Coep de coeur: Brussels!

Brussels has got a very special spot in my heart. We lived down there for 3 years and I remember that I had not such an easy of saying goodbye of Louvain where I was living at the time. But now that we have moved on to Overijse. P longed for less typical noises a city produces and more parking spots! I folowed along with him but leaving behind Brussels was like leaving behind a piece of myself!

So when the gang of Hoepertingen wanted to get together for a weekend I couldn't wait to introduce Brussels to them and make clear to them that there is more to our capital then traffic jams, the royal palace, lost tourists, too expensive restaurants, dirty streets,....

I wanted to make sure that they got to see the place where I fell in love with and will always go back with a smile. So on Saturday the 12 of November we met up in the lobby of Bloom Hotel. With the punch line:'Stay away of the ordinary' for sure a fitting place to crash for the nigth. The fact that these accomodations are situated in the rather dodgy part of the city might keep you away but it is for sure one of the surprises the capital of Europe has got in store for you!!

R was aleady waiting in the lobby when I walked in and did I have a surprise in store because I managed to contact one more person of our gang. B and I managed to keep it a secret. He was rather excited to see our faces when they would see him. Well observing R, B & D seeing B back after that time seemed a bit like watching one of those cheesy episode where people get back together after a long time! Also W, our guide for the day witnessed this scene.

We then checked out our rooms and then took of for a walk but we first had to adjust our outfits to the rather polar temperatures. Outside the city was waiting for us, the temperature was dropping and the city was completely dressed up for the Holiday Season.

We jumped on a tram and headed to the palace of Justice where we descented to most colorful part of Brussels, the Marollen. Highligths of that 'slow' walk:
- a drink in one of the 'staminees' where the very out of the ordinary inhabitants of the city quarters have a beer, play a tune on the jukebox, dance or play cards.
- eating the superb Marollen delicacy 'escargots'. They were served warm in a plastic cup with a tiny 'forchette' and were swimming in a very tasteful 'juice'. The lady who served us with a big smil,some less teeth and speaking 'Brussels' made them taste even better. If you wish the know what that language sounds like just try to read the cartoon here above!
- A tasteful beer at 'De Skieve Architect'. Staminee number two where we wer able to suck up some of the special flavour that city produces. We then decided to call L to find out when she was going to arrive.
- The many streets, monuments and buildings that tell their own story. Poverello, where the less fortuned inhabitant can get a warm meal, the headquarters of the PS (where Madame Non, feels at home), La clef d'Or (where our worldfamous Ketje Toots Thielemans drinks a beer and plays a tune or two), 'Les Bains (where our former prime minister Van den Boeynams used to take his shower) where people can swim in an architectural gem, the old fireware department (a less succesful reconversion), the primary school designed by Art Nouveau goeroe Horta: school 'De Kindertuin', Mont-de-piete (the last 'real pantjeshuis of this country)and many more!
- Beer number tree (but I guess I lost count how many we in total we already had ;-) we had in very arty farty environment of the 'Het Goudblommeke in Papier' where world famous artist got to together for some colorful discussions (Magritte had his first exhibition here and Hergé also found his way there for some inspiration!
- We passed many shops with some less straightforward objects for sale (see facebook pictures)and fancy shops that were dressed up for the season.

Then it was time to say goodbye of B & W and heading back to the hotel were L was waiting to join us. For our reunion dinner we ended up in Brasserie Ploegmans. For sure a place to remember where you can digest some of our most straightforward traditional dishes. Our table got filled up with the classics like 'carbonade', 'balletjes in tomatensaus', 'vleesbrood with stoemp & spruiten'. Top of the bill was R his choice: 'mergpijpjes'.

In the company of a bottle of champagne and a very friendly staff we for sure could agree with the review of the 'Agenda' (bet that the copies that I passed out have already been recycled. After a rather cool down walk through Brussels we settled for drinks at the 'Roi de Belge'.

Here we talked for hours about many things, did I empty my handbag and amazed them all by its content. You can be sure there were some surprises in there for me as well! L then tried to convince that trip to the toilets was for sure a smelly mission! D told us a very gripping story about his daughter P and we tried to convince B why a dinner experience at a three star restaurant is worth its money.

After we had finished the last drinks we decided to call it the night and some of were tempted to finally try out those booked rooms. On the way home we found out that doing 'pipi' is not a right!

Arriving at the hotel we found oyt that last nightcaps were not to be found in the 'cool fridge'. When we finally found the venting machine that was described in the hotel directory we were rather dissapointed: just pop no beer! So R&B went on a mission of drinks.

So three of us stayed behind in the hope they would return soon with some extra fluids. You can be sure that midnight already had passed for hours and that our bodies were screaming for sleep. So L & I gave D a night kiss and headed for our room. Just before taking of for dream country there were knocks on the door. Surprise, surprise: B&R!

Suddenly I had this flashback about when we are at camp: escaping to other people their room and once we got there we would just sit there. L also pointed this out but the big difference was that in no time we were having some rather deep going conversations. Very odd sensation to be lying there in your bed and discussing the facts of life.

Many of the things we talked about where just very meaningful and made me also realise that we are growing older but that inside of us still the fire is burning that we need to make something meaningful out of it. All five of us have made choices, have felt pain or lost someone of something on the way, have still dreams and intentions.

I fell asleep when the sun almost peeked through the curtains and housekeeping also came in when we were still not out of bed. At the tasty breakfast we looked rather all looked zombielike but inside I did feel so much warmer because I was sitting there with friends for life that I truely believe in and whose principles I can underline.

Keep up the spirit you all and hope you had a nice stay in the capital of Europe and will return many more times!!! On the way home I suddenly came to think of Jacques Brel who also loved Brussels and whose spirit of life can inspire me. For me this city has got an amazing power and spirit and I was happy that ones more I felt it's heartbeat going stronger then ever. In our hearts we are all little 'ketjes'.

P.S.: Pictures are to be found on Facebook but here I include a video with some nice pics and a song that is very suitable!

Driving home for xmas!

Outside the snow is glistening in the last rays of the winter sun and I have put a nice warm blanket over me in order to stay warm. I can officially state:
THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE!!! I MADE IT!!!

The following next two weeks:
-I will be home and have the opportunity to meet up with tons of family and friends of fare or close by. I can't wait to have my sis over, the see D & A their smiles when they open their presents together with their cousin A under the xmas tree, I will be able to hug my Spanish little niece and stare into her eyes where hope still can be found unconditionally,
-I will try to catch up with friends of high school and have nostalgic times in the company of gingerbread and gluhwein or a Bacardi Coke!!
- I will be writing tons of xmass cards with personal messages (and yes, don't worry my annual New Year's letter will be also sent along) that come straight out of the heart!
- I will be baking cookies and other goodies to add some extra flavour to the xmas spirit. A has promised me that I can count on him as a sous-chef. Hmmmm, the kitchen filled up with nice smells that make me smile and create wonderful memories. The trail of crumbs that can be found between the kitchen and the living room is of course the best proof of success!
- I will be having tons of food and that will cause some issues! But hey, a table filled up with food is the best spot to gather with friends in the holiday spirit!
- I will be dreaming of a white xmas but have to settle for rain! Because all the snow that had to come day on the xmass-night already touched the ground yesterday. But we had a cava (with the compliments of C, who will be moving to North Carolina and whose smile and cheerful spirit I will for sure be missing!)around the fire basket in more then 5 cm of snow!
- I will be watching tons of Holiday movies and listening to xmas carols and songs that can only be watched and listened at when it is the season to be jolly! Chances that I will be singing along and that A will tell me to stop because I sing so off key!
- I will be on xmas present hunt! Once more I just put it of till the very last moment to get there out in the shopping jungle and face the crowd! Sorry if I manage to bump into you when I try to reach to a certain item! No hard feelings there I just want to make sure that I can produce some smiles when the presents will be unwrapped. Hopefully I find enough people who want to wrap up my gifts because I still suck at that aspect of the Holiday!
- I will be putting together gift boxes for friends abroad!!! Love doing that but I hope that they can forgive me once more that I will get their surprise box when they have already stored the xmas decorations away.
- I will be homesick for the States! God, do I miss that place around this time of the year. In 1992 at xmas night I was sitting in my bedroom in North Canton crying my eyes out because I longed so much for home. Now I am homesick for all the friends that will be over there celebrating with their families. MISS YOU ALL!! I am still grateful for one of my best years ever and also the fact that I can keep in touch with some of them means the world to me! Bet that some colleague exchange students will be sharing this feeling with me!
- I will be missing my dad & grandmother and that is the silver lining to our xmas in this household! Them not having around the xmass tree while we are sharing the xmas spirit is still hard to face. But I do know that in very small things they will be joining us this holiday season as well!
- I will be sitting under the xmas tree with A starring at the nativity set that he set up very nicely. When he was looking for Jesus he asked:’ Mum, where is Jesus? Because he needs to get into the house and only can come out at xmas eve!' So my five year old son grounded Jesus. But I when I do look into the eyes of this child I will be able to feel the hope and the peace that I still believe in against all odds! I own that to all the children of the world even the ones that don't know that it is xmas out there. But peace is the most precious gift to be found out there!
- I WILL BE DRIVING HOME FOR XMAS! And that is for me the best gift of all! Because once I arrive after that ride I will find that xmass spirit that will create unforgettable xmass memories, ones that I will cherish forever.

So dear friends out there all over the world have yourself a very merry little xmas! And create some nice, joyful, delicious, warm, grateful and for sure peaceful memories!!! They will lighten up the darker days of the year to come!

P.S.: The next song stands for sure what I do feel this Holiday season!!
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JAQPZfycgk">

Loving words for N&P

As promised in my last entry the speech that I gave as a maid of honor!
It was such a wonderful wedding: a radiant bride and confident groom, lovely & stylish dressed people, a tiny Italien car speeding through Elsene, an ice cold church warmed up by a deeply devoted to each other bride & groom, nice food and very nice table conversations, a touching speech from the splendid Best Man R (P has for sure a very good best friend), genuine emotions (tears of joy most of the time!), Mexican music & Tequilla, bumping in to old & new friends, sharing a room with a person you only know for 1 day (but K you rock girl and keep up the principles you live by!!!) a wedding crasher (K & I had even have to argue about why we still don't have European numberplates and this guy realy got on my nerves but at least he added something extra to the wedding memories!!

"Dear N&P,

You made it!! The two of you are from this day on Mr and Mrs B-B. But A & A, don’t worry, knowing N she will keep on wearing the B name very proudly. Together with all the people here present I want to express our happiness that the two of you have found the way to the aisle in order to say that one word that can make the difference in a relationship.

W.H Auden wrote once a Poem called ‘Tell me the truth about love?’ In this poem he wonders what the truth is about this very strong emotional feeling and this seems not an easy mission. But just one look at the two of you we can tell that you are able to give some answers to this very tricky question.

First of all P you know by now that the woman you can carry now over the threshold of your comfy & cosy apartment is for sure a gem to hold on to. N will be always waiting impatiently at home with a five course meal, the newspaper nicely folded and your comfortable slippers. She will be the domestic goddess that many men here present have wild dreams about.

It is also a fact that you will always score with taking her along while networking. Because just one look at this stylish lady will make many consultants their head spin. But you have to be aware of the fact that she still will chase after truck drivers who have blocked her way and that when the Haägen Dazs pops out of the fridge she might need that extra huge that will give her the extra energy she is after. And you better keep some Belgian chocolates on your bedside table in case she is having one of her notorious nightmares!

N, as you know, P was always along your side even when you were dating other men! And dating was for you always serious business. So no wonder that you now are staring into the eyes of your best friend! P will take you on to many places around this globe, he will perhaps forget about the time when he faces spreadsheets & numbers but in the end he always returns home where you are the master chef. He will be the steady beacon of light you are searching for when you feel lost.

P can always brighten up the rather gloomy days with his sophisticated taste of suits, and matching shirts and socks. Also thanks to his Mexican heritage and with the help of your inspiring mother in law R L your rather dull days will be turned into a Mexican Fiesta. When P then turns up his radio while playing a jazzy tune by Cole Porter he will for sure make you smile. The biggest asset of P is his mysterious smile and look in his eyes and you can be assured that he uses this force wisely. But don’t make him choose between you or the hamster L because that might be the biggest relation test ever!

So, N and P, take care of each other, keep focused on the things that matter in life, try to think positive, stay open for the unknown, take once in a while a deep breath and dream away and hold out for that hand where now the proof of your unconditionally love can be found!

To end perhaps some last final words of advice by others:

For P the fitting words by Johann Wolfgang Goethe:

‘The sum which two married people owe to one another defies calculation. It is an infinite debt, which can only be discharged through all eternity.’

For N some wise words by Kahlil Gibran

‘You were born together, and together you shall be for evermore....but let there be spaces in your togetherness. And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.’


Dear family & friends from close by and far away here present let us raise one more time our glass and drink to the health and happiness of the newly weds N&P!"

Tell Me the Truth About Love

The moment that I heared the poem 'Funeral Blues' by W.H. Auden in the movie 'Four Weddings & a Funeral' I got hooked on this rather mysterious poet. I even found a very nice booklet with 15 love poems by him! Published with Hugh Grant on the cover because of the movie!! I cherish this little booklet because inside you can find some of the most equisite words of poetry written with wit and imaginative language about love.

For the moment I am into 'Tell Me the Truth About Love.' It is there that I found the inspiration for the speech that I have writing for N&P their wedding!!! Because I do think that people who exchange wedding vows have some extra answers to this question!

I can't publish my speech yet!! I am tempted but N might for once read the blog and I do know that P walks in frequently to check it out. So you will have to wait till Sunday! For the moment there is only one other woman has had the pleasure to proof read it and I have told her that I will have to kill her if she passes it on!!! You are warned.

Guess, you can tell that I am rather excited for them! YES!!! YES!!! YES!!! I even had some comments that this is not my wedding and that I shouldn't be stressed about it!!! Duh!!! I feel a bit responsible because I am one of the maids of honor so I better be a bit nervous.

This was the checklist I had to tick of to make sure that I am ready for N&P their big day!

- fixing dates for appointment with hairdresser & beautician: Well the first one was not a big of deal! The latter one I kind of forgot about and I am greatful now that I will make it to the wedding with clean nails, longer finger nails then normal and eyebrows that are done nicely and make-up that is done professionaly. I will even have to take A on one of these appointments! But who wants to be beautiful has to suffer!!

- hen party for N: tons of mails, getting together, planning, brainstorming, creating and booking went into this one. But we managed to give N that one day to celebrate her last weeks as unwed woman. A nice brunch, a sauna and jacussi in the company of champagne, some shopping, a cocktail and some nice Italian food in the company of some of her best friends were for sure a day to remember!

- getting dressed: that was painful!! K and I have to match a bit because we will be running around together most of the day and I will look nice that we wear compatabile outfits. It cost me sweat, tears and some money (although I got something extra out that shopping day!!!) to get the right outfit! Thanks to N, my very critical mum and a shopp assistent who was patient enough to put up with me and my wishes I got the outfit where I do feel good & beautiful in (at least that is what I hope!) and A announced out loud that he thaught that the boots I will be wearing for that day are rather sexy!!! I hope they make some nice pics for my mum to show!

- booking a room: The wedding reception will be at a very nice hotel!!! Such a posh and fancy place to have a wedding. Ever since a kid I wanted to find out what there was behind the doors of this rather mysterious hotel. Many famous global citizens have slept there and on Sunday morning I will wake up in one of those beds!!! Feel like a princess!! I will share my room with an other wedding guest because P will be heading for home due to our babysitting arangements but I have got a room!!!!!!!

- getting to know new people: I have met some very nice people while getting ready for this wedding. N has got some very nice friends and it was so much fun to sit together gossip, plan, get carried away (IS ELVIS IN THE HOUSE, hey E&J!!) and looking forward to this big day!! We hope that they will like the little sketch we have put together for the two of them. You can be sure that I will miss them all once the wedding is over!! Hopefully we can keep in touch once in a while!

- coming up with a present: I do have got a present but I will only hand it over after the wedding. Because K&I are going to put together something special for N in order to survive her first year as a newly wed. But I hope she will like it. I do hope that she likes the little present and the card I bring along for now!

- wishing & hoping: Yes, I am a bit jeaoulous of N!!! I still hope that one day I will be able to get there where she is going to stand and starring into the eyes of the one person she loves unconditionaly. P is afraid that I will start having wedding blues after this one. But I don't intend to. There are even moments that I can say that I am happy that I still have something to look forward to. But on the 5th of December I will be so happy for N&P because I do know that N wanted this very badly and that for her love is a very strong emotional feeling that only can be expressed in wedding vows!!!!

Have to run now because I have to start packing!!!
To end and perhaps let you grave for more the first sentences of the poem.

'Some say that love's a little boy,
And some say it's a bird,
Some say it makes the world go round,
And some say that's absurd,
And when I asked the man next door,
Who looked as if he knew,
His wife got very cross indeed,
And said it wouldn't do.' (WH Auden, 1938)

P.S.: In case you are reading this in between tons of last minute arrangements: N & P I wish you the very best wedding ever and that it is a day to cherish for a very long time!!!!!