The Last Week

Here is a not-so-brief breakdown of my last week in Belgium:

Monday

Gareth took us on a trip to Ieper (pronounced "(y)eep") to visit the In Flanders Museum. Ieper was ground zero during WWI, with 3 separate battles held outside the city. The museum covered all aspects of the war, including pre-war life in Ieper, trench warfare, the Christmas Truce, and medical care of the wounded.  We also visited the largest WWI cemetery, located a few miles outside the city. It was an extremely beautiful area, and flowers lined all the graves, including those of the unknown soldiers buried next to the named ones.

Gareth was in a good mood and gave us a two-day extension on our articles, so now it was due Thursday instead of Tuesday. I had all my research done and had a little bit written, but some of the girls still needed to do interviews. I worked on it a bit more that night.

Tuesday

Tuesday was very simple. We had class about European media and then went back to work on our articles. I really wish American media was much more like European---it is much simpler, but at the same time the European journalists are not nearly as ambitious and have grayer ethics. I got my article done that night and felt immensely relieved that I would not have to stay up late the following night to finish.

Wednesday

Gareth took us to a communications company he makes videos for. The company is called Mostra, and I'm pretty sure I would like to work for this kind of company in the future. I found it ironic that a lot of the people that work there were ex-journalists. The stuff they did wasn't necessarily hard-core journalism, but it does give information to the people. I specifically want Gareth's job---he is sent out to different locations to cover a topic, and then has to connect it back to the European Union. Technically the videos are for the EU, and Gareth commented on how it can sometimes come off as EU "propaganda." None of his videos he showed us seemed that way at all though.

After class we went to the Comic Book Museum. I have never been too big of a fan of any comics, but I figured it would be interesting nonetheless since it's such a big Belgian thing. Luckily I got in cheaper than the girls since I was the only one who bothered to get an ISIC (International Student Identity Card). About time that thing was put to good use! Wouldn't be the last time either. Anyway, the museum started out as how comics were made, then jumped straight into all the different comics. None of it was in English so I cruised through it pretty fast. I spent the most time in the Tintin exhibit, though that's not saying much since it was so small. Tintin is the most famous Belgian comic. There's roughly 20 comic books about this Belgian journalist who seems to have a knack for finding trouble. I gave in and bought one (in English, of course). I'm saving it for the flight home, and for good reason: it's called Flight 714 to Sydney, and from flipping through it, looks like it's about Tintin's plane being hijacked and redirected to an island hideout. It also seemed to have some qualities of my favorite TV show, Lost. 

Becky needed to finish some interviews and wasn't much more interested in comics than I was, so she left while the rest of us used the museum's library to read some of the Tintin comics. I read the first one that started his fame, where he was sent to the Soviet Union to do a report. It was very long but it held my interest, but unfortunately I didn't have time to finish it. We headed back to the apartments and called it a day.

Thursday 

Today we presented our articles and Gareth graded it line by line right in front of us. he liked mine but said I attributed too much. Turns out that Europeans don't have to cite everything in an article like American journalists. Another reason why I would like to work in Europe. he also said i didn't have a definitive conclusion. I did that on purpose, actually. Most articles I've read don't have a definitive conclusion because they want the readers to see the facts and decide for themselves. Ah well. He told us that we all did a great job, but then said something that bummed us all out: "I very rarely give A's," he said. Guess summer school isn't going to boost my GPA... not that I really need it, but it would've been nice.

After class we all went to a local cafe for lunch. I got rabbit cooked in Kriek, a typical Belgian cuisine. Rabbit definitely has a different texture to it, but I highly recommend it! While we were there, a man came in to use the bathroom. What's special about him is that he was followed by three body guards---and I'm talking official guards: black suits, earpieces, grim faces, the whole shebang. No one had a clue who he was, and neither did the owner. He didn't have a group of people or any paparazzi following him either. Gareth assumed he was a business man of some kind.

Afterward the four of us headed to the Grand Place to finish up souvenir shopping. We also got pictures of the Mannequin Pis, literally "peeing boy" or something to that extent. We had found him previously while looking for Delirium but didn't get any pictures. He wasn't dressed up either---yes, they dress him up at random times for fun. I wanted to go find the female version, but of course the girls didn't want to do anything I wanted to do, plus I had no idea where it was in the area, so I decided to save it for the weekend.

Oh, right, I forgot to mention: while I was in Amsterdam, I decided not to go to Paris with the girls for our last weekend in Europe. I was fairly pissed at them for not hitting the Van Gogh Museum like they promised me (and I wasn't about to find it on my own in that crazy city), so I decided that we needed some time apart, and thankfully that paid off [foreshadowing for later in this post...]. Plus I was low on funds, and Paris isn't exactly as easy on the wallet as it is on the eyes. Plus I had already been there 4 years prior.

That night 3 of us plus my roommate Marcus went to Delirium again. I of course got my favorite, and after chatting with some other Americans there, we went to the bar across the alley. And guess what I found:

It was outside my favorite bar the whole.damn.time. But I do love my luck. By the way, the picture was taken the following day when I actually had my camera on me.

Friday

Our last day of class and no exams!!! Wooo!!! We went to the EU/US information hub for class and discussed our final assignment, the big cultural differences between the US and Europe. After that the girls bid ado for Paris while I went with Gareth and the internship students to a Lebanese restaurant for lunch. Note: I'm not an entirely picky eater, but I do draw the line at Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian cuisine. Too many ingredients mixed together that I don't like, namely olives, onions, and whole peppers. They did have beef kebabs and pita bread though, so I did eat.

After that I went with the internship students around Grand Place... talk about deja vu. I certainly didn't have a problem with that though since I needed to be in the area for a number of reasons. Once they all left for Amsterdam (I would've went with them if their hotel/hostel wasn't booked up and i didn't have to find my own place far away from all of them), I went out on my mission: get pictures of Jeanneke Pis (see above); print out the receipt for the taxi that would take us to the airport; and go see Halle Gate, something I wanted to do the whole time but didn't have enough time for and wasn't on the girls' list of things to do. I got the pictures, spent an hour trying to find an Internet shop, waited 20 minutes at an internet shop for it to open up from lunch, and felt way too hot and tired to do Halle Gate. There is always tomorrow...

I rested for a bit and then went to the nearby Cafe Belga in Place Flagey for a beer and to meet up with an old friend. Jena has been in Europe since last August doing study abroad and internships. She's been all over the place: Denmark, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, and the top of Norway, among others. We had a very lively chat about everything European and how much we've changed since last seeing each other. We meant to watch the movie playing there for the Brussels Film Festival, but it was Swedish with French and Flemish subtitles. Plus we couldn't hear it from where we were seated, about 50 yards away. Yeah, it was that crowded.

Saturday

I got up super early to go to Cologne, Germany. Yep, you read that right.

On Friday my roommate Marcus said he wanted to go to Germany to celebrate the Fourth of July. He planned on going to Cologne and staying until Monday night. I would be back home by then, but there was no way I was going to pass up this opportunity. I've never been to Germany and really wanted to hit it on this trip. I booked the same ticket out of Brussels but booked a returning ticket for the same afternoon. I wanted to make it a day trip rather than a weekend affair because I have a semi-irrational fear of missing a train and thus missing my flight the following day. Another reason why I didn't want to hit Paris all weekend.

Surprisingly, we had absolutely no problem getting to the station. In fact we were pretty early. It was good not to feel so stressed. We took the famed Thalys train (pronounced "Talis") and pulled into Cologne at 10 AM. This greeted us when we left the station:

The Cologne (Koln in German) Cathedral is one of the oldest cathedrals in Germany and took over 400 years to finish. We went in, saw the treasury of golden goods, and then climbed to the top of one of the towers. You basically had to go through Hell to get to Heaven: it's a spiral staircase of approximately 350 steps about 5 feet wide, there wasn't any fresh air until 3/4 of the way up, and is both the entrance and the exit. Plus everyone in Germany was there as well. The view was totally worth it though, even if I couldn't get a good picture through the protective wires.

We climbed back down and got a typical German lunch: Bratwurst with beer! The German beer was really good and had a bit of a wheaty taste, but not as much as the Luxembourg beer I had tried a few weeks earlier.

We hit a couple of museums, namely the Chocolate Museum (sponsored by Lindt, which handed out free chocolates that were made there in front of us) and a Gestapo prison museum. That was extremely depressing. People had written all over the prison walls, including things like those killed there, final love letters, and feelings of desperation. The lady at the front desk tried to talk us out of going in because it closed in half an hour, but we went in anyway. Then she followed us down to the prison cellar and constantly reminded us of what time it was. Europeans must hate working even more than Americans.

We had enough time to do one more thing before I had to head back to Brussels, so we went to the tower. I don't know its name. We found out it was owned by T-Mobile and has been closed for the past 12 years. Nevertheless the 2 mile walk was pleasant, and the park next to the tower was cool. Someone was barbecuing and gave me the only reminder that it was Independence Day, aside from Marcus humming American patriot tunes. We walked back to the station, Marcus picked up his luggage from a high-tech locker, and I bid him farewell. I got back safely and crashed to bed.

Sunday

I slept in for the first time in forever, and it equated to a little over 8 hours of sleep. My plan for the day was to get some groceries for dinner and then see Halle Gate. It turns out I forgot that Sunday was market day on Place Flagey and all nearby shops and stores were closed. I walked through it and got my groceries from there, which was nice other than the fact that none of the vendors spoke a lick of English. I went back to the room, ate lunch, grabbed my camera and headed for Halle Gate, which I will explain below.

Twich's Drink of the Day: Kwak

Another beer I wanted to try since I got here, Kwak is a lambic beer that is poured into the interesting-shaped glass and stand shown above. I do recommend it, but it's not as fun if it isn't poured into this type of glass (that typical Belgian restaurant served it in a regular glass). It's just interesting that way. Also, while the glass balances well without the stand while it's full of beer, it will fall over and shatter if it's empty. Trust me, I know.

Twich's Place of the Day: Halle Gate

The girls honestly had no idea what they were missing. This was the main entrance to the city of Brussels back in the 1300's. It's been used for a number of purposes, mainly as a powerful war defense (duh), a prison, and a museum since the 1700's. There's 4 floors of the museum, including one temporary exhibit on archaeology in the area. I was very frustrated though because it's not included on the English audio guide, and the exhibit was written in only French and Dutch, so I didn't get to make much use of what I knew from the archaeology class I took the previous semester. The view from the top of the tower is absolutely astounding! See for yourself:

Plus, if you have an ISIC, you only have to pay for the audio guide (2 euro). But I think he didn't make me pay otherwise because he asked me what my profession was, and when I said journalism, he said something about a press pass. I truly do love my luck.

London, Amsterdam, Mini-Europe

I finally finished the article yesterday---and am currently undergoing a bit of a burnt-out period, hence why I have not updated this in over a week. I'll keep it somewhat brief:

London

After nearly missing the train out there, we hit the ground running for the first day. I made sure my first meal there was entirely British: fish and chips with classic English tea. I was very happy with that choice. After getting lunch we went to our hostel to drop off our bags. We were there at around 11 or so, and check-in wasn't until 3. They let us store our stuff anyway, thankfully. It's quite an interesting place. It was formerly a courthouse, and the Internet room was a real-life courtroom.

We headed out and took the Underground at King's Cross. We hit most of the major tourist sights: the downtown shopping district, The British version of Time Square, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye (?), the large ferris wheel across the Thames from Parliament. We also found the Globe Theatre, a remake of Shakespeare's theater. They were playing Romeo and Juliet for only 5 pounds---that is, if you wanted to stand the whole time. Which we did. I absolutely loved it, and the play was probably my favorite moment while in London. The following day we hit more places---London Bridge being the main one.

The next day we went as a class to the BBC. Did you know that its building is shaped like a question mark? I found that very fitting. It was an interesting tour. We had some free time before our next scheduled event, so we went to the Natural History Museum (or at least I think it was that museum). We had enough time to see the large dinosaur exhibit, which you could easily tell from the displays and captions was meant for kids. After that we went to a debate between two Members of the European Parliament: one who was pro-EU and one who was a member of the UK Independent Party, who wants to get the UK out of the EU. The UKIP politician definitely had a more convincing argument, but I found out later that a lot of his facts were wrong. After that we had drinks and appetizers at a nearby bar with the London study abroad program. I talked to the two girls I knew from that group, and before long we had to go. Becky's organization, Invisible Children, was holding a party by the London Bridge. If you don't know anything about the organization, look it up and help support it, definitely a good cause. We headed back to Brussels early the following morning.

Amsterdam

Once again, we almost missed our ride. Thankfully we got there in time, but then the bus didn't actually leave until an hour after it was supposed to. Still don't know why. And it wasn't a 4 hour trip either---we made stops to Antwerp, Rotterdam, and The Hague before going to Amsterdam, so it actually took 6 hours.We basically had less than 24 hours to spend in Amsterdam before our bus ride home.

Let me make one thing clear: Amsterdam is known as the capital of pot and prostitutes for good reason. Marijuana smoke hung in the air through most of the city. The women not only stood in the frame of their window, but also outside when crowds of people were thin, and talked to men walking by, trying to convince them to come in (and, as I witnessed, some guys did get convinced). 

We did a canal cruise through the city. It was definitely interesting, but it comes nowhere close to the Seine River cruise I took in Paris 4 years prior. Nevertheless I enjoyed it and got some good pictures. 

Twich's Drink of the Day: Starapramen

I had this drink while at the debriefing in London. It's a Czech beer, and I honestly think it rivals my other favorite, Delirium Tremens. No picture unfortunately because it was on tap.

Twich's Place of the Day: Mini-Europe

I have always been a fan of miniature versions of life, and this "theme park" takes the cake. A project of the EU, the park includes at least one building/statue/monument of each EU member state. The most recognizable things include the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Parliament and Big Ben, the Leaning Tower of Pisa,  Grand Place, the Chunnel, the Brandenburg Gate (with the Berlin Wall being torn down behind it!), and the Acropolis. The miniature people and the moving trains, boats, and helicopter made it more lifelike. Also, if you bring binoculars or a high-zoom camera, you can see that some of the miniature women on the boats and the Hungarian bathhouse are topless. Another thing to look out for: the EU turtle. Don't ask me why the European Union chose a turtle as its mascot, I don't know. And I mean look out for the life-size version (which will literally pull you aside for a picture) as well as miniature versions that can be found within different monuments throughout Mini-Europe, almost like a "Where's Waldo" game.

Blog update soon, promise!!!

I got back from London safely and have been lounging around the past few days while also dealing with a number of homework assignments. My big paper is due in less than a week (can't believe there's only one full week left!!!), and I need to work on it and get one of the girls to help me translate interviews with random Europeans about what they think it means to be "European." That should be loads of fun...

Here's a little teaser of some upcoming planned blogs:

• The weekend in London and the trip I took back in time
• Mini-Europe!!!
• The group goes to Amsterdam, chaos ensues
• A full week of who knows what
• Paris, anyone?

P.S.- With this post, I have already fulfilled my promise of updating my blog. Just thought you should know.

NEWSFLASH: There are very few banks in Luxembourg

Just like Luxembourg, this post will be short and sweet. With the day off on Friday, we all got up early and went off to see Luxembourg, mainly just for the hell of it. Not knowing what to do or what the hot spots were in Luxembourg City, we ate at a very nice pizzeria joint and headed westward. It was an endless string of residences and small shops, just like Belgium, which I really like. Oh, and I also found this crazy-looking fruit:

We then went northeast to hit the Old City and ran into a makeshift carnival covering two small street islands, which was kind of funny to walk through. I don't think I've seen a more patriotic country minus the United States---there were Luxembourg flags lining all the streets. We went into the Notre Dame Cathedral (mentioned more below), saw the royal palace and the single soldier guarding it, and visited a number of small shops. I tried some Luxembourg chocolate---or at least I thought it was. Could've been German. Still quite good.

Following that we started heading back to the train station. Luxembourg is known as a banking hot spot, and because of that it has the highest income per capita in the world. That's why I was shocked when we only saw about 2 or 3 banks the entire time. I felt like we hit a big chunk of the city. Maybe the banks were in a specific sector we missed, I'm just not sure. But the thought that Luxembourg  is misrepresented as a banking state continously crossed my mind on the way back to Brussels. 

Twich's Drink of the Day: Bofferding

A Luxembourgian wheat beer with a pretty decent taste.

Twich's Place of the Day: Notre Dame Cathedral

Another beautiful cathedral in Europe. This one, however, has not been kept up to speed as much as other churches. I could definitely see its age.

In Bruges and Elsewhere

Yesterday we went to Bruges since it's the #1 thing to do on all the travel books' lists. Before I went there, everyone kept giving me their opinion on the movie called "In Bruges," which was filmed, believe it or not, in Bruges. I heard both sides of the argument about if the movie was a good or bad representation of Bruges. I decided not to watch it until I saw the dead city for myself.  

It was definitely a beautiful city, and the church we went into, Sint-Salvator Cathedral (above), was exceptionally awe-inspiring. But the city is considered "dead" for good reason---besides a main road of shops that connects to the central square, there is next to nothing to do. The side roads were eerily quiet, yet were lined entirely with cars. This made me wonder: Are these tourists' cars, or do people actually live here? I can't even imagine what that must be like.

Nonetheless I enjoyed my time there. I found a frites stand next to the central square, bought some and enjoyed it while taking in the the sites and sounds around me. I don't think I could've felt more assimilated, or more at peace.

I have also been to a number of museums and other places, which I will list briefly:

• Central African Museum: A gorgeous museum located several miles outside Brussels. At first I thought it was built out there as a way to hide Belgium's shame, but then I learned that King Leopold II, who colonized the Congo to begin with, wanted it built outside the city. More info below.
• NATO: Talk about a depressing place. With it's barbed-wire fences and barracks-like buildings, it could be mistaken for Guantanamo. They were not expecting us until the afternoon, so security came very close to DEFCON-1. Nevertheless, we got inside and were given two very well-done presentations on NATO and its purposes. I made sure to use their free calling to anywhere in the world at their expense. Very cool.
• BelVue Museum and the Royal Palace: The royal family no longer lives there, but it's everything you would expect from a palace, at least on the outside. Part of the museum actually went under the Royal Palace after construction workers found the remains of the previous palace that was burned down in the 1700's. It's an archaeologist's dream, and having just taken an archaeology class the previous semester, I had an extra-sensitive appreciation for all that I saw. No pictures, sadly. The rest of the museum took us on a tour of Belgium through time, from its bloody revolution in 1830 to the present. The museum's restaurant has an outdoor area right next to the palace's side gate and is one of Brussels' hidden treasures in my book.
• Parks: That's right. The parks just outside of the Royal Palace are open to the public and are the perfect place to just stop everything and relax, which is exactly what we did.

What a country!!!

Twich's Drink of the Day: Chapeau Banana

Really, a beer with banana flavoring? I found it hard to believe. But it delivers. Probably not the best thing to drink on a hot day, but I enjoyed it anyway.

Twich's Place of the Day: Central Africa Museum

I've wanted to see this museum since I first read about it. Everyone told me that it contained all the spoils and plunder the Belgians took from their colony, but that's far from the truth. It is definitely a history museum with zoology mixed in. there is no gold or diamonds, but there is plenty of African artifacts, masks, and a whole section of African wildlife in dioramas (which was sadly not in the best shape---I could see the rhino skin peeling, and all of the birds were in rather poor condition). Since only the colonial history section was in English, I zipped through the museum pretty fast. The surrounding grounds are a must-see.

I Am an American, Not an Illinoisan

We only have to do five assignments out here. The final project---a feature article discussing some aspect of Europe---is due in just two weeks. I have already thought of a pretty good idea. Out here, everyone considers themselves to be members of their home country, whether it be Belgium, France, Estonia, etc. I have not met a person yet who sees his/herself as a European first. This is a stark contrast from Americans. Besides a few Texans, Californians, and some other various people, most citizens of the United States consider themselves American first, then their home state (or sometimes their home city---I'm looking at you, Chicago!). But why isn't it this way for Europeans? Is it because of the division of their cultures for millennia? a fear of losing their heritages? worried that European futbol would never be the same?

This is what I intend to find out. I have no further details since I'm still in the early planning stages, but I want my target audience to be both American and European, if that is at all possible. I feel that I can help bridge the gap between how Americans view Europeans and vice versa when it comes to their "label," so to speak. Probably not the best word to use, but I'm really tired at the moment.

In my blogosphere absence, I have been inside the EU three times. Metal detectors and guards line the entrances to all EU buildings. All the buildings are an unending maze of offices, meeting rooms, and tight hallways. Don't get me wrong, I love the EU and its accomplishments--but it's still run like a business, with its agendas, Powerpoint meetings, and the like. I was also surprised to learn that the EU recently turned a church (below) into a welcome center for visitors (complete with guards and sign-in desk). Secularism runs high in Europe, especially in Belgium. 

I have also been to Antwerp, the diamond capital of the world (as well as a fashion capital, but since I am fashionably challenged, I didn't notice). My group and I visited the diamond museum, which unfortunately had "copies" of some original crown jewels, which were actually located in the London Museum. The amount of artifacts on display was also pretty light. They were beautiful nonetheless. Antwerp is definitely a woman's city with its streets completely lined with clothing shops.

We also had our first taste of Brussels nightlife. We visited one of the most popular bars out here, called Delirium. It's actually three bars on three stories, with almost 100 beers on tap and plenty more to choose from. Advertisements of different beers lined the walls, all of which I wanted to try but didn't know where to start. Thankfully, I found the perfect one:

Twich's Drink of the Day: Delirium Tremens

With the advertisement "Voted the best beer in the world," it would be hard-pressed to find a drinker who does not enjoy this beer. It has a sweet, smooth taste that goes down easy, and after one glass I was getting a buzz (keep in mind, however, I had not eaten in the previous nine hours). Hands-down the best beer I have ever had.

Twich's Place of the Day: Antwerp's Grote Markt 

By far one of the most beautiful main squares I have ever seen. Very lively with horse-drawn carriages, fountains, and traveling organs, not to mention the number of outdoor bars.

The Good, the Bad, and the Crazy

I have waited to do a second blog entry on purpose. Hopefully they will be daily from now on, but my schedule never seems to want to cooperate. I've made a few observations since being here, which I will list under in the Good, the Bad, and the Crazy:

The Good: Belgium is an absolutely beautiful country, and Brussels is its crown jewel. We walk to class everyday through the European Union Quarter and have class in the Residence Palace, a journalistic hub. I find class to be relatively easy because I have already covered most of the material---cross-cultural journalism and history of Europe and the EU. Gareth Harding is a great teacher, though he is not as Euro-centric as some people are. Originally a Brit, Gareth has lived in several places around Europe. He still holds a fair share of skepticism that most Brits have about the EU, kind of seeing it as the "French version of a unified Europe" since it was France who started the whole initiative.

The other great thing I love about Belgium is the abundance of food. And not just Belgian cuisine---I have seen numerous Middle Eastern, Moroccan, and Greek restaurants and shops. The Moroccans are thought to have the best chicken in Belgium. The smell of rotisserie chickens on a rotator outside of the shop is both intoxicating and alluring. I will be having one very soon! The chocolate is also unbelievable, and I haven't even had any of the truffles or candy bars yet! So far in the chocolate department, I have had a Belgian waffle with chocolate syrup (best.syrup.ever.) and a chocolate muffin from a bakery. There is no beating this sweetness. I'm fairly certain every nook and cranny in my luggage will be filled in with chocolate of some kind.

The Bad: Thankfully there is not a lot of bad. As everyone knows, the weather out here is atrocious. It rains off and on all day and night, and there's no predicting whether it will come down as a mist or blazing hail storm. I have already experienced both. The latter is thanks to another irritant out here---roadways could not be more impossible to follow. Signs are hidden in corners and only appear once. Dutch and French order are often switched, and sometimes signs only list it in one language.

The Crazy: I can never ever picture myself driving down Belgian roads. The road rules are not like anything else. Taxis are allowed to drive down tram railways, whether the railways are lifted off the ground from the main road by cobblestone or not. Cars can cut off other cars depending on the direction the cutters are going and whether or not they are on a main road. There are more street signs than one has the time to read while driving past. And all the while, Belgians drive like Italians---they cut each other off, stop in the middle of the road, come inches from hitting pedestrians, and drive as fast as possible.

Maybe this is not as crazy as it is funny, but one day the girls and I went down a street in what seemed to be the embassy area. While we didn't find the American embassy, we did find a car with A MASSACHUSETTS LICENSE PLATE! That meant that someone shipped their car over here to drive! Not only that, but it wasn't even an American model. Of course, there are very few American cars over here. I have seen only a few Ford cars and two Chrysler PT Cruiser. But supposedly Ford is very popular in Britain. I'll research that when I go there in a week's time.

I have enjoyed this country immensely so far. 

Twich's Drink of the Day: Kriek

This is an interesting beer that I've been wanting to try since I first read about it in one of my travel books. It's a lambic beer with cherry juice. The cherry juice is gives a nice sweet taste, followed by the punch of taste that a beer always gives. Very low alcohol content--3.4%. Absolutely awful when warm.

Twich's Place of the Day: Arc de Triomphe and the surrounding park

Definitely a landmark of Brussels, just outside of the EU Quarter. The paintings within the outside columns are extraordinary. A must-do for any traveler. Soon we will go back and look at the attached museums.