I'm In a Castle!

I know I’ve been in Belgium for a while when I start recognizing the neighbors while walking home- and I don’t even need the calendar to tell me that I’ve been here for a month.

As you may have read, Belgium has overtaken Iraq as the world record holder for most days without a government!  (There is still a functioning placeholder government, but it has no real power).  This set off a wave of amusing protests in the last couple of days throughout the country.  Some of the most notable:

·         Students and seniors alike stripping down in Ghent to protest the “streak”

·         A “frites” Revolution  (French Fries)  organized by students, invoking Belgium’s specialty

·         Jokers gathering in front of the justice palace

·         A famous actor has called for a shaving boycott until the government is seated

·         A mock quiz show awarding the Prime Minister’s job to the winner

I have tried to get all of the different sides to put their differences aside and do what is best for Belgium, but for some reason I had very little effect.

Last weekend we visited 3 cities in 3 days – Leuven, Antwerp, and Ghent, which were coincidentally the sites of many of the protests this week because of their large college populations. 

LEUVEN

The town hall was built around 1450 and is one of the trademarks of Leuven. You can see each one of the ledges has an incredibly detailed statue-  these weren’t actually added until 1850 because there was an intense political debate in the 1400s on which historical figures should be represented.

The library of the Catholic University of Leuven was burned by the Germans in WWI, and then rebuilt with American university donations (not including American University). 

Fly statue – I don’t have a good explanation for why this statue is in the middle of the town square.

ANTWERP

You may recognize the train station from the flashmob video of "Do Re Me" – Worth watching if you’ve never seen it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQLCZOG202k

It is said that Antwerp (“Antwerpen” in Flemish) gets its name from the word  “handwerpren” which means handthrowing. In this statue of the mythical hero Brabo throwing the hand of the giant Antigoon, who was charging sailors high fees for use of the harbor.   In the background is the Antwerp City Hall.

Peter Paul Rubens’ The Elevation of the Cross  (1610) in the Cathedral of Our Lady.

The Steen – originally built in the 900s to protect the Holy Roman Empire. Only part of the original castle is still there.

GHENT

Gravensteen – This site has had a castle since the 1100s when it was built by the Count of Flanders, but it has been re-built several times.  Inside was a museum of armor, swords, and torture instruments used under the Count of Flanders rule. And of course, the view from the top was really awesome.

"Why Are We at the Beach In February?"

You are thinking one of two things-  either "Belgium has beaches?" or "Why would you go in February?"  Beglium actually does has beaches, and with some history too - apparently where the British and French soldiers retreated when Germany invaded during WWII.  We spent some time touring the beach town, having lunch on the water, and then taking pictures with some of the statues:

This was the first week of my internship. I am working for a German think tank, and I love the work so far. The only catch is my computer and keyboard are both in German. I have learned that "Drucken" means "Print."

I’m going to be analyzing the budget policies of the European Union in areas like technology, innovation, and competition policy (thrilling, I know!).  It seems like a really good place to work – right next to the European Commission and the Council, and everyone in the office has been great so far. 

The blog posts should really be picking up and getting better given our schedule for the rest of the semester.  Here are my travel weekends for my time in Europe:

• Bruges
• Leuven, Antwerp, and Gent
• The Hague, Amsterdam (and maybe Leiden)
• Luxembourg and parts of western Germany
• Berlin
• Oslo, Norway - 5 day trip
• The Balkans - 10 day trip
• Rome
• Paris
• Barcelona
• Madrid

More Tidbits

In 1968, the UK applied to join the European Union, but France's DeGaulle said over my dead body.  DeGaulle died in 1970, and the UK joined the Union shortly after.

15% of the European Parliament’s budget is dedicated solely to the transportation costs of moving from Brussels to Strasbourg, France once a month because France won’t allow Brussels to host all meetings.

There is actually a member of the Parliament who is a Swedish Ghost Pirate.  (He is a member of the Swedish Pirate Party and is one of the 18 “ghost” members who cannot legally be seated.)

My internship primarily functions in German.  This means that on a semi-regular basis I encounter French, Dutch, English, and German.  Since coming to Brussels I have also heard Italian, Spanish, Czech, and Russian.

Because Brussels is officially bilingual with French and Dutch, all official signs have to be in French and Dutch.  This at least gives me two chances to figure out what they say.

Belgium has the lowest per-capita number of McDonald’s in the developed world.  It is also the only country in the world where McDonalds is not the #1 burger chain (this honor is taken by Quick Burger). 

My tour book attributes the McDonald’s fact to the healthy sandwich shop alternatives, but with all of the kebab, fries, chocolate, and waffle stands I seriously doubt you, tour book.

In an attempt to draw in business, the bars around the famous fries (“frites”) place downtown may be the only bars that have the signs “Frites Accepted Here.”

Downtown there is either graffiti or artwork of two parachuting laundry machines and a fox about 100 feet up the side of a building:

In Bruges

Our first program trip outside of Brussels was to the north to visit the historic city of Bruges, Belgium.  No, I have not seen the movie “In Bruges,” but from what I hear about the movie, the city was not quite the same.  Nonetheless we did have enjoy the trip.  Winding canals, incredibly old buildings, tiny cafes and chocolate shops…  We saw Michaelangelo’s Madonna and Child which was his only statue to leave Italy during his lifetime.  Bruges also has a tabernacle with what is claimed to be Christ’s blood.

                Of all the sights Bruges had to offer, the group spent the most time at the Halve Maan brewery (my vote was for the Convent, but I guess we can’t always win).  We took a tour through the aged brewery and learned all about how beer is made.  The incredibly narrow steps eventually took us to the top for an amazing view over the city. Best of all, the tour ended with a free sample for all of our hard work climbing the stairs. 

               

                This week we had our interviews for our European Union related internships in Brussels.  While the 17 of us were competing against each other to some extent,  everyone seems pretty pleased with where they ended up.   I am going to be working for a non-profit think tank right near the European Commission on EU budgetary policy and economic integration.  First day is on Tuesday!

                It feels like just a few days since I arrived, and I am amazed at how great everything has been so far -  the orientation, the internship process, the travel, the homestay, and of course, the people on the program.  They have made it a very fun few weeks here and it is great to really get to know some new people.

More Brussels Bits:   

(I apologize in advance for those who don’t like reading snippets of random thoughts – this is apparently what Facebook has done to my mind!)

While my French is still horribly non-existent, my Franglish is rapidly improving.

Just as I was getting a grip on French basics, I ran into some Dutch speakers (Julia, teach me your language!).

The other day a gentleman offered to hang my coat on a "hook**".  Makes me wonder what types of things I am accidentally saying in French. 

Cherry beer is amazing.

Putting fruit in beer actually has a historical basis. Centuries ago, Belgians needed ways to preserve the extra fruit harvest, so they put it in their beers to keep it fresh throughout the year.

However, bananas beer has no historical basis, as Belgium has never grown bananas.  Banana beer is a recently invented tourist trap for suckers like me who will have anything banana flavored.

Cookie beer is a similar tourist trap, and does not taste as good as it may sound.

Each type of beer has to be served in a uniquely shaped glass.   

There is more dog doo-doo on the streets here.  I can’t tell whether it’s because there’s more dogs or whether less people pick it up (Warning to anyone who comes to visit).

By the end of the semester, I will be happy if I have figured out the difference between the European Council, the Council of the European Union, and the Council of Europe.   

Private government meetings will be leaked only if there are two interpreters in the room.  The officials blame one of the interpreters, that interpreter blames the other interpreter, and nobody knows who leaked.

I can walk to the European Parliament from my house (unfortunately, this does not make me an expert on the European Parliament).