It's the little things

Random observations on life in Belgium. I would imagine a lot of these apply to life in Europe in general.

Rules of the road.
Rules, we'll call them that. There are rules here I suppose. Brian and I took Belgian Driver's Ed last week and thanks to being fabulous last minute crammers we both passed our test with flying colors. Brian perhaps because he's been driving and paying close attention along with the cramming, but me? Strictly cramming because I'm still afraid to drive. The first week I think I had my head buried in my coat so as not to have to see what was happening on the road. People don't drive here, they fly. Speed limit? Phwwwt. (that is how I will spell the mouth farting sound that French speakers make when they are emphasizing that it's no big deal). There are speed limits of course but I don't think people are too concerned. Police do exist here but they don't pull anyone over, they have cameras that catch you instead and you get a ticket in the mail. (we are waiting to see how long it takes for ours to show up. Coming back that evening from Ghent we had a bright light flash in our eyes. Considering we have a rental car that happens to be registered in Germany, we will see if it finds us.) No, police don't pull you over, they come and peek around in your house to make sure you are actually living there so you can be a Belgian resident. That's what I will be here soon. Not Brian since he's military. That will be another card to add to my ever-expanding wallet of ID cards and licenses. Back to the rules though. "Yield to the right". That's a sign with an X on it. If you see this slow down no matter if you think that little path off to the side is a road or not. It has the right of way. So yes, you could be speeding right along but THE PERSON TURNING ONTO YOUR ROAD has the right of way. Scary! And it's up to you to be aware of those streetcars in the city, they of course don't stop but neither is there a stop sign or light to warn you or help you along in stopping for that streetcar. Safety first? Not so much.

On the note of safety.
Bats and Rats and Monkeys on the Loose.
We spent the most amazing day at Parc Paradisio last weekend. This is an old monastery that has since become a park, zoo, museum, aquarium (an indoor playground with attached restaurant THANK YOU!) This place is beautiful. The buildings range from 12th century to a few more modern day, but the majority I believe are around the 17th and 18th centuries...in fact the oldest stone building in Belgium is here. The tower still remains where the cathedral was, and it has been magnificently restored, at least the portion that's below ground. There's a cobblestone path leading to an entry way, so of course off go the kids (who I am beginning to think are beyond the norm in their constant quest for exploration). Someone comes back shrieking "BATS!!!" iiiiick, the word alone makes my skin crawl. Brian goes ahead to check it out and sure enough, there in the "crypt" of this tower are probably 30 bats hanging, flying, mating, screeching, all right there. Not behind glass, not behind a net...nope, just chillin right there for you to hang with. The kids and I were petrified, Brian was fascinated in that creeped out kind of way (much like the way he had to watch The Omen the other night). He figured out that we had to go through it to get to the tunnels through the bottom of the tower, only to discover the snakes and poisonous spiders that were in there, thankfully behind glass. A great kick off to Halloween.
We didn't make it to the monkey area, but we'll save that for next time. They are free roaming little lemurs or something that will hop on your head or eat out of your hand. I don't know...it's a great concept but can't they bite or get a little grabby? A friend informed us her friend's son was bit by one. Phwttt.
Rats...well those weren't really part of the exhibits, they just happened to be hanging out in the indoor area which was more like a giant terrarium. Light and outdoor air coming through, dirt and plants, animals. A couple of large, (giant) rats were taking advantage of the situation. There's a restaurant in there, along with an indoor playground, so most like they get fat off the little children that eat fast and messy in order to get playing. Again, ick.
Funny though, bats, rats, monkeys...it's still such an amazing place that we plan to return to again and again. There are also farm animals you can mingle with (very reminiscent of the Quadrangle San Antonio friends!) an aquarium, and a playground that blows any American playground out of the water. Zip lines and rope courses, giant teeter totters that only adults can reach, things that swing, fly, tip...it's flat out dangerous (by American standards) but so much fun. Danger...phwttt. Attorneys aren't a part of the deal here we are beginning to assume...it's all on you if you harm yourself, but have a great time while you are at it!

Toilet brushes.
Yuck. Toilets just don't flush the same. Use the imagination here, but a brush is provided in every bathroom, public or private for the user to use as needed. You are expected to clean up after yourself. (as we all should anyway, but, well...)

Coffee.
No drive-thrus of course, but barely anywhere you can even get it to go! And the cups are so tiny, but that's ok because this coffee is strong! You are set for the day with one espresso! It is so delicious too! (I've had a few today!) I shockingly have yet to miss Starbucks, which was either a habit or an addiction in Washington. Brian and I figured we'll switch the Starbucks fund over to the travel fund and have a little more fun on the road.

Houses
Brick is everywhere whether it's old or new. There isn't a lot of variation in style either. A majority of the homes are old homes that are renovated on the inside. Barns, abbeys, breweries are all renovated into homes. Appliances are smaller, garbage disposals are practically non-existent. Staircases...a chill just ran down my spine thinking of a few that we saw on our house hunt. Most are the floating kind with just the step part, open in the back. Fine. Some are really narrow, some curled. One house had marble stairs that were really tiny and steep with NO railing, a curve at the bottom and a ceiling you had to duck under to get to the last few steps. Needless to say this isn't our home. I could do a whole blog entry on the house hunt alone, perhaps that will come at a later day when we are safely settled into ours.

More observations will follow. So many differences. Many more similarities. It's beautiful here, really, truly beautiful. If I'm able to upload it I'll put a clip of part of the drive to our new house. I hate to use the word "breathtaking" (only think of the baby episode on Seinfeld) but it really is. We move out of the hotel tomorrow and into the new place. It's going to be funny for a while with our army issued loaner furniture being swallowed up by the 4000 square feet and really high ceilings. It's the second floor of a chateau, really beautiful, comfortable, rustic and quirky. Can't wait for our furniture and such to arrive so we can make it a real home and open the doors to friends and family!