Old and New

The view from my new university department.

Wish List

Oh, how I wish I had brought a small tape measure so I could check the sizes of some of my accommodations. That said, I'm clearly better off than some in Tokyo:
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/12/japan.ultra.tiny.home/index.html?hpt=C1
Will post some photos of my tiny "apartment" later in the day. Now I'm off for my new stay at Reinwardt Academy.

Travel Day from HELL

My travel woes began on the London tube and continued last week as Tom and I missed most trains and trams by one minute. With this in mind, I watched the time relentlessly this morning as I was visiting with an old friend in Brussels. I had an appointment to get into my Amsterdam apartment at 5pm, and no way was I going to miss my train. I got to the station early and grabbed a good seat. I thought my luck was changing. Ha! We pulled into Dordrecht (south-central Netherlands) and never pulled out. The conductor announced that there was an accident on the tracks ahead of us and said they didn't know when it would be cleared, but it was okay if we waited on the train. Most of the Dutch got up and bolted immediately as they were better equipped to figure out alternate transportation. After about an hour, a man in uniform appeared, screaming, "You must get off the train. NOW!" It was a little alarming, to say the least. Then we stood outside for another hour or so, listening to countless cancellation announcements, in Dutch only. "Yes, they're still saying all the trains are cancelled," I repeated to my new English-speaking acquaintances. Then came a quick announcement that a train was leaving for Amsterdam in three minutes from track 4. Cue the stampede from track 1. As it turned out, the train didn't leave until they had packed in a frightening number of people. There were no seats, so I diligently guarded my spot along the wall, thinking I had found a fold-down seat. When I finally tried to open it, I discovered that it was actually a trash bin, so I was forced to stand again--not that it was so difficult, even with my knee, with folks pressing against me from every angle. I made it to the apartment hours late, with Plans B, C, and J swirling in my head. Fortunately, Andre was there, and he was good enough to haul my duffel up the 54 stairs to the attic. As soon as I had finished "orientation," I headed back down the stairs to try to find a grocery store. I was saved from a dinner of chocolate and water. Now I am listening to the wind howling ferociously outside my window. More tomorrow. Cross your fingers that my travel karma improves soon.

Last Night's Dinner...

...is still with me! Not surprising, as it was a hearty Belgian specialty best translated as endive au gratin. It consisted of two heads of endive wrapped in ham slices and smothered in a creamy sauce that was flashed under the broiler to melt the extra cheese put on top. Just to make it more deadly, it was served with a pile of mashed potatoes. Although I tried my best, I couldn't finish half of it. (Tom, I needed you...) Here is a pared-down recipe that doesn't do it justice:
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/belgian-endive-au-gratin/Detail.aspx

Heading to my little apartment in Amsterdam soon, where the healthy eating will begin anew.

Umbrella Gridlock

Throughout our last two days in the Netherlands, the wind blew ferociously, and the rain poured almost constantly. Back in Brussels, the wind has subsided, but the rain is coming down in torrents. By mid-afternoon I gave up on my museum plans and squished back to my hotel room with sodden boots, socks, and pants legs. When I went out again this evening, the streets were still clogged with folks splashing through puddles and wielding umbrellas in every direction. There was an impasse at all tourist attractions, from waffel stands to the Grand' Place. I'm posting a photo that shows the crowds trying to get a shot of the Manneken Pis in the downpour. Seriously, someone could get hurt out there.

I stopped at a favorite restaurant on the Grand' Place for dinner and hot mulled wine. Let's just say that I'm pretty sure Tom and I have reversed our weight loss this week. And speaking of Tom, he is flying back to Florida as I type, and I miss him so much already. Three weeks left, and I'll be homebound, too. I have very mixed feelings about that. We'll be posting about our week together at www.patandtomsexcellentadventures.blogspot.com.

So BIg!

Fat City...