Off on my next adventure! This time, I’m headed to the Netherlands, by way of Belgium.
A few years ago, I got to go to Berlin as a part of an Urban Land Institute program, focused around healthy communities. I’m doing that program again, focused in and around Amsterdam, but thought I’d explore Belgium a bit on my own first.
It’ll be some tourism, though also a bit more lowkey than some of the other adventures. I’ve got an AirBNB in Brussels for a week, before I head to the conference.
I know nothing about Belgium, other than they have beer, chocolate, and waffles. Belgium is also headquarters to the European Union and NATO, so I’ll see if I can put in a good word for ‘merica.
Currency is the Euro. Official languages are Dutch, French and German – which is a lot of official languages for a country the size of Maryland. Dutch and French are mandatory in schools in Brussels, and apparently one of the most offensive things you can do is speak German in the French area to someone working in a shop or restaurant. (Last time I was in Central America, someone spoke to me in Spanish. My brain somehow thought “oh – they’re speaking a foreign language! I shall respond in a foreign language!” and I answered them in German.) Apparently though, in addition to everyone speaking French and Dutch and knowing enough German to be offended by it, everyone also speaks English.
Day 1 was mostly spent in airports, with a layover at JFK. I’ll be arriving into Brussels at 9:00 a.m. their time (3:00 a.m. CST). The bright side is I’ve gotten in 10,000 steps today, mostly based on the gate distances at JFK.
The morning was a bit rough (trying to juggle some work and last minute packing – I literally added my passport with about 5 minutes to go). I suddenly realized I hadn’t registered with the State Dept, which is something I always do. That way, if you’re in a foreign country, the US Govt knows you’re there – in case there is an emergency, they know how many US citizens might be impacted, can send emergency communications, etc. I’ve been using this program since 2016, and have never had an issue. Well, imagine my surprise when it let me log into my account this morning…but…my account was gone. None of my travel history, none of my information – not even my name. Somehow everything but my login credentials are gone from the system. Coincidence, or incompetence (also known as DOGE)? Your guess is as good as mine.
I’ve had a headache all week that I couldn’t shake, and still wasn’t feeling great in JFK. There was a retail “spa” thing near by gate that had massage chairs. I thought it would be like the ones when you get a pedicure, which I think are great. This was not that. They asked light, medium or heavy pressure, so I went with “medium” which my answer for everything but steak.
Well, this chair basically swallows you. They tell you to take off your watch and shoes and that’s because when you sit down, the arms and legs sort of sandwich you in. You know how when you go to an authentic Thai restaurant and order medium spice and the waiter is really concerned and you stick to your order…and then after two bites your eyes are watering, and you wind up drinking 17 glasses of wine and can’t taste anything for three weeks? This massage medium was like that spice medium. And you’re wrapped in the thing and it is just on a timer so you have no choice but to just breathe for 10 minutes. I may have found god someone around minute 7.
Hoping to sleep/recover from the massage trauma for a bit on the plane, so I’m awake enough to find Brussels from the airport in a few hours.
Tot Ziens! (Dutch for “goodbye,” I think…)