Just a short update

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Hi Everyone,

I know these blog entries seem to come few and far between. We are finally feeling settled here and it has been a very busy summer. For those of you have been asking for an update here goes….

We are really enjoying Brussels and living in Europe. This expat lifestyle is a never ending learning experience, most of them great, a few not so great but we will focus on the good stuff and the fun:

A couple of weeks ago was the 25th anniversary of Marc joining his company, so the site leader and his wife took Marc and I to a celebratory dinner at one of Brussels finest French restaurants. Needless to say it was fantastic and a learning experience as well. The waiter explained the specials and one was a combination of Quail and Partridge. So when our orders were taken Marc asked for the “two birds.” What he got was Turbot! Lesson learned: It all comes down to the pronunciation.

I am finally getting the hang of grocery shopping here. It took forever but I FINALLY found baking powder! You have no idea how great such a simple thing can feel! Alas, now I am on a hunt for Vanilla extract. I would even pay for vanilla beans if I could find them, but the only thing I can find is little packages of sugar soaked in vanilla.

A few weeks ago I had to go to the hospital for a CAT scan (please don’t anyone worry about anything… it was precautionary and turned out to be nothing, honest!) The hospital is just one long block from our apartment. I walked to the hospital, checked in at registration, had the test, and then walked home…all in 20 minutes! 20 MINUTES! From door to door! Amazing… try that in the States!! In addition it is so easy to get prescriptions filled….. You take the Rx to the Apothecary and they just hand you the box. No child proof caps, no time waiting, no time to type labels, they just go get the box and hand it to you! Probably not a good thing if you have kids I suppose but for those of us who are used to dropping the Rx off and waiting or making another trip to pick it up, it is wonderful.

Once more tale…. A couple of weeks ago they had a “no car” Sunday. Evidently they do this twice a year. All cars (with very few exceptions) are banned for the day. The buses and metro is free for the day. It was fantastic! I wish I had had my camera but I didn’t. There were a few cars that had special permits, but except for those and a (very) few taxis and the police there were no cars anywhere in Brussels. It was so quiet! The weather was fantastic and everyone was out walking or riding bicycles. It was so funny to see the main intersections, roundabouts, and four lane roads full of bikes. It seemed like everyone in town was out enjoying the day. Marc and I sat in a café drinking beer and wine, eating waffles with ice cream and just marveling at it. I can’t imagine that ever happening in LA or NY, but it was really wonderful.

I have so much to write about, but will save it for another entry…..
Arlene

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Comments

[anna]

Great to see an update and can't wait for more...hope you're enjoying Brussels (I lived there before and didn't love it, but am trying to get another chance to go there for work) - it's always educational to read about others' experiences.