Saturday - June 13, 2009

We are in route to Amsterdam, a three hour bus ride from Brussels. The sun is shining today, it is much warmer and we are all glad to be moving on. I made it to the park this morning for a run and to see the king’s palace once more. It was a great way to start the day!

We all made it through our group oral presentations on the law case and the written evaluation on the EU yesterday. My group was awarded 2^nd place out of 6 groups for the law case presentation, we came out with an A! The school hosted a farewell reception for our group, a nice way to end the week. Our afternoon was free to shop, rest and relax after a week packed with so much learning.

Our group went to a traditional Belgium restaurant for dinner last night, Au Stekkerlapatte. The menu included offerings such as calf brains, pig trotters, raw beef, duck, beef, chicken, etc. In a group of 25 students, it would have been impossible for someone not to order the calf brains appetizer, and many in the group taking a bite. As you can probably guess, there were many looks of disgust on the faces of those that gave it a try. The calf brains are served raw. My evening meal was such a welcome treat. I enjoyed a mixed greens salad with fried goat cheese, chicken with white mushrooms, and best of all….. “hot chocolate cake with melted chocolate and vanilla ice cream”. When the server set it on the table, the aroma of chocolate was immediately detected by those sitting a table away (remember that Belgium is known for its chocolate). It was so yummy – the best! I was a happy traveler after a good meal topped off with a Belgium chocolate dessert! It is not customary to tip servers in Europe, therefore, service in restaurants isn’t that great. However, we had a server who had just returned from an extended visit to the US, so he was familiar with Americans preference for service and the pay off opportunity of a tip! It was a great way to end our week in Brussels.

In route back to the hotel, we were on the city tram (similar to cable cars in San Francisco). Our journey was delayed when we hit a temporary roadblock. Rollerblading is popular in Europe, and there was a citywide rollerblade event going on, so the road was blocked so the participants to pass. The streets are all cobblestone… hmm, quite a bumpy ride.

On our way to Amsterdam, the countryside in The Netherlands is beautiful, with wind turbines and windmills on such an enormous scale everywhere. So much water surrounds the country, all is so green and lush, a welcome change and relief from being in the noisy, concrete, grey city of Brussels, Belgium for a week with little sun and much rain. The Netherlands have been energy efficient utilizing renewable sources for such a long time, the US is so far behind these “no brainer” ways to be sustainable. The bus stopped at a truck stop for lunch, but it was far from what we all presumed a truck stop lunch would be. A Ronald McDonald statue greeted us at the door (McDonald’s has a good piece of market share in Europe). But past McDonald’s was “LaPlace”, which is most similar to Whole Foods that is popular in the states, with a buffet of various healthy offerings. My tummy is smiling and on excitement overload – two fantastic meals in 24 hours! I had a delicious tomato soup with a super light and flavorful croissant, some veggies, and a unique European twist on apple pie. It was fresh and light without the syrup/sugar sauce drowning the apples. The apples were so fresh, not overcooked and mushy, and best of all, the topping was pistachios, raisins, cashews, and chestnuts sprinkled with cinnamon. What a treat! Several of us ate outside in the fresh air, but right beside the interstate. However, it was so quiet, and less than 150 yards from the actual roadway. We discussed how different it was from the US where the interstates are so crowded with semi trucks and so much exhaust. There were McDonald’s on both sides of the interstate and a walkway/tunnel that went under the interstate should you prefer markets/stores on either side of the roadway.

It was .70 euros ($.89) to use the public restroom (I’m getting used to the idea that you don’t go anywhere without some cash - just in case). We’ve got another 90 minutes until we reach Amsterdam, so it’s time for a little nap. We will take a canal tour this afternoon, then it will be Saturday night in the city! There is much to do and fun to be had in this city with museums, more canals than Venice, countryside, tulips, and much history. In the 1600’s Amsterdam was the world’s richest city, an international sea-trading port. The people are known to be the world’s most “handsome”, with openly honest personalities. We will be staying on the Amstel Botel, the city’s only remaining “boat hotel”, which requires a 10 minute ferry ride across the canal to/from each time. I have heard the accommodations will be “interesting”. You can check it out at www.amstelbotel.nl. I won’t have internet access in the hotel, so my blog may not be quite so regular the next few days. Stay tuned for news from Amsterdam!