live from brussels!

but to rewind for a second: paris was lovely! i had a wonderful time and got to meet up with one of my dearest friends in the whole world and her husband. i was so content to be in a big city, free to roam around (because there are places to walk to and things to see), eat delicious food, experience the culture of museums and cathedrals and do as i please! it felt so familiar in comparison to all the other places i've been so far, yet still a setting that i had vague remebrances of. as i told my friend who was a Peace Corps volunteer in Burkina with me and has been my travelling companion, people must look at us oogling over all the comforts and luxuries of Paris and think that we are two Americans awed by French culture, but in truth, we are more like two kids from a Burkinabe village rediscovering the developed world. there are so many little things that we had forgotten about during our two years in mud brick huts. every little thing is such a joy to us. eating is the most amazing new adventure, amongst all the others that we are experiencing.

We went to Notre Dame, had a picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower, strolled around the Latin Quarter, watched the sunset from Sacre-Coeur, savored delicious sorbet across from the Louvre, etc... i saw the Mona Lisa as up-close-and-personal as it gets at the Louvre and i'm still unimpressed. any art historians want to give me an education? on the fashion front, leggings were all the rage in women's fashion and i am still undecided about whether i think it is acceptable to wear stockings in lieu of pants. i'm thinking: no.

i arrived in brussels yesterday by a quiet and comfortable train from paris. coming from paris, the city seemed a little dingy and dull from first glance but that was too quick of a judgement. after a day and a half of wandering, the city is pretty cute and manageable. the train and bus system are relatively small. overall, i am charmed. additionally, the city is quite foreignor-friendly as most people seem multi-lingual: french and flemish are the functional languages, but people also speak english and i've strained my ears to understand what i can of the many spanish conversations that i overhear. however, aparently, there are no cybers anywhere, as it has taken me a whole entire day to track this one down! the fast food restaurants have real, well-cooked, balanced meals served deli-style. it's delish! my body is happy to be well-fed (and well-clothed, after a much-needed defense-against-the-cold shopping trip in paris! hehee...).

ok, enough of my random ramblings... i'll post again if i can find another cyber. i've really wanted to upload photos, but haven't found a cyber with a reliable, fast connection. i guess that will wait until i am home in NYC. sorry, kids, i really do want to share my pictures.

be safe and take care. à la prochaine!

p.s. i am already shedding my west african french accent. to mourn or not to mourn?