So you're moving to Leuven, Belgium?

Author's note August 8, 2014: I lived in Leuven from January 2010 to April 2012; after a brief 1 month move to Barcelona, Spain, I relocated back to the US in May 2012. I now live in Seattle, WA. Most of the information on here is reflective of spring 2012. I have had so many inquiries to this original post that I have added updates below. Readers, thank you so much for your awesome comments, and for reaching out to me through the contact form. Neeli. 

Moving abroad is thrilling and exciting, but once the adventure of moving settles a bit, questions about meeting friends and doing basic stuff will undoubtedly arise. But who to ask? This post is a collection of bits and pieces of advice given to me from friends, personal experiences, and browsing the internets.

While we initially moved to Belgium for work, we were totally falling over ourselves at the idea of exploring Belgian beer and biking more closely, and to travel around Europe (with a European country conveniently as home-base). I think the context of "the why" you move is very important in your overall adjustment. Your personal viewpoints on adventure can help you ease into what you get vs. what you expect. Take for example the work on which we moved, a research position at the university. The private employment sector may help you with relocation, housing, moving, lease agreements (3-6-9 year ones), vehicle rental/purchase, obtaining a driver's license (it's easy), visa paperwork, enrolling in health insurance (SIS card), and the bureaucratic Belgian integration. Coming over on an academic position meant that we got support with the visa paperwork and the integration. I found these two things essential in relocating and would not recommend moving without them. Navigating the paperwork solo is daunting and difficult. Having an employer know exactly what steps to take is essential.

Part of adjusting is obvious, but other parts aren't. It took me 6 months to figure out the schedules of the bakers, markets, grocery stores, pharmacies, recycling and trash pick up schedules, and the correct way to set out recycling paper. While Belgium is a country where English is spoken and understood well, it is still culturally different in ways that don't become obvious until you go through the process of setting up your life again. Google translate and common sense are essential.

Meeting others:
Meetup: The Leuven New in Town Meetup organizes social outings monthly. It's laid back, English-speaking, and a great way to meet other international residents. Brussels has many more Meetup groups (beer trekking, crafting, language groups) including other expat groups such as InterNations or the American Women's Club. Joining a sports club, volunteering at an organization, or taking language courses are all great ways to meet others too.

City and practical:
Leuven.be There is always something going on in the center. Subscribe to the city's RSS feeds. Read it in Dutch (use Google Translate if needed); the English site is only geared towards tourism - not towards living in Leuven. The site has all of the essential living information on it.

The Afvalkalender: Garbage, recycling, compost, and paper are all collected twice per month; this ain't America strict rules apply on how and when to set these out. If you never recycled before (what kind of person are you) and choose to throw it out with the trash sometimes the city garbage collectors will leave your garbage (also if it is not tied correctly) conveniently for you to sort out. It is essential to get the Afvalkalender (trash calendar). The city mails them out in early January.

The Library: Tweebronnen Bibliotheek. Leuven's library has a good collection of English, French, German, and Spanish books, music, and DVDs. I hope it is obvious that they have an excellent Dutch book collection. To obtain a card, bring your ID card and EUR 5 and ask to obtain an abonnement (membership). You can check out up to 15 items at a time. Everything is automated, and the staff are very helpful. There is a nice cafe downstairs where you can read your books and enjoy a nice lunch or beer.

No one uses Craigslist: They use Tweedehands, Kapaza, and ebay. If there is some listserv that contains this info for ex-pats please someone tell me! De Spit, a second-hand store, is hit or miss with household goods, but often sells furniture, large appliances, and kitchen goods for dirt cheap. They'll pick up or deliver for EUR 25. Obvious mention: IKEA. Amazon is not widely used, but many stores will ship. The hubs was able to purchase brewing supplies from a Belgian vendor. 

Housing: most posts for housing are on Immoweb. I think email is used less reliably than the US, always follow up with a phone call.

Get a bike: Long term bicycle rental can be done at Velo.  You can rent out a bike month-to-month, or yearly (all good rates). Bike theft can be very common if you leave your bike outside overnight, and it isn't locked to anything; it is a national past-time to steal bikes. Storing bikes indoors, or locked to something with heavy duty U-locks can be a deterrent. My Dutch course had a section on how to report bike thefts.
Short term bicycle rental can be done at the Fietspunt in the station (also operated by Velo). This is a good option for weekly or daily rentals. 

Bike routes: Flanders and Holland have a bike number network called the Fietsnet. I've written about using it here and here. I credit usable bike lanes, excellent city infrastructure, and the Fietsnet for living without a car the entire time we've lived here (ok, I credit my friends too because they are so kind and incredible to help out and take us along on trips). 

Gyms and sport clubs/halls: If you're affiliated with the university you can apply for a membership to use the sports facilities they are all very good and affordable; Sportoase is the biggest gym/wellness facility in town. It costs more, is centrally located, has weight machines, group lessons, indoor pools, squash courts, climbing wall, and a basketball gym. In September, the papers publish a listing of all the sports clubs and activities. Leuven has a well-organized ultimate scene too (search for JetSet). 

Driver's License: If you are from the US, you can usually trade in your current (cannot be expired) US driver's license for a Belgian one at the city hall. Are there other readers that have done this? If so, please comment, I'd love to hear about your experiences. Go with recent passport photos and bring cash. You'll trade your current license and be issued a Belgian one; if you move away permanently return the Belgian license and the city will return your original license. I had no problems obtaining this, and I was able to use the Belgian license abroad and back in the states. It took 20 minutes and I walked out the same day with the license. On a trip back to the states, I went ahead and got an international permit to accompany the license (again passport photos and cash), but I never needed it. Your identification card will be your "main ID" not your license (this is a pain in the wazoo when you go back to the US, when you only have a Belgian ID card and now a Belgian license, oh what fun when trying to explain it as your form of ID). The cheapest place to get passport photos is the train station (5 for EUR 5). 

Haircuts: Of all the things moving will do to your life, finding a new stylist is always the hardest. They don't use a razor for cuts. Always take a picture of what you want, or maybe an older picture of you with your desired haircut. Don't worry so much, if you end up with a new haircut it's not the end of the world. Bangs/fringe are called frou-frou which are typically straightcut fringe or bangs; for swept over bangs do the hand motion or be descriptive enough. Layers are called lagjes; if you take a pic along with you, you can say ik wil hetzelfede kapsel houden which means the same hairstyle as before, then use descriptors such as alleen een beetje korter of hoger of langer (a bit shorter or a higher or longer). Remember use cm to designate how much of the bottom you want off (for example één of twee centimeters is genoeg (1-2 cm is enough). I would recommend Sizoo on the Diestestraat and Academy-Coiffure on the Muntstraat. 

Travel:

Trains. Give yourself enough time to buy tickets if you purchase them on the day of travel. You can only use bancontact or proton at the automated stations (idiotic, I know) and the automated stations are few and far at any of the stations (Brussels Zuid/Midi I'm talking about you). If you must catch a train and haven't purchased a ticket, find staff on the train and let them know as soon as you get on. They will often waive the buying on board fee. You can usually find them by hanging back on the platform towards the center of the train. They'll whistle and indicate "all clear," and you can let them know. A go-pass (for those under 26 y/o at EUR 50) or a 10-time pass can be purchased at the station (EUR 74). The ticket should be filled out before entering the train (or as soon as you sit down). You can have multiple people use the ticket (one line per person). Just fill in the origin and destination. Each line is good for one 1-way journey at EUR 7.40. Book tickets for the high speed trains like, Thalys and Eurostar, in advance. You'll always get a better rate. On weekends (travel beginning after 7 pm on Friday up until 11:59 pm Sunday) a weekend ticket can be purchased for a much lower rate, and it includes one outward journey to your destination and one return journey. The advantage of this is that you don't have to complete travel on the same day. It is not for "x" amount of travel between 2 destinations (e.g. Brussels to Gent) for an entire weekend. 

Bus: De Lijn is the bus system in Flanders; busses are well connected, and in rural parts shuttle busses can be called (see this useful post from the Thirsty Pilgrim). De Lijn also runs the trams. 

Use-it maps. These are free tourist maps written by locals. Ask at any tourist office, they are free! If you use the Leuven map, you might even teach your local friends new things about Leuven.

Car Share: Cambio is a carsharing service. I've rented cars from the aiport at Zaventem and at an Avis in Korbeek-Lo. Car rental is a major pain in the arse, and expensive. I would love to get feedback if you've used Cambio.

Medical:

In Belgium, accessing the doctor (huisarts), and medical system is easy. English will not be a problem. Dentists are tandarts, veterinarians are dierenarts. If you need to see a specialist, your normal doctor will refer you after an initial consultation. Going to the doctor is easy. Once you find a doctor, you'll call and set up an appointment (often you can go the same day, or that week). When you arrive to the doctors office, you are rung in, and asked to wait in a waiting area. Many huisarts offices are located in neighborhoods, and many are independent (zelfstandige). In a main clinic you can check in with reception, but in an independent office, you let yourself in, and you wait. The doctor comes and meets you, escorts you to the office (office and examining room are often the same), and at the conclusion of your visit, you pay (bring cash), and the doctor escorts you out. The cost of medical care is affordable. An office visit without health insurance is usually EUR 20-25 and you'll leave with a green or white rectangular document. Once enrolled in the Belgian health system (probably CM), your health insurance (de ziekteverzekering) will give you a sheet of yellow stickers (kleurtjes), which you paste onto the top of the document; bring these same labels to a doctor's appt. Then you drop it in a box at any health insurance office to get up to 75% of your costs reimbursed. A doctor recently told me that the sheets are basically money. CM is very efficient.

If you're used to preventative care in the US (regular blood and cancer screenings, blood pressure and weight checks) the system here is slightly different. Some screenings are viewed as not medically necessary. It depends on the reason for your visit. On request, these can be done. When I inquired about this difference, I was told that they follow evidence-based medicine and guidelines, along with basic common sense. Of course, I went back and looked these up. Although, I think screening is cost-effective, and generates baseline data about basic health, I've concluded that Belgians access the health care system as needed, they have efficient electronic medical records, they are probably more likely to visit the same doctor over time (Belgium is a tiny country); the doctor may manage risk factors more effectively, or manage symptoms before they become risk factors, and develop a broader understanding of the patient's health. On average, visits are longer. A doctor will develop more of a rapport with patients because they are obtaining a lot of the subjective data (e.g they are learning about their patients, instead of managing the symptoms they come in with). Costs for visits, prescriptions, routine procedures are all much cheaper than the US. The point that is made from every American I talk to about the medical system is that Belgian's pay a much higher tax rate; the benefits/drawback, rights, and monetary expenditures of healthcare in a private or socialized system warrants its own post. However, I have been very happy with the care here - and I have never had a to deal with a disgruntled receptionist, and overall I think the US could benefit and learn from many of the ways that other countries manage their health care models. 
Random note: Since I moved back to teach nutrition courses at a large public university, I actually taught about health care and researched the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) extensively, along with how Americans access the health care systems in the US. My experience in Belgium made me far more passionate about fixing the health care system in the US - and far more knowledgeable about the issues that make the US model an extreme health care model compared to economically similar industrialized countries where citizens access a universal tax subsidized model. 

Pharmacies: around town pharmacies, or apotheeks, are designated with a green plus sign. Most are open normal hours. For instance, they are open 8-12 pm, closed for lunch ~12-1:30 pm, and then reopen 1:30-6:00 pm. Although it's weird that they sell make-up and other "health" products, apotheeks are where you can find most OTC meds, and of course where you go to get prescriptions filled (voorschrift). Honestly every time I've had a prescription filled I literally go through shock. The costs are so affordable; some prescriptions for women's health (shall I point out the terrible political mess that is being made of birth control in the US?) can be filled every 3 months, or once per year. Once. per. year. Go on, guess how much. OTC drugs are not sold in grocery stores or drugstores. Most major apotheeks rotate weekend and overnight hours. This info is posted outside of the apotheek, or online here and here.
Update: one year of mostly generic oral contraceptives cost me 54 EUR without health insurance. 

Pets:

Pets: Belgium is pet friendly. The paperwork for bringing your pets is almost as long as the paperwork you will have had to fill out to move here. Check the Belgian consulate for the necessary paperwork, and allow 3 months to get it done. You'll need an international microchip (even if you already have a domestic one), proof of rabies vaccination within a specific time before emigrating, and have your paperwork cleared by your state's (e.g the state that you depart from) USDA office. Mr. Duds is a cat; once his paperwork was done, we carried it, him, (and copies) with us while traveling, and it's become a distant memory. It was a pain at the time, but it was uneventful. We had no problems at immigration/customs. There are lots of vet offices (dierenarts).
Update: Going through security with a pet at Zaventem (Brussels National Airport) was painless. All the airport personnel that I encountered were proper and friendly. They were also excited to see the cat. In contrast, when we left Europe, we left from Spain, and the airport security personnel were total dimwits when it came to pet security inspection. 

Language:

Language courses: if you have time to commit to 6-12 hours per week of language courses, the intensive language courses at the Institute voor Levende Talen (ILT) and Centrum voor Levende Talen (CLT) are exceptional. You will be speaking the language in some format when you leave. I have nothing but gushing compliments - and you'll meet lots of other people in the courses. I took Dutch and Spanish through both institutes and I can say that I'm functionally fluent (can go to the markets, talk on the phone, set up appointments, speak with medical staff, bank, and get by on my Dutch) after completing Level 2 at ILT. I took Spanish (Level 1) at CLT this summer and it was a great course for the value and time (2 weeks intense summer course). Groep T offers courses which can accommodate working hours, so this may be a great option, however friends that took courses at ILT and CLT complain about the courses lacking intensity. In addition, reading newspapers, watching TV, trying to speak Dutch/Flemish everywhere you go, and forcing your Belgian friends to speak with you are all good ways to gain confidence in speaking, and they are all great ways to learn about Belgian culture and history.

Shopping, finding exotic foods, where to buy good coffee and beer:

The major shopping sales (Zolden) occur during January and July. Smaller sales do occur, but these are the largest. You might have price sticker shock, and the customer service is different (at store like H&M, Zara, Pimkie you put your clothes away after trying them on). Most stores are open from 10-6 pm; grocery stores are open 8 am - 8 pm (approx.). Most stores are closed on Sundays. At grocery stores, be prepared and bring your own bags.

The markets. Sunday is Heverlee, Monday is Wijgmaal, Wednesday is Kessel-Lo, Friday and Saturday are Leuven. The markets sell everything from fresh produce, cheese, eggs, breads, meats, seafoods, to clothes, crafts, fabrics, plants, and flowers. The prices are all very good; be prepared to look very local and assert yourself when you're next in line. Using the markets is the best way to pick up the language and get a bit more comfortable using it.

Food and cooking: in Leuven, you can purchase Mexican ingredients, like chipotle peppers, pinto beans, and black beans, at Exotic World on the Brusselsesteenweg. They have Indian, Chinese, Korean, African, Turkish; for southeast Asian go to Thai House Supermarkt on the Tiensestraat. There are many ethnic food shops along Brusselsesteenweg. I have never been too pleased with their selection of produce, it often looks days old.

Coffee: Koffie Onan. Always full of Spaniards and Americans. They started self-roasting their own beans. The staff are excellent, knowledgeable, and very kind.
Update: Recently, I read that a Starbucks is coming to the Leuven train station. Someone send me a picture!

Beer: Most grocery stores have a decent selection of beers. For harder to find items head to ABS Drinks in Winksele or ABC Drinks in Leuven. They carry hundreds of different Belgian beers.

Bottle deposits (e.g. beer bottles): As you live here, you'll see that most people buy crates of Stella or Jupiler. When you purchase them this way, you pay some extra as deposit (between 10-20 cents) for the bottles and crate (often EUR 4.50). As for other beer bottles, check the back, and look for a coin deposit sign. Most grocery store have an automated bottle return where you can bring beer bottle back for a deposit. Print out a receipt and take it with you to the cashier (kassa) on checkout.

Embarrassing things I hate to admit:

1. I did not know that you had to put dishwasher salts in the dishwasher. 

2. I was caught throwing bottles away; a woman saw me dumping loads of beer bottles into the recycling bin and she had to show me the deposit sign. Groan!

3. Karl got a EUR 50 ticket for biking with his backlight off. The police are serious about enforcing traffic regulations; biker's beware!

If you use this and it's helpful, or you have a suggestion/update please comment below. I'll likely update this. I've been abroad since Jan 2010.

Things I now miss:
1. the laid back and constant use of the bicycle for nearly all modes of transportation
2. Certain aspects of the food culture: dairy foods in Europe, the markets, smaller portion sizes for drinks and beverages, very little mark-ups on beer and wine at restaurants. The smaller portions of foods at the grocery stores, and the total cost of healthier, whole, foods is cheaper in Europe than the US. 
3.  Terraces in pedestrian-only plazas. In general, I miss the plazas and the social nature of how well connected the plazas are to the rest of the center. 
4. The ease at accessing the medical system there. Even as a foreigner it was easier to get an appointment at a doctor's office than an insurance-carrying person in the US. 
5. The way that news is reported. 

Author's note August 8, 2014: I lived in Leuven from January 2010 to April 2012; after a brief 1 month move to Barcelona, Spain, I relocated back to the US in May 2012. Most of the information on here is reflective of spring 2012. I have had so many inquiries to this original post that I have added updates above. Readers, thank you so much for your awesome comments, and for reaching out to me through the contact form. Hartelijke dank! Neeli

Park Abbey (Abdij van 't Park)

Remember that online photography course I shared a few posts back? The hubs has been more studious than me as evidenced by his beautiful pics. It snowed this past week. Snow makes cold weather more manageable, until you realize you have to walk your bike everywhere. These were taken at the Park Abbey (Abdij van 't Park). A short walk from our place.

Dutch for Beginners

I just got back from Day 2 of my Dutch exams.  I have a total of three exams this week, and it completes the first level of Dutch at the Instituut voor Levende Talen (ILT) on campus.  So far, I have to say I have found them (the exams) to be quite challenging and much more difficult than anything that we have done in class up until now. I think that the course moved very slowly in the beginning, and then moved quickly once the pace of the class had been established.  I think I fell behind somewhere and never managed to catch up with the new pace.  Learning another language as an adult has proven to be difficult.  I would have thought that I picked up some useful info from my previous class (I had enrolled and later dropped a Dutch course at UNC before moving here), and the exposure from living here would have helped.  

Honestly, I’m a bit embarrassed at how badly I think I have done so far.  Day 1 was holding a 15 minute conversation with a class partner (with cues from about a dozen note cards laid out on the table in front of us).  After this awkward conversation, the instructors asked us basic questions (e.g. how we like/dislike Belgium, how we liked/disliked characters on the class soap opera, etc).  It’s amazing that how much you read, write, speak, and try, that under stress and pressure your mind will draw a blank, and you’ll stutter, and your mind will think (wtf I need Google Translate right now).  Overall, the course really does help you in speaking, writing, and reading.

Today’s exam was broken into two parts. The first hour was listening, and the second hour was reading.  The listening part was fairly simple. The conversation was slow and simple. After listening to the segment twice, we got an hour to complete a 1-pager of questions.  Most of our class left after 20 minutes, but I took the whole hour!  I think I did well enough, and really tried to see if I got the correct sentence structures (since this is where I’ve had the most difficulty).  The reading part was much more difficult.  This was really upsetting to me because I feel like I’ve had the most exposure to reading (translating bills, emails, letters, bank statements, checking out Dutch books from the library, etc).  I have spent the past two weeks really learning and memorizing the rules (they have many, and none of them ever make sense), and today when it was time to write my answer, instead of drawing upon what I have spent months learning I freaked out and couldn’t think of the correct sentence structure to save my life.  Mostly, I just wanted to pound my head on the table and have it magically bounce the verb and subject into the correct positions.  

Thursday will be the final part of the exam, a 2-hour written test.  So far, I have been really stressing out, but even if I don’t pass this week-long exam I will have gained a new level of fluency.  The course at ILT (it has been 6 hours per week) has improved upon my fluency and literacy.  I am able to write in complete sentences, and can use conjunctions to link an independent clause with a dependent one.  When I go shopping, I rarely speak in English and am able to get by pretty well (this means that while speaking, I am spoken back to in Dutch/Flemish and the speaker doesn’t automatically flip to English).  That’s success, right? Yes, I make dozens of mistakes all the time, but I’ll never improve if I don’t take the risk of sounding like an idiot.

Learning a new language has made me think differently about English and Gujarati.  A native speaker of English (or any language) isn't going to be thinking of where verbs go, why adverbs are used, or what conjunctions and prepositions actually do in a sentence.  Now, I actually think about those rules that were long forgotten.  Naturally, these concepts are confusing in another language and it helps illustrate how much time and effort it takes to be fluent and literate (I write this as an adult-learner).

While fluent in Gujarati, I never cared enough to be literate. This may sound stupid, but this language was rarely used outside of the home, and when given the opportunity to learn how to read and write it, I always overlooked it.  Growing up, our family often operated in both languages and would switch back and forth quickly, but they never forced us to learn how to read and write.  I imagine that my parents thought it would delay our language learning abilities.  This is going to sound weird, but by learning another language, I have focused on how to say things correctly in Guju. I speak English much better than I speak Gujarati. Maybe in a year, I will speak Dutch as well as I speak Gujarati.  

Nieuwjaarsdrink

The city of Leuven (including many other Belgian cities) welcomes the new year with a reception, called Nieuwjaarsdrink, at the historic city hall.  The city hosted an open house by serving refreshments in the form of delicious iced cakes, warm and cold beverages, and an endless supply of ice cold and fresh Stella Artois pintjes (small pints).  It always makes me appreciate the opportunity of living here, and it also strikes me that anywhere else (probably in the world) this kind of free alcohol consumption would be met with a mass storm of people trying to consume as much as possible.  But not Belgians, they will get everyone around them a pintje, and then drink as quickly (and calmly) as possible to queue up for the next round.

I am still surprised and amazed at how beer is a vital part of any public celebration (I am 100% positive that free beer consumption at a public event would not be allowed in the US, so this still surprises me).  While it is usually not free, festivals always have beer and cava bars.  Many of the festivals are aimed at families, not just younger people.  As a beer lover, this never gets old to me.

Because AB-InBev is headquartered in Leuven, it often sponsors many festivals or city events (like this one, where the beer is free; I also wrote about another time where beer was included in the reception here).  I haven’t toured InBev yet, but it is on the list of things to do and see before leaving.  I think it should also be mentioned that their were almost a dozen sponsors of this event, but of course, the product placement isn’t as obvious.

Now that we’ve welcomed the new year, and have completed a year here, we look forward to enjoying the city where we can look forward to the events, and also look forward to warmer days.  Below is a list of things missed, hated or loved from the perspective of an optimistic transplant (obviously, we like living here a lot).  It’s always a topic of conversation among fellow ex-pats or among new friends, but what is it that we really love, miss or can’t stand.

1. I love the biking. I have noticed two types of biking culture, the first is using biking as a method to get around all the time, the second are hard-core cyclists (mostly men).  Helmets are rarely seen, even on young children, and students are the most egregious and rebellious (careless) bikers.  Yes, I miss having a car, and I think cars makes life much easier, but our experience here has taught us how to make-do with bikes for daily life.  You may hear Belgians complain about the bike lanes, and probably the student bikers, but most Americans are always surprised to see how well the biking works.
2. I miss the ubiquitous use of credit cards.  If you are a responsible credit card user the perks of some reward programs are amazing.
3. What is the deal with expensive tap water?! I am not a fan of restaurants that charge you for tap water.  Even if you are ordering other drinks, very few restaurants will actually bring you table water.  If you ask for it, you are usually charged.  I ask, and I’ve never gotten a satisfactory answer from any local (Taxes? Social norms? Belgians don’t drink water? What is it?).  Now we drink up before leaving the house, and always carry a bottle with us (that is how most Europeans spot the Americans, well that, and wearing running shoes with jeans).  However, we’re used to it, we’ve adapted, and now we just drink beer!
4. I miss burritos, tacos, and dosas! While I love trying the food here, I still miss Mexican food.  Finding ingredients isn’t hard, but sometimes you just need a burrito, or you need Indian food, and you want them now, and without a kitchen mess.  Belgian fries are a perfectly fine substitute.
5. Travel.  A huge reason why moving here was high on the list.  To this list, I might add train infrastructure as well as in-city metro planning.
6. There is no equivalent of Netflix. Sure, there are plenty of video rental places, but nothing that compares to Netflix.  Netflix has to be one of the best business ideas of the past decade.
7. I miss Amazon and other online shopping sites. Surely, there is interest in having a European Amazon site?! Routine: find item I want on US Amazon site, then search on German, French, and UK Amazon sites, then eventually give up.  So much for one-click checkout.
8. I do not miss seeing people of all ages donning their allegiance to various university sports or other sports teams.  Wearing university or team clothes is rarely seen here in Belgium, unless you work for the university or you have some sort of official affiliation.  Wearing team or university gear is a standout just like bulky athletic shoes, water bottles, and jeans.  

Christmas Markets

I love the Christmas markets around here. They are big open-air markets with little decorated shacks, that remind me of being in a Harry Potter novel (at least the ones in Koln did). These markets are held in various city plazas all over the city center. They are really beautiful. I find myself enjoying the holiday spirit here because the celebrating is done in communal spaces and is a gathering place for people to come and celebrate, or visit, or drink a few gluhweins (a steamy spiced wine-based hot beverage).

Melissa, if you are reading this, these pics are dedicated to you! Thanks for the gentle reminders to share some of these pics after selfish boasting.

My favorite parts of the market are the regional foods and drinks. So far I have visited the Belgian Christmas markets in Brussels, Leuven, and Liege, and the German Christmas markets in Cologne. The Belgian markets all have oyster and champagne bars, and huge temporary indoor brasseries. There are no festivals in Belgium that do not include at least these items: champagne bars and Belgian beers.

Brussels has the highest number of cheesey market vendors. Some of them are often selling tourist stuff, but they have an overabundance of hot gluhwein at almost every other stall. Many tents are set up to mimic bars, and I found this sort of boring. The lights are really beautiful, and they seemed to have a lot of kids stuff (an ice monster, ice rink, ferris wheel, and many merry-go-rounds).  All-in-all something for everyone. The market extends out of the the Grand Place area and ends into the St. Catherine area, you are bombarded by delightful smells since the food vendors are congregated close together.  Lots of tartiflette, large cast-iron pans filled with sauteing mushrooms, hot waffles, crepes with nutella, steaming gluhwein. Yum.








Leuven’s market is cozy, smaller in scale, and well, gezellig. Although it is awkwardly fenced in, once inside, it feels much larger and spacious.  The tents and vendors are similar to the Brussels market, but it feels like there are more handmade crafts. This is a wonderful market to hang out with friends and family, as we had done with Hans and Linda during our Leuven day. We tried to warm up at the fire pits in the market. There is a temporary stylish brasserie set up in front of the KU-Leuven library. I was happy sampling churros and warming up with gluhwein.






Cologne’s various markets surpass the Belgian ones. Karl and his friend, Tom, had organized a surprise Cologne visit over the weekend for their significant others (Aida and myself, woohoo!) The markets are really done up and are located all over the city. The small shacks make you feel like you are in a winter wonderland. Their is so much great food everywhere. One can simply eat their way through the market.  You can have raclette cheese, which is heated over flames, and scraped onto toasted garlic-bread, roasted hot chestnuts, potato pancakes with apple sauce (called reibekuchen mit apfelmus), Hungarian fried pita-like breads that are topped with sour cream and parsley. Then when you are cold and tired, you can duck into a brauhaus for a nice Kolsch.  Cologne’s markets were rich, entertaining, and very fun to explore.












Finally, Sara, this one is for you, where we brought them back for a Kolsch tasting:


I am forgetting to mention that it was snowing the entire weekend. Huge 1” flakes fell upon us and it transformed the historical centers into gorgeous areas. This is especially true for Liege - where we drove to after leaving Cologne. I have heard that Liege has a less than beautiful city center, although with the Christmas markets placed strategically throughout the town, it really made the city feel quite cozy. The Liege market was filled with vendors selling hot fondue pots, steaming pans of tartiflette, more roasted chestnuts (an easy favorite), Belgian chocolates and beer, and vendors selling tropical cocktails.  After perusing the market, we headed up the 400-step stairway called the Montagne de Bueren that leads up to a gorgeous outlook, where a massive snowball fight unfolded (and where, fortunately, we left the camera behind). It’s too bad we didn’t have more pics from Liege, because the market was beautiful and so were the city areas that we explored. It snowed all day in Liege and presented the police with a difficult task of getting people out of the city. The return drive took almost 2 hours, but we arrived home safely.

De Herfst in Leuven

The weather on Sunday was gorgeous. It was bright and sunny, and pleasantly warm. The leaves are in full fall (de herfst) color, and cannot be missed. Karl and I enjoy this walk near our place, and have had the opportunity to see it change through the seasons.  The stroll takes you through some Kessel-Lo neighborhoods, then up a much larger hill into a walking/biking trail, which then leads into some pastures and farm fields.  Flanders is mostly flat, but since this hike has a slight elevation gain, it provides nice views of Leuven, Korbeek-Lo, Kessel-Lo and Linden.


Along the walk we see golden trees; this is behind one of my favorite bakery's, Patisserie Dirk.


Love the contrast of this old gate with the golden leaves.




In between the pastures is a narrow muddy trail. Lucky for us, a dirt biker sped by us fast enough to throw up dirt.  Dirt Biker, you suck.


Not a bad place to live.


After almost a year in Belgium, seeing chapels is, like, the norm.


We have a nice camera and a limited skill set, so close ups of flowers and blurry backgrounds still impress. It seems extra cool when the blurred background is an old church (probably an abbey).


These Belgian grass-fed cows enjoy a lot of attention as the walking route takes us between their pastures.

Aren't these photos beautiful? Karl took all of them.

Ladies Night

Last night I went to Ladies Night at the Movies. Seriously. I did. I had no idea what to expect but it was so different and so cool that I had to rush home and write about it.



First some background, my Belgian-American friends, Nico and his lovely wife Allison, are probably a huge reason why Karl and I moved here. Nico went to school at KU Leuven, and so we spent a few weeks last September emailing back and forth with them about their experiences and how we'd fit in (they were right about almost everything). Allison has visited Belgium several times in the past and has come out recently to continue her Dutch/Flemish language course.  She is lovely, kind, beautiful, smart, and much better at Dutch than I. She has introduced me to Nico's family in Leuven, Brussels, and Mechelen. She is essentially a tornado of social outings.  Naturally, Ladies Night, was because of Allison.  I met several of her friends this past weekend, and they invited me to Ladies Night at the Movies.

Ladies Night at the Movies is held monthly at the Kinepolis movie theatre in Leuven.  Apparently, it sells out weeks in advance, and is filled with women of nearly every age.  You check in with your tickets and proceed up to the top floor, except as you arrive you are handed a gift bag and promptly given a Cola Light (it's even opened for you). I'm still in shock as I'm processing everything (I had denied the Cola Light, once I realized that a free glass of wine was included in the ticket price).

Ladies Night is essentially set up like a health fair. There are tables and booths of all things for ladies. There are student hairdressers doing quick hair updo's and make-up, there are jewelers, and make-up tables, it's obvious product placement, but no one really gives a hoot.  One vendor is selling lingerie and sex-toys, another is giving out health info and selling you gym memberships.  In the middle of all the vendors are cocktail tables with women gathered around them eating capers and olives and sipping their free Cola Lights and wines. It was AMAZING.  A little bit ridiculous, but totally fun, and unlike anything I could imagine would happen in the US.  A theatre in the US sells you junk food and ads, and you are bombarded with the ads, but never part of the ads.  You could never imagine a theatre that gives you cocktail olives and capers, and has young staff serving you alcohol.  Here, you are part of the ads, you are cool, you are Cola Light, you are fashionable, hip, young, cool.   Oh yes, and before you enter the theatre, you fill out your ticket with your name and contact info, and they draw for prizes (things like gift certificates and products of the many vendors that donated stuff).

My gift bag was filled with perfume, lotion, and shampoo samples, meusli and granola bar samples, an entire bottle of Fiero martini mix (at 14.9% Et-OH), product coupons. It was ridiculous, self-indulgent, and totally worth 12.95.



The movie was....wait for it....Eat Pray Love. I can't imagine a better movie for Ladies Night. While I prefer to never admit to watching chick flicks, I at least only admit to watching them in the privacy of my own home (and yes SATC 2 is on that list).  I can't put myself in the Gilbert fan camp - so I'll refrain from commenting.  I did, however, have a great time attending Ladies Night at the Movies and had to admit it was a very nice way to meet some fellow ladies.

Artichokes, updates, and pictures

This post is mostly about my new found excitement for artichokes and also an update of sorts. It's easier to post pics and recipes then tell you about daily/weekly/monthly happenings.  So first, artichokes! I bought an artichoke and couldn't believe how delicious and easy it was to cook up and eat, especially when you serve it with some garlic butter. You simply wash them, trip the thorns off the leaves, rub the cut parts with lemon, cut the top third off, and trim off the stem, then steam them for about 30-40 minutes until the leaves are soft and can be pulled off.

I've been noticing a lot of healthy looking spring goods at the area markets including Belgian asparagus (which is white and plump), artichokes, strawberries, and alpine strawberries.  Leuven and its surrounding areas have 4 farmers and crafts markets during the week, much like the Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough - except these markets are all within biking distance and are open almost all day.   The farmer's markets in the US really want to show off locally grown foods, and coming from an ag state such as NC, you can show off something nearly year round. The markets here contain pretty much everything you could by at a grocery store, so it made me really happy to see some farm-fresh looking produce around.  The markets also sell sewing supplies, games, crafts, clothes, shoes, jewelry and of course, lovely flower and vegetable plants. The produce tends to be cheaper than the grocery stores, and this weekend we really came away with some excellent finds including ewe's milk brie and yogurt (from this sheep's farm: La Bergerie d'Acremont ), artichokes, and some delectable alpine strawberries which tasted like mushed up strawberry, grape, and raspberry.

A few posts back I mentioned starting a sourdough starter. I named Starter 1 St. John, and never got around to starting Starter 2. This was in inherent fail, and went downhill very quickly.  The smells went from being lightly fermented to puke, and I couldn't imagine that it would come back from the puke smell, so I discarded it (and as Karl knows, I am generally lazy about throwing out stuff).  I'm going to attempt Starter 2 at some point, but will not write about it again until it is successful. In the mean time I will stick to my regular outings to Patisserie Dirk.

My spring garden is out and has been for a few weeks. The best thing about gardening is how infectious it is.  Someone in the building has set out pots next to mine. Sugar snaps, spring onions, lettuce, radishes, and swiss chard are all coming up and growing slowly. The seedlings of summer veggies I started inside are doing much better than I anticipated and will be transplanted to smaller pots.

window box with sugar snap peas and green onions

radishes, lettuce mix, and spring onions

some modest pots

view of the shared patio

As May has arrived, we are getting ready for visitors. Roma will be arriving in 2 weeks and so I've been looking into things to do and places to see.  The job search is going slowly so no exciting news to report, but this means that I will get to spend some quality time with our many visitors. So visitors, plan on home-cooked meals, lots of sleeping in, bike-riding, and listening to me attempt Dutch. Hey now, I do this for you.

Since we are nieuwe inwoners or new residents Leuven's City Hall Council invited us for a welcoming at the historic stad huis (city hall). This welcoming was done to tell new residents about the history of Leuven, tell them more about the population and city, and of course, answer any questions that new residents may have. The majority of the meeting was run in Dutch, and I was able to pick out snippets, but am finding that I'm understanding a lot more than I did in Jan. For instance, Leuven hosts a Badminton Tournament in September, the city used to have one of the largest beer guilds during the Middle Ages, which the French destroyed, the city is proud of Katholiek Universiteit Leuven and beer, and they gave us a tour of the city council rooms, including the mayor's office. They had a reception where they had passed appetizers and served beer from Inbev (Stella Artois, Leffe Blond and Bruin, Belle-vue Kriek, and of course other cola products).  I can't imagine a US city serving new residents alcohol and then letting city hall foot the bill. Amazing. 

Stad Huis or City Hall

During the meeting, I attempted to ask questions. Since most of the sessions were being conducted in Dutch and some English, I figured it would be fine to ask in some Dutch and English as well. Now, if you know me, I talk fast. When I'm nervous, it gets even faster, it's like I'm spitting words out because I can't figure out how to put them together in a sentence. The first question was asked in Dutch, I think it had to do with biking and roads. As a side, there are 30,000 students in Leuven, and about 90,000 residents. It's a huge student town.  My questions were about Dutch courses, allied health professional organizations, and community gardening.  I started off my questions in Dutch (Ik heeft drie vragen. Mag kan ik spreekt en engels? Then I shooted them off in English) The following 5 questions were all asked in Dutch. I'm feeling like a royal jerk at this point.  The majority of the questions had to do with student bikers. They have really worked up a bad reputation in this town.  During the reception I was approached by some very nice people that came up to express their gratitude at congratulate me on my attempt to speak and learn Dutch.  Isn't that nuts? I didn't even really speak any Dutch. I just said, "I have 3 questions, but may I please ask them in English?"  That really sums up how people are here though, if you try and speak and make a genuine effort they really are kind and thank you for attempting, but then, they speak to you in English. Come on city, speed up my ID card process. 

Last weekend we went to Cantillon Brewery for their Quintessence tasting. It is a slow foods-esque beer and food pairing and features lambic and gueuze beers. Karl also wrote a blogel (blog+novel?) on Cantillon at Leuven Groovin'.

Cantillon Quintessence Tasting

Other adventures include a visit to the Royal Greenhouses in Laeken, a quick picture and frites stop at the Atomium, and the Leuven Botanical Gardens. The Royal Greenhouses, built in the 19th century, were commissioned by King Leopold II and were an architectural innovation in that time period because they were constructed of metal and glass. They are, quite simply, beautiful. These greenhouses are only open to the public 3 weeks out of the year.  The botanical gardens in Leuven are in full bloom and the tulips cannot be missed. 

Royal Greenhouses and Leuven Botanical Gardens

Ahh and finally, an update on what I've been cooking and eating these past weeks. I baked a Yeasted Sugar Cake that I found in my Deborah Madison cookbook, but also here.  It's cake that is denser, lighter, less sweet, buttery soft, semi-leavened cake which tastes excellent with whipped cream or yogurt and fresh spring strawberries. I cooked some five-spice Chinese-style noodles and vegetable stir-fry, aloo parathas with channa masala, red-lentil kofta's with a saffron rice pilaf, savory mushroom crepes, and nachos with refried beans.  Links to recipes should be underlined and highlighted above.  Visits will be welcomed with food. Hope everyone is doing well and, of course, eating good food. 

five-spice Chinese style noodles

aloo paratha

Westvleteren, Groot Begijnhof, and Stad Leuven Kruidtuin

We are coming up to 1 month here in Belgium. Everyone has told us it is unseasonably cold, and yet the days are filled with overcast skies that drop steady snowflakes upon us. It is nowhere near the blizzards of the US East coast, but I think snow makes the cold tolerable and bearable. We still miss you NC!

This past weekend we made a beer pilgrimage to the St. Sixtus Trappist Monastery known as Westvleteren. It is located in West Flanders near Poperinge. We took a train to Brussels and from their to Poperinge. Poperinge is Belgium's main hop growing region. Upon arrival, the Flemish bus service De Lijn offers shuttle service, BelBus, in almost every region, so we were able to call ahead and get picked up directly at the train station (the Thirsty Pilgrim Blog has an extremely useful post on how to do exactly this and without a car). Taking the shuttle gave us a very scenic route through the towns of Poperinge and Watou. We passed hop fields, farm fields and the St. Bernardus and the Van Eecke Breweries.

The St. Sixtus Abbey is private and secluded.  It is not open to the public, but they have a main cafe, In De Vrede, that is open for visitors and which shows the monastic way of life.  Westvleteren beers are regarded as some of the best beers in the world on RateBeer and BeerAdvocate. They brew 3 styles, the blond, the 8 and the 12. The abbey has refused to market their beers, forgoing labels and distribution. To pick up a case of any of the beers you must call ahead probably months in advance to secure a time slot and pick up date. You can check and read about the brewery on their website. Needless to say this may work to also increase the beer's popularity and offer visitors elaborate stories to share on how they acquired the beer, if not make it impossible for beer lovers to actually get the beer.  The cafe itself is huge and modern, and they were fairly busy throughout the day.  If you love beer, a visit to this area will not disappoint. You can bike along relatively flat farm roads, stay at a bed and breakfast, tour museums & churches, visit WW1 memorial sites, and visit at least 3 breweries (St. Bernardus, Westvleteren, and the Van Eecke Brewery).

Now, the beer.  I sampled the 12 first (it was Beeradvocate's #1 ranked beer until just recently), and the blond.  The 12 was delicious. I can't say I had a beer epiphany or found it to be the best beer I had ever tried. It was delicious, dark and brown ruby colored, with hints of coriander and clove spices, with a slight bitterness of blackberry. I don't think it will replace my all time favorite beers, but I'm certainly happy and grateful that I was able to sample this divine brew, and while living in Belgium, try to get my hands on some more. The 12 shot all my taste perceptions, so sampling the blond, it was hoppy with lemongrass aromas.

The Westvleteren 12 (above)

The Westvleteren Blond (above)

In and around Leuven, we've explored some of our own snowy rural countryside and I also went around town to explore the Botanical Gardens (the gardener in me is getting that itch), on the way to the gardens, I got lost and ended up in the Groot Begijnhof.  The gardens date back to 1738, when the herb gardens were used by medical students. They have a huge orangery complete with probably hundreds of plant species, a small vegetable and herb garden, a Japanese garden, and a chicken coup, compost demonstration, and beehives.

Near the gardens is the Groot Begijnhof which today is used by KU Leuven as housing for professors and some students. It is a truly beautiful community within a community. The begijnhofs have medieval origins in which women or beguines took vows to live a monastic type of life, but were free to leave. Typically they lived in small communities (a beguinage) at the edge of towns and did either service work or manual labor. I found this post  with its history and pictures of the Groot Begijnhof in Leuven to be exceptional. Below, I share some of my photos:



A few shots from the Botanical Garden properly called Stad Leuven Kruidtuin: