http://belgium.usembassy.gov/warden_information.html
There is a large demonstration scheduled for today at the EU in Brussels. Truck Drivers and Farmers are protesting fuel prices (I´m sure this will help). We´ll update later if we get any pictures or if something crazy happens!
UPDATE: Nothing crazy happened, besides traffic being disrupted. Also, starting today members of all 27 EU nations are in Brussels for 2 days for a summit on oil issues.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-eu-summit-protest,0,2096591.story
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
We've Seine Paris!
Erin and Ryan went to Paris this past weekend to celebrate their Anniversary (#4!). Meanwhile, Andy and his Parents were off to Cologne, Germany (seperate blog to follow).
We actually drove to Paris because of the price of train fares, and thanks to Andy's Dad's GPS, we had no problems finding the 'City of Lights'. We arrived Friday night in time to find a pub and watch the Netherlands beat France 3-1 in a EuroCup match. Needless to say, we were happy to see the French get beat! Go Orange!
As it turns out, Paris, France has a lot more to see than Paris, Illinois (18 miles from where Ryan grew up). So, Saturday we went exploring and hit all of the big tourist attractions that the other 30 million tourists per year visit (according to Wikipedia, Paris is the most popluar tourist destination in the world). But, one site we weren't expecting to see was W's motorcade as it passed the Arc de Triomphe. We couldn't figure out why the road was blocked, but even in French we could undestand the word Bush. Politics aside, it was exciting to see our President drive by!
Then it was on to the Eiffel Tower, followed by a boat ride down the River Seine, a walk around the outside of the Louvre musem and gardens, and finally mass at Notre Dame de Paris.
It is an amazing city and defintley worth a visit - but be warned: it's damn expensive! We were very impressed with how clean and simply beautiful everything is. I think our favorite part was sitting in the Cathedral listening to the music and mass. Even though it was in French, it was very spiritual and relaxing (also,we had been walking all day, so it felt pretty good to sit down!).
On Sunday we had planned to go through the Louvre, instead we opted to go exploring since we had a car and a GPS. Check out the next blog to see where we went...
A votre sante!
We actually drove to Paris because of the price of train fares, and thanks to Andy's Dad's GPS, we had no problems finding the 'City of Lights'. We arrived Friday night in time to find a pub and watch the Netherlands beat France 3-1 in a EuroCup match. Needless to say, we were happy to see the French get beat! Go Orange!
As it turns out, Paris, France has a lot more to see than Paris, Illinois (18 miles from where Ryan grew up). So, Saturday we went exploring and hit all of the big tourist attractions that the other 30 million tourists per year visit (according to Wikipedia, Paris is the most popluar tourist destination in the world). But, one site we weren't expecting to see was W's motorcade as it passed the Arc de Triomphe. We couldn't figure out why the road was blocked, but even in French we could undestand the word Bush. Politics aside, it was exciting to see our President drive by!
Then it was on to the Eiffel Tower, followed by a boat ride down the River Seine, a walk around the outside of the Louvre musem and gardens, and finally mass at Notre Dame de Paris.
It is an amazing city and defintley worth a visit - but be warned: it's damn expensive! We were very impressed with how clean and simply beautiful everything is. I think our favorite part was sitting in the Cathedral listening to the music and mass. Even though it was in French, it was very spiritual and relaxing (also,we had been walking all day, so it felt pretty good to sit down!).
On Sunday we had planned to go through the Louvre, instead we opted to go exploring since we had a car and a GPS. Check out the next blog to see where we went...
A votre sante!
Erin & Ryan
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Hangin' Out
Here are some more pictures of places close to our flat in Brussels. These are generally the areas we venture out in to during the evenings, etc. Included are some pictures of our new best friend, Amy, - who also happens to be Andy's cousin! Enjoy!
Also, check out this article about Brussels from the NY Times
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/travel/08hours.html
Cheers,
And, Ryan & Erin
Also, check out this article about Brussels from the NY Times
http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/travel/08hours.html
Cheers,
And, Ryan & Erin
Two Days in Tulip Town
Last weekend was all about people: Andy's parents, Pat and Laura, arrived in Brussels and the four of us took the train north to Amsterdam, where Erin met us. Right from the start we had a great surprise, as our classmate, Padmaja (aka - PR), happened to board our train in Rotterdam, on her way to the airport to see her fiance. We had a quick chat, then she was on her way. Then on Saturday, we met up with more of our classmates: Al, Kay, and Melissa. We all had dinner and drinks together.
Of course we saw plenty of other interesting people too. Including the prostitutes in the Red Light District, and the old naked guy doing acrobatics in the square (see picture below).
In additon to the people, Amsterdam had plenty of things to see. We took a canal tour through the city, toured the Van Gogh Musem, and shopped the Flower Market. We attempted to take a tour of the Heineken Brewery, but it was closed for renovations - instead we had our own Heineken tour (and Amstel) at every pub/cafe we went to. We also witnessed a coulple of firsts: a cannibus menu at the coffee shop and outdoor urinals. Very interesting.
Overall it was a great weekend. We had fun hanging out with everyone and the weather was absolutely amazing - mid 70's and sunny both days!
This weekend Andy and his parents are heading to Germany and Ryan & Erin are going down to Paris. Stay tuned for stories from each of our weekends...
Proost!
Andy, Erin & Ryan
Ryan, Kay, Melissa, Andy, and Al
Of course we saw plenty of other interesting people too. Including the prostitutes in the Red Light District, and the old naked guy doing acrobatics in the square (see picture below).
In additon to the people, Amsterdam had plenty of things to see. We took a canal tour through the city, toured the Van Gogh Musem, and shopped the Flower Market. We attempted to take a tour of the Heineken Brewery, but it was closed for renovations - instead we had our own Heineken tour (and Amstel) at every pub/cafe we went to. We also witnessed a coulple of firsts: a cannibus menu at the coffee shop and outdoor urinals. Very interesting.
Overall it was a great weekend. We had fun hanging out with everyone and the weather was absolutely amazing - mid 70's and sunny both days!
This weekend Andy and his parents are heading to Germany and Ryan & Erin are going down to Paris. Stay tuned for stories from each of our weekends...
Proost!
Andy, Erin & Ryan
Ryan, Kay, Melissa, Andy, and Al
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Great Day in Aachen
After touring northwest Belgium on Saturday, we crossed the border on Sunday and went to Aachen, Germany. The weather was beautiful and the town was a perfect place to spend the afternoon. We also had much great subetter luck in terms of eating! We found a nice little deli / bakery for lunch and had dinner at a pub. We each had a personal food favorite: Erin loved the ice cream, Andy enjoyed a fresh pretzel, and Ryan thought the schnitzel was schmackhafte (tasty)! And of courrse, we all enjoyed the bier too!
The main attraction in Aachen is Aachen Cathedral (creative name). Construction on the cathedral began in 790 and was home to Charles the Great when he was Emperor of Rome, and his remains are buried in the Palantinate Chapel. His throne still stands today in the Octagon.
Aachen almost has a midwestern, small-town feel. I think it is the combination of old town with technology and universities that are present. There was a high school orchestra playing on the square, some type of outdoor theatrical circus, artists painting, and overall a very friendly vibe.
This weekend we're off to Amsterdam - so stay tuned...
Prost!
Andy, Erin & Ryan
The main attraction in Aachen is Aachen Cathedral (creative name). Construction on the cathedral began in 790 and was home to Charles the Great when he was Emperor of Rome, and his remains are buried in the Palantinate Chapel. His throne still stands today in the Octagon.
Aachen almost has a midwestern, small-town feel. I think it is the combination of old town with technology and universities that are present. There was a high school orchestra playing on the square, some type of outdoor theatrical circus, artists painting, and overall a very friendly vibe.
This weekend we're off to Amsterdam - so stay tuned...
Prost!
Andy, Erin & Ryan
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Tour de Belgium
We had intentions of heading to Paris on Saturday, but lack of affordable hotels, and limited train schedule kept us in Belgium (apparently there is some tennis tounament taking place there - on clay courts?). And, after the Frenchmen at the train station scolded Erin for not speaking French, we decided to stay local. So we caught the next train for the coast, and headed out to a town called Oostend on the North Sea. We had lunch here (side story below), walked the beach a little and then got back on the train and headed inland to Brugge.
But, before leaving we had a couple notable meetings in the plaza. First we had one of those "small world" encounters when we ran into Mr. & Mrs. Little from Oxford, OH - both employees at Miami. We spotted Rich's jacket while, yes, you guessed it - having a pint of Stella. Turns out the Little's daughter, Megan, used to date Erin's brother, Ryan.
Then, amazingly, we found the true source of Flo Rida's song 'Low'. It was a 12 year old Belgian bread horse who has the orginal "Boots with the fur" (see picture below).
The final stop of the day was Ghent. A slightly larger city, about 45 minutes northwest of Brussels. After seeing the notable sights here (Cathedrals, canals, and plaza) we settled in for what turned out to be our second miserable dinning experience. Again it started out harmless. We had a nice table outside along the canal and happened to be next to two other Americans. They then shared their appetizer with us (which someone else had given them)- and told us that they had been waiting an 1 1/2 hours for their food. Well, we broke their record and got our food after and 1 hr 50 minutes. Andy and Ryan had raw hunks of rump steak (although Andy actually ordered kabobs) and Erin had cold mac cheese.
Op uw gezondheid!
Our lunch in Oostend was probably the worst meal we've ever had. We found a local bar and ordered 3 Stellas and 3 hamburgers - seemed harmless. What came out was not what we expected. Each plate had two patties, no bun, and we still have no idea what type of meat / substance it was. It was accompnied by fries and a pile of lettuce with a large scoop of mayonnais. Aweful. Little did we know at the time, this was just the begining of our culinary adventure for the day - more later.
Brugge was very nice - a little touristy - but still very nice. Brugge is the home of Chantilly Lace (although Chantilly is actually a town in France), so Andy and Ryan were graced by Erin singing 'Chantilly Lace', and browsing all of the shops. The town center is quite nice, and the canal running through town looked like a great day trip on a boat. We walked around for a while, had a few more pints of Stella, and then boarded the train again for Ghent.
But, before leaving we had a couple notable meetings in the plaza. First we had one of those "small world" encounters when we ran into Mr. & Mrs. Little from Oxford, OH - both employees at Miami. We spotted Rich's jacket while, yes, you guessed it - having a pint of Stella. Turns out the Little's daughter, Megan, used to date Erin's brother, Ryan.
Then, amazingly, we found the true source of Flo Rida's song 'Low'. It was a 12 year old Belgian bread horse who has the orginal "Boots with the fur" (see picture below).
The final stop of the day was Ghent. A slightly larger city, about 45 minutes northwest of Brussels. After seeing the notable sights here (Cathedrals, canals, and plaza) we settled in for what turned out to be our second miserable dinning experience. Again it started out harmless. We had a nice table outside along the canal and happened to be next to two other Americans. They then shared their appetizer with us (which someone else had given them)- and told us that they had been waiting an 1 1/2 hours for their food. Well, we broke their record and got our food after and 1 hr 50 minutes. Andy and Ryan had raw hunks of rump steak (although Andy actually ordered kabobs) and Erin had cold mac cheese.
Even though the food was bad all day, we still enjoyed the pints of beer and all of the sights each town had to offer. Sunday awaits with a trip across the border to Aachen, Germany...
Op uw gezondheid!
Andy, Erin & Ryan
Friday, May 30, 2008
Earning our keep
Yes, we are actually doing something productive over here. We've moved into our flat in downtown Brussles (Port de Namur to be exact). Andy and Ryan started work this week at Imerys (Imerys.com) and Erin is reporting to the GE Brussels office. Our flat is great - only a 10 minute walk to the Grand Plaza, with tons of bars and restaurants.
The best news to report is that Ryan and Andy found their office without a map on Thursday. Yes, it took us four days to pull this off. Sunday it took 2 hours to find it - now it only takes 30 minutes. All the signs are either in Flemish/Dutch or French, or both; in the rare instance that there are actually signs posted. Additionally, there are no apparent rules or guidelines for driving - you just make it up as you go - except there is no right turn on red? I now understand why Stefan drives the way he does.
Everyone at the office has been really nice and Brussels has proved to be enjoyable. Andy's cousin, Amy, lives here, so we have benefited from her guidance in finding places to sample the 800+ Belgian beers.
Oh, another minor victory today - we figured out how to dispose of our trash. Great success!
Also today, Andy and Ryan got to visit the Imerys terminal in Antwerp (1 hour north of Brussels). Antwerp is a great little port town - very industrial, yet quaint at the same time. It turns out the trains are much better labled and far easier to use than driving!
Although the locals aren't quite as nice as the Irish (actually, the French are rude) week one of the internship has been a success. This weekend we are doing some domestic travel: Bruge, Gent, etc. We will post pictures and stories on Sunday.
Cheers!
Andy, Erin & Ryan
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