Old Posts - Februrary Trip to Germany, Luxembourg and Battle of the Bulge

Hello hello! This post has been sitting on my computer for weeks, and I’m just now getting around to posting. Yes, I am aware that I am a giant slacker. Forgive me. So, I guess I’ll treat you to some old blog posts about what I have been up to in the months since I’ve posted.

In February, our group, 22 students and Jerry, headed off for a whirlwind trip about Luxembourg, Eastern Belgium and a little bit of Germany. We spent Wednesday night and Thursday in Luxembourg, which is tiny and beautiful. I don't know if you have been following European weather, but it has been a little chilly in this region of the world. Since Luxembourg is higher than Belgium (really not hard to be higher than Belgium), it was very cold and there was about 3 inches of snow!! Since it had been raining in Brussels for 2 weeks, snow was a very nice change.

There was an academic reason for our program to visit Luxembourg. At the beginning of the EU (back when it was still the European Coal and Steel Community) all of the organizations were based in Luxembourg. Today, only the European Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance are left. On Thursday we went to the ECJ, reviewed the basic structure and how it operates and then we sat in on a case. It wasn't very interesting because it was highly technical and involved a lot of Italian labour legislation, but it was very cool to be able to sit in the courtroom while the hearing was taking place. In the ECJ, hearings are really just formalities, but there is still a lot of pomp and circumstance involved which is pretty cool. We also stopped by the European Investment Bank, which wasn't quite as interesting since it involved a lot of economics and banking stuff. However, they did give us tea and the building was pretty, so not all was lost.

On Friday morning we got up and drove to Trier, which was once a capital city of the Roman Empire. There are a ton of Roman ruins around the city, including a gate, baths and a coliseum. In addition to the Roman ruins, Trier is known as a fairly good wine region. It is also a very student friendly city, so after we walked around all the sites we headed out for some German food. Unfortunately I was under the weather, so I spent the rest of the night in my hotel room watching German television.

My illness on Friday night was just a prelude to Saturday, so I spent Saturday fighting a fever while we drove around the sites of the Battle of the Bulge. While the subject was very somber, the scenery was beautiful. Lots pastoral landscapes and quaint villages. We saw the Siegfried line, which was a German defensive line designed to stop the allied offensive. Finally, late in the afternoon, we got out of the bus to walk the front lines near Aachen. There was about six inches snow on the ground, so you couldn't even tell that it had once been the scene of a horrendous campaign. I took lots of pictures of all the snow covering foxholes and the other trappings of war. What struck me most about our visit to the front lines was that all the carnage seems to have been swept away by time. It isn't even eerie to walk along the road, in fact lots of people use it as a hiking trail. I think I will always remember that I stood in the forest where one of the bloodiest battles of World War Two took place thinking how pretty the scenery was, not about the fact that thousands of brave young men on both sides lived and died there. Today, the hills and fields that were once battlegrounds have reverted to their original purpose, and the people who remember what happened there are dying, leaving nothing more than distant memories. To me, that is a tragedy. The war that changed Europe, and the world, forever, should be remembered. Not just for the men who died far from home, but for what they died for. Maybe if we learn that lesson, we can stop using weapons as negotiation tools and start talking to those who oppose us.

We spent Saturday night in Aachen, the home of Charlemagne and he is buried in the city. Aachen was a beautiful city, with several lovely squares and a very nice little shopping district. I think I fell in love with the basilica, mostly because of the breathtaking mosaics on the ceiling. I took several pictures that turned out well, but they can't compare to walking into the building and looking up. My jaw literally dropped. The ceilings reminded me a lot of the ceilings in St. Mark's cathedral on the Piazza San Marco in Venice – lots of gold and royal blue, incredible renderings of people and incredible attention to detail. Charlemagne is also buried in the basilica, in a very small gold box that is tucked away in the far back. It took us a while to figure out where exactly he was buried, as there are three magnificent gold boxes in the basilica, and Charlemagne is buried in the very smallest one.

After touring the city a little, some friends and I headed out for a nice Italian dinner to celebrate Valentine's Day. While not quite as commercialized as in the US, it seemed to me that every little shop window had a display with hearts set up. There were also lots of decorations for carnival, which is this weekend, so Aachen was extra festive.

On Sunday morning, we got up and headed back to Belgium. Along the way we stopped in at the American cemetery at Henri-Chapelle. The cemetery is very moving, and the director took us on a small tour, telling us stories about the men who are buried there. I have, of course, been to Arlington National Cemetery and seen the acres and acres of white headstones lined up in neat rows. Seeing death laid out like that is always so stark and moving, but the most incredible thing about the cemetery at Henri-Chapelle, is that the director knows the men who are buried there. He told us incredible stories about their lives, about their deaths, and about the families who still remember them. When we were leaving, he told us one final thing that he wanted us to remember. The men who are buried in the American cemeteries did not die of old age. They will forever be 19, 20, 21 - my age - and we should remember their lives and why they died. So, after we left the cemetery we headed to the aptly named Remember Museum. The Remember Museum is run by a Belgian couple that has actively tried to preserve the memory of what the Americans and the allies did during World War Two. They have collected an incredible amount of artifacts from World War Two, and put them on display in their own home so that veterans, their families and individual people can come and see, or remember, the lives of the people who fought in the Second World War. If you ever find yourself in Easter Belgium, it is certainly an interesting museum, crammed full of history and run by a dedicated, compassionate couple.

So, that was our little jaunt around Western Europe. It was educational, sometimes emotional and very fun. I took A TON of pictures, which I would love to share with everyone, so I am working on setting up an online account so you can all see what I've been up to. Once it is up and running, I'll post a link here on the blog so you can check it out if you're curious.

Back on the Brussels front, things have been going well. School and work are keeping me very busy but I love every second of it. I have more stories to update you all on - my trip to Berlin, spring break in Turkey and life around Brussels. I'll get to all of it - expect lots of posts in the next couple days. Miss you all, hope things are going well.

Living Arrangements and Other Odds and Ends

             I'm supposed to be studying for my first test, which doesn't explain why I am uploading pictures of my apartment. As you can probably guess, that is my bedroom. Through the curtains is Hilary's bedroom (my roommate), and then the kitchen and bathroom. It gets a little chilly because of the tile floor, but all in all it is pretty cozy. Anyway, this is where I'm living for the next 3 months (I bet you are all jealous that I get to hang out in such fancy digs)! 

             

If you noticed the changes on the blog, I decided some house keeping was in order, plus I was a little bored of the old pattern and needed to waste some of my free time. This weekend I'm headed off to Leuven, Antwerp and Ghent. I'm obviously brining diamonds back from Antwerp, so if you are in the market let me know. Hopefully this weekend I can set up a web album so you can look at my pretty pictures if you are so inclined. 

Next week is quite busy. We have classes on Monday, and then I'll be at the RMA (which I love!) on Tuesday and Wednesday. Then on Wednesday we are headed off on a mini European tour to Luxembourg, Trier and some of the battlefields. We'll be stopping in at the European Court of Justice and the European Investment Bank as well. 

I hope everyone is well. I'd love to get some updates (*nudge nudge*) as I'm feeling a little isolated here in chilly Belgium. I hope you are all keeping warm in DC. Sarah and Lisa, I hope you are enjoying/excited about the sunshine in the Southern hemisphere - I am quite jealous. Best to all and lots of love!!!

The One Where Liz is an Intern

The program I am on in Brussels has three main features. 1) Academics - where Dr. Jerry Sheridan, of tour guide fame, teaches us everything we ever needed to know about the EU. 2) Lots of traveling - where Jerry takes us out of the class room and shows us all the things we have been learning about (like the European Parliament and NATO). He also takes us to some pretty sweet places that aren't exactly kosher (don't tell Mom that I'm going to the Balkans in April). And 3) an Internship - where we go out and learn all about being real people. 

My internship is at the Ecole Royale Militaire (or Royal Military Academy). I am working with the World Politics/Conflict Studies department, and my job consists of researching defense education in Europe. This is a pretty sweet deal all around, since I'm considering going into defense/security studies. Also, the RMA is about 10 minutes from my house and the campus is really beautiful. There should be more updates on this soon, as tomorrow is my first day of work! I just wanted to let you know what I'm up to, especially since I've been a little lax about keeping up with the blogging. Hopefully that will change as I start to really settle down in Brussels, but with all the traveling and studying ;) going on, I'm still a little busy!

Beautiful Bruges

Since Belgium is a very small country, we get to travel around to all the different cities. First up was Bruges. Bruges used to be a bustling port city, until all the rivers silted up and boats couldn't get there anymore. However, it is probably one of the most beautiful cities (towns?) I have ever been in. Lots of cute little canals, which you can apparently tour by boat a la Venice, and beautiful scenery. Jerry, our program director and professor extraordinaire, led out little tour group around and told us lots of fascinating stories about the place. 

Apparently Bruges was the site of a very famous battle between the French and the Flemish, in which a small army of Flemish peasants killed a whole bunch of French knights. The date of this battle is still the national day of Flanders and there is a giant statue of the leaders of the rebellion in the town square. No wonder there is linguistic conflict in Belgium, eh? Anyway, there is a plethora of beautiful buildings around Bruges, all with their own unique history. We saw one of the only Michelangelo statues outside Italy, of Mary and Jesus as a boy. There is also apparently a piece of cloth that has the blood of Christ on it, which dates from the Crusades. So, long story short, we learned a lot about history and saw a very beautiful city.

Now on to the really important stuff, what we ate! I had my first belgian waffle in Bruges and it completely lived up to my expectations - fresh strawberries and creme and pure deliciousness. After we had lunch we had to work off all of the calories so we climbed the bell tower. We timed our ascent just right, so we reached the top just as the bells started to ring. It was quite loud! After that we decided that the traditional fare of Frites (fries) was in order. My friend Trent and I were adventurous and had ours with mayonnaise (which is traditional), and I have to say that it was actually quite tasty. It was also warm, which was nice because the temperature outside was frigid. And we capped our little trip off with a nice Belgian beer, brewed in Bruges. The beer was good, but we were really confused because they only had bottled beer and we thought that in a brewery they would have at least one beer on tap! 

I might end up back in Bruges in the next couple of years, because the College of Europe is located there. The College of Europe is like the Harvard of the European Union, so if I can swing it maybe I'll head back this way for grad school! Not a bad place to spend a year studying, at any rate.

Welcome to Brussels

Well, I have spent a week in Brussels and I have to say it is fantastic. The weather leaves a little to be desired, but it is significantly warmer than the weather at home so I guess I don't have a lot of room to complain. Most of the first week has been a crash course in Brussels and I have learned so much I don't think I can remember all of it. That being the case, I will give you a little taste of what I have been up to since I left.

• Getting Here: I was the last person from the program to arrive in Brussels on Friday afternoon, however I did make it on time. As I said in my last post, I was quite relieved to make it with all of my luggage. That was because I had a very tight turn around in London, made even tighter by the fact that my plane from Dublin left 30 minutes late. Anyway, after arriving in London I had to collect my luggage (thankfully only 1 bag), make my way from Terminal 4 to Terminal 5 via the train, recheck my luggage onto British Airways, clear security and board the plane. To give you some idea of how close I was cutting this, my flight from Dublin didn't land until 10:40 and I had exactly 1 hour to check my bag or it wouldn't make the flight to Brussels. Miracle of miracles, I accomplished all of this and made it to the gate in London with 15 minutes to spare. 
• Touring Brussels: On Friday night we had a welcome dinner with Dr. Sheridan, the program director, which was very nice even if the food was questionable. Afterwards some of us headed out for some Belgian beer, which hit the spot after a long day traveling. Saturday morning, we woke up and began a full day of acquainting ourselves to the program and Brussels. We learned all about living with Belgian families and what to expect from the program. Then, we walked around Brussels for several hours with Dr. Sheridan acting as our tour guide. We visited the Grand Place, the Manneken Pis and several other touristy areas in old-town. The tour was interesting, but I was glad to get back to the hotel and get out of the cold.
• Living with Belgians:  Our host families met us at the hotel to take us home on Saturday night. I live with another student, Hilary, with a very nice family. Marc-Henri and Anne are the parents, and they have two daughters around our age who are away at school. We live at Montgomery Square, in an adorable house (pictures soon) that is halfway between downtown and the campus. We eat dinner with the family 3 times per week and have breakfast at home every morning. Belgian food is very good, if a little heavy, and Anne is a very good cook. Hilary and I live in the basement of the house, which is basically one long apartment separated by curtains. We have our own kitchen and bathroom, as well as a private entrance. Down the street from our apartment is a shopping district where we go to buy food. There is a grocery store, but I love going to all the specialty stores. There is a bread store, a fruit/veg store, a cheese store, a wine store. The list goes on, but needless to say, it is all fantastic. 
• Class? Yes, I am actually taking classes in Belgium. As much I wish I could just travel and eat and go to museums, I have to actually learn while I am here. The main focus of this program is the European Union, which means I'm a very happy camper. Dr. Sheridan is amazing! He knows so much about Belgium and the EU that I don't think we'll ever be bored. We also get to take a class on European Defense, which I great for me since I've been thinking about getting into that field. All in all this semester is a great opportunity to explore, expand my knowledge and enjoy Europe. There is also an internship that goes with the program, but I don't know where I'll be working yet. I have 4 interviews this week, so keep your fingers crossed that I land something good.
  
• Obama-mania!! Just in case anyone missed the memo, there was a little presidential inauguration last week. While most of my friends froze to death on the National Mall to be there in person, here in Brussels we watched from an American bar on Place Luxembourg next to the European Parliament. I have to say it was much warmer there that DC! I thought President Obama gave a great speech, and I'm quite excited to see what he does in the months to come. I'm also excited because there is a rumor going around that the new President will make his way to Brussels sometime this spring. Maybe the AU Brussels program will be invited for a little meet and greet? Well, it doesn't hurt to hope!

Well, I think that is all for now. I miss everyone so much and I wish you could all come here to visit me. I hope all is well at home!