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.

The Start of Something... Well, Just the Start of Something

We're not going to Guam, are we? -Frank Lapidus 

(Kudos to those of you who know where this quote is from.)

 I never thought I would be returning to Europe this soon. It's been four years since those two amazing weeks, most memories of which have already left my quickly-shrinking brain. Now I will be living in Europe for a month's time, doing as the Europeans do. I am both scared and excited, shocked and awed. Not even a month's time will not do justice for this deeply cultural continent. There is no doubt that I will not accomplish my entire to-do list, but here are the facts so far:

• I will be leaving Lambert for Atlanta on Sunday afternoon and then will be flying to Brussels on Sunday evening. The plane, if on schedule, will land 8:30 AM Brussels time, and we will be starting class later that day (thankfully we're just covering the syllabus).
• I am taking two classes: Cross-Cultural Journalism and History of Europe. Technically I already have Cross-Cultural Journalism done, but the Study Abroad Office allowed me to take it as an elective.
• I will be spending a weekend in London from Saturday, June 20-Monday, June 22. We will be going to the BBC that Monday for class and head back to Brussels that evening.
• There are only three other people on this trip and around 4-6 people doing the internship trip (they are already there, and they will stay there when we leave on July 7). I know no one on this trip, but since my whole life has consisted of me joining groups of complete strangers, it doesn't bother me at all.

I will try my best to update my blog if I have anything fun/exciting/crazy/rewarding to post, but my availability to long-term Internet access is currently unknown. I will also post some photos on here for your enjoyment and curiosity.

Twich's Drink of the Day: Every time I post a new blog, I will list either a favorite drink (or something I would never recommend trying) and give a brief description of it. Call it soulless advertising, call it whatever you may, but I call it a way to keep my memory sharp.

Twich's Place of the Day: This could be a museum, a small town, a major city, or even a shop of some kind. There will most likely be a picture accompanied with it. Just another way to keep my memories of this trip from fading away.