Leuven, Belgium
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Alas, it has been quite some time since my last travel log and I send my deepest apologies to those who have been greatly anticipating my latest entry, (and make no mistake there are many such individuals). The delay is a function of my schedule. There are many ways in which a twenty-something might spend her days in Europe, I believe with great conviction that I have concocted a completely unique way to fill my time, i.e., by eating onion soup. I do not have a particular affinity for onion soup in general however I have nevertheless developed an addiction for the dish. What's more, I am not fat. I eat the infamous soup roughly 4 times a week, often with friends but sometimes I do it alone, which is how I arrived at the fact that I was truly an addict. The staff at the onion soupery know me well, they tell me there are other things on the menu, other soups even, but I -like most addicts- do not hear their words, they are mere distractions to my eventual euphoria. While I am not experiencing the purest of ecstasies I am travelling
. Several weeks ago Virginia and I visited
Cologne. To our surprise our arrival was met with a huge carnival, aptly named 'Carnival'. As we exited the train station at 12 noon, the streets were filled with men and women of all ages, fully clad in the most festive attire. All; jester, monk and princesses alike had a beer in hand and a smile on face. After finally finding our hotel (this tale is not for the faint hearted and thus cannot be elucidated here), V and I joined in the festivities. We had some serious catching up to do as we had not drunk vodka along side our Cheerios. By sunset we were merry, just like Christmas. We met some interesting individuals and ran away from many. Of note there was a small green dinosaur that had highly active claws, and 2 adolescents who could not take a hint. We took a shot with a priest and witnessed a clown being carried in a grocery cart. In the student district we came upon a most wonderful marching band. I have never rocked out to a marching band before, in fact I rarely even dance in public yet I just could not get my feet to stop grooving to the marching band beat. Soon after the marching band ceased and upon realizing that my chanting would not bring the music back, V and I trekked back to our hotel for a nights rest. The next morning we checked out
Cologne's massively large structure for Christian prayer, i.e., their church and hopped back on a train as there was not much else to see. The next weekend we travelled to
Amsterdam with the likes of Ms. Robin Wiviott and 3 of her friends who will remain nameless as their identity is no concern of yours
. We strolled the streets with curious eyes. We inquired about jobs in the red light district albeit they were not hiring part time employees. We browsed the shops and witnessed a Christmas parade. We met up with Ruth, my camp counsellor of 2000, great Watitohan, friend and keeper of the gym key. Her husband Dave was also present and I will be spending more time with the couple just after Christ's birthday. Finally, concerning
Amsterdam, let be clear about one thing, at no time did we smoke the pot. It may be legal but that does not mean my mother would approve of it. And I could not possible disappoint her; adolescent of the 70's and lover of Clay Aiken. Speaking of which, my mother, the very one I just spoke about, came to
Leuven this past weekend. Linda Merle is her name and she loved Leuven. Upon her arrival we went for onion soup of course and she stalked up on chocolate during my tour of the marvellous town. Throughout the next few days we went to
Antwerp, the fashion capital of Belgium and took advantage of their fine resource. (Please see exhibit A, a photo of the shoes I purchased). As well, we visited the magical, medieval city of
Brugge. As I have already been there twice and recounted my journeys both, not much more can be added here. I was brought up to speed with Mr. Aiken's splendid career and his noble humanitarian efforts. While Linda Merle is not yet seeking psychological help she will be attending her next concert with a psychiatrist. We are crossing our fingers and believe that she can still be helped. I am also crossing my fingers in hope that I will not be reprimanded for my facetious comments. In the coming weeks I will visit Maastrict and
Aachen. I will be writing several philosophical papers and of course eating onion soup. I hope all is well. I miss you and keep the emails coming, they bring me much joy!
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Comments
A clarification please
Hey Dara,
I liked the picture of the manikins. By the way, did you purchase the red or the black? Personally, I liked the black; it's more mysterious looking.
Robin
Hi Dara
Wonderful pictures!! I love your shoes!! Looking forward to seeing you in Amsterdam.
Spoke to Linda Merle! She had a fabulous time.
Love, Paula