Post #6: Brussels, Belgium

“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe”……Anatole France

I haven't posted in awhile because I have been busy exploring, meeting people, sightseeing, etc.  Hopefully I can catch up to where I am in my travels by making my posts more concise and a little shorter.  After reading and talking to friends, I have come to realize that if one can make their points concise and short that they will most likely have 110% of the audiences attention.  However, if you fall into a long strung out rant you might loose your impact and only get 75% of their attention and thus, the point you are trying to make may be lost.  For those of you who know me, this important lesson is one that I definitely need to embrace and deploy (lol).  Travelling has helped me refine myself tremendously thus far, and this is just one of the important lessons that I have learned so far in my journey. 


When I was booking my accommodations for Brussels, I elected to stay in a Bed and Breakfast twenty minutes from the city centre. I felt that it would be a nice change of pace from the typical hostel stay--it didn't disappoint.  I found myself immersed in the culture more and saw what the living quarters were like for a typical person living in Brussels.

Since I was in a Bed and Breakfast I saw this as a great opportunity to do some laundry. I headed downstairs only to find out that the typical living quarters in that specific area didn't have en-suite laundry--no biggie.  I would simply walk around the corner to a laundry mat--seems simple enough.  Well, this idea of "simplicity" quickly eluded me and I found myself stressed out, confused, embarrassed with my arms full of clothes that were soaked and full of soap.  I thought to myself, "well, I guess years and years of my mom doing my laundry has now caught up with me--dammit."  But after analyzing the situation, I quickly came to realize that this wasn't the case.  Instead, it was due to the instructions being entirely French and the display pictures being far from explicit;  on top of this, it didn't help that no one in the laundry mat spoke a word of English. To this day I still don't know why six dollars and forty-five minutes later, my clothes were soaked and full of soap.  It either had to do with the machine not functioning correctly or my inability to read the directions.  To hold down my pride I am going to go with the former (lol).

The next day I headed to the city centre and checked out the streets and Brussels stock exchange.

Brussels stock exchange--built 1868

There was a DJ on the steps playing music--pretty cool

I don't expect you to be able read this, I just don't have many pictures of Brussels for obvious reasons (lol)

Walking around downtown I quickly came to realize that there were no cars in the streets--odd.  I enquired as to what the reason behind this was and was told that it was annual "No Car Day" to promote green transportation. If you were caught driving your car apparently you would be issued a ticket.  It made the city feel very real, peaceful and in the moment--quite the change from Amsterdam.  I just went from one extreme to another and the situation was perfect for contrasting the differences between busy, bike frenzy Amsterdam and slow paced, vehicle free Brussels.  Nevertheless, both places were extremely busy, just in a different way. 

The next day I went on a brewery tour with a girl named Young from South Korea who was also staying at the Bed and Breakfast.  It was a special brewery because it is one of the last places where beer is brewed the original old fashion way.  The machinery was old and the building looked as thought it could collapse at any minute.  There were actually spider webs everywhere.  They invite spiders because apparently they keep the bugs at bay, which are bad for the brewing process--I can't remember why.  When we were there the brewery wasn't running because they can only brew beer a certain time of year due to the moisture in the air--never knew it was that specific.  Unfortunately, I forgot my camera which at that point, was starting to become a regular occurrence (lol).  

On the tour Young and I ended up meeting a girl from New York and a fellow Canadian from Montreal named Daniel.  The four of us ended up making our way to the European Union head quarters after the brewery. The building was quite lack luster and it was basically just a typical office building--we were expecting more. So, instead of taking a picture of the building we took a picture of us in front of a statue outside the building.  We weren't exactly sure as to what the statue was symbolizing so we just reenacted the statue with Daniel being the female and me reaching up towards her.  You can't see it, but there are a bunch of hands reaching up symbolizing something that we couldn't quite figure out.  Young engaged in the stereotypical Asian peace pose (lol).   

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That night we ended up going to a famous bar in Europe called Delirium.  The reason this bar is so famous is because it has over 2000 different kinds of beers in stock.  I was a little aroused when I heard this and quickly checked to see if they carried Bohemian or Pilsner--they did not.

When I first arrived in Brussels I originally only planned on staying for a couple days.  This ended up not being the case and I ended up staying a total of five.  When I tell people that I stayed there for five days they always say "ummm why did you stay in Brussels for five whole days?"  The reason it is such a shock to people is due to the fact that there isn't much to do in Brussels in terms of sightseeing.  However, I stayed there for that duration because I didn't have a choice.  At the end of the two days I had packed up my stuff and headed for the train station (with my Eurail Pass) only to realize that I wouldn't be boarding a train that day.  Apparently, one needs to make a reservation if they want to travel from Brussels to Paris (my next destination).  So I elected to stay in Brussels for another couple of days, to which I am happy that I did because I met some great people and it was a good time to relax and really feel the city out--despite the minimal tourist attractions. 

After being there for five days and really exploring the city I started to recognize a pattern that I was surprised I didn't realize sooner.  The picture below captures this pattern perfectly--see if you can see it. 

 Well if you saw it good job.  If not, the picture below should help.

If you look close in the first picture you can see this advertisement posted THREE times within a twenty metre radius.  I am not complaining seeing as that the advertisement is quite easy on the eyes, as you can see (lol).  I just merely found it interesting that this advertisement was absolutely everywhere.  I know I know I was taking pictures of advertisements in the streets but when you are in a place like Brussels for five days you have to find entertainment in something; this was it and I was entertained at least two times every block.  Maybe it is a way to make up for the lack of tourist attractions in Brussels (lol).

Well, I waved good bye to Brussels and embarked on the next part of my journey--Paris.

Post #5: Amsterdam

 “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

The quote for this blog is very applicable to my time spent in Amsterdam..... as some of you will notice at the end of the post.  

Once I arrived in Amsterdam I took a train to city center and started on my quest to find my hostel.  Below is a picture I took of the hostel during the day--I arrived at night so use your imagination (lol).

"Free Candy (lol)"

I arrived fairly late and had a very hard time finding my place of rest.  I quickly learnt that arriving in a new city, across the world and not speaking the native language (Dutch in Amsterdam), is not the ideal way to acquaint oneself with their new destination.  The first event I experienced upon departing the tram in the city center pretty much summed up the city in a nutshell;  there was a bike who had been cut off by a car. If you look closely in the picture below you can see the two motorists fighting over who was in the wrong. 

"What a coincident, an accident in Amsterdam"

The reason I say that this image summed up the city is because the vibrant city is extremely busy and constantly moving.  It isn't that big at just over 700,000 people, but the feeling the city gave me made it seem like it was 7,000,000.  I felt his way due to having to be constantly on my toes to avoid being hit by someone on a bicycle as the city is very condensed and everyone and their mother rides a bicycle. There are even men in suits biking to what must be some sort of formal gathering with an umbrella in their right hand and steering with their left-- it is quite an odd image.   As you can see, there is no room for everyone to lock their bikes up so they literally just throw them in a pile on the side of the street--no one has a nice bike (lol).

Pile on boys

Despite the fact that the city was extremely busy, it was also incredibly easy on the eyes.  The canals were easy to appreciate and you could really feel love vibrating through the fabric of space within the city. 

No one in the city owns their own land;  instead, they have to lease whatever land that their property occupies.  Land is very expensive to lease in Amsterdam so when people were building they would build their home as narrow as possible and as long as possible.  This results in a large amount of people living in very tight quarters. The picture below shows a house where a 6'4 man lives.  At this height, he can't lay horizontal to the road in his own house because it isn't wide enough. I thought to myself, "I will never complain about the size of my room ever again (lol)." The house is shown below wedged between two, relatively larger, homes.

It is the little red house with two windows

 If you look at the picture closely you can see that each home has a hook at the top of the roof that extends away from the front wall about three feet.  The reason behind this odd contraption is for moving in and out of the homes.  The houses are built so compact and this includes the staircase.  They are very narrow and very steep.  So, for any of you who have ever moved a bed, dresser, desk, or any other sort of furniture up a flight of stairs knows, it is extremely difficult and you have to weave the piece as if it were a needle criss crossing in and out of a finely knit sweater.  Moving in to a new home is an art,  and I can only imagine how impossible it would be in these homes.  So, instead they hoist the furniture up with a pully system--talk about innovative.

After spending a couple days in Amsterdam I quickly learned that the idea that Amsterdam is a liberal city is not expressed lightly;  there are people on scooters,  bikes and even in cars, driving on the sidewalks at times.  You are basically not safe anywhere.  If you happen to be on the sidewalk and decide to move two feet to the left or two feet to the right without looking--well, it could facilitate your demise. The city is extremely lawless and free spirit and if you don't adapt to that way of life quickly and learn to regulate your own self, you will most likely be found in the hospital or broke begging for change on the side of the road--so I was told.
 
Despite the fact that Amsterdam was very busy and high paced, it also ironically introduced me to a great medium that can be used for stress relief, reflection and admiration that I had neglected up until that point in my life--no not smoking pot (lol), but rather art.  I never would have thought that the museums, and the art within, would have had such a positive affect on my demeanour.

I first realized how much I enjoyed the process of viewing somebodies artistic integrity when I went to the Vincent Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.  He was an artist who lived from 1853-1890. He wasn't born an artist nor did he practice art at a young age.  Interestingly enough, he worked in a store that sold art and he decided one day that he wanted to be an artist--at the ripe age of 28.  This is interesting because rarely do people make such a rash and premature decision in life with no sense of security; coincidently enough, he become one of the greatest artists of all time.   As you can see, his life was considerably short at the age of 37;  the reason behind this is due to him taking his own life.  He did so, ironiclly enough, because no one liked his art and he was struggling to make a living doing what he loved.  It was only until his brother's wife started to market his art that he was accepted as an amazing artist.  His art was considered to be very different and was the start of a new era--the Vincent Van Gogh era.  No one painted like him and his style was so unique that it would take only seconds for one to classify a painting as a "Van Gogh".  I had quickly become accustomed to his style and after only one hour in the museum was easily able to recognize a painting as his. I have posted some pictures of a couple of his pieces below.  They are not pictures that I took seeing as that cameras were not tolerated in the museum.

"The Bedroom" by Vincent Van Gogh--1888

"The potato eaters" by Vincent Van Gogh--1885

If you don't recognize the first two you will most likely recognize this one.  Unfortunately I was unable to view this painting because it is located in London and not in Amsterdam.  At least now, you have an idea of who Van Gogh is--if you didn't before. 

I felt like a new born calf after leaving the museum.  I was naive, oblivious, totally inadequate, excited and interested in the world--of art that is.  I quickly consulted my guidebook and realized that there was another museum close by--The Rijksmuseum.  It was here that I would become united with works by a well known artist known as Rembrandt van Rijn.  He was a great artist who lived from the years of 1606-1669.  It wasn't until long after that I understood as to why he is considered to be one of the greatest painters in European history.   One of his most famous works is a canvas painting that he created called Night Watch.  It is 11ft x 14ft and is absolutely incredible.  The way his art reached out at the viewer made it literally feel like you were one with the painting. I have posted a picture from the internet of this piece but it falls short in capturing the amazing imagery that he was able to make the viewer experience.

"The Night Watch" by Rembrandt van Rijn--1652

After viewing these two museums my thirst only became stronger and I was now extremely excited to see what Paris had to offer--the Louvre.  Until then, I still had to experience more of Amsterdam. 
I went on a city tour, a walking pub crawl, went to the casino, checked out the red light district (the regulated prostitute area for those of you who unfamiliar with it--I didn't check it out THAT hard (lol)), rented a bicycle to tour the city and finally, experienced what it was like to brew beer at the original Heineken brewery.  All in all, Amsterdam was great and taught me to look at my life from a new perspective.

It taught me the importance of patience and persistence by displaying Vincent Van Gogh's life for what it was--an oxymoron.  Here is someone who devoted his life to art and loved it so much that he couldn't face the fact that no one liked his artistic abilities.  He didn't know if he was really that good or not, all he knew is that he loved art.  His style was so unique and so unorthodox that it wasn't until someone close to him portrayed this, that it was deemed exceptionally unusual. 

Vincent Van Gogh's life is a piece of art in itself;  life isn't easy and sometimes amazing people do amazing things and it isn't until later that they will become recognized--if at all.  We shouldn't base our lives around other people's appreciation and recognition but rather live our lives in a way where we feel  that our capabilities and interests are in tune with ourselves and the world--even if others can't see it until we are a long time gone. Vincent Van Gogh could not accept the fact that he wasn't being appreciated in the way that he wanted to be.  He felt that during his time that he wasn't giving enough back to the world for what he was taking from it.  Interestingly enough, he ended up inspiring more people than a lot of people will ever dream of. Vincent Van Gogh helped me realize that we must live our lives in a way where we can take solace in the fact that we all give back to the world--whether it be through art, music, helping others, carpenter, teacher, engineer, etc.  Everyone is appreciated in their own way from the people they know and the people they don't know--even if the appreciation goes unrecognized until later on down the road.  Adding to this, life isn't about conforming to the masses but rather pushing the limits and developing your own self identy and unfortuantely, Vincent Van Gogh's thoughts and actions about his work were too premature for him to reap the benefits of his extraordinary ability to push the limits and redefine the world of art. 

I leave Amsterdam a new person and can't conceptualize what Brussels and the rest of my trip will teach me!