Back in Beligum

The EU buildings

Marc and Jenna in front of the Royal Palace

Marc and Jenna in front of the Brussels Stadhuis
Me and Marc in front of the Menneken Pis
Marc and I drinking Delerium in Delerium Cafe

The Jesuit Church in Antwerp

One of Ruben's altarpieces

Jonathan and Liam in the Antwerp Cathedral

Rubens altar in Jacob's Church

The Antwerp Cathedral

Goed morgen (good morning) everyone! I am writing to you (swiftly) because I wanted to get a quick blog in before I head off on Monday morning with the Loyola crew to tour Italy for 12 days. Though I didn’t travel this weekend, I wanted to scribble down a quick blog because I did get to play host to two familiar faces – Marc and Jenna(er) – as the DC contingents of the family headed across the pond for a tour of Belgium and Germany. Me and the rest of the ’09-’10 Leuvenites gladly welcomed and played host to the ’03-’04 study abroad duo (though I suppose the rounds of free drinks helped our hospitality).

That’s right, this past weekend Marc and Jenna were in town hoping to reignite their old study abroad memories, as they traveled through Belgium – where Marc studied – and then headed out to Berlin – where Jenna studied. However, I joined them in Belgium on many occasions for various drinks or meals (having an older brother in town does have its benefits) in exchange for minor up to date travel advice.

Marc and Jenna arrived in Leuven at about 4 in the afternoon last Saturday and were just settling in at their hotel when I arrived to meet them at the Holiday Inn Express in Tiensestraat. Wanting to keep them up as long as possible we began walking about the city. Watching Marc stroll the streets of his former hometown was quite humorous in the beginning as his eyes were often drawn to street signs, restaurant names, and addresses. It was like watching a kid in a giant candy shop, running through the aisles recognizing some things, but curious to try new sweets. His head was on a swivel, always looking at building fronts, trying to remember what was still around from when he was in Leuven (I’d say by the end of the trip the “That USED to be” and the “That IS” expressions broke about even).

That first day we hit all of the bare essentials – the Oude Markt, the Nachbahrhuis, the Central Library, and the Stadhuis – before we stopped for a delicious Stoofvlees (beef stew) dinner at Domus (a microbrewery which makes most of its dishes with its own beer). After dinner, we grabbed a quick beer or two out on the Oude Markt before calling it a night and letting them get some sleep.

The next morning (afternoon) we headed out to tour the capital of Belgium and the EU – Brussels. Though they were a little bit jet lagged, Marc and Jenna were good sports in following me around. We saw the EU Parliament buildings, the Grote Markt, the Menneken Pis, and few of the other more touristy areas of the city. We even stopped to grab beer in Delerium Café and got some mussels in Brussels for dinner (again can I emphasis the beauty of family visits).

On Monday, I stayed back in Leuven to do some work, while Marc and Jenna headed out to Antwerp to meet with Marc’s friend who studied abroad, and currently lives in the city of Barbo (see earlier blog on Antwerp). After spending the day in the city of diamonds, Marc (Jenna had retired for the evening) returned home with just enough time to meet up for a beer at the Klokhuys (or what “used to be” the Wink). Well somehow one beer turned into a couple of rounds, and one conversation turned into a couple of debates, and before we knew it, 6 am rolled around – to all of our disbelief – and we decided to head home with the sunrise.
After (and perhaps a result of) our late Monday night/ early Tuesday morning, Tuesday was a relatively lazy day. Marc and Jenna utilized the day time to tour Leuven more thoroughly while I was in class. We then met for dinner at De Weireing (a relatively good ribs place) and grabbed a couple of drinks at the Irish Pub and in the Oude Markt before calling it a day.

On their last full day in Belgium, M&J headed out to the mystical city of Brugges. While they were touring “the Disney World of Belgium” – as the locals put it – I was headed out to Antwerp for a class trip. My Flemish Arts course has occasional field trips to see close-up the art work that we study. We headed to Antwerp (the city of Rubens) and gathered at several different churches (the Jacob’s Church, The Jesuit Church, and the Cathedral) to admire Flemish art work before heading to the Fine Arts Museum of Antwerp.

I unfortunately had to head back early to meet up with a guest lecturer for my Russian Politics class. The guest lecturer was a woman who works with the EU – Russian relations and she provided a very interesting insight into Russia from the EU perspective. After my class, I headed back to the huis to get some reading in before meeting up with Marc and Jenna again on their return from Brugges (which apparently was as miserably cold, windy, and rainy as when Monique and I visited it).

Marc and Jenna then treated me and a couple of my huismates (Matt, Liam, and Tim) to a nice meal at Amici Miei (I learned so much about Leuven restaurants from this trip). We then grabbed some gelato before heading over to watch the end of a couple of soccer matches at the Irish Pub. Then Marc, Matt and I, grabbed a beer (and this time it was just one) on the Oude Markt before calling it a night. Seeing as how they had to be up early for their flight to Berlin, I bid Marc and Jenna adieu on the Oude Markt (fittingly where their trip began).

Though it was hard to watch them leave – I was just starting to get used to them being around and eating out every night ; ) – I think that Marc’s return to Belgium and Jenna’s first time in the land of beer, chocolate, and waffles, was an enjoyable experience for all. It was a weird feeling having family around in another place where I’ve learned to call home – having them visit played a dual role of both reminding me that I still had a whole life I’d been away from back home, while also making me appreciate my remaining time here. It’s hard to believe that I have 7 months of European living under my belt and only 3 more to go!