Fun with Four Wheels

Ben and I continue to get accustomed to life in our new city. You could even mistake us for actual Belgian residents. Almost. I appreciate that everyone initiates a conversation in French.  Most of the time it is to ask about Maddie. She is quite exotic looking compared to most pets around town. I think it's her smile that attracts everyone. At this point, I can only respond asking if they speak English. French lessons don't normally teach you the survival terms or phrases in the beginning. Although some would debate that Je voudrais du vin, s'il vous plaitz (I would like wine, please) or y a-t-i-l de la biere? (do you have beer?) is the epitome of survival basics in a new country. Unless someone is asking about coffee or other beverages, I am plastering an awkward smile on my face. Luckily, smiling is universally understood.  :)

 Given the awful work hours and long commute, Ben's company was nice enough to give him a car.  Lucky for him, it is not the standard company car. A BMW 3 series diesel, manual, station wagon. That noise you hear is Ben screaming, "Yes!" For those non car geeks, this glorious combination is not available in the U.S. For those that don't know Ben, he has an unhealthy obsession with station wagons. Personally, I am not opposed but if I could get a European car it would be the 4-door Audi A5…not to bash the BMW. At least it has a very nice blue exterior with a butter colored leather interior.  The car, nicknamed "The Blue Devil", had an interesting first week being a part of the Rosenblum family.

Now, it's been about three years since we lived in Boston so adapting to on street parking has been a rude awaking. A very rude one. Let's be honest, Dallas has made us soft with its copious amounts of parking garages and valet parking.  The first night in possession of the car, it was towed.  Being towed is never fun but it was much WORSE than anything we've experienced in the past.

 

First, there is one central towing depository on the other side of the city. Finding your way there is an adventure alone.

Second, you have to PROVE you own the car. You would think showing up with your car keys typically meets the ownership requirement. Nope, they need a paper stamped by the police that verifies that the car registration matches your identification.

Lastly, once you run around the city, the car is yours upon showing the approved stamped paper along with a LARGE handful of cash for their trouble.

 

 Needless to say, it ended up being my adventure for the morning. Ben's office now jokes that each Bain transfer needs to come with a significant other to take care of personal and household business. Does this count as resume building?

 

Despite the craziness, I was still able to attend my afternoon chocolate class at Zaabar. Each participant was able to create their own chocolate bar and truffles, which you get to devour at home. Yum! I walked away with a good bit of chocolate for 15 Euros. Not to worry, for those planning to visit, this activity will be part of the itinerary.

 

We decided to celebrate our new car freedom with a trip to the nearby city of Ghent. Ghent is the fourth largest city in Belgium about 55km south of Brussels.  It is full of early Flemish architecture complete with the medieval Gravensteen Castle. The energy and layout of the city immediately reminded us of Copenhagen. Lots of bikes, shopping, and cute promenades.  We spent a full day exploring the neighborhoods, drinking coffee, and even squeezing in a haircut for Ben. The best part of the day was the fact that our car DID NOT get towed allowing for an uneventful trip back to the city. Thank goodness! Fingers crossed the towing fairy is good to us for the duration of our stay in Brussels.

 To be continued…

 

 

 

 

Chocolate is the best medicine

Salut,

Ben and I had a challenging first week in our new home. First, we both spent the week dealing with the never-ending flu and head cold. I am certain that we caught the bug during our flight over. Even poor Maddie couldn’t stop sneezing! Secondly, Ben ended up working "banking hours" for majority of the week. By banking hours I mean chained to the desk for 20+ hours a day. I wish I was joking. He came home most nights around 3 a.m. and even managed to set the record (thus far) of 5:30 a.m. You can imagine my surprise finding him walking in at dawn only to sleep for an hour and get up to do it all over again. My schedule is much less taxing given day to day activities are spent furnishing our new apartment, stocking the fridge, and getting a gym membership. I can assure you that my stint as a "Belgian housewife" is temporary and will not  continue once we return to the U.S. in July - Sorry mom.  I am happy to report that the yoga class was normal complete with American music (they seem to be big fans of JT's latest album and Pink). Fortunately, I've done enough French lessons on Rosetta Stone to understand downward dog, child and the cat poses. Looking forward to experiencing Belgian spin, kickboxing, and body pump this week.

 

Luckily, we were able to recover from our colds in time for the weekend. Ben was even able to catch up on some much needed sleep. To our surprise and delight the Ferdinand Porsche Electric to Electric Exhibit was being held in the nearby Jubilee Park. Perfect timing! We were like children in a toy store (or chocolate factory) as we gleefully traversed the expo center seeing the variety of cars from turn of the century makes and models to the celebrated Porsche 911 over the past 50 years. 

 

The rest of our weekend was spent walking the city center to get the "tourist sites" out of the way . The Grand Place, Manneken Pis (a peeing statue of a little boy) and Pierre Marcolini (top chocolatier in Belgium) were all crossed off the list. The chocolate was incredible! Throw in a few macaroons and we were happily walking home in a sugar induced coma. I forgot how nice it was to get your workout in by getting around a city. I look forward to making shopping my cardio (and chocolate my lunch) while we are here. :)

 

Overall, we are adapting nicely to our new home. It is starting to look and feel like home each day. I am still searching for the kitchen staples of cream and cinnamon to make things complete.  I've managed to adapt to milk (sigh) in my coffee for now with hopes of finding that cinnamon soon.

 

Stay tuned!

We Made It!

Bonjour friends and family!

We had a direct 8.5 hour flight to Paris with Maddie our "service dog" in tow.  It was a relatively uneventful first flight for her although the doggie Xanax didn't seem to kick in until halfway through. She was a bit ADD and out of sorts in the cabin until that point. We tried to keep it in perspective; she was still far better than any baby, toddler, or drunk adult that you'd meet at 30,000 feet.

Our 3 hour, 275km drive to Brussels was a bit more eventful. After no sleep during the flight, Ben's manual driving skills took a hit. Literally. All of which occurred when our car rolled out of its parking spot while we were getting the much needed coffee. Fortunately, it was a minor dent (primarily our car) and all passengers were left unscathed.

Lesson #1: Never forget that parking brake!

We are slowly getting settled into our new place in Brussels. Our apartment location couldn’t be better as we are steps away from adorable shops and restaurants. Ben likens it being in Manhattan between 8th Avenue in Chelsea (mixed quality and crowded, but lively) and Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side (quiet, upscale, classy, expensive). Not to mention, the area is filled with plenty of cafes and chocolatiers. I would have no problem living off of coffee and chocolate for the next 6 months.

Maddie has adjusted well to her new home especially given the vast number of parks that exist in the city. We were pleasantly surprised to find a gem of a park (Parc du Bois) on Sunday which has quickly become our new favorite walking and soon-to-be running spot. Maddie saw a few Belgian squirrels (and one Chihuahua that she mistook for a squirrel) and is still unsuccessful at catching one.

 The weather has consistently been between 45-55 degrees, mostly cloudy with some periodic rays of sunshine. All in all, it was a great first weekend. We are very excited to explore our new city and the rest of Europe.

More photos and stories to come!