Where it all ends, I can't fathom my friends

For the first time in my life, I passed up the chance to go to another country.

I had planned to go to Luxembourg today, which is a country! Really! It is actually a little smaller than Rhode Island (which, as a reminder, is the smallest US State) but it actually IS a country. Europe, man. It was about 3 hours away by train, but I decided early this morning not to go.

Instead, I just wandered around the city a bit more, and ate a few more waffles.

Flea Market

One of the most frequented spots in Brussels by locals is the “famous” (according to the internet) open air antique market, named Place du Jeu de Balle. It is open 7 days a week – and is the world’s ONLY flea market open 365 days/year.

The area the flea market is now was originally intended to serve as a field for “balle pelote”, a very popular game in Brussels back in the day which is sort of like tennis from what I could tell.

Tons of stuff, none of which I needed (or have room for in my suitcase).

Waffles

Have I mentioned how much I love them? Because I really love them.

I love potatoes. 

French fries? French? To heck with the French. Here they’re called Belgian fries, thank you very much. 

French fries were actually created here, in the late 17th century. They started in villages along the river I saw yesterday – the river froze over, so the fish they relied on were gone for winters, so they started frying their potatoes the same way they had their fish. American soldiers stationed in the area tried them during WWI, and since it was the French speaking region, dubbed them French fries.

But not all fries are created equal! They say the decent ones are cooked twice (in beef fat) at different temperatures, so they’re both crispy and chewy. Few places still use beef fat (because it burns and can’t be reused) but there is one local place that does, so I obviously found it. Very worth the hunt.

Languages

It’s actually pretty fun to listen to people. Brussels has 184 nationalities living within the city. I can (sort of) tell when people are speaking French, and Dutch. I also generally recognize Spanish, and German, and English. But that seems to cover about 10% of the conversations in the coffee shop. I also wandered through some book stores, and even a cheese store. You can take the girl from Wisconsin, but you can’t take the Wisconsin from the girl.

Bathrooms

They’re hard to come by. No one here drinks water, and I think it’s because bathrooms are so hard to find. Small restaurants/coffee shops/waffle places don’t have them for customer use. Larger restaurants and museums do, for paying customers. They’re in all the train stations, but you have to pay. For as much beer as they consume here, you’d think they’d be much more prevalent.

Speaking of Beer

Belgium is the world’s 3rd largest exporter of beer – Mexico is the first, and the Netherlands the 2nd. They’ve been making beer since around the 12th century – and they say that they had no choice, because the water wasn’t safe to drink. I find this a bit suspicious, but they’re very adamant that you were more likely to die from contaminated water than you were from too much beer.

Most of the beer in the olden days was produced by the Church. It still happens to some degree, with a special type of beer called Trappist. A Trappist beer must be produced in a monastery, by monks, and the profits can only be used to support the monastery or be donated. There are currently 13 Trappist abbeys operating in the world, and 6 of them are in Belgium. Some produce enough that it is sold commercially, but some don’t.

Though I don’t drink beer, and didn’t consume alcohol this week, I did have a chance to taste one of them and it seemed special enough to try it.

Westvleteren was founded in 1838. The brewery continued operations through both World Wars, and also served as a hospital in WWI.

They only produce 60,000 cases annually – the same amount they’ve made every year since 1946. They’re very careful with their sales – you’re on a waiting list, and then have to go in person to pick it up, waiting in a line sometimes for hours, and they record your ID and license plate to make sure you’re not pulling some kind of trick to get more than your allotted 36 bottles. Their beer often wins “best in the world” taste tests, so it’s kind of a big deal.

I was given the option of trying their “Blue cap” which is ONLY 8% alcohol. (Their yellow cap is 10.2%. Miller Lite is 4.2%).

Per their website: “Dark amber colour. Crowned with an abundant and strong lacing head. The aroma of the Westvleteren 8 is an attractive combination of green nuts, soft fruit and a touch of caramel. The different flavours of this beer lead to a harmonious yet complex taste. One tastes the malts, as it were, up to barley husk. The aftertaste is characterised by a distinct and striking hop bitterness.” I thought it tasted like all of those things.

Cops

Two interesting things.

I was told that on the highways, there are cameras that record your license plate. No big deal – we have those in the States, right? Well, just like everything else, Europe is more advanced in this. The system is set up to record you at set points along the highway – so it takes your picture at Point A, and then again at Point B. And it knows how long it should take, if you’re going the speed limit, to get from Point A to B. Get their too fast? Well in a week, you get a ticket in the mail. Because of this, they say you rarely see police on the highway pulling people over.

The second thing is that everyone says that there are actually a ton of police in the city – most are just in plain clothes, and unmarked cars. They say this is so that you don’t feel overwhelmed by their presence, but they still are keeping you safe.

You guys. I think they’ve just tricked everyone into thinking cops are every where because they’re in plain clothes. Meanwhile, they’ve got AI monitoring you and a machine sending you a ticket, and there are probably like 6 cops in the whole country.

What’s next?

I head to Amsterdam tomorrow, so I’ll get packed up early in the morning and head out for the train. I bought some emergency rations today, in case the Netherlands doesn’t have any food.

Today my brother is going to be SO EXCITED because it is another war tour – though this time, I visited sites from World War II.

I had initially planned on a group tour by train, but wound up pivoting to a private tour that gave me a bit more flexibility – but also required me to make a lot more small talk.

Namur

On the way to Bastogne, we stopped to see a fortress in Namur, and the Meuse River.

The fortress, from the year 800, had been used for centuries for war – it’s at a high point near the junction of two rivers, so had historically been used to control trade. For our purposes though, it served as a key military lookout.

The fortress is actually made from the stone under it – which resulted in tunnels and caverns that could be used to store weapons, supplies, medical assistance, and even bunkers if the bombs got too close.

At one point, Germany was getting very close to crossing the river, so the Americans bombed the bridge that existed at the time, to make it harder for them to cross. Unfortunately, the bomb was a little off, and also killed 3,000 local Belgiums. A pedestrian bridge was built to replace it, in honor of those that were killed.

Bastogne War Museum 

The Bastogne War Museum was built to highlight the causes, events and consequences of World War II by focusing on the Ardennes Counteroffensive – or as I knew it, the “Battle of the Bulge.” This was Germany’s last major offensive of WWII on the western front. It started on December 16th, 1944 and ended on January 25th, 1945. Germany was trying to get to Antwerp, to stop the Allies from using the port there, as well as trying to physically split the Allies, to make it easier to destroy them. Spoiler: they failed. Not without a lot of loss though – this battle is considered the deadliest battle fought by the US in any war. (Second is the “Battle of Saint-Mihiel” in WWI, under General Pershing, also against the Germans. Third is Gettysburg. D-Day is 6th, and Pearl Harbor is 7th.) 

It started as a surprise attack by the Germans, in part because of bad intelligence, coupled with bad weather. This area was mostly a “rest” area for troops, so lines were thin when the attack happened. In addition to resistance on the northern part of the attack, Americans resisted in this area (Bastogne), stopping German access from key roads that they needed.

The 101st Airborne (which my dad would join, about 30 years later) was able to reach Bastogne on December 19th. Their incredible defense, alongside the all-black 969th Artillery Battalion and the 10th Armored Division, kept the Germans from taking the city itself as well as key infrastructure, though they were officially surrounded by December 21st by the Germans. The unimaginable resistance of the Americans (in spite of the limited supplies including serious lack of ammunition, food, and not enough gear for the incredibly cold weather) bought enough time for Allied reinforcements, and the “Siege of Bastogne” ended on December 26th.

The Museum highlights key events of the war, but does it in an interesting way. You follow the timeline with 4 different narrators – they were actual people, and these were their actual experiences, documented from diaries and letters. There’s a Belgium schoolteacher who starts narrating at the age of 23, a 20 year old paratrooper in the 101st from Savannah Georgia, a 21 year old from Frankfurt Germany who is a Lieutenant, and a 13 year old boy from Belgium who just wants to visit the sea with his parents. Guess which one kept making me cry?

There were also stories of just how life was. The young boy talked about how they had to resole their shoes with rubber from tires – but the good news was, there were lots of tires, because so many cars had been abandoned because there was no fuel, for instance.

It was a little jarring to see so much Nazi memorabilia, but the museum was well done.

In addition to walking through the rooms with the narrators, they had these small theaters that you’d go in, and a story would play out around you – so at one point, I was “in” a cafe in Bruges, and the room was shaking and you could hear bombs going off.

Mardasson Memorial 

The Mardasson memorial, known more simply as “Mardasson,” is meant to serve as a reminder and to honor the resistance of the American troops in Bastogne. The monument is star shaped, representing the American Army symbol and a reference to the American flag. It is intended to honor the memory of the 76,890 American soldiers who died.

I was told, repeatedly, that it was because of America’s honor and courage that the war was won. My guide shared that especially in this area, Americans are revered for their willingness to do the right thing, even when it is hard. That certainly brought up a lot of feelings as well.

Bois Jacques Foxholes 101st Easy Company

Originally dug by American soldiers, helping them to hide from the Germans who were encircling the woodlands, the foxholes are still visible in Bois St Jacques. There are scenes from Band of Brothers in this area, if you’ve watched that show. I rewatched it before the trip; standing in these spaces, it makes you both want to laugh and cry as you think about the stubbornness of the 101st, and how unbelievable their resistance was.

The temperatures were freezing, and the troops didn’t have appropriate clothing; there was a story of how they were complaining to have three in a hole, but the next morning, only the person in the middle survived the night, because of the body heat of the others.

The people of Bastogne were so worried about the Americans that they did everything they could to help them, including taking their curtains and sheets to them, to try and help them keep warm.

McAuliffe Square 

The McAuliffe Memorial in Bastogne is dedicated to the memory of General McAuliffe. He was the General who replied “Nuts!” when the Germans demanded surrender. The monument was carved by Miss Silvercruys, sister of the Belgian Ambassador to the US at the time. The work was inaugurated by the General in person. In 1947, the square where the memorial is standing was renamed McAuliffe Square.

Patton Liberty Road

I also got to see the last memorial milepost on the “Patton Liberty Road” route from Utah Beach in Normandy to Bastogne. All the milestones carry a red torch flame, emerging from the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. The blue crown at the top of the milestones are 48 white stars, which symbolize all the states in America in 1944 (Sorry, Alaska and Hawaii.)

I was able to visit Normandy a few years ago. It was an interesting experience then, reflecting on the service of some of Grandma Tootsie’s brothers in the war, and I’m glad I took the time to do this tour to also see “the end.”

I opted not to go to a nearby concentration camp site in Ulflingen, Luxembourg. I’ve visited two now, and that feels like enough for this lifetime.

I also got to learn a bit more about Belgium. For instance, voting is mandatory – if you don’t vote, you get fined. Democracy is fragile, and everyone should participate.

It was a good road trip. I got home in time for a quiet dinner.

Today was another free day, just for exploring. I did go to Antwerp for part of it.

It’s taken a few days, but today was the first time I felt 100% confident in what I was going. I knew how to get to the train station without needing my map, and knew how to get to my train within the station. I’ve been going early – I mean, what if the train leaves early?? (It doesn’t). Or what if the train is full and there are no seats? (Then you stand, I guess? But they’ve never been that full). Or what if there is a change? (Early won’t help you, my friend. Pray to the train gods.) So today I left the apartment 25 minutes before my train would leave (it’s a 15 minute walk).

And I walked with confidence – which in Brussels at least means you just walk across the street, wherever and whenever you want, because the cars will stop for you. Until today, I’ve been pausing and waiting for them to stop before I stepped out – but not this morning. I walked right into traffic, and the waffle gods protected me as they’re sworn to do.

It really is a very interesting phenomenon. Pedestrians have the right of way. In the areas I’ve been in, almost every intersection has a painted crosswalk – but you don’t have to even be in the crosswalk. You can just cross over wherever you want.

You know how in the US, cars are supported to stop for pedestrians at intersections but 95% don’t – and if you do stop, there’s a decent chance the car behind you is going to honk?? Not here. All the cars just…stop. That might be why mass transit is so popular – you can only go like 10’ at a time in a car in these urban neighborhoods, so it really is faster to take the train.

On busier streets there are “walk” lights – but I’ve also seen a bunch of people cross against the light – when traffic is coming. Those cars just stop too.

Anyway, I walked into traffic and didn’t die, and still had time to buy the breakfast of champions (which I ordered IN FRENCH (which I do not speak)).

Got to my train with 5 minutes to spare. There was a train there, but the doors were closed, which was strange. A woman asked me what the problem was, and (after we switched to English, because my Dutch needs some work) I explained I also didn’t know, but I had checked the sign before I went up to the platform, and it said our train was on time. She wisely said “this is not right.” I’ve figured out that I need two different apps – one for getting my specific ticket, but a different for more timely train updates – so I pulled up the other one, and our track had indeed changed online, though not yet on the signs. (Thankfully, we just had to turn around to the platform behind us.)

Language

It’s interesting but also a bit challenging in Brussels. Everything in Brussels from a technical/government standpoint has to be in both French and Dutch – so for example, my train station is both Bruxelles-Midi and Brussel-Zuid. The trick is that once you go into a different region, the official language changes – so in Brugge and Antwerp, the language is Dutch, and the signs/names are in Dutch. French is actually the more dominant language so casually, my station is the Midi station – but on the train schedule in Brugge to get back to the city, Midi isn’t listed, only Zuid.

It takes a little getting used to, and I’ve had to look things up a few times because I have one name, but my google map uses the other name.

Even in the official Dutch areas, I’ve heard more French than Dutch – yesterday in Ypres, in the restaurant, coffee shop and praline shop I went into, all started conversations in French with me initially. I’m told it is just because French is a much more common language, especially since France colonized so much of Africa. It’s also taught in a lot of schools (it was one of the three language options my high school had, in the 90’s). Outside of the Netherlands and this part of Belgium, no one speaks Dutch.

There is also Flemish – which is just Dutch with an accent (please don’t tell the Flemish I said that.) Technically, they say that’s what they speak in the Flanders region.

Antwerp

I decided to go explore this city for a bit for the first part of my day. It’s one of the largest cities in Belgium, and an important port city.

Their main train station is the Central/Centraal Station, or Middenstatie, or Spoorwegkathedraal. (I think maybe some people also choose to speak French because the words are shorter).

The station opened in 1905, and is said to be one of the most beautiful train stations in Europe, and has been voted the most beautiful in the world a few times. The architect was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, and is sometimes called the Railway Cathedral.

Belgium was the First Nation in Europe to open a public railway (in 1835), so they take their train honors pretty seriously.

Keyserlei Shopping Street

This is considered the most famous shopping street in Antwerp, I would imagine because it is full of diamonds? Antwerp has been the world’s diamond capital for a few centuries. Diamond trade in the port started about 500 years ago, when the first stones were brought over from India. About 1,500 diamond companies are now based here; diamonds now come from South Africa, Australia, Russia and Canada.

85% of the world’s rough diamonds come through here, as well as 50% of the polished diamonds and 40% of industrial diamonds. I did not go into any stores – I was afraid to even get close to the windows.

Water!

This is the Scheldt River, which will take you out to the North Sea.

Het Steen

This is the oldest building in the city, originally built around 1200. It started as the gate house to the Antwerp Castle, though in 1303 it was used as a prison, executions and all. They even had “secret” drownings of reformists in the 1500s. Now it is a cruise terminal, and home to the Lange Wapper statue.

I’m not really sure about the art here. At first I thought he was peeing on them (too much time in Brussels, I guess), but he isn’t.

There are a lot of stories about the Lange Wapper – he’s apparently very popular in Flemish folklore. He was abandoned in a field as a baby, and was adopted by a family in Antwerp. He saved a woman from drowning in the Scheldt River, and as a “thank you” she gave him the ability to make himself big or small. He apparently liked to trick drunk people – he’d follow them home, grow very large, and yell at them through their upstairs windows. This place is a little weird.

Brabo

This is the main square, which includes the Brabo fountain in the middle of the square, which is the most common image of Antwerp. The sculpture refers to the city’s most famous legend, which includes the giant Druon Antigoon and the Roman hero Silvius Brabo.

Before Antwerp became a city of prominence, Antigoon ruled over the water, demanding a toll for anyone that wanted to cross the river. If you refused, or just couldn’t afford it, he’d cut off your hand and throw it into the river.

Brabo needed to cross the river, but refused to pay, and challenged the giant. Brabo won the fight, and cut off Druon’s hand, and without the giant in the way, Antwerp grew into the city it now is. The statue depicts the moment Brabo is throwing his hand.

The word Antwerp in Dutch basically translates to “hand throwing” so the assumption is that’s how the city was named.

Then I headed back to Brussels so I could do a few work things and still enjoy the city.

Museum of Musical Instruments

A friend recommended this and it was actually a super cool experience. Visitors are given special headphones to wear that play music from some of the nearly 1,200 instruments on display. You enter in codes based on what you’re standing by, to hear music that corresponds with what you’re looking at. The Museum’s collection includes everything from African drums and Chinese zithers to American guitars and Belgian saxophones. The museum itself is in a 19th-century Art Nouveau department store that has been beautifully restored.

The music you could hear lasted anywhere from about 15 seconds for the bone whistles to 15 minutes for a jazz ensemble.

After the museum I found a nice spot for a phone call. It was slightly less nice when I was on said call and the clock tower started chiming.

I grabbed an early dinner, and then dessert as I walked home.

You might be asking, did I really eat two waffles today?

Well actually, I ate three – I just didn’t take a picture of lunch. When in Belgium…

Today I headed out of town again, on my first official “tour” of this trip, to visit some sites related to World War I.

As a history reminder, WWI started in Bosnia (I was at the spot where it began, last year!) with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. At the start, it was Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire on one side as the “Central Powers” and then France, Great Britain, Russia, and eventually Italy and the US on the other side as the Allied Powers.

On August 3rd 1914, Germany declared war against France. On August 4, Germany invaded Belgium, since it was in their way, as a part of their “Western Front” plan. (This is perhaps the start of why they really dislike it if you speak German?)

I was told that Germany told Belgium they had 12 hours to open their country and get out of the way, otherwise Germany would enter by force. Belgium declined.

This is also when Great Britain got involved – prior to that they were staying out of it, but they were committed to defending Belgium.

(The US didn’t enter the war until April 6, 1917).

Ieper (Ypres)

This is the name of the city I spent the start and the end of the day in, but also is the name of three larger battles. The area now has over 100 cemeteries.

Ypres was completely destroyed during the fighting, but was rebuilt generally as a replica.

Ypres also has the “main” war museum in the area, Flanders War Museum. Flanders is the name of the region we’re in. Antwerp fell on October 10, 1914, and the war moved into Flanders. Trenches were basically created from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea – and though they’d have three major battles here, the battlefront basically stayed the same until Fall 1918. Part of this was because of the weather. This region is known as a very rainy region – and the Germans kept getting stymied from the mud. The Allied forces did too, but the Allies just had to hold the line worst case, while the Germans needed to advance it.

People from more than 50 countries or regions fought on the side of the Allied in these three battles. The museum was nicely done – lots of war memorabilia and artifacts and information.

Ypres is now a thriving city – but at the time, after the end of the war, it was said to be as bare as the Sahara. Churchill actually said it was best to leave the town in ruins as a monument itself. Others disagreed, but started arguing about what should come next – should it be modernized, etc. Apparently the locals had no time for the politics of it all and just moved forward with the reconstruction. They just wanted their town back.

Vladslo German War Cemetery

This is the home of the ‘Grieving Parents’ sculpture by Käthe Kollwitz. This cemetery contains 25,664 Germans; many smaller cemeteries and graves were relocated here, the last in 1956. The sculpture was designed at the request of the two parents, at the loss of their 18 year old son in the war.

The artist was a woman, a socialist and a pacifist. A few years after the completion and unveiling of this piece, when Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany, her work was deemed to be unacceptable to the Nazi regime. In 1936 her work was removed from German art galleries, and she was later interrogated multiple times by the Gestapo.

Brooding Soldier

I visited the “Brooding Soldier” monument, which is honoring Canadian soldiers. This is also known as the Saint Julien Memorial.

This memorial commemorates the Second Battle of Ypres, which included fighting in the face of the first poison gas attack. The gas was used on April 22, 1915. The chlorine gas actually drifted over an area French soldiers were in; after seeing the impact of the gas, the French broke ranks and abandoned their trenches. The First Canadian Division re-formed the line and held it, until they were relieved on April 24. In those 48 hours, one of every three men became a casualty, but the Canadians held the line. Turns out, maybe you shouldn’t mess with Canada?

(Later, I then wound up making small talk with a school trip chaperone – he was one of only FOUR adults with 50 7th and 8th graders from Toronto. They were on day 5 of the trip, which had started in Paris. Canadians really are strong people, clearly.)

Passchendaele Museum

Passchendaele – also known as the Third Battle of Ypres – was fought between July and November 1917. There were heavy casualties on both sides and the conditions were terrible. Now, Passchendaele is used as slang around here to mean “futility.”

General Sir Douglas Haig thought this could be a war-winning break through – if he could capture this high ground and a rail junction nearby, he could then advance on the German troops on the Belgian coast – which they needed for their U-Boats. The battle lasted over 100 days, the Allies had over 250,000 soldiers killed or wounded, and they only advanced about 5 miles.

The museum includes a new garden addition. There is a memorial to each of the main countries in the war, and each memorial contains plantings from that area. This includes Canada, England, New Zealand, Belgium, and Germany. Germany was understandably a contentious conversation, but the museum decided that in addition to remembering the war, it’s also important to honor who Germany is today.

It also includes what conditions would have been like, including the “protection” they had in the field.

Tyne Cot Cemetery

This is one of the largest Commonwealth cemeteries in the world, with 11,956 graves.

‘Tyne Cot’ was originally a German defense position on the first line in Flanders. In October 1917, the Australian troops established an aid station there that soon grew into a small cemetery with 340 graves for the soldiers who had succumbed to their injuries on the spot. After the war – between 1919 and 1921 – the British ‘Exhumation Companies’ collected 12,000 dead from the surrounding battlefields. Of these, only 3,800 bodies could be identified. The wall behind the cemetery contains the names of 35,000 soldiers with no known grave. They include British, Irish and New Zealanders.

The Battles in Flanders

This is where the poem “In Flanders Fields” was inspired. It was written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, who was a Canadian soldier, surgeon, poet and artist. He died in Belgium in 1918.

The poem is often used around Memorial Day, or Remembrance Day, as well as taught in school. Though the war was about many things, what I learned in high school was it was meant to be the “war to end all wars” and to make the world safe for democracy. The last stanza of In Flanders Fields is asking all of “us” to continue the fight for democracy. The poem tells us that if we don’t, those that have died for the cause can never rest.

Menin Gate Memorial

We got here in time for the “Last Post Ceremony” at Menin Gate – a tribute to fallen soldiers. Each night at 8, traffic is stopped by the local Fire Brigade at what they call the “Last Post.” The event has taken place every night since 1929, with the exception of May 20 1940 to September 6 1944 (when the Germans were back in Belgium, fighting – and losing – another war).

Menin Gate itself is one of four memorials to the missing, and includes the names of 54,370 soldiers whose graves are unknown.

Of the nearly 10,000,000 that died in this war, about 550,000 of them died in Flanders.

There are obviously things like the museums, and cemeteries, and services at Menin Gate that keep it top of mind for those that live here – but there are less “nice” things as well. They still have an “iron harvest” ever year, where they go out to find/recover munitions. They also continue to find human remains in fields.

It was a long day. I left home around 7:30, and got home about 14 hours later. I didn’t go to Waterloo (where Napoleon was defeated, about 100 years before WWI) though it was nearby on the journey. One war was enough for the day.

Not all tears

I absolutely cried during the ceremony at the Menin Gate, and the day was pretty heavy, but there were a handful of lighter moments as well.

I stopped in a restaurant for lunch that I had read about beforehand, to order the cheese croquettes. A cheese croquette is basically a square of fried cheese. Each square was larger than the size of my palm. It was supposed to come with a salad, but I didn’t want to be wasteful so I asked the waiter to not bring the salad. I just wanted the cheese. I have no regrets.

Also, while walking through one of the trenches, I somehow got my foot stuck and fell into the wall, and then my other foot got stuck underneath, and I was facing into the wall, but with my legs crossed. Like, I physically do not think I’m flexible enough for me to have been in the position I was – and yet, I was. I had to take my shoe off to get my foot out. I was clearly meant to be a lover, not a fighter.

I made it home, with both shoes, so I consider that a success.

Today is my first day leaving Brussels. I took the train to a city called Bruges. I’ll be back in this area later this week, but for today just explored mostly on my own, along with a few audio tours I had found online.

The day started a bit earlier than I had initially planned, as today is a “General Strike” in the country. Airlines are shut down 100%, and trains have limited service. The train I had planned on taking normally runs every 30 minutes, but today it only runs every 90 minutes. I left my apartment around 6:15, but was glad I planned ahead. There were a lot of very long times at the information booths.

Train ride was nice though, and the day wound up being interesting. I have been using audio tours which are much cheaper, and in some ways more convenient, but today’s was a bust – in part because it didn’t start at the train station, and wasn’t connected to a GPS like some of the others have been, so it just told about the spots in the order it wanted to, versus what I was near, etc. It wound up being a bit of a puzzle but I found some help along the way.

Bruges (also Brugge, because nothing has one name)

The main city is actually entirely a UNESCO site. In the 14th Century, it had a booming economy – it was connected to the North Sea by way of canal, so it was a huge commercial hub. The larger area was conquered a number of times (having been under Austria, Spain, French and the Netherlands rule. It wound up becoming a very poor area. Centuries later, a Belgium author published an article along with pictures of “Dead Brugge” which created interest, and the area began to revitalize. Since it had been so broke for 400 years, no one had come through to develop anything, so no new buildings had been built – so the city is amazingly well preserved.

It also wasn’t bombed during WWII. Legend has it that Hitler actually was briefly in Brugge, healing in a hospital, during WWI, and fell in love with the city. Separately, Churchill had also visited the area and loved it as well – so both agreed, similar to Paris, not to bomb it.

Minnewater Lake

This lake and immediate area (called the Lake of Love) is a little bit like a movie set – tree lined paths, cute bridges, swans being all swan-like.

It was very peaceful – though a bit funny, when I met a Canadian photographer while getting a coffee, who told me that the city keeps a minimum of 101 swans at all time. There was an emporer who raised taxes and made them cancel all festivities; there was a revolt, and the people wound up killing a friend of his who was there to try and get them under control. His name, loosely translated, was Long Neck. The town was eventually recaptured, and as punishment, they were made to raise swans (i.e. long neck birds). It isn’t actually law anymore, but they think it would be bad luck to stop – so City of Brugge actually have 120, just in case. They were put in a care facility not that long ago, when the Bird Flu was prevalent.

I googled the story later (trust the random Canadians, but verify), and found it online as well, and the city really does keep doing it. They were apparently told if they didn’t, the city would fall to ruin, and they’ve decided it just isn’t worth the risk.

Beer (and sustainability)

There is an old brewery in the the main part of the city (6th generation brewer). The sales of Strong Henry and Brugge Fool were so high that they wanted to still brew in their current location, but needed production offsite. The issue with this is that the old town is tiny – not meant for large trucks.

However, the Belgium are nothing if not creative. They now have a 3km beer line, underground, that runs through people’s basements. The trade of letting them use your basement for the line was free beer.

This reduced transportation and environmental impacts of about 30 trucks per day.

The Princely Beguinage Ten Wijngaarde

So the Beguinage were sort of nuns, but not. These were women – maybe poor women without dowries, but also rich women that just didn’t want to get married again. The did a lot of the same stuff as nuns, but no life-long vows.

One of the things the non-nuns did in their free time was to create lace. It’s a beautiful tradition that many families still maintain, and teach the younger generations. The region still honors it as well. I thought this city map/directory is the most beautiful map I’ve ever seen.

Markt Square

This is the central square of the city. The eastern side is dominated by the Provinciaal Hof building which dates from 1887 and is the seat of the West-Vlaanderen provincial government.

The Belfry (or Belfort) in Markt Square is another UNESCO site. 366 steps to the top, in case you were counting. The tower burned at least three times in history.

The square also has a lot of local and important retailers.

One store is called “The Chocolate Line” where they make world-renowned chocolate. They’re known for pushing the envelope in flavors, using things like saffron, as well as interesting products.

And then of course, a high quality shoe retailer – maybe you’ve seen them in the states?

St Bonifacius Bridge

The smallest bridge in Brugge, and I’m told also one of the busiest. My new friend Andy the Canadian photographer was heading the same way I was generally, so he offered to show it to me as it is his favorite spot. He also made a few political jokes, and so I asked him how he knew they wouldn’t offend me. He said he knew my politics because I “came to Brugge by train.” So make of that what you will.

Sint-Janshospitaal

One of the oldest and most preserved hospitals in Europe, constructed in the 12th century – and operated until about 20 years ago. The nuns handled care, and the monks handled the operations. The hospital was full of works of art, which the church spent money on instead of medical equipment with the belief that it helped people coping with their pending death peacefully. Perhaps painkillers may also have helped, but what do I know?

As the Church was slowly killing people in their art gallery/hospital, they realized they needed to cast a wider net. They went to the homeowners in the area, and offered a substantial tax abatement if they’d put a statue on the corner of their home, for marketing basically. There are a ton of original still throughout the city, as well as some that appear to have been modernized a bit.

The Apocalypse

I have no idea why, but a park I walked by had the 4 Horseman of the Apocalypse. That’s all the sign said – no explanation about why there were there or anything. I thought they were cool, and hopefully not a bad omen?

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk 

The 112-meter-high spire of the Church of Our Lady (Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk) is the tallest in Belgium, and the tallest brick building in the world. Work began on the nave and aisles around 1230, the outermost aisles and chapels being added in the 14th and 15th centuries. There is a Michelangelo sculpture inside, but it was closed today.

Lunch! With Italians!

I had previously found the place I wanted to go for lunch, which served a generally traditional Flemish Stew. (Flemish stew is normally beef braised in dark beer). I was enjoying my meal in solitude, though at some point I realized the couple next to me were trying to talk to me. They’re Italians, and decided I looked lonely. (I had been enjoying my stew and reading a book, so was actually quite content, but whatever.). We talked for about 15 minutes while I ate. The wife said she was guessing that I was from Canada. I laughed and said no, the US, but did I sound Canadian? She said not really, but I was just so polite… (So well done, Mom. You raised a Canadian?).

Once they knew I was from America, they suggested I move to Portugal, as they apparently have very favorable visas for Americans.

Basilica of the Holy Blood 

Next stop, a different church. The Basilica of the Holy Blood (Heilig-Bloedbasiliek) is famous for the crystal vial kept inside that contains a drop of Christ’s blood brought back from the Holy Land by Dietrich of Alsace in 1149, on his return from the Second Crusade. Each year in May, apparently the relic is carried through the streets of Bruges in the Procession of the Holy Blood, which isn’t weird at all.

Sticky Hands

And then, I ate some chocolate.

First though, I made it. I attended a class that taught us to make, and enjoy, traditional Belgian Chocolates. We were led by an expert “chocolatier” and made our own pralines. I was a bit of a disaster. Do you remember that I Love Lucy episode, where she and Ethel were working on the packaging line, and it was moving too fast for them?

Yeah. But still, a good time was had by all 🙂

I had initially planned on dinner in Bruges but changed my plans because of a combination of work calls and the train schedules – though admittedly, I wasn’t very hungry after eating about 7 pounds of pralines – so took the train home early instead.

The most exciting thing just before my train ride home was that I had the correct change to pay for the bathroom access (about $1).

The most exciting thing on the train road home was that I discovered they have built in trash cans! (I saw a guy across the aisle use his).

And one of the other most exciting things I saw today is a parking meter that was solar powered. The future is now!

It was an early enough morning, and tomorrow is a full day adventure, so I’m off to bed. Alas, only 9.6 miles of walking today. Tomorrow is a driving tour, which I am infinitely grateful for, as my legs need a rest day.

Today is again spent in Brussels.

When I said I was keeping this trip a little more low key, I meant it! More lazy mornings and wandering without purpose – I literally had nothing official planned for the day.

As a fun treat, today is Daylight Saving’s in Europe, so clocks moved an hour. I didn’t get up until 8:00, which would have been 7:00 without daylight savings, which either way was 1:00 am CST so it didn’t really matter.

Comic Books

Did you know that the Smurfs and Tintin are Belgian? No, you didn’t.

Brussels claims to have the most comic book authors per square mile of anywhere in the world. To celebrate that art form, they have a comic book trail. It was first started in 1981, and now includes over 80 different murals.

I happen to love the Smurfs (my daily water at home is consumed from a set of drinking glasses from 1982/83, given away at Hardees), so was very excited by this one. I had downloaded an audio tour and was disappointed that my first stop, the Smurfs, wasn’t actually visible because the are is undergoing renovation. I did find plenty of Smurf related merchandise and did discover that they were originally green, but they blended in too much in the forest, so the artist updated them to blue.

Even without the Smurf mural, the audio tour was still interesting. I only saw about 25 of the murals, based on the area I was walking in.

Side note: the narrator of the tour might be young? She says years like 2014 like you would normally hear, but for years that started with a 19, she’d say NINETEEN HUNDRED as if it was some magical century that children have only heard stories of.

The Metro

After the mural hunt, and a brief stop for coffee, I went back to “my” train station. It’s one of the largest stations in the city, because it also includes the Eurorail lines for international travel, as well as regional travel and then the local/city lines as well. After a brief hiccup (I went to train line 6, instead of metro line 6) I found my way.

Atomium

This thing is a remnant of the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. The structure consists of nine connected spheres. It rises 102 metres above the city and represents the atom of a pure iron crystal, but magnified 165 billion times. In addition to Europe’s longest escalators, the Atomium is also home to various art installations and a restaurant, and awesome views of the city.

There are two different tours. One takes you, by way of escalators and stairs, through the blue part. You go back down, and then if you want you can also do the red tour, by way of elevator.

Osseghem Park

Right next door, I took a walk through Osseghem Park. It’s a pretty gorgeous park that a landscape architect clearly spent a lot of time designing. It includes a theater space – a circle with gravel terraces and low stone walls and hedges. Apparently it has excellent acoustics and can accommodate up to 3000 people. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

I couldn’t get a good photo from the ground, but I had gotten one from the air.

Jubilee Park – Parc du Cinquantenaire 

I headed back (on a different metro line, like a pro!) to another part of the city – generally, the “European Corner.” First step was Jubilee Park – home to the Triumphal Arch – (second tallest and widest in the world, fact fans, after the Arc de Triomphe) – and three museums: Royal Museum of Art & History, Royal Museum of Army & Military History, and the Autoworld Museum.

I had no plans to go into the museums, but still walked by them. I was somewhat confused by the Royal Museum of Art & History – I saw signs for a Napoleon exhibit, but there was very clearly Britney Spears music playing. It turns out, there was some sort of Zoomba class happening on the front steps.

The auto museum was far more dignified.

I went all the way through the park, heading to my next destination. There was this very long shrub wall. I walked up to it, but I was too short to see over it.

However, there was a break in the wall with some sort of concrete pad, so I made my way up to it. I couldn’t read the words on it, but it didn’t seem to be saying “don’t step on this under penalty of death” so I climbed up.

Imagine my disappointment when I found out it was actually just helping block a highway.

European Parliament

The European Parliament has between 705 – 720 elected members from across Europe. It’s called the first institution of the European Union.

I don’t know if it is true, but my audio tour told me that it is based in Brussels because it’s equal distance between Germany, France and the UK. Their relivalry in part started the first two world wars – I’m not sure if this means that they’re all central to the reconciliation efforts, or if it means they didn’t want to start another war between those three by putting the government too close to any of them.

I wandered through the area for a bit.

I am 99% sure that they have the Ukraine flag on the end, next to the EU flag, which I thought was interesting.

I also found this prominent display in a neighboring store very interesting.

I then headed over to the embassy area. I don’t know why or how long it has been this way, but the US embassy has two separate sets of gates – no one else does, and it clearly isn’t original. I waited a bit, taking photos, kind of hoping someone would show up and tell me I wasn’t supposed to be there, so I could ask about the second set of fencing, but no one ever came out to talk/yell.

Belgium Waffles

I walked a lot today, even with the metro lines in between. According to my watch, today was 11.76 miles – so I deserved some waffles.

You can take your pick between the Brussels waffle or the Leige waffle. For the uneducated among you, both are technically Belgium waffles. Brussels waffles are made with a lighter batter so they’re fluffier. Liege waffles have a heavier dough and are much denser. Thanks to some internet sleuthing on best locations for me, I ate some of both. #TeamBrussels

I made a friend accidentally. She was sitting near me, and caught me staring at her. I had no idea how to eat the waffles. They didn’t give any silverware with them, just a tiny wooden stick jammed into it. So I was watching her to see what she did with hers, and she saw me, and laughed at me, and then explained that you just pick it up and bite it. I do not like messy food so this was a bit stressful, but worth it.

Her name is Asefeh, and she moved here three years ago from Iran. We made small talk for a few minutes; I did mention that I had just come from seeing the European Quarter, so I’m not sure if that’s what triggered the rest of our conversation, but as we were getting ready to leave (and I had caramel on my face, fyi) she gave me her WhatsApp number, and told me if I needed any help this week to let her know, or to reach out next time I’m in Brussels. I told her thank you and was very gracious, but explained that it will be a while before I’m back in Brussels; I don’t feel like I can really “repeat” countries until I’ve seen them all. She laughed and said all the strong women needed to leave Iran, and maybe all the strong women from the US will have to do the same, and I should keep it in mind when I need to leave. I saved her contact in my phone, because I guess you never know 🙂

I’ve arrived! No flight issues, and I only did carry-on luggage, so it was a relatively easy morning. I had pre-bought a train pass, so was able to walk past that queue, judging the peasants that had to wait in line to purchase theirs.

The apartment was willing to let me drop my luggage off before check-in later today, so that was my first stop. Second stop was coffee. Third stop was more coffee. Today it is “only” a 6 hour time difference, and I think I slept about two hours on the plane.

Once I dropped my bags and got caffeinated, I explored some of the main sites.

Grand Place 

This is also known as the Grote Markt. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Brussels, and is the city’s central square. It is consistently ranked the most most beautiful town square in Europe. 

The uses of the square varies. For instance, in 1523, they used it to burn some Protestants during the Inquisition. In 1568, they beheaded some Counts. And now they host a flower carpet every two years, with over 500,000 begonias. Something for everyone!

The buildings around the square are pretty gorgeous (17th Century Architecture, obviously).

No one entirely knows why, but the City Hall (which is gorgeous) isn’t balanced. The openings are narrower on the left than the right, so there are more of them, and the windows are different. Legend is that when the architect realized how unbalanced it was, he jumped off the roof.

They also believe they have a spot that is the center of Europe. Based on 5th grade geography, I had my doubts. However, they have a star in the courtyard of City Hall that is the center of the original Brussels, and since Brussels is now home to the EU and NATO, they’ve decided this spot is the center of Europe. (I still have my doubts).

Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert 

Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert is a gorgeous shopping arcade. Established in 1847, it is one of the world’s oldest shopping malls. It is full of boutiques, chocolatiers, theaters, and bookstores.

Movies are complicated here. You need to verify what language the movie is in, and what language the subtitles are. Sometimes there are multiple languages for the subtitles, so hopefully nothing important is happening on the bottom 1/3 of the screen.

Chocolate is big business here. They say pralines were invented here. They basically define a praline as a chocolate with something else inside of it. A local pharmacist named Jean Neuhaus started putting medicine inside of chocolate, to make the medicine easier to take. One day his grandson convinced him to make some without medicine so he could have some. The pharmacist decided to try and sell some in the store as well, and they were a huge hit – and both more profitable and easier than the pharmacy trade.

Meanwhile, a lady named Mary started a chocolate shop herself. However, Mary had no start-up cash, and wound up using actual shells as the molds – which is how that shape became so common. Mary’s is said to be the King and Queen’s preferred chocolate.

La Bourse de Bruxelles 

This is the Brussels Stock Exchange, known as Bourse de Bruxelles. Established in the mid-19th century, the Stock Exchange continued to be a center of financial activity until about 15 years ago. Most of the work went online, and they didn’t need this crazy beautiful building anymore. They did the only logical thing they could, and converted it into a beer museum.

Royal Palace (Palais Royal) 

The Royal Palace of Brussels is the official residence of the Belgian monarch. (I did not meet the King. Apparently his oldest child is a daughter and she’ll inherit the throne, and she’s currently going to school at Harvard.) Both the palace and the gardens are beautiful.

So the King is basically just a figurehead. Parliamentary are elected by the people, and they’re the ones that do all the actual negotiations, etc. They figure out a bill, and send it to the King to sign off on. This has worked 99.9% of the time. The one exception was when Parliamentary gave him a bill to sign that legalized gay marriage. The King is Roman Catholic, and said he couldn’t sign the bill. The King wound up stepping aside for the day – so they had a day with no King – and Parliamentary was able to sign it into law themselves.

I couldn’t figure out what exactly was happening across from the back entrance of the Palace. Turns out, these trees are trimmed to grow horizontally on a flat plane – so when they’re in bloom, they form a green fence.

Monument a Everard t’Serclaes 

The Éverard t’Serclaes Monument in Brussels commemorates the bravery of Éverard t’Serclaes, who defended Brussels in the 14th century. Legend has it that touching the monument brings good fortune, so I obviously touched it.

There are actually four places to touch it (a mouse along the bottom, the arm, the dog, and the angel) and each means something different. I don’t remember what, but I touched them all.

Manneken Pis 

This tiny bronze sculpture is of a little boy peeing, and it is somehow THE image of Brussels?!? He’s on everything.

There are many theories behind the identity of the boy, the most famous being that it depicts someone named Julianske, who saved the city from burning down by urinating on a bomb’s fuse. The original sculpture has been repeatedly stolen so this is a replica.

He apparently has over 800 outfits – there is even a museum dedicated to the clothes.

And he’s regularly voted the most disappointing tourist attraction in Europe.

But wait, there’s more! To be equal opportunity urinators, the city added a girl peeing.

And then a dog.

I’m beat.

My watch says I walked about 10 miles. The parts of the city I saw were beautiful, and I’m excited to see more of the city and country this week.

Quintessential Belgium dinner, and then bed.

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…)

(That means goodbye, in Croatian – but you can also just say ciao, which is much easier)

The end of the month means the end of this adventure, unfortunately.

This wasn’t my exact route – but it is close enough.

All in, it was about 1,700 miles. 6 countries, 3 apartments, a few near death experiences, and a lifetime of beautiful memories.

I’m heading back to the US by way of Berlin again. And then it’s another long flight home, and back to the real world. I’ll have plenty of time on the flight to start planning what part of the world I want to explore next!

PS – lots of political questions on my way to the airport. What a time to be an American. Remember to vote in November!