But it's all right 'cause it's midnight and I got two more bottles of wine...
With all due respect to Martina McBride, she must have been a little loaded, because I am certain the time was 6 a.m., and it was two bottles of beer, but more on that later...
I was told that the Atomium was a can't-miss attraction. I took the Metro there and found this remarkable structure next to Mini-Europe. I wasn't paying to get in, but was determined to get a quality pic. I slipped into a little area, held my camera through a netting, praying I didn't drop it, and got this:
It was built for the 1958 World Fair, a symbol of an era when atomic energy was thought to be the future solution for world energy needs and represents an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Moving walkways connect exhibits in the molecules. Ironically, across the city named is a 10-floor parking garage named Parking 58 that I learned offers some of the best views in the city. Here is a shot of the landmark in the distance:
Oh, wait, that pic is from online; the overcast weather ruined my shot below :(
Since we've moved into the realm of bodily functions, I'm happy to declare that I resisted the overtures of some nearby prostitutes! WOOT, WOOT!!
In other entertainment, I enjoyed some incredible Belgian chocolate from Leonidas, Godiva and Mary (I had to be thorough). I ate some famous frites (overrated, in my opinion). Finally, I had (more than a few) fine Belgian beers. On tap (pun intended) were some Trappist brews (crafted by monks). Then, I got gueuze, a sour, naturally fermented beer that is unique to Belgium that to date has not been to be reproduced anywhere else.
During my time in Belgium, I also spent an afternoon in Bruges, about a hour-long train ride away from Brussels. The entirety of the historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and as it is fairly small, you can in a day walk all over this remarkably preserved centuries-old city. I can think of no other description than to say I felt I was in Disneyland - and in this case I mean it as a compliment (while the same is a complaint of locals). Though, while it is well-scrubbed, it is real, and real old. Once you are over the canal and within the walls, you are transported to one of the very best-preserved medieval cities that exists. I was told by a Belgian that city hall has a key to every residence and can enter any one at any time of the day or night to ensure that no unauthorized changes are being made to structures. The historian in me approves; the civil libertarian in me, not so much. Let's just go to the pictures...
The Basilica of the Holy Blood has what would be called a relic - a vial of blood said to be that of Jesus
The Grote Markt (Great Square in Dutch) includes the Belfry. It is about 275 feet high. Ugh. Here is a pic from outside:
The surrounding area is ridiculously beautiful - I don't even know what words to use, so here are a few thousand words worth:
There wasn't a whole heckuva lot to do, but I didn't want to leave.
Back to Brussels I went, then my next stop was Geneva, Switzerland.
When I got to the Brussels airport, I attempted to take a couple of beers through security - wasn't gonna happen. I sure wasn't going to waste them! So, I shotgunned a couple of cervezas at 6 in the a.m. Made for a nice flight. Had to be woken up after landing...
I think Geneva has a lot in common with Brussels in terms of general look and feel. It, too, is a host to important world institutions, like the U.N. HQ in Europe among several others.
There was a big vote by the people of Switzerland the other day, to establish a minimum wage of 4000 Swiss francs per month (even in pricey Switzerland, that is nothing to sneeze at). I was surprised when it was voted down by a huge margin. It was not for lack of effort by supporters. I saw many while I was there. That such a proposal was put to the people isn't a shock - it fits right in with the mindset of the country, and the history of this city. (I must admit, I enjoyed the free transit from the airport to the city centre, and the new law that gave me as a hostel dweller free public transport the entire time I was there!)
Geneva has ties to John Calvin - yeah, the same one you studied in your high school world history class. For my money, the Reformation is the greatest movement the world has ever known (and if you disagree, write your own bleeping blog). Here is a pic of the Reformation Wall, with a sign from demonstrators, who were having a gathering nearby:
Saint Pierre (Peter) Cathedral is adjacent to the International Museum of the Reformation; from the cathedral, which is the high point of the old town, one can see the Jet d'Eau, a landmark feature in Lake Geneva that shoots 140 meters into the air:
We finish with a work of public art across the street from one of the entrances of the U.N.; it is called Broken Chair, and ties into the anti-landmines initiative. I thought it was a perfect piece. Special thanks go to Eric Coker, and his wife Kathleen, of Oklahoma City. My camera died near the very end of my trip, and this gentlemen bailed me out and sent this snapshot:
Ain't gonna let it bother me today
'Cause I've been workin' and I'm too tired anyway
and it's all right 'cause it's midnight and I got two more bottles of wine
Well, I'm sixteen hundred miles from the people I know
I've been doin' all I can but opportunity sure comes slow
Thought I'd be a big star by today
But I've been sleepin' in a warehouse in West L.A.
and it's all right 'cause it's midnight and I got two more bottles of wine
With all due respect to Martina McBride, she must have been a little loaded, because I am certain the time was 6 a.m., and it was two bottles of beer, but more on that later...
Spring break meant a breakout from North Africa to a pair of European countries I've not been to previously, Belgium and Switzerland. First on the docket was Belgium; I flew out of Mohammed V Airport direct to Brussels, the capital of Belgium, and the unofficial capital of Europe - it's the host of many European Union institutions.
I booked my Brussels accommodations through Airbnb.com and wound up staying in a spare bedroom at an apartment in the Molenbeek neighborhood. I found my way there okay from the airport and met A., who I'd been in touch with during the process. It was a nice enough pad; the bedroom was a room with a bed - worked for me. His 6-month old baby was absolutely adorable. Apparently, he shared custody of the little guy with the mother, who lived elsewhere. I hit the town for a little while, came back, opened the door, and A. wasn't there, but D. was. This was a bit of a surprise; I hadn't expected anyone else to be there, but he knew who I was; he lived there with A. 80's Flashback! It looked like it was going to be 3 men and a baby this week.
Armed with some local info from D., I went out again a little later to explore the neighborhood. Molenbeek has, of all things, a huge Moroccan population! Everywhere I looked was a reminder of Casa - why the heck did I bother flying here? I walked into a patisserie named Marhaba (hello, in Arabic) and think I surprised the man behind the counter a bit when I greeted him and placed my order (passably, at least) in his mother tongue. I'm extremely limited in that language, but at least know enough that I won't go hungry :)
At the nearby canal there was a cultural festival a-happenin'. I enjoyed a glass of horchata while sampling some Latvian delicacies as performers walked tightropes across the canal. Our first pic comes from a piece of public art in the area that I particularly liked:
An interesting building there is Le Petit Chateau, which was once an army barracks, but today is the refugee center for persons seeking asylum in Belgium:
I booked my Brussels accommodations through Airbnb.com and wound up staying in a spare bedroom at an apartment in the Molenbeek neighborhood. I found my way there okay from the airport and met A., who I'd been in touch with during the process. It was a nice enough pad; the bedroom was a room with a bed - worked for me. His 6-month old baby was absolutely adorable. Apparently, he shared custody of the little guy with the mother, who lived elsewhere. I hit the town for a little while, came back, opened the door, and A. wasn't there, but D. was. This was a bit of a surprise; I hadn't expected anyone else to be there, but he knew who I was; he lived there with A. 80's Flashback! It looked like it was going to be 3 men and a baby this week.
Armed with some local info from D., I went out again a little later to explore the neighborhood. Molenbeek has, of all things, a huge Moroccan population! Everywhere I looked was a reminder of Casa - why the heck did I bother flying here? I walked into a patisserie named Marhaba (hello, in Arabic) and think I surprised the man behind the counter a bit when I greeted him and placed my order (passably, at least) in his mother tongue. I'm extremely limited in that language, but at least know enough that I won't go hungry :)
At the nearby canal there was a cultural festival a-happenin'. I enjoyed a glass of horchata while sampling some Latvian delicacies as performers walked tightropes across the canal. Our first pic comes from a piece of public art in the area that I particularly liked:
An interesting building there is Le Petit Chateau, which was once an army barracks, but today is the refugee center for persons seeking asylum in Belgium:
I was told that the Atomium was a can't-miss attraction. I took the Metro there and found this remarkable structure next to Mini-Europe. I wasn't paying to get in, but was determined to get a quality pic. I slipped into a little area, held my camera through a netting, praying I didn't drop it, and got this:
It was built for the 1958 World Fair, a symbol of an era when atomic energy was thought to be the future solution for world energy needs and represents an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Moving walkways connect exhibits in the molecules. Ironically, across the city named is a 10-floor parking garage named Parking 58 that I learned offers some of the best views in the city. Here is a shot of the landmark in the distance:
Oh, wait, that pic is from online; the overcast weather ruined my shot below :(
Well, how about this evening shot of the Grand Place/Grote Markt (Belgium is officially bilingual and all street signs are in French and Dutch, which is sometimes confusing) with its 300 yr-old buildings:
Or, the Royal Palace:
Or, the massive Palace of Justice:
Or, the Sacred Heart Basilica:
Next, we move onto a tiny but very famous icon - the Manneken Pis! The origins of this lil' feller depend on who you ask. Did he wee-wee and extinguish the wick of an invader's bomb? Did he get lost and his father declare if he found him he would build a statue of him doing whatever he happened to be doing at the moment? Whatever, he's a rock star! People adorn him in hundreds of different costumes at various times:
In other entertainment, I enjoyed some incredible Belgian chocolate from Leonidas, Godiva and Mary (I had to be thorough). I ate some famous frites (overrated, in my opinion). Finally, I had (more than a few) fine Belgian beers. On tap (pun intended) were some Trappist brews (crafted by monks). Then, I got gueuze, a sour, naturally fermented beer that is unique to Belgium that to date has not been to be reproduced anywhere else.
During my time in Belgium, I also spent an afternoon in Bruges, about a hour-long train ride away from Brussels. The entirety of the historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and as it is fairly small, you can in a day walk all over this remarkably preserved centuries-old city. I can think of no other description than to say I felt I was in Disneyland - and in this case I mean it as a compliment (while the same is a complaint of locals). Though, while it is well-scrubbed, it is real, and real old. Once you are over the canal and within the walls, you are transported to one of the very best-preserved medieval cities that exists. I was told by a Belgian that city hall has a key to every residence and can enter any one at any time of the day or night to ensure that no unauthorized changes are being made to structures. The historian in me approves; the civil libertarian in me, not so much. Let's just go to the pictures...
The Grote Markt (Great Square in Dutch) includes the Belfry. It is about 275 feet high. Ugh. Here is a pic from outside:
and from above, 366 steps later:
The surrounding area is ridiculously beautiful - I don't even know what words to use, so here are a few thousand words worth:
There wasn't a whole heckuva lot to do, but I didn't want to leave.
Back to Brussels I went, then my next stop was Geneva, Switzerland.
When I got to the Brussels airport, I attempted to take a couple of beers through security - wasn't gonna happen. I sure wasn't going to waste them! So, I shotgunned a couple of cervezas at 6 in the a.m. Made for a nice flight. Had to be woken up after landing...
I think Geneva has a lot in common with Brussels in terms of general look and feel. It, too, is a host to important world institutions, like the U.N. HQ in Europe among several others.
There was a big vote by the people of Switzerland the other day, to establish a minimum wage of 4000 Swiss francs per month (even in pricey Switzerland, that is nothing to sneeze at). I was surprised when it was voted down by a huge margin. It was not for lack of effort by supporters. I saw many while I was there. That such a proposal was put to the people isn't a shock - it fits right in with the mindset of the country, and the history of this city. (I must admit, I enjoyed the free transit from the airport to the city centre, and the new law that gave me as a hostel dweller free public transport the entire time I was there!)
Geneva has ties to John Calvin - yeah, the same one you studied in your high school world history class. For my money, the Reformation is the greatest movement the world has ever known (and if you disagree, write your own bleeping blog). Here is a pic of the Reformation Wall, with a sign from demonstrators, who were having a gathering nearby:
Saint Pierre (Peter) Cathedral is adjacent to the International Museum of the Reformation; from the cathedral, which is the high point of the old town, one can see the Jet d'Eau, a landmark feature in Lake Geneva that shoots 140 meters into the air:
We finish with a work of public art across the street from one of the entrances of the U.N.; it is called Broken Chair, and ties into the anti-landmines initiative. I thought it was a perfect piece. Special thanks go to Eric Coker, and his wife Kathleen, of Oklahoma City. My camera died near the very end of my trip, and this gentlemen bailed me out and sent this snapshot:
Ain't gonna let it bother me today
'Cause I've been workin' and I'm too tired anyway
and it's all right 'cause it's midnight and I got two more bottles of wine
Well, I'm sixteen hundred miles from the people I know
I've been doin' all I can but opportunity sure comes slow
Thought I'd be a big star by today
But I've been sleepin' in a warehouse in West L.A.
and it's all right 'cause it's midnight and I got two more bottles of wine
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