Spring! Oh yeah…studying

Finally, some of Belgium’s nastier weather has passed and for once we’ve been getting warm weather and sunshine all week! Warm weather for us equal being in the 50s and 60s (˚F).  It has been absolutely glorious. I’m convinced my Dad brought the good weather with him. It was wonderful to have him here for a bit, and having a visitor of my own let me get to see even more of Bruxelles.

Meeting up with my Dad for dinner meant that I was out in the city center in the evening now, and Bruxelles comes to life. Especially because of the nice weather, restaurants have their tables and chairs outside filled with people having a drink or eating, chatting away and watching the world pass by. I love the atmosphere. If you go to la Grand Place, ancient, soaring buildings surround the large square, lit up with a variety of greens and yellows. People are everywhere, taking pictures, playing guitar, eating or admiring artwork. This is the heart of Bruxelles; turn down a seemingly small street called Rue de la Bouchers, all of a sudden every building becomes a bustling restaurant. Light and music spill out onto the cobblestoned streets, as dinning couples laugh and waiters attempt to beckon you in using five different languages. “Espagnol?? No? Français? English?”

Suffice to say I had some pretty nice meals that week, making me feel like I not only saw more of Brussels, but tasted it too! (try the Flemish beef stew. It’s delicious) Moules, or mussels are also an extremely famous Belgian dish, but they aren’t really in season yet, so I’m waiting on that.

In addition to going to Bruges and meeting up for tasty meals, my Dad and I also explored the city a bit on Sunday morning. Apparently all morning, everyday, there is a massive flea market close to Porte D’Halle. Essentially, you can buy anything and everything ever created by man there, from paintings to old keys, clothes and Africa carvings. A fun fact that my Dad told me- if any of you saw the new Tintin movie, this is the market scene from the very beginning of the film! A tribute to Hergé, the Belgian creator of Tintin. It was fun to walk around an explore, stop a grab a coffee in one of the tens of little brasseries and meander more in Brussels.

Porte D'Halle- yes we have a random castle in the middle of Brussels

The market!

Apparently, Brussels is market central on Sundays, and everywhere  we went we discovered more and more stalls. Plus, I got to show my Dad some of the cool sites- le Grand Sablon a beautiful church, MIM, and the view of the city from Place Royal. I have also discovered where to get an amazing fruit smoothie in Brussels- right next to MIM (Musée d’Instruments Musicales). My Dad left after that lovely afternoon, but it was great to see him for a while!

More markets!

Inside le Grand Sablon- absolutely beautiful building

Since the warm weather has finally arrived, we've been taking full advantage and eating outside in out little courtyard and soaking up some sunshine in Parc Cinquantnaire. The entire city has come out, shopping, eating ice cream, going to the park as well to play frisbee or just lay on the grass with friends and chat. In the last two weeks, I feel like I'm getting more of an appreciation for Brussels. I am also realizing how much work I have to do, and have been ramping up my studying portion as well!

In other fun news, my laptop has decided, all on its own, to become more energy efficient. This translates as no longer back-lighting my screen. Which has led to me getting very creative in trying to see the screen (hint: the perfect angle of sunlight is the key here). All this means that I have to take my poor computer into the Apple Store here, and hopefully communicate what my problem is in French, and that I shouldn’t have to pay for it since I have Apple Care!! Luckily, I’ve conveniently planned this so I’ll be in Amsterdam whilst they are working on my computer, so I won’t need it. Wish me luck!