Holy Blood!

This beautiful tiny Chapel of the Holy Blood dates from the 12th century (though since re-done a few times), and is host to one of the holiest of relics: a vial with a few drops of Christ's blood, which was said to return to liquid state once a year on May 1 (Ascension Day) until the 15th century, when the miracle seems to have stopped. According to legend, the relic was brought back from the Holy Land after the second crusade.

Despite that there is now ample evidence that proves that everything I have just said is false, let's not let the facts get in the way of a darn good story! And the Chapel is truly lovely, regardless!!

BRUGGE!!

It was not at all foggy and there was no sign of Colin Farrell, Ralf Fiennes, Brendan Gleason or dwarves getting karate-chopped as the delightful In Bruges would have us believe...

However, it was a lovely warm and partly sunny afternoon. Perfect for spending time on terraces watching the 3 million (mostly British) tourist in search of lace and chocolate.

Highlights: wandering the streets without a map to discover off-tourist-route views, the chapel of the Holy Blood and of course, the hand-made chocolate shops...

La Grand Place

Before and After

CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE??

From April to September, I'll be replacing Rebekah during her maternity leave, including three months spent in Brussels.

My new living quarters

Living with a cat in heat for a week in all fun and games until someone loses the ability to breathe and sleep...

So I had to find another place. After searching dozens of web sites and replying to several dozen ads, I found a lovely place.

Poop ici SVP

One of the many perils of life in Belgium is the dreaded "pomme de route" left by dogs all over the city sidewalks. As if the lack of fines for owners is not enough, this behaviour is actually ENCOURAGED in some places. This little gem of a street sign is on the sidewalk a mere 20 steps away from Le Grand Sablon, which is the hub of Brussels' high-end chocolate shops. Yum, yum!

Moving in and Having brunch in Leuven

I've now moved into rue des Victoires in the St-Gilles area... second door on the left, ground floor.

This is the home of Martijn, who works for the Stop AIDS Alliance in the same office where I will work, and Puss. Guess which one this is! :)

Today, I had brunch with the very pregnant Rebekah and David in Leuven... as one does when one lives in Brussels. Leuven is a gorgoeus town dating back to the 800s, and the site of one of the oldest universities in the world. This will definitely require another visit!!

Promotionnez nonante mails via "wee-fee", SVP!

On se rend vite compte en voyageant que même si on parle la même langue, on ne se comprend pas toujours facilement. Le français est encore une langue bien vivante et qui évolue différemment dans les diverses régions de la Francophonie.

Ainsi, en Belgique, on utilise encore nonante au lieu de quatre-vingt-dix. À mes oreille, c'est comme vivre dans un roman du XIXe siècle!

Entendu à la radio ce matin : le verbe "promotionner". Faut croire que le verbe "promouvoir" est passé date!

Évidemment, les termes technologiques en anglais s'infiltrent partout. Mais si au Canada français on préfère les courriels, ici, on envoie des "mails" (prononcez "mél"). Et le wifi ne se prononce pas en anglais non plus! C'est "weefee".

Et "s'il-vous-plaît" se dit aux moments les plus inattendus. Dans un magasin, en rendant la monnaie, le caissier dit "s'il-vou-plaît". Je n'ai pas besoin de me faire prier pour reprende mon propre argent!!

C'est pas le temps de sortir le chiac de Moncton!!

Bienvenue à Bruxelles!

I arrived yesterday morning, and my luggage followed later in the evening.

Over the next couple of days I will get familiar with the city, snoop around what will likely be my neighbourhood, visit my potential new home -- and hopefully settle into my potential new home, assuming it has potential as a new home -- get a few essentials for settling in for 3 months, and generally revel in the fabulousness that will be 3 months in Europe!

The pounds will just melt away in the next few months. After all, it's not like Brussels has any yummy fattening foods like, say... chocolate, fries served with real mayo, mussels cooked in cream, waffles or a billion beers... i.e. in my first couple of hours after landing, I had cake for a colleague's birthday just BEFORE lunch, where the proposed special of the day was a steak smothered in foie gras and topped with cheese. Since it was not battered and deep-fried, we passed on that option...