How The Trip Went
Let's see if I can remember... it seems so long ago that we left the US. We got up at 4:45 am on September 2nd (Pacific Time) and were relieved that our chauffeurs (Jake and Joan) had also arisen. Because of the "pre-production" Kristen and I had done in the month prior to this ungodly hour, we really only had to get in the car and leave. That's pretty much what we did. Leaving the house at 5:25 am, we arrived at the Portland Airport at close to 6:00 am.
Check-in went smoothly, the line was not too long. To our relief, we found out that the international flight weight limit on bags is 70 lbs, as opposed to the 50 lbs we had tried to meet. When we got to the ticket-counter, the extra 20 lbs per bag was akin to divine intervention. Two bags were about 60 lbs each, another was 65, and the fourth was 76 lbs. Over the limit! On a domestic flight you would only be charged $25 for being over the limit. International flights are a different story. We would have had to pay close to $400 for those 6 extra lbs! Almost as much as a ticket! However, the nice man at the counter had me lay the heavy bag on the scale and then he watched it as I removed items from it and placed them in the lightest bag. Luckily everything fit and we were on our way. Our first plane left at 8:15 am, bound for Washington-Dulles.
Not much else to report for the duration of our flight. Went pretty smoothly. We had to sit separately on the first flight because it was overbooked. Around us were a whole bunch of students from University of Portland who were on the way to a "Semester Abroad" in Germany. Please... a semester? And they had the gaul to complain about how much they had to do to prepare! I sat there smugly, knowing that what Kristen and I had embarked was so much more insane. In flight entertainment was "Down With Love" and "Chicago"... a Rene Zellweger marathon.
We landed in Washington with enough time before our connection to take a bathroom break and for Kristen to have some food. The second leg went just as smoothly. No horrible stories to tell. Food was OK. Plenty of leg-room. This time we had 9 TV channels and many more music programs to choose from and individual monitors in the head-rest in front of us. Several films played on continuous loop, along with TV shows. On the mini-screens were such great hits as "Bruce Almighty", "Daddy Daycare", and "Identity". Neither of us really slept at all. Too busy being freaked out at the reality of our situation. We descended into Brussels on Sept. 3rd at about 6:45 am (Brussels time which is GMT +1), 30 minutes early, with a beautiful sunrise on the right side of the plane.
Customs. Four long lines for non-EU nationals and one short line for EU citizens. Guess who got through first? I didn't even get a stamp in my passport! He only asked me what my destination was. Kristen got through about 20 minutes later. She had been queried about her destination, purpose for entry, visa status and was told to report to the appropriate commune for registration within 3 days. Sometimes it's just a lot more convenient to not be a US citizen!
After that, we got through without even getting our bags checked. No customs declarations. Since we couldn't meet our landlord until 10:30 that morning, we circled the wagons in the corner of the terminal lobby and waited. I practiced some Dutch by ordering twee Coca Lights met ijse blockjes (two diet cokes with ice) from the lobby bar. The bartender very meticulously rattled three ice cubes into each cup. That's how it is in Europe. Ever since the ice-shortage of '84. However, they serve the drink at a much cooler starting temperature to make up for it. Who needs ice anyway?
At 9:30 we headed outside with our luggage and got in the taxi-line; a very efficiently run endeavor. Though the line was at least 100 people deep, it moved at a lighting pace. There was an even longer line of taxis waiting and a guy directing them to each passenger. As soon as one had left, there was another to take it's place. So, 30 euros and 25 minutes later, we were at our new doorstep. Two strangers in a strange land.
--RP--
Wednesday, September 10
The Apartment
We arrived at the apartment at 10:15 am last Wednesday (Belgium time). We were a bit early since the meeting with the landlord was scheduled for 10:30am, so we perched outside on our suitcases and waited. She arrived at 10:45 with her son in tow and, I think, is one of those people who is always in a rush, always late. I had been emailing back and forth with her for several weeks and it was nice to put a face with the name (Muriel). After apologizing profusely for being late, she unlocked the front door of the building and let us in. The building itself is three-stories high with five apartments, two of which are empty at the moment. The huge front door opens into an entry way, with stairs leading to the upper floors. Our apartment is one of two located on the ground floor. We walked in, or rather, I walked in while Rich hauled our baggage in from the sidewalk - it was really nice! I was so relieved! The ceilings are at least 12 feet high and freshly painted off-white. The walls also appear to be freshly painted, and are butter yellow. The floors are old pine (I think). If you walk into the apartment and look to the right , you see the two living room windows looking out onto the street and with sheer white panels and yellow curtains. They must be 8 feet high. They open inwards and have wide marble ledges that will be perfect for plants. There is also an old fireplace (blocked off) with a mantle and big, tall mirror. The furniture is simple: white loveseat, iron and tile coffee table, small table with 4 chairs, a desk and a TV. Oh, and a giant ugly yellow, green and red floor lamp with a H U G E lampshade, bigger than most umbrellas. Unbelievable. It looks like something from the Flintstones! On the walls there are four tiny little paintings, two on each side of the fireplace, all hung abnormally high up on the wall. Its a very interesting look. Back to the tour...
Looking straight ahead from the front door is the kitchen It is very small by American standards, but perfectly serviceable. The refrigerator is about 1/3 the size of what we are used to and we discovered that it doesn't get very cold. The freezer is miniscule, with enough room for an ice cube tray, ice cream and maybe one more thing. The counters are laminate and there is a nice tile backsplash all the way around, from the sink to the stovetop with two gas burners. The oven is on top of the refrigerator, which should give you an idea of how small the fridge is. No microwave and the only appliance is the coffee maker. I don't think we will be making any four-course meals! The cupboards and drawers are all well-stocked with dishes, utensils, pots, silverware, dish towels, etc.
To the left of the front door is a short, wide hall that leads to the bathroom and bedroom. In the hall itself, there is a large, coffin-sized wooden trunk on wheels that holds the vacuum cleaner, iron and a single-sized inflatable bed. The bathroom door is directly to the right and is sort of small, with a pedestal sink, mirror, yellow and blue tile walls, two built in shelves and a tub with a bright yellow and blue shower curtain. The only disconcerting thing is that there is no shower, just a hose with a nozzle on the end. I realize that people have taken baths for ages and gotten along just fine, but gosh, I'm going to miss taking long, hot showers! If the ceiling wasn't so high, the bathroom would feel tiny, but its actually fine.
The bedroom has a french door, a bed (obviously) with a yellow and red duvet, nightstand, lamp, armoire, two chairs, clothes rack and a strange tall chest with narrow drawers. Each drawer is big enough for maybe three pairs of socks. Not great storage! The best thing is that one whole wall is windows, with yellow and red curtains and a french door opening out into a private courtyard. There is a small red table and chairs, dead bamboo plants in pots and several planter boxes filled with dead plants. In the spring it will be great for planting flowers, but until then it is a great source of natural light. As soon as we open our eyes in the morning we can tell what the weather is doing. And today, its raining!
So that's the apartment. We feel lucky to have found it!
~K
We arrived at the apartment at 10:15 am last Wednesday (Belgium time). We were a bit early since the meeting with the landlord was scheduled for 10:30am, so we perched outside on our suitcases and waited. She arrived at 10:45 with her son in tow and, I think, is one of those people who is always in a rush, always late. I had been emailing back and forth with her for several weeks and it was nice to put a face with the name (Muriel). After apologizing profusely for being late, she unlocked the front door of the building and let us in. The building itself is three-stories high with five apartments, two of which are empty at the moment. The huge front door opens into an entry way, with stairs leading to the upper floors. Our apartment is one of two located on the ground floor. We walked in, or rather, I walked in while Rich hauled our baggage in from the sidewalk - it was really nice! I was so relieved! The ceilings are at least 12 feet high and freshly painted off-white. The walls also appear to be freshly painted, and are butter yellow. The floors are old pine (I think). If you walk into the apartment and look to the right , you see the two living room windows looking out onto the street and with sheer white panels and yellow curtains. They must be 8 feet high. They open inwards and have wide marble ledges that will be perfect for plants. There is also an old fireplace (blocked off) with a mantle and big, tall mirror. The furniture is simple: white loveseat, iron and tile coffee table, small table with 4 chairs, a desk and a TV. Oh, and a giant ugly yellow, green and red floor lamp with a H U G E lampshade, bigger than most umbrellas. Unbelievable. It looks like something from the Flintstones! On the walls there are four tiny little paintings, two on each side of the fireplace, all hung abnormally high up on the wall. Its a very interesting look. Back to the tour...
Looking straight ahead from the front door is the kitchen It is very small by American standards, but perfectly serviceable. The refrigerator is about 1/3 the size of what we are used to and we discovered that it doesn't get very cold. The freezer is miniscule, with enough room for an ice cube tray, ice cream and maybe one more thing. The counters are laminate and there is a nice tile backsplash all the way around, from the sink to the stovetop with two gas burners. The oven is on top of the refrigerator, which should give you an idea of how small the fridge is. No microwave and the only appliance is the coffee maker. I don't think we will be making any four-course meals! The cupboards and drawers are all well-stocked with dishes, utensils, pots, silverware, dish towels, etc.
To the left of the front door is a short, wide hall that leads to the bathroom and bedroom. In the hall itself, there is a large, coffin-sized wooden trunk on wheels that holds the vacuum cleaner, iron and a single-sized inflatable bed. The bathroom door is directly to the right and is sort of small, with a pedestal sink, mirror, yellow and blue tile walls, two built in shelves and a tub with a bright yellow and blue shower curtain. The only disconcerting thing is that there is no shower, just a hose with a nozzle on the end. I realize that people have taken baths for ages and gotten along just fine, but gosh, I'm going to miss taking long, hot showers! If the ceiling wasn't so high, the bathroom would feel tiny, but its actually fine.
The bedroom has a french door, a bed (obviously) with a yellow and red duvet, nightstand, lamp, armoire, two chairs, clothes rack and a strange tall chest with narrow drawers. Each drawer is big enough for maybe three pairs of socks. Not great storage! The best thing is that one whole wall is windows, with yellow and red curtains and a french door opening out into a private courtyard. There is a small red table and chairs, dead bamboo plants in pots and several planter boxes filled with dead plants. In the spring it will be great for planting flowers, but until then it is a great source of natural light. As soon as we open our eyes in the morning we can tell what the weather is doing. And today, its raining!
So that's the apartment. We feel lucky to have found it!
~K
Tuesday, September 9
Thursday, September 4
Monday, September 1
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