Stealing the thunder...

Katrina seems to have said a lot of the things I could say! But I guess I will try to update with my own random experiences of Brussels....

This past weekend was the first 'calm' weekend since I arrived... My mother came to visit last weekend, which was great fun because, well, she is fun!, and because the jazz festival was happening in Brussels. There were so many bands playing all over the city, and there was so much energy with all the music and people. It wasn't obnoxiously crowded everywhere, but there were enough people, all in good spirits, to bring a new burst of life into the city. I think Europe in the summer time, almost no matter where you go, has that feeling throughout most of the summer because Europeans really appreciate their summer months. I guess that is what happens after terrible, dark winters!

So after a few days with my mom, she headed back to Sweden, and I returned to my normal (ha, I love how this is has become 'normal') life in Brussels. I finished a full week of internship, and another week of distance learning (boo!)... to greet the weekend with open arms and excitement for the new exploring potentials! Katrina covered Friday, so straight to Saturday... I checked out Sterling Books, a well stocked English bookstore fairly close to the Grand Place. I spent some time enjoying the books all around me and the potential for new reads. I ended up buying A Picture for Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde as I have never read it, and all the other choices I had in mind were awfully large and long, which is not exactly good for packing. All in all, good choice so far I must say.

But enough about books! I headed to the Flagey area after that... it's a bit of a hike for Belgium standards (took me about 30 mins to get there on the metro then the tram), but it's worth it. There is an awesome cafe, Cafe Belga, on the corner of this old radio hall building that overlooks this beautiful lake/park area (a picture would have been appropriate here.... if only I had my camera!). I sat on the grass by the lake and ate a baguette with brie (a delicious penny saving meal on this side of the Atlantic) while enjoying the beautiful weather. After that, I headed inside the cafe and enjoyed a coffee while doing homework. Later in the evening, after feeling satisfied by my productivity that afternoon, I met up with some of the other people in Brussels for the evening and had dinner.

Sunday was a lazy day that greeted Brussels with sun, and then rain, and then many clouds playing hide and seek with the sun and the rain. It was a nice afternoon of cards, coffee, Frisbee, and shared laughs with my fellow Brussels participants. A particularly spectacular moment featured a 20 year old tackling, a poorly (or maybe very calculatedly, it can be debated!) thrown Frisbee, and one unsuspecting forehead to absorb the impact of the flying plastic. A moment to be remembered, and surely will now not be forgotten. ;-)

Perhaps next time I will include pictures like the other, more organized, posters.

But until next time... Au revoir!