with her family in the small rural town of Melen. They had an adorable, cozy house, although it's still heated with a wood stove.

On Friday night we went to a fair in Liege. It was like an American county fair. I ate Belgian fries with mayonnaise and a chocolate, coconut covered apple. We tasted hot wine with cinnamon. Audrey's boyfriend Entienne went with us, along with a group of their Belgian friends.

In the morning Audrey's mom drove us to an aunt and uncle's house. The uncle then drove us to Aachen, Germany. Cousin Rachelle stayed with us and showed us around the shops and ornate church. Her German was helpful. We ate pretzels, hot chocolate, gingerbread, and bratwurst (on a circular bun that was too short).

We said au revoir to Rachelle and took a train to Maastricht in The Netherlands. Our first impression was questionable, as we smelled marijuana as we left the train station! They are known for their "coffee shops," where people smoke weed. It's legal there.

We found a map and followed a walking tour of the old Maastricht. It was so enjoyable we only got through half of it. Christmas garland decorated the cobblestone streets lined with old traditional houses turned into classy shops. We wandered along the ancient city wall and into a church devoted to the Virgin Mary.

When the sun set we treated ourselves to "La Bonne Femme." The year 1696 was etched in the building. They gave us a tiny celery soup on the house. Caroline had goulosh, and I had a pea soup with vegetables and sausage. She ate tender duck. I ordered some "wild" meat that we never identified. Our Dutch waiter didn't know the name in English. All I know is that it was the best, succuelent meat in a delicious sauce. My plate came with sauerkraut, potatoes, and a tasty, marinated apple-half. They gave us free fries as well.

We took the train back and tasted some treats with Audrey's family. Everyone woke up early the next morning and bundled up in layers to brave the 3-degree Celsius air. They furnished boots. We got in their truck and took their two horses to a trail. The horse Elsa stepped on Caroline's poor toe. Audrey's dad took us on a carriage ride through the green hills with splashes of autumn trees and into charming, old, Belgian towns. Our destination was a farm, where a group was meeting to baptize their horses for good luck. We left before witnessing this tradition, but we ate a homemade Belgian waffle with coffee. It was the best waffle I've eaten, and it didn't even have anything on it!

Audrey brought us back to her old farm house for a lunch of various cheeses and meats and even squash soup. On the way we had stopped to buy some chocolate too. After lunch we headed to the train station and took the first one to Brussels.

I was thrilled to be in the city of my birth! I had dreamed of going there since I was little. Unfortuantely we didn't have much time, but we made it to La Grande Place and Le Manneken Pis. Old Brussels' architecture is elaborate. We saw a few churches and the Opera. I ate a Belgian waffle with Chantilly cream and chocolate. Mmm.

And then we were off, on a 4-hour bus ride back home to Paris. I slept for most of it.

French Fact: President Nicolas Sarkozy is largely unpopular among the French. Even the middle schoolers I tutor in English don't like him! My host dad once joked that there would be another revolution. The general consensus is he is "not French" enough.

Busy, Busy

A smattering of things I've done since my last blog:

• I got sick with a cold.



• I went to a comtemporary art fair/market.



• There's been a lot of studying. I'm glad midterms are over.

• My program visited l'Assemblee Nationale, the French National Assembly. It is similar to the House of Representatives in America. We saw the semi-circular chamber, a library, press rooms, and more.



• I ate my first "sandwhich grec" in one of the many Turkish restaurants all over Paris.



• I dressed up as a ballerina and went to a Halloween party with friends from my program. The metro rides were fun that night.



• My host brother Hugo had a birthday party, which meant 50 French teenagers in what is normally my bedroom.



• I visited the Musee des Arts et Metiers-Techniques. It was filled with cool technology related articles like airplanes, clocks, cameras, cars, etc.



• My program went to the Immigration Museum.



• I wandered around the charming Monmartre, possibly my favorite area of Paris. (Minus the sharp incline. It's on a hill.)



• Today, some French celebrate Toussaint, a Catholic holiday to celebrate all the Saints. I went to Notre Dame and listened to an organ concert, heard a cardinal speak about the Church in Africa, and attended a mass.



• I visited the Pantheon with my program. Lots of famous people are buried their.

French Fact: France passed laws in 1905 to create a separation of church and state.