Just a Typical Night

Two times in the last week I have found myself walking home from the tram stop thinking, "Well, that was really interesting. You probably wouldn't have had a night like that in the States." So, on this second instance I thought I would do what any good expat does: blog about it.

It is, of course, a mass generalization to presume that these two scenes couldn't happen Stateside, so perhaps it is fairer merely to say that these events were exciting and new to me and are intricately tied to my new life here in Brussels.

Scene Number #1: Last Thursday was my first rehearsal as a bona fide member of the Brussels Choral Society. Somehow, just knowing that I passed the audition made me feel like I belonged, and thus I wanted to get started on the friend-making process immediately. Like magic, one of the young men in the choir approached me as things were wrapping up and asked if I wanted to join their group at a pub after rehearsal. So, I ended up at a table with four classical singers, all of them Europeans of varying ages and nationalities (Zoltan - Hungary; Alan - Scotland; Georges - France; Nora - Hungary) drinking Trappist beer and discussing the comparative genius of Billie Holiday, Freddie Mercury, and Amy Winehouse. It was fantastic.

This night was even more unusual in that we witnessed a fist-fight just outside the café window, which, though oft-glamorized in movies, is in fact quite disturbing to witness in real life. It turns out that this was the first real-life fight that any of my compatriots had witnessed too, so it sparked a thoughtful conversation universally condemning physical violence as an answer to petty disagreements.

Anyways, as I was deep in thought on my tram ride home, we came to a sudden and unexpected halt right at Place Flagey, which was recently refurbished and re-opened after a rather lengthy construction process (to the tune of nearly 6 years, but who's counting?). The Bruxellois have an interesting relationship with the automobile, and it seems that they view it as a super-hero vehicle instead of the Opel/Citroën/Peugeot that it really is. In this instance, two brave/fool-hearty souls had parked their vehicles OVER THE TRAM TRACKS, the result of which was the stopping of the tram, and the calling of central command and tow-trucks. Thankfully for me, though sadly not my fellow tram-riders, we were within two stops of my house, so I took to my feet. It was on the walk home that I contemplated the uniqueness of the evening and thought that I should write about it.

Scene #2: This evening the pleasure of my company was requested by the Ambassador of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Belgium and Mrs. Sam Fox at a reception in honor of the 175th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations Between the United States and Belgium, or so says the invitation. Technically, this invite comes via my membership in the American Women's Club of Brussels, but, really, isn't that splitting hairs?

At any rate, the event was actually a screening of the new film commemorating this auspicious anniversary: From Explorer Ships to Partnerships. Despite the incredibly cheesified name, the film was actually pretty good. And, I can admit to getting verklempt during the scenes depicting the privation and loss during the two world wars. The Belgians suffered deeply and sincerely during the wars, and they honor the sacrifices and service of military personnel of yesteryear as if they were known and cherished friends. I even had the opportunity to meet an elderly Belgian woman, a true heroine really, who daily risked her life to assist downed Allied pilots to safety and transport in Spain. I addressed her in my stilted French, and she responded with a genuine warmth that needed no translation.

So that's it. No real moral or neat summary. Just the banal and yet moving events of a new type of life lived in a new place.

Triumph!

I am super excited to report that my audition last Thursday night for the Brussels Choral Society went well and....I was ACCEPTED to the choir! Thanks to everyone who kept encouraging me and sending good vibes as I was preparing for this audition. (Seriously, it's been months now!)

For those of you who have never heard me sing (which is probably most of you), here are a couple of pics from past gigs.

Singing at Pathways Church last Christmas -- that's my brother on mandolin behind me


Singing classically with the Cherry Creek Chorale


For those of you not musically-inclined, that's about all you need to know. But just in case you're curious about the choir and how an audition works, here are some details:

The Brussels Choral Society was founded about 30 years ago and is the leading amateur symphony chorus in Brussels. There are about 100 people in the choir, and singers hail from 20+ countries. The conductor gives his direction half in English, half in French (with some Italian and German thrown in for good measure!) The director is American, but he has been in Brussels for many years as he chairs the Performing Arts Department at the International School of Brussels. From what I have seen thus far, he is an inspiring director. His passion for the music is obvious, as is his attention to the subtleties and fine details that really make the music come to life. Simply put, he makes you want to sing well for him.

The audition process is rather serious, and they require that prospective members sit in on a couple of rehearsals before doing the audition. The audition itself consists of four parts: a piece of your own choosing, a selection from the work the choir is currently rehearsing (in my case, this was the most challenging movement of Brahms' Deutsches Requiem, in German of course, which is NOT one of my good languages--yikes!), some scales and vocalization, and then a short piece to sight-read (thankfully, the piece they gave me was in Latin, which is arguably my best language to sing in after English).

Mentally, this was my best audition ever: I was calm, I was prepared, I felt comfortable in front of the committee. Singing-wise, I'm not exactly sure how it went. My prepared piece, Robert Burns' Ae Fond Kiss set to a traditional Scottish melody, went really well. But the rest....it's sort of a blur to me. Point being, the committee observed something they liked and thus I was accepted. Hooray for that!

My first concert with the BCS will be Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem at the Palais des Beaux-Arts (aka Bozar) in Brussels in late November. In December, we sing at the wedding of an archduke who is a friend of one of the Belgian princesses. (Yes, really a duke...only in Europe, right?) Then, next March, we travel to Madrid to sing at the ceremony commemorating the five year anniversary of the terrorist bombings there. It's terribly professional and serious, n'est-ce pas? I am SO excited to meet the diverse members of the choir, explore the music with the director, and sing in some amazing places and spaces here in Europe.

Finally Seeing The Atomium

For our first week back in Brussels, we were graced with several consecutive days of sunshine and warm weather. Yes, days plural(!) and in a row. Hooray!!! We wanted to explore more of the city and we knew we must take advantage of the weather windfall by being outside as much as possible. So that first Saturday back, after brunch at Passiflor (a lovely neighborhood café) we rode the metro out to the commune of Laeken to visit a particularly Bruxellois oddity: The Atomium.

Troy standing (in shock!) in front of The Atomium


Constructed as part of the 1958 Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles, (aka Expo 58 aka The World's Fair) The Atomium is essentially a super gigantic atom. It is supposed to represent an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. (For real, I did not make up that number.) Standing 102 meters (~335 feet) high, it is a shiny aluminum-clad steel structure that is as much sculpture as building. The 1958 World's Fair was the first one held after WWII, and the expo came at the height of 50's optimism in "better living through chemistry." Hence, the giant atom.

One of the Art Deco buildings on the Expo grounds. They pre-date the exhibition by ~25 years.


Architecture buffs will love wasting time on the Atomium's website. There is an incredible interactive map of the exhibition grounds. Click on a sector, mouse over a building footprint to see what country it represents, then click on the building you wish to see. There are photographs, sketches, and/or models of each country's national pavilion. Two of my favorites are Thailand and Norway (I have eclectic taste), while Austria is my stock image of an ugly 50s building, my apologies to its architects.

Knowing that a visitor someday will probably want to go up in The Atomium, we confined our visit to the grounds. There was an interesting photo exhibit showing the various national pavilions at the time of their construction, though sadly none remain. Such a waste. However, there is a new pavilion-esque sculpture/building made of yellow beer crates that kind of resemble giant Legos. Full of cultural references, it manages to be subtly mocking while staying light-hearted.

The Pavilion de Bonheur

A friterie (French fry stand) near The Atomium


From The Atomium grounds, we wandered through some of the nearby parks, which we learned were formerly royal estates. We eventually got back on the metro, and rode it down to the Sainte-Catherine area of town. Known as the Marché aux Poissons and built on the former site of Brussels' harbor (sadly, it was demolished in 1870 when the River Senne was filled in), the area is now the fish and seafood district of Brussels. Since it was only about 5 pm, we opted to tour the square and scope out potential restaurants for future visits, all the while eating really amazing ice cream that we purchased from an artisanal chocolatier -- ice cream made by a fancy chocolate-maker, does it get better?

As the sun dipped behind the buildings, and the temperature started falling with it, we knew it was time to go home. A lovely way to say goodbye to summer.

Back to Brussels...

We have been back in Brussels for a week now. Well, to be precise, I have been back in Brussels for a week. Troy had to go to Tongeren (BE) last Tuesday, Nettetal (DE) last Wednesday, and then he drove to Dusseldorf (DE) Sunday evening to be ready for a two-week-long business summit that began this morning, so he has been in Brussels for about a combined 96 hours in the last week.

At any rate, our first visit to the States since moving overseas was a great one. After spending a fantastic Labor Day Weekend in New York City with Troy's brother, sister-in-law, and their two super cute kids, plus hanging out with our NYC friends, we flew to Colorado for two and a half weeks.

Top of the Rock with Empire State Building behind


In Brooklyn looking at the Manhattan Bridge


The Hudson River at Battery Park


Well, again, I was in Colorado that entire time, but Troy had to split his time between working in Phoenix during the week and relaxing in Denver on the weekends. We spent a lot of time with family and friends, enjoying sunshine and the mountains, and generally remembering how great Colorado is!

BBQ at Simone's parents' house with family and friends the day we arrived


B'day dinner for Simone & her dad at The Fort


At a friend's b'day party in Vail


But, after nearly a month abroad, it was back to Brussels for us. We tried a new flight plan this time: non-stop from Denver to Frankfurt (9-ish hours flying time), a short layover in Frankfurt, and then a quick 40-minute flight to Brussels. Pros: Getting the big chunk over with at the beginning; having enough time en route to safely grab some chemically-assisted sleep; getting home in the afternoon and thus only having to stay up for 6-7 hours before bed. Cons: Flying through the continental hub that is Frankfurt's airport -- we had to descend bleary-eyed onto the tarmac, board a crowded bus bound for the terminal, and walk for seemingly FOREVER to our gate. Not fun after a trans-Atlantic flight. Still, on the whole it is a pretty easy way to do it, especially if you don't get flustered by changing gates at a European airport instead of an American one.

And, it was good to have a relatively easy time traveling home as our whirlwind fall schedules began the day after we landed. Brussels tends to follow the school schedule, i.e. it slows down in the summer and picks up again in September. However, because we were traveling during the transition, it has taken a little adjusting to the pace change. It's sort of like running to catch the train and jumping on right as the doors are closing. Everyone else has a seat and some have even started reading their papers, so it feels like everyone is staring at you as you abruptly enter the scene. Like that, sort of.

While Troy has been criss-crossing Northern Europe, I have begun several new activities, the most exciting of which is taking French classes. Troy likes to tease me about getting excited for school, but I have been literally waiting all summer for school to start (as opposed to when I was a kid and it was the opposite). I am taking classes three mornings a week at the lovely Centre D'Etude du Français, located about a 15-minute walk away in my neighborhood. I joined the American Women's Club of Brussels, and I have also started attending rehearsals of the Brussels Choral Society, a choir for which I am auditioning this week. (Look for an upcoming post about the audition results -- hopefully it is a happy one announcing my success as opposed to...well, you know, the other possibility.)

Troy was out of town, so I had to take my own 'first day of school' pic


Though it was hard to say goodbye to everyone in the States, it is good to be back home in Brussels. We are loving this opportunity, and trying to cherish each day (even the rainy ones).

The Drive Home

So, we are actually in the States right now (Troy has business in Phoenix, and I am in Denver), and we realized that we have fallen behind on our blogging. At first, Troy was attempting to come up with a clever post about our drive home from Italy, but he ran out of time and ideas. As such, I am taking over. We have some lovely pictures of our roadtrip home, and basically just wanted to share those.

We took the northern route from Menaggio, Italy, through the Val Bregaglia,  over Maloja Pass to the chi-chi resort town of St. Moritz, Switzerland. An interesting diversion for lunch, but a little rich for our blood.

From there we drove over Julier Pass and passed through a series of incredible high alpine valleys. The drive was beautiful, but technical -- not the type where you zone out or drive with one hand.

We then took a detour to visit the tiny country of Liechtenstein. For those of you not familiar with Liechtenstein, it is home to secret banking and the coolest looking license plates in Europe.

After Liechtenstein, we drove to Strasbourg, France, where we spent the night in the same lovely hotel where we stayed on my birthday. The following day we visited the Strasbourg Cathedral, the church of light-and-sound-show fame Troy featured on my birthday blog post. It was built on the site of a Roman temple, and the oldest part still standing dates from the 12th century. For centuries, it was the tallest building in the modern world, and is an awe-inspiring church even amongst a continent of amazing churches.

After this final stop of the Simone Olympics, we jumped in the car and headed home to Belgium. An easier drive due to the flat landscape, but high motorway tolls in France and heavy traffic outside Brussels made us really happy to get home.

Click Here to View Our Roadtrip Album