Valentine's in Paris

Aaah, Paris! I’m not normally a big city person, preferring beaches, forests and mountains to concrete jungles, yet, somehow Paris captivated me. I think it has something to do with the city’s energy and balance…Parisians seem to balance their busyness with a knack for taking advantage of life’s simple pleasures. The busyness is typified by the hustle and bustle of the streets, the relentless traffic and scores of cyclists, while the countless cafes and restaurants bursting with life at all hours (a sharp contrast to sleepy Brussels) speak to the other side of the coin. As we sipped coffee (it’s growing on me!) in a café on Sunday, it struck me that many the things we consider a treat - croissant breakfasts in cute cafés, jogs along the river or past middle aged churches, and lingering, delicious dinners - are part of daily life in Paris. Given the short train ride from Brussels, I just might become a part time Parisian over the next few months!

Saturday, Jerel and I created our own walking tour of Paris. We started the day breakfasting amidst joggers in Jardin du Luxembourg, then slowly wound our way through the streets to the very gothic Notre Dame cathedral. Jerel and I had both visited Notre Dame nearly 10 years ago but had no trouble appreciating the majestic flying buttresses, ornate columns, and rose windows for a second time. We next headed past the Louvre courtyard, through the Jardin de Tuileries to the busy Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe. We concluded our tour at the Tour d’Eiffel where we witnessed spectacles including a Valentine’s Day proposal and college girls sporting “free hugs” signs. The extremely long lines forced us to postpone our trip up the tower for the next day.

That evening we attended a unique musical show, starring our Brussels apartment landlord - Jean-Felix Lalanne – who had kindly invited us as his guests. Jean-Felix was a childhood guitar prodigy is now a top classical guitarist (though his repertoire is much broader). The setting at Théâtre du Petit Hébertot was intimate (~100 people) and the performance was part concert part play. It was a timeless autobiography with three cast members: present day Lalanne, in the flesh, feisty 10-year-old Lalanne and nostalgic 90-year-old Lalanne. His younger and older selves spoke were presented as, believe it or not, holograms. The show was both touching and musically impressive.

Sunday, we awoke to another beautiful day and headed directly to the Eiffel tower…stumbling along the way upon an open market with delicious crepes and also making the requisite café stop. When we finally made it to the (almost) top of the tower, it seemed possible to behold all of expansive Paris. The long lines, the pushing and even the overpriced, bad food were definitely worth it. From the tower, we made our way along La Seine to the Musée d’Orsay. We did the ‘best of’ tour, which essentially means you don’t leave anything out, including plenty of Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh…leaving just about the perfect impression from our weekend in Paris.

For more photos of our weekend in Paris click here.

Bienvenue à Bruxelles

Time flies when you’re eating chocolate… We’ve been in Brussels for about 3 weeks now and are already quite settled – we have not only obtained an apartment furnished to our taste, cell phones, and gym membership but are already cultivating guanxi (à la Shanghai) at our favourite local shops and cafes. I think I’m finally getting the hang of the relocation business!

Jerel and I have both been pleasantly surprised at how much Brussels has to offer, managing to be simultaneously international and cozy. The city is full of grand old buildings, impressive squares, and pleasant parks (two of which are very close to our new apartment!). The vast maze of cobbled streets offers an endless selection of cute clothing boutiques, flower shops, cafes, chocolateries, pubs, and restaurants (and a notable abundance of hair salons!?).

The predominant language here is French, which makes interactions with the locals a little challenging at times but also more fun. I am loving being able to finally put all those years of French schooling to use. More often than not, I can get the job done and have even garnered a few compliments on my French, (which, I admit, make my day). Still, I clearly have a ways to go as to my chagrin, I sometimes receive replies in English. Jerel arrived with almost zero French but thanks to his background in Spanish and his aptitude and enthusiasm for languages he is learning quickly.

Here are a few other first observations on Brussels and Belgians:

1. The people are very friendly. Strangers frequently converse, or at least exchange greetings that seem very sincere. Jerel loves riding the elevator in the morning at work for at each floor there is a chorus of well-wishes (“Bonne journée!”) between those exiting the elevators and those continuing up.
2. A balanced lifestyle is a high priority. In contrast to the workaholicism of North America (and China), Belgians seem to protect their personal time. It can be very hard to find anything open on a Sunday or after 7pm on a weekday. Even IKEA is closed on Sunday! I am still in denial about this and find myself frequently shocked when things are closed at what I consider normal business hours.
3. Chocolate is a food group. I guess you can’t blame them with so much good chocolate around, but I was floored when I first entered a large supermarket and saw that more than half of the adult cereals have chocolate. Who ever heard of special K or granola with dark chocolate?! I will never forget the hot chocolate that I had while watching the Obama inauguration (in French). Simply divine!
4. Specialty shops are the norm. While this is certainly not unique to Belgium, I nonetheless find it baffling that people find time (before 7 pm, no less!) to go to separate shops for cheese, bread, produce etc. Also, chains are out - I have yet to see a single Starbucks (although I did spot a few McDs and Haagen Dazs).
5. Pedestrians are king/queen! I would have taken this fact for granted before living in Shanghai, but I now truly appreciate not having to worry about being run over when I cross the road…Brussels is clearly on the opposite extreme from Shanghai when it comes to pedestrian rights.

Not a bad place, eh? The only downers so far are the weather, which seems like a colder version of Vancouver, and the prices – not crazy, just a bit of sticker shock after China. I must confess that I really miss the affordable luxuries of Shanghai!