Using Public Bathrooms

Today, I woke up at 5:30 am. It was rough. It was twilight. I was able to get ready. I must admit that I was a little nervous because I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. It is easy to travel when you are functioning in your own country or in your own language. It is harder when you are functioning in another. Plus, the local train functioned in both Dutch and French. Crap! My friend got me to the station 20 minutes early. She got me to the track. The train reminded me of the Long Island Railroad but nicer. It was a double decker train. And, it was packed all the way from Landen to Brussels. At Brussels, I was able to make my way to the Eurostar station, there were plenty of signs. At the Eurostar station, I picked up my ticket. Then, truly began my adventure. I used my passport to get through the first custom agents. They were Belgian. Within 10 steps, the UK custom point. I had to show my passport again and fill-in paper work. The custom agent asked me, “What was the purpose ...

Durbuy is the tinniest city in the world. It totally reminded me of a storybook. It looked like the backdrop to Snow White. I have to admit that I was thankful that it was small. There wasn’t much walking to be done to see everything. It was hilly. The street were cobblestone. One had to pay attention to where you are placing your feet. It was really touristy. There were lots of knick-knack stores packed on small streets. My friend mentioned that there seemed to be one restaurant for every person that live in Durbuy. I agree. They were all sidewalk cafés. With those sidewalk cafes, there were cars and motorcycles that were parked up against them. We went to one that was off the beaten path. It also had outside eating but behind a stone wall. You could hear the traffic but it wasn’t on top of you. Tonight, we were invited to a cousin’s house to have dinner. The menu was wild boar and coquettes. I have never eaten wild game. It was good. It was a little tough but tasty. Dinner was ...

We visited Namur and Didant. I forget that Belgium was invaded by the French and the Germans. I saw citadels in both Namur and Didant. It is crazy to me how they were placed on the rivers, always at high points. Both Numar and Didant had a feel of the French Rivera meets the Hamptons. They both lie on the same river. They both know they are super pretty. My friend mentioned that people from Namur can be a little stuck up. In Didant, it had a more tourist feel. But, there was a church there. I went in. It was all stone. I am not the one to be religious. I was amazed by the architecture. The building was made out of pure stone. The building had to have been built in the 1500′s. I wonder how they were able to query the stone, how they got the stone up so high or how they made the stain glass windows? The guy who invented the saxophone was born in Didant. At one time, I wanted to be a sax player. That was an interesting fact for me. I admit I was starving. We stopped at a sidewalk...

Near the town of Bastogne, stands the monument for the battle of the bulge. It was beautiful, somber and peaceful. The actual monument is in the shape of star. The stone is on top of the crypt that the soldiers lie. You can climb a set of spiral stairs to get to the top. The top is an observation deck. From the deck you can see the town and the cows, you imagine what it must have been like for those soldiers on both sides. It was nice to see that the grounds were kept so nicely. It was free of charge. It was nice to see that no matter who was there it was respected and clean. We then went to the downtown Bastogne. It was bustling even on a Sunday. It reminded me of mix of a quaint Jersey town and a postcard. I was told that it rains a lot in Belgium. When there is an ounce of good weather, people take advantage of the good fortune. Everything here looks like a postcard picture to me. I keep thinking that this cannot be real. We drove through the back ro...

I went to a  Tai Chi  class today. I loved it. Due to it being in French, I didn’t understand every word. So, I did a lot of observing and following. The class was of more mature people. The classmates and the Master teacher were very patient with me. I speak French poorly. I can understand some French. I get lost in the conversation a lot. When I do understand, I am quite proud of myself, it is a brighter feeling when I can string a sentence together and have a short conversation. Tai Chi is very relaxing. You actually do workout. It makes you concentrate on what you are doing in this moment. the concentration is, I think, the most difficult. After the class, we had lunch. I took a nap. It was needed. Today is the Belgian Independence Day. It was cool to see the  Belgian Military  walking in the parade. My friend explained to me that Belgium has a constitutional monarchy. I was wondering why they were walking in front of this official looking dude. It w...

Today was the first time I have slept until noon since I was a teenager. Jet-lag sucks. Having to change your internal clock is difficult to do. Plus, I have been drinking lots of coffee to stay awake. I normally drink 1 or 2 cups. One point, I had 4. I had wicked leg cramps from it at 2 in the morning. The lesson learned: Do not drink so much coffee. We took the dogs for a walk through some fields. The weather here is quite cool or cold compared to the States for July. It is something like 65° F. It is a welcomed change for me. I am not dying when I go outside. What I have noticed is that the Belgians are nice people. I have been to France. The people are different there. It was if they are better than. Here, people are helpful and patient with my lack of French.

Today was awesome! My friend and I walked around Liège. She lives there. It was nice to see the diversity of people in her city. I took lots of pictures. Liège is pretty. Reminded me of a mix of Boston and Europe. From her city, we can take a train to France, Germany or Holland. I love that. To live in a place that I can take a train 30 to 55 minutes and be in a separate country. Wow! At the train station, there was a Michelin rated restaurant. We ordered traditional meatballs from Liège and wine. Then boarded a Thalys train to Cologne, Germany. When we arrived, there was this huge church. Beautiful!

Lincent is a farming village. I get the sense that it is very family oriented. I understand that it is apart of 3 villages. I am going to assume that it is for government purposes. The feeling that the village gives me is everyone knows everyone. Families have lived here for generations and if you move away you come back to help with family. It is a tight knit community. Outside of my friend’s house, I can see wheat fields. Not too far away, there are flax seed, potato, carrot and beets. The huge acreage of lands really makes me think about how much land it really takes to feed a country. At the edge of the fields, there are wildflowers growing. I believe they are chamomile and some poppy. It is quite pretty. It brings me back to a time when food was less processed in the US. Seeing all this farmland is a peaceful thing, it is a stark contrast to Long Island and Maryland. It is quiet. You have time to think here.