Showing posts with label Brussels. Show all posts

One of my classmates here really wanted to see dinosaur skeletons (as she hasn't seen any in real life), so when she found out there were some on exhibition at the Brussels Natural History Museum, we decided to pay it a visit. We walked through Leopold Park (I think that's what it's called) trying to find the entrance to the museum. On arrow pointed in one direction, but then another arrow pointed in another direction ... we were confused, but it was well worth the trip because the park is really pretty now that spring is here.

The museum is pretty big, bigger than I originally thought. The interior design of the museum is actually quite nice, especially the dinosaur exhibit, which is very impressive. It's got more of a modern and industrial feel when compared to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in D.C. Alas, I don't have a camera, so I usurped my friend's camera and took a bajillion pictures. But it's still on her camera, and she's heading off to London and Greece tomorrow, so it'll be after spring break before I can get the pictures. A sample, from the museum's website ~



They also had a mammal exhibit, evolution exhibit, and a north/south pole exhibit (and more, but I can't remember off the top of my head). It was very nice, and there were students (little and big) on field trips in there. We felt like little kids as well. There's just something really awe-inspiring when you're in the same room as those full-scale dinosaur skeletons. They also had a room full of whale skeletons, and that was pretty awesome as well. You feel tiny in comparison.

After the museum, it was still early, so we walked through the park and went to Paul bakery where we just drank some coffee, ate some bread, and talked about ... life. Then it was shopping time, so we went to the shopping street in Brussels (Rue Neuve) where I ended up getting allergies along with socks. Hah. So after that, we decided to head back to Leuven since two of us still had to pack for their trips tomorrow. They're skipping classes so they can go home earlier *gasp!* Hahaha. :P Their spring break has officially started ... mine, not so much. booo!

Overall it was a really nice day. The weather was totally cooperative as well. :D I love Belgium when it's sunny, blue skies, and warm. Good times! But super tiring. I am all pooped out right now. >.<

I've forgotten how ADD European weather is.

This morning I wake up (at 730, sigh) and it's pretty cold and drizzly. Then, we go to Brussels, and it's cloudy with some blue skies and sun shining through, so it's relatively warm. Then, it starts pouring like no tomorrow with the sun shining in the distance (wtf?!). Then, we get back to Leuven, and stepping out of the train station my mom says, "well, the weather here is pretty good - look, the floor is dry!" And we see some blue skies in the distance. Then, two seconds later it starts raining. =.= THEN! We're five minutes away from home, and the clouds clear and blue skies and the bright sun comes out. And it is hot and blinding because of the wet cobblestoned streets reflecting sunlight (see above picture). And right now, it's getting cold again. ALL THIS IN A DAY. I'm surprised it's not SNOWING. (Just watch.)

Sigh. It makes deciding what to wear in the mornings a difficult task. I known I should layer, but then I'm too lazy to have to take clothes off and carry them around. So I normally end up either overdressing (like today, wearing a sweater, a vest, and a thick jacket) or underdressing (hoodie and tshirt). Blah.


On another note, discussion classes at 9 am are a bad idea. It requires me to wake up at 730, and today in particular, it causes me to not think coherently after a long climb up the damn steep hill to get to a library that's hidden away in a small alley, which I luckily stumble upon, but get lost trying to find the room in the library because it's like four flights down on level 92 but not on level 92 exactly but rather between levels 91 and 92. WTF?! In that case, the room number should be 91.5.03 not 92.03. That is MISLEADING. And then the prof talks about ethics (ugh) and what we're required to do in the class and I hear her talking, but none of it is actually being absorbed. So, if you ask me now what she said, I would have to say, I have no ideas? Thankfully there is a syllabus. Phew! Then the prof asks me what I think ethics is, and I somehow manage to blurt out an answer without thinking about what I was saying. Sigh. I hope it made some sort of sense. Ah whatever, I can't even remember what I said. Sigh


Enough random ranting for today. And I actually wanted to blog about accents. But that'll be for another time.

Ah, I missed a blog post yesterday. >.< Sigh. Bad!

Ok. That was dumb. After typing in the title of this entry, I hit enter instead of tab and basically posted a blank entry. Ah. My stupidity never ceases to amaze me. Neither does my forgetfulness. Sigh.

The *gasp* of the title was for the fact that I nearly let today go by without updating! Well, I guess I kind of did since it's past 12 am, but, eh. It's still TODAY for me since I'm still awake. Heh. Been trying to post something everyday, if you've noticed, and have been pretty successful, until now.

Today was another trip into Brussels. More mothers gathering for lunch (Japanese food today - yum!), and I get to tag along. I get good food, so I ain't complaining. I also bought nail polish! Yes! I didn't bring any from Taiwan because I seriously had no space in my luggage, and I thought I could do without nail polish for at least three months (until I go to D.C.), but I thought wrong. I don't know. My nails just look so blank and sad without some color! Well, I only bought one - copperish bronze. Once my mom leaves, time to go buy some black. MUA. HA. HA. HA. :)

Oh. So another addition to my short legs in a long leg land - Boots! I mentioned earlier that I went out and bought a pair, but that was after looking at all these different stores with all these different boots. Why was it so hard to find a pair? Well, price was the main concern. But there was another one! All the boots were so tall (not the heels, but the leg part) that if I wore it, they'd have gone past my knees. Woe. My legs are too short! Ahhhhh. So we wandered around trying to find a pair that was decent in price and not too tall so I didn't end up unable to bend my knees. Sigh. The pair that I finally settled on was actually located in a clothing store, not even a shoe store. Hah! And it's the perfect height for me (I hope it's not meant to be an ankle boot for the people here since that would be REALLY sad for me. No, I mean REALLY REALLY sad.).

Another difference that I've noticed is that people here tend to always look impeccably dressed for class. I mean, in UCLA we had those girls who put on tons of make up and wore short skirts with Uggs, but in general we were a campus of jeans, tshirt, and a UCLA hoodie. Or even just rolling out of bed and going to class still in PJs. But not so here. My fellow program-mates are ok. Jeans and well, not tshirts because it's cold here, but some kind of long sleeved shirt. But when I'm walking to class or even just around Leuven, I can't help but notice that the girls have like, make up on and are wearing stylish clothes, etc. I feel even more ... immature or child-like here. Hah! Not to mention short. Yup. The girls here are tall already, but they also wear heeled boots, which makes them even taller!

Maybe UCLA isn't the norm and other universities in the States or even Taiwan have girls showing up to class with impeccable makeup and clothes. Yes? No? Anybody? Anybody?

What a long day.

Went into Brussels today to have lunch with my mom's friends. Also walked away with a very nice pair of boots that was expensive, but not as expensive as the 200 ~ 300 Euro ones, which were the majority. Sigh. I figured it would be a good idea to get a pair since 1) it rains so often here, 2) it'll keep my calves warm, and 3) I can maybe wear skirts (I might have to start wearing tights, though. Oh dear God.).

After lunch, my mom thought we would be able to exchange my dad and her's drivers license at the community place near our old apartment, so we chill around until 5 pm and head over. Turns out we were mistaken and they were closed already (argh, it's a long metro ride, which feels even longer during rush hour), so we had to head back downtown to the train station (rush hour!!!) and wade through crowds (Friday AND rush hour. ugh.) to get to our train. We end up taking a really slow train that stops at all the little stops (normally it takes 20 minutes, this train ended up taking 36 minutes). Then we get to Leuven and decide to try to take the bus back to my apartment because it's cold and wet, and we end up going in the wrong direction. Thankfully we realized it before we actually arrived at the last stop (far, far away). So we wait in the cold and wet for the bus to take us in the other direction and finally make it home at like 7:30 pm (we left at 10am). At least now I know how to take the bus to the train station. Sigh. Did I mention it was raining all day long?

Oh how I hate the weather here. Raining most of the time. I seriously think So Cal weather has spoiled me. Sun. Blue skies. Sun. Little rain.

I am super tired, so please disregard any incoherencies and grammar mistakes. >.<

Near our old apartment in Brussels was small open space where a horse and pony would spend their time grazing. One time we were walking by and the pony was super close to the fence. My dad fed it grass, but I was too wimpy to do it (not to mention, I wasn't keen on getting slobber all over my hands. Gross!). It definitely liked its grass.

This is a part of the Belgium's 50th Anniversary Monument.

Mmmyah. That's about it. :P

Today was international car free day! How international it was, I have no idea. But, there were no cars allowed (except for taxis, buses, and those with special permits) in Brussels today. And there were some areas in Taiwan that were car-free as well. So, in my very narrow view of the world, that's semi international. :P It was interesting. There were a few cars that still drove, although I'm not sure if they were just ignorant, didn't care, or had special permits. But generally in our residential area, there were no cars, so you could walk on the roads. What a liberating feeling of not having to worry about having cars run you over. =P All the public transportation here were free too! So we took the metro to get downtown and back.

Last night in Brussels for me. Tomorrow, I will officially be living in Leuven as there will be no more home for me to come to in Brussels. Just as I was getting used to and knowing my way around this neighborhood. Meh, at least downtown Brussels is just a few stops away via train from Leuven.

Anyway, I think you all should visit me because I have a nice bottle of red wine waiting to be drank (drunken?) in Leuven. Who's up for it?

I just had a fantastic lunch that cost more than 50 euro per person (yah, you do the math) at L'Ecailler du Palais Royal. Muy expensivo! But, it was pretty good, and it's supposedly famous! :) I think I've eaten more fish this trip to Brussels than the last year in Taiwan. Hah! Um, unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera (stupid!), but! I did bring my cell phone, so there are pictures, just not of the best quality. :P The description of the restaurant on their card reads, "L'Ecailler du Palais Royal is located in a 17th century house in the "Sablon". The charming centre of the Brussels antique trade." The place is actually really nice (cozy feel), and the service was fantastic. They specialize in fish and seafood, so that's what we had! I just realized I forgot to take a picture of the white wine (a type of Riesling), which was pretty yum, and the bread. Ah well, here's everything else:

View out the window
Snail! The taste and texture was too ... weird for me (even though I enjoy escargots)
Complimentary appetizer, not sure what exactly it was, but it was good.
Dad's appetizer - three different kinds of oysters: deep oysters and two types of flat oysters.
Mom's appetizer - mussels au gratin (yum!)
Mine's - Salad with lobster and sole (yum toooooo. mmmmm. love lobster).
Mom's entree - 1/2 a lobster with mango and eggplant.
Dad's entree - Pan-friend monkfish.
Mine's - Dorado in olive oil w/ basil and tomato sauce and mashed broccoli and cauliflower.
Plate of goodies that they give you with coffee
Orange flavored creme brulee! So big! So good!
Espresso. Their cups and plates are so cute!

Ughhhh, Right now, though, I feel disgusting. I just had the first ever subway sickness! Hah! Nothing to be proud of, I'm sure. But of all the subways, metros, and MRT I've ever taken, this is the first time I felt like upchucking my lunch right there. I've figured out potential reasons why: 1) I had a big lunch (as you can see), 2) It was way stuffy and hot down there as they have no a/c in their subways and the windows were closed shut, and 3) The constant swaying and starting and stopping didn't help. Blergh.



Also - new drawing at Lines n Curves. :)

Thought I'd split the food entries up. One entry seemed a tad long. :P

Antwerp

Dimsum! That's all that needs to be said, except, we ordered way too much for the four of us. We'd taken the train there and were starving by the time we got there. Needless to say, we left overfull. Yikes! Towards the end, I was too busy eating to take pictures one by one. :P But if you guys come visit me, I know where to take you for some decent dimsum!

Duck tongue
Shrimp Qang Fen
Beef with thick noodles?
Assorted cow innards
Shrimp wrapped with tofu skin, I think
Spring rolls. Yes, I am Americanized; sue me.
Turnip cake. *Shudder*
Chicken feet YUM

Seafood Restaurant

Ugh, I'm so bad with names. If I don't get their cards, I never remember them. Anyway, this restaurant is frequented frequently (heh) by my dad and his office for lunch appointments and such with ... people. Eh. Anyway, they serve mainly fish, and sometimes they have lobster. But not the time we went, boo! Instead, we got mussels, which was yum!

Instead of bread, we had tiny shrimp. You decapitate it and then eat its body! It had a fishy taste that was too strong for me.
Dad's appetizer - sashimi
The rest of our appetizers - 1/2 Mussels
Fish dish
Fish dish
Fish dish
Fish dish (forgot exactly what kinds of fish :P)
To top it off, white wine from the Alsace region of France, fruity and sweet. Perfect!

Aux Armes de Bruxelles

Mussels! For my sister's last dinner in Brussels, we decided to be touristy and go where the tourists go! Near the Grand Place, there's a little alleyway that has a whole bunch of restaurants that serve mainly mussels and some other assorted seafood (e.g., lobster, clams, etc.). As you walk down the alley, these waiters try their best to get you to go into their restaurants. It was kinda weird with all of them talking at you, but I guess they have to because there's a lot of competition. Anyway, one of the most famous mussels restaurant is Chez Leon, but my said it was too touristy. So we went to the one across from it, which he likes better. It was pretty darn good. :) All the main courses, except for the lobster came with fries.

More Alsace wine with bread and butter.
Sister's - Mussels with white wine and cream.
Mom's - Eel in Green Sauce (not a fan of eel, personally, but my mom enjoyed it).
My lobster! It was yum!
Dad's - Mussels en casserole (basically au naturel - cooked with some butter, celery, and onions).

The end (for now)!

I finally have a follower!! Thanks Felish! :P

Anyway, so Brussels has very decent food, I have to admit. I think all the restaurants have a certain standard that they have to adhere to, so most of the restaurants my dad's taken us to have been yum! It's just too bad I won't be able to continue to afford eating at these snazzy and yum restaurants after my parents leave. *Sigh* The following are restaurants that we've been to and I'd actually brought my camera along (in order from earliest to most recent). I'm not even going to talk about price because they're all pretty pricey (most, if not all, were 20+ Euro per person). Lost of food pics, you have been warned!

Belga Queen
My mom's not a big fan of this restaurant. The few times she went before she always ordered the Plat du Jour (plate of the day) and was disappointed each time. However, their bathroom is awesome because the glass walls and doors of each stall are clear until you lock the door. Then, the glasses all fog up, and you can't see the person inside! Just for that, we had to take a trip to the restaurant. This time around we didn't order the Plat du Jour, just ordered main courses. I thought it was pretty good.

Beer! (Rodenbach)
Obligatory pre-meal bread and butter
Mom's dish - roasted cod with mashed potatoes
Dad's dish - Charcoaled steak with Artichoke
Sister's dish - Half raw tuna (aka seared tuna, thanks JC) with fries (As much as I dislike tuna, this was pretty tasty)
Mine's - Smoked Piglet with Veggies. T'was really yum!

Pictures of bathroom coolness? ~> Unlocked and Locked.

Italian Restaurant

Forgot the name of this restaurant. Hah! Their food was alright. Actually, I should say, their pizza was fantastic. We ordered pizaa with artichoke (<3!), olives, mushrooms, Italian sausage, and ham. Thin crusted, baked to perfection. So good. Other than that, their pastas and ravioli left much to be desired. And their post-meal alcohol? So strong it was ridiculous. Ever tasted paint thinner? I haven't, but I think that liquor was on par with paint thinner.

Bread, which was made out of the pizza crust. Fresh outta the oven, delicious!
PIZZA! which I forgot to take a picture of until we were 3/4 done with it.
Salmon pasta, which my mom likes, but I wasn't really a fan of the sauce. It just tasted weird. Then again, not a fan of salmon.
Dad's oxtail with pasta. It was aite. Only aite.
Horrible ravioli with bolognaise sauce. It was too salty and the ravioli itself was tasteless. Tried to tell the waiter that it was too salty, but the waiter didn't speak English. And salty in French escaped our minds.
After-meal liqueur, aka paint thinner. It was free. But it was DEADLY.

Brasserie du Parc (Ostend)

When we went on our tour of Northern Belgium, ended up at Ostend around lunch time. My dad's guide book suggested two restaurants, and one of them wasn't open yet and the prices were a tad high, so we ended up at Brasserie du Parc (which in the guidebook was named Cafe du Parc, weird until we realized the guidebook was published back in 2003 or something). After initial misgivings, we ordered, and the food turned out to be not so bad, except for my dad's dry, plain looking tuna sandwich.

Beer! Can't be without beer - 2 Hoegaardens and a Mort Subite.
Mom's dish - Bouillabaisse (sp?) aka Fish soup, which tasted super fishy, but my mom enjoyed.
Dad's dish - tuna fish sandwich. Mmm, looks tasty, huh? My mom's looks and probably tastes better than that.
Sister's dish - Omlette with everything (ham, cheese and tomatoes).
Mines - Chicken with white sauce (Creamy!). There was an official French name for it, but I can't recall what it is now.


To be continued ....