I am so tired of packing up and partially unpacking our belongings! Right now it seems like we will never be finished, as we inch into our fourth move this year. Normally I like moving, but I guess you can have too much of a good thing. Also we are struggling with the bureaucrat side of this move--it's not so difficult, really. I mean, we are here, right? but the devil is in the paperwork.
We got a break from all this last Friday as Travis' employers organizes periodic expatriate dinners for all of the employees from other countries. This time, everyone met at a Tapas restaurant in Gent. We took the train up to Gent and walked up to the restaurant, which was about a 45 minute walk. In that area of town, restaurants abound. Within a couple of blocks we saw some Mexican food, a Thai place, and Italian place, and too many others to list.
Over twenty-five people came to the dinner, filling up the entire first floor of the smallish establishment. The only language we all had in common was English, so Travis and I got to enjoy a small island of our own language. Even so, we were the only people from the US. At one point in the evening someone counted, and we had 13 different nationalities there! We were at a table with people from England, France, China, India, and Brazil. But there were also people from Russia, Indonesia, Sweden, Luxemburg, and, well, others I can't remember off the top of my head, plus one female employee brought her Belgian boyfriend. Everyone was very friendly, making lots of jokes, and generally being pretty loud.
It was comforting to find that some of the other expats have had some of the same experiences that we have. For instance, one gentleman from Brazil was commenting that the Dutch you learn in class is not the same as the dialect that people actually speak in the area. He related a story about a time when he went to order a sandwich, asking for a "brodje" and the woman behind the counter didn't understand him at all. "Oh, you mean a brOHdje," she finally said, with basically the exact same intonation that he thought he had just said. We laughed pretty hard at that one, because on the way there, Travis had asked for two roundtrip tickets to Gent, and had the exact same problem with the word "terug" (which means return). His pronunciation sounded perfect to me, but it was met with the same puzzlement. The woman behind the counter eventually said something that sounded more like "Trg".
The food was very good, too. We started out with bread and a plate of goat cheese, olives, and salad as a cold platter. Then the hot dishes were potatoes in a tomato sauce, fried calamari, some shrimp, stuffed mussel shells, and more salad. We finished up with a nice cup of coffee. They do take their time over dinner in Belgium, though, and we ended up having to get a ride back to Zwevegem because we would not have been able to catch the last train. There are a lot more expat activities in Gent in general, and I think that when we live there we will get out and participate.
30 November, 2006
28 November, 2006
On the Move
It’s been awhile since we’ve posted, though we’re getting ready to move again this week. We’re headed to Gent where we’ll be until we leave Belgium in late 2008. I’m sure Judi will post all about it after the dust cloud has cleared.
I’ve been traveling quite a bit for work. Last week I was in Antwerp for a seminar in optics, and had a meeting in Deinze. The week before that I spent a lot of time in Zulte and Deinze at company facilities at a foundation technology conference and training for my business division. Tomorrow I’ll be working in the Netherlands all day at the research campus of one of our partners, and next week (immediately after the move) I’ll be working up near Eindhoven for the entire week. At least I get a rental car again for that! Hopefully things will then calm down a bit.
In other news, Judi’s brand new notebook computer has just about bit the dust. At less than three months old it started having problems, and barely runs. I think it is a memory or MOBO problem, but tech support for Cyberpower PC is worthless. After three phone calls and three tech support tickets we’ve gotten no response whatsoever. We finally just took it to a local place to at least determine what the problem is. Oh well, we’ll have to suffer with only one computer? Goodness, what we have become!
I’ve been traveling quite a bit for work. Last week I was in Antwerp for a seminar in optics, and had a meeting in Deinze. The week before that I spent a lot of time in Zulte and Deinze at company facilities at a foundation technology conference and training for my business division. Tomorrow I’ll be working in the Netherlands all day at the research campus of one of our partners, and next week (immediately after the move) I’ll be working up near Eindhoven for the entire week. At least I get a rental car again for that! Hopefully things will then calm down a bit.
In other news, Judi’s brand new notebook computer has just about bit the dust. At less than three months old it started having problems, and barely runs. I think it is a memory or MOBO problem, but tech support for Cyberpower PC is worthless. After three phone calls and three tech support tickets we’ve gotten no response whatsoever. We finally just took it to a local place to at least determine what the problem is. Oh well, we’ll have to suffer with only one computer? Goodness, what we have become!
13 November, 2006
The Louvre
We went to the Louvre on All-Saints day, which in many European countries is a nationally recognized holiday. Once again we locked ourselves into the Paris metro system, and rode the line down directly to the museum. The building itself is enormous, stretching on for hundreds of feet parallel to the Seine. We walked under one of the arches leading into the square that we identified as a good route, as we could see “The Pyramide” from across the street. The line appeared to be moving already, and we took our place behind the many hundreds of people already queued. The wait was short, and in no time we filed passed the guards (who held automatic rifles) into the great lobby beneath the glass of the Pyramid.
The scale of this museum is evident as soon as you begin walking around in it. There are four levels, situated in two great wings that despite their linearity still offer plenty of forks, nooks, crannies, and walls to confuse you during your trek. Just ambling into the gallery you wish to see requires nautical skill or an orienteering merit badge, and I say with no sarcasm that a GPS would be useful in there. It is impossible to scan the entirety of the Louvre in even one week, so as European residents we decided we’d spend one day at the Louvre during each of our trips to Paris, and view only two sections per trip to allow ourselves time to really view the art and get acquainted with an area.
I chose the Greek, Roman, and Etruscan sculptures and antiquities section, and Judi chose the Flemish, Dutch, and German paintings section. We went into the classical area first, and were greeted on arrival by the Winged Victory of Samothrace statue, impressively framed by a domed wall and reflected lighting. From there we saw ancient Greek and Roman statuary, pottery, terra cotta figurines, jewelry, sarcophaguses, and an assortment of tools, idols, and decorations. The one section took several hours, after which we were ready for lunch. We ate at one of the indoor cafes overlooking the courtyard and pyramid outside, which was actually reasonably priced and had excellent food. From there, we set off to another several hours in our second section.
The Flemish and Dutch masters produced some amazing work, and really seemed to perfect realism. I find it hard to believe such paintings could have even been made hundreds of years ago, without modern technology. There are many famous examples of paintings from the masters, but it was very interesting to see the recurring themes in the works that aren’t really represented in the “textbook examples” of the lowlands. Dogs are very common in the paintings, in almost every kind of scene- working dogs that were ubiquitous back then, I suppose. There are many scenes with a catch of game fowl or rabbits, and many specifically of baskets of birds and other game. It’s kind of like the modern still life painting stereotype, only instead of fruit it’s a bunch of dead birds and conies on a string, hanging from a tree. We saw the famous De Kantwerkster (The Lacemaker) by Vermeer, which was indeed quite impressive to see. I also liked Jan Victors Jong meisje aan het venster as much (Young woman at her window). We also saw Rembrandt and Seghers self portraits. Of course we also went into the Reubens room, the vaulted chamber dominated entirely by the massive flats painted by Peter Paul Reubens, which were extremely grand in scope.
We crossed the street and had coffee and dessert; a lemon tart and a something-or-other with vanilla ice cream that is apparently a French national dessert. We ended the day by hiking to the Cathedral of Notre Dame- a fitting end to a Halloween/All Saints Day trip we decided. It is an easy walk from the Louvre. The gargoyles were quite awesome, and the building is much more impressive in real life than in pictures. A definite neck-craner. We finally caught the train back to Lille and then home.
The scale of this museum is evident as soon as you begin walking around in it. There are four levels, situated in two great wings that despite their linearity still offer plenty of forks, nooks, crannies, and walls to confuse you during your trek. Just ambling into the gallery you wish to see requires nautical skill or an orienteering merit badge, and I say with no sarcasm that a GPS would be useful in there. It is impossible to scan the entirety of the Louvre in even one week, so as European residents we decided we’d spend one day at the Louvre during each of our trips to Paris, and view only two sections per trip to allow ourselves time to really view the art and get acquainted with an area.
I chose the Greek, Roman, and Etruscan sculptures and antiquities section, and Judi chose the Flemish, Dutch, and German paintings section. We went into the classical area first, and were greeted on arrival by the Winged Victory of Samothrace statue, impressively framed by a domed wall and reflected lighting. From there we saw ancient Greek and Roman statuary, pottery, terra cotta figurines, jewelry, sarcophaguses, and an assortment of tools, idols, and decorations. The one section took several hours, after which we were ready for lunch. We ate at one of the indoor cafes overlooking the courtyard and pyramid outside, which was actually reasonably priced and had excellent food. From there, we set off to another several hours in our second section.
The Flemish and Dutch masters produced some amazing work, and really seemed to perfect realism. I find it hard to believe such paintings could have even been made hundreds of years ago, without modern technology. There are many famous examples of paintings from the masters, but it was very interesting to see the recurring themes in the works that aren’t really represented in the “textbook examples” of the lowlands. Dogs are very common in the paintings, in almost every kind of scene- working dogs that were ubiquitous back then, I suppose. There are many scenes with a catch of game fowl or rabbits, and many specifically of baskets of birds and other game. It’s kind of like the modern still life painting stereotype, only instead of fruit it’s a bunch of dead birds and conies on a string, hanging from a tree. We saw the famous De Kantwerkster (The Lacemaker) by Vermeer, which was indeed quite impressive to see. I also liked Jan Victors Jong meisje aan het venster as much (Young woman at her window). We also saw Rembrandt and Seghers self portraits. Of course we also went into the Reubens room, the vaulted chamber dominated entirely by the massive flats painted by Peter Paul Reubens, which were extremely grand in scope.
We crossed the street and had coffee and dessert; a lemon tart and a something-or-other with vanilla ice cream that is apparently a French national dessert. We ended the day by hiking to the Cathedral of Notre Dame- a fitting end to a Halloween/All Saints Day trip we decided. It is an easy walk from the Louvre. The gargoyles were quite awesome, and the building is much more impressive in real life than in pictures. A definite neck-craner. We finally caught the train back to Lille and then home.
07 November, 2006
The Eiffel Tower
After we checked into our hotel, Travis and I were driven by two needs. Food, and the desire to make the most of our short time in Paris. We took the metro south to the Champs Elysees/Clemenceau stop, and during the ride, we decided to walk to see the Eiffel tower. Most of the museums and other attractions would be closed, it seemed like something that we could do no matter what the time.
We climbed the stairs up to the street, to find the sun sinking as we walked between the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais (believe me, small is a relative term here) towards the Seine. All of the buildings were bathed in a glowing, warm light, and we had to zig zag along the sidewalk as hordes of tourists took advantage of the last light to take one last group photo. The bridge we picked to walk over the Seine was very dramatic. It arched over the river (The Seine is bigger than I thought it would be, Travis commented, delighted) on the other side we could see the Hotel des Invalides, which is a complex of truly grand buildings. And on our right, we got our first peek at the Eiffel tower through the trees, already lit for the evening!
This brought us to the next great question: What does a starving vegetarian eat in Paris? I studied the hand-written menus outside of each restaurant we passed, but either I couldn't tell what exactly they were serving, the place seemed very expensive, or both. Increasingly low blood sugar made it harder for my brain to try to figure out what each menu offered, until with great relief we came to a deli-style Asian food place where we could make our selections by pointing, and all of the prices looked very good. "Je voudrais le riz au curry" Travis said, pointing at the curried rice, and sure enough, they got a spoon...Then they asked us a question which neither of us understood. Wondering if they were asking us how big of a portion, I gestured with an inquisitive look on my face. They repeated themselves, and I realized there were asking us if we wanted to take out, or eat there. "Ici!" I replied, amazed that I had figured it out. We finally settled down to some curried rice, vegetable chop suey, shrimp, and two egg rolls for only a little more than 20 Euros.
Much improved, we walked the rest of the way to the tower, which looks even prettier at night than during the day. There are three platforms to visit, and each one is a different price and amount of waiting time. We decided to splurge and go all the way to the top, figuring that when we go back to Paris, we will probably be occupied with other things. Travis and I held hands while we waited at the bottom for the elevator to the second platform, where we would wait to go to the top. Somewhat less romantic were the signs informing us in four languages to watch out for pick pockets. Stepping out onto the second level, I wondered if we should have spent the extra money to go all the way to the top. The view just from the second floor was amazing! All of Paris was spread out before us, lights blazing! Travis and I leaned against the railings with our map on each side, identifying landmarks (the Arc de Triomphe was certainly easy) and taking pictures of the view.
The line to go all the way to the top was about twenty minutes. As each elevator came, people rushed to cram in, sometimes shrugging as they were separated from the rest of their party by a closing door. We finally managed to elbow our way into a car. It started to rise...and rise...and--Oh my god, this thing is really a lot taller than it looks from the ground! A cold wind was picking up, and I could actually feel the tower swaying back and forth with each gust.
"This is fun!" Travis said, as stepped out of the elevator, and suddenly were much higher. I find heights mildly vertiginous, so I think "thrilling" is the word I would use.
I'll try to post the pictures of us at the top later today. I think we both look pretty thrilled. After that, we walked down to the first level from the second level, took the train back to the hotel, and had some Belgian chocolate, with a bottle of champagne that we had saved after our wedding. I'll tell you about our trip to the Louvre next!
We climbed the stairs up to the street, to find the sun sinking as we walked between the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais (believe me, small is a relative term here) towards the Seine. All of the buildings were bathed in a glowing, warm light, and we had to zig zag along the sidewalk as hordes of tourists took advantage of the last light to take one last group photo. The bridge we picked to walk over the Seine was very dramatic. It arched over the river (The Seine is bigger than I thought it would be, Travis commented, delighted) on the other side we could see the Hotel des Invalides, which is a complex of truly grand buildings. And on our right, we got our first peek at the Eiffel tower through the trees, already lit for the evening!
This brought us to the next great question: What does a starving vegetarian eat in Paris? I studied the hand-written menus outside of each restaurant we passed, but either I couldn't tell what exactly they were serving, the place seemed very expensive, or both. Increasingly low blood sugar made it harder for my brain to try to figure out what each menu offered, until with great relief we came to a deli-style Asian food place where we could make our selections by pointing, and all of the prices looked very good. "Je voudrais le riz au curry" Travis said, pointing at the curried rice, and sure enough, they got a spoon...Then they asked us a question which neither of us understood. Wondering if they were asking us how big of a portion, I gestured with an inquisitive look on my face. They repeated themselves, and I realized there were asking us if we wanted to take out, or eat there. "Ici!" I replied, amazed that I had figured it out. We finally settled down to some curried rice, vegetable chop suey, shrimp, and two egg rolls for only a little more than 20 Euros.
Much improved, we walked the rest of the way to the tower, which looks even prettier at night than during the day. There are three platforms to visit, and each one is a different price and amount of waiting time. We decided to splurge and go all the way to the top, figuring that when we go back to Paris, we will probably be occupied with other things. Travis and I held hands while we waited at the bottom for the elevator to the second platform, where we would wait to go to the top. Somewhat less romantic were the signs informing us in four languages to watch out for pick pockets. Stepping out onto the second level, I wondered if we should have spent the extra money to go all the way to the top. The view just from the second floor was amazing! All of Paris was spread out before us, lights blazing! Travis and I leaned against the railings with our map on each side, identifying landmarks (the Arc de Triomphe was certainly easy) and taking pictures of the view.
The line to go all the way to the top was about twenty minutes. As each elevator came, people rushed to cram in, sometimes shrugging as they were separated from the rest of their party by a closing door. We finally managed to elbow our way into a car. It started to rise...and rise...and--Oh my god, this thing is really a lot taller than it looks from the ground! A cold wind was picking up, and I could actually feel the tower swaying back and forth with each gust.
"This is fun!" Travis said, as stepped out of the elevator, and suddenly were much higher. I find heights mildly vertiginous, so I think "thrilling" is the word I would use.
I'll try to post the pictures of us at the top later today. I think we both look pretty thrilled. After that, we walked down to the first level from the second level, took the train back to the hotel, and had some Belgian chocolate, with a bottle of champagne that we had saved after our wedding. I'll tell you about our trip to the Louvre next!
03 November, 2006
Halloween in Paris
We left for paris at noon on our second wedding anniversary with a change of clothes, a map of the city, two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and a few other essentials in our backpacks. A light rain fogged my glasses as we rode the 4.5 kilometers to the train station in Kortrijk, but some mildly inclement weather could not dampen my enthusiasm for our first ever trip to Paris! An hour layover in Lille, FR only heightened the anticipation.
By the time the train disgorged us into one of the busiest train stations in europe, Paris Nord, I was grabbing Travis' arm in excitement. The loudspeaker let forth a stream of completely incomprehensible syllables. Travis turned to me with a look of sincere culture shock in his eyes and said, "I don't know any French. You are going to take it from here, okay?"
Sometime in the last century, in the era when only a few people in Seattle had heard of that band named Nirvana, I took two years of high school French. Off the top of my head, I could remember how to count to three, the word for bakery, and the phrase, "Je ne parle pas Francais". I nodded.
"Okay!"
My co-workers in California got me a European phrase book as a going away present, and I had carefully reviewed the French section ten minutes before we got off the train.
The cheapest place we could find at short notice was the Hotel des Batignolle, in the northern most section of our map of the city. To get there from the train station, we would need to take the subway, which in Paris is called the Metro. To get into the train station, you already need to have a ticket. Hmmm. We looked around, and there was a machine on the wall. Travis and I figured out how to get it to display in English, and bought ten tickets for the Metro, figuring we would need a bunch to get around. I already knew we needed the #2 line, and that the trains are listed by the last station in their route, so we looked up on the handy map on the wall, and found that we needed the #2 line towards Porte Dauphine. Sure enough, that took us directly to the Rome stop. It seemed amazing, ten minutes in the city, and we had already figured out how to get around!
At the desk of the Hotel des Batignolle, I approached the desk clerk and tried, "J'ai reserve" (picture accent marks over the first and third e's in 'reserve'). The desk clerk gave us a smile of amusement and said, "And what is your name?"
Next: The Eiffel tower
By the time the train disgorged us into one of the busiest train stations in europe, Paris Nord, I was grabbing Travis' arm in excitement. The loudspeaker let forth a stream of completely incomprehensible syllables. Travis turned to me with a look of sincere culture shock in his eyes and said, "I don't know any French. You are going to take it from here, okay?"
Sometime in the last century, in the era when only a few people in Seattle had heard of that band named Nirvana, I took two years of high school French. Off the top of my head, I could remember how to count to three, the word for bakery, and the phrase, "Je ne parle pas Francais". I nodded.
"Okay!"
My co-workers in California got me a European phrase book as a going away present, and I had carefully reviewed the French section ten minutes before we got off the train.
The cheapest place we could find at short notice was the Hotel des Batignolle, in the northern most section of our map of the city. To get there from the train station, we would need to take the subway, which in Paris is called the Metro. To get into the train station, you already need to have a ticket. Hmmm. We looked around, and there was a machine on the wall. Travis and I figured out how to get it to display in English, and bought ten tickets for the Metro, figuring we would need a bunch to get around. I already knew we needed the #2 line, and that the trains are listed by the last station in their route, so we looked up on the handy map on the wall, and found that we needed the #2 line towards Porte Dauphine. Sure enough, that took us directly to the Rome stop. It seemed amazing, ten minutes in the city, and we had already figured out how to get around!
At the desk of the Hotel des Batignolle, I approached the desk clerk and tried, "J'ai reserve" (picture accent marks over the first and third e's in 'reserve'). The desk clerk gave us a smile of amusement and said, "And what is your name?"
Next: The Eiffel tower
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