The Next Adventure: September 2023

Saturday, September 23, 2023

Leuven and Waterloo, Belgium

My last day in Brussels! Angela took me on a tour of nearby towns. First, we visited historic Leuven, well known for its university. Town center of Leuven below:

Saturday morning is market day, with vendors selling all sorts of produce and food on the streets: fruit, mushrooms, garlic, olives and a stand offering hotdogs and escargots!

The town center was a busy place. There was a bridal party in front of the Cathedral, and a World Breakdancing Competition was going on in the piazza.

We took a long walk away from the center to the beautiful Groot Begijnhof of Leuven, admiring the buildings and gardens. This used to be a community of single, semi-religious women, now restored and made into university residences.

On the drive back to Brussels, we stopped at the village of Waterloo, famous for the battle where the Duke of Wellington defeated Napoleon. The battleground on the outside of town is now a memorial with a museum. We visited the gift shop but did not attempt to climb up 226 steps to the Lion's Mound (Butte du Lion) for the aerial view.

In the town itself, it was easy to find parking near the city hall. And near the parking area, sitting on a bench reading, was Victor Hugo whose Les Miserables was set during the Battle of Waterloo. The town center had high end stores along its main road, and bars and restaurants in the narrow side streets. We stopped at the Waterloo Cathedral, the inside of the Cathedral had a number of marble memorials commemorating those who died in battle, sad to note that most were so young.

We ended the day at a bar, sitting at an outside table, listening to live music played by a two-person band "the Human Jukebox". We could request any song from a list displayed on a cell phone (after scanning a QR code). Great audience participation! The bar served only drinks but we were able to order finger food delivered from a shop next door. The local beer (Waterloo - the "Beer of Bravery") was excellent.

Friday, September 22, 2023

Visiting NATO HQ and European Union Exhibit

I used to work for a NATO research agency in Italy, had visited the old NATO HQ in Brussels for a meeting. It was a treat to be able to visit the new HQ that was constructed after I left over 10 years ago. A friend who used to work with me in Italy but now works in the HQ, sponsored my visit. Beautiful and modern, the interiors of the buildings were pretty amazing but no photos allowed due to security. Below are a few shots of the outside (taken by my friend), it was a rather cloudy and blustery day.

After lunch, I texted a friend who works for the European Parliamentary Library to see if we could meet for coffee. She was very surprised to know I was in the area and we agreed to meet at a cafe near the EU Commission which was at the end of the bus line. Since I had about 2 hours to kill, I decided to visit the European Union Visitor Center since the Commission itself (photo of buildings below) is closed to visitors.