This weekend, my friend Anna and I took a marvelous trip to Belgium. It was quick (1 day in Brussels and 1 in the Flemish city of Brugges) but so fun! It was the first time I'd left France since I got here, so it was good.

We left Paris at 7:55 am so we could have the whole day in Brussels. We arrived after only an hour and twenty minutes. We took a cab to our hotel which Anna found right in the historical center of the city. After we got rid of our stuff and settled in, we went out right away to find an authentic Belgian waffle. They are really delicious and better than any other waffle we'd ever had. We then proceeded to the Grand Place, where the City Hall and the historical old home of the King used to be. The old King's House is now a museum of the city of Brussels. It gave us a crash course in the history of the city as well as Belgian architecture, history, art, etc. After we finished there we headed over to a treasured city sight, the Manneken Pis. It is a small fountain in a little corner that is a small boy peeing, the water coming out of just where it makes sense it would. It was so silly but worth seeing.

After, we walked around the city historical central and did some shopping. I made a pilgramage to my favorite Belgian chocolate store, Leonidas. I got a box of truffles and had a special no-nuts box made for my mommy. There were chocolate and lace stores like every 10 feet....some more touristy than others but it was fun to look. We walked up through the historical part of the city up to the Mont Des Arts, the home of the Belgian Royal Library, the Museum of Musical Instruments, and the Museum of Fine Arts. We chose to go to the Museum of Fine Arts, only the old part dating from the Renaissance to the 1800s. We saw all the best Flemish paintersm including Van Eyck, Ruebens, and Breuguel. After that, finally worked up an appetite for lunch and ate at an authentic Belgian restaurant, sampling the frites (french fries) and a Belgian beer that is flavored with raspberry juice and was so yummy.

After that I dragged any to the business-government district of the city so I could see the European Parliament. I study the EU a lot and just wanted to make sure it was really there! The elections for the European Parliament are coming up soon so we got to see the posters up in like 5 different languages encouraging people to vote. All the different buildings in the complex are named after different European politicians which was pretty funny to me because I knew who they all were . We wandered around a bit and took a taxi back to the center of the city. We had the most ridiculous time trying to figure out the public transportation. It just made no sense to us! So we really just walked everywhere and took a cab twice. That evening after a short rest we headed over to the main plaza again and wandered down some side streets to grab dinner. Since we are both vegetarian, the mussels/seafood places for the tourists weren't really an option, so we went for pasta at a touristy Italian place instead. We then just spent the night out on the town going to some different bars and seeing one or two different neighborhoods we were told were cool for going out.

The next day we got up pretty early and took the local train to Brugges. Belgium, for those of you not in the know, is basically divided in two, one region that is French and the other that is Flemish. Brugges is in the Flemish part and is known as the Venice of the North because of its canals and great beauty. When we arrived we wandered into town from the train and ended up at the Church of Our Savior, the oldest cathedral in the city and dates back to the 10th century. It was pretty phenomenal and you can see how beautiful it used to be with faded paint on the walls. The stained glass windows were still pretty impressive and it was beautiful overall. When that was all done we decided we needed a snack, so we got some frites with mayonnaise (the traditional way to eat them in Belgium) and they were so tasty! After that, we headed to the city's historical main marketplace and the Belfry (belltower) which was supposed to offer a great view. We decided to climb and 366 winding stairs later we were at the top seeing a panoramic view of the city and surrounding countryside. It was worth the shaking legs and the 4 euros!!

We got down adn walked past the city hall and managed to find a boat tour, the thing we'd been looking for since we got to town. We got to go through many of the canals, seeing some amazing examples of Flemish architecture and saw old homes, taverns, poor houses, squares, and everything in between. It was definitely a highlight and it allowed us to see parts of the city we never would have found on our own! After that, we did some more chocolate shopping, more walking, and had our last waffle in Belgium. We took a long walk through the city's most beautiful park and then headed back to the train for Brussels. From there we grabbed our stuff, had a light dinner, and got on the train back to Paris!

It was definitely a great break from work and Paris. I would say if I had to compare it: Paris is like New York and Brussels is like Washington D.C. in terms of the lifestyle, the atmosphere, and the general tone. I would definitely go and spend some more time in Belgium. People were so outgoing, friendly, and helpful and we packed a lot into two days!

Pictures on Facebook are coming in the next 24 hours!! Go ahead and take a look. I was really good! I think I took almost 75 photos...then my camera batteries died.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while! It has been exams and I basically spent all my time studying. I feel good about how I did on all of them and I think my grades are good so far in most of my classes. I think I am doing a pretty good job with caring about school and also really enjoying Paris. Starting this week it has really felt like spring! Today my host parents sat out sunbathing (!) for over an hour and I sat on our terrace all afternoon reading and doing work.

This past week I got to play with Adelaide (the baby) again and as usual and we had a good time together. She is starting to talk and I amuse her so I am allowed to be around. The three older boys were here to sleep over this past Tuesday night as they do every week. Kids everywhere are really the same! The oldest one was told to leave the other toys alone and to go play somewhere else because he was making his brother cry. He started to get mad, then he went back over and promptly took the one toy he was told not to and his brother started to cry. Then the younger one felt left out so he had to get in on the action and cried about something else. It's always fun when they come but they were even annoying their grandparents so it was pretty bad. My poor sick roomate just decided to hibernate while they were here.

After class on Tuesday, some friends invited me to go see a movie and grab dinner. One of the movie theaters (no where near my house) had tickets for like 4 euros but I had nothing else to do and it sounded like a good deal. We ended up getting pasta and seeing Milk. Sean Penn definitely earned that Oscar. I have studied the gay rights movement a lot so I have been wanted to see this for a long time. I knew what was going to happen but it was so well-acted and really respected the material. We were all really impressed. The pasta was good too hehe.

Today, I woke up and headed out for the weekly visit for my art history class. We all got there on time and teacher went in to tell them our group reservation was here. When she came back, she told us that apparently, though nobody notified her, the house was closed for renovations! So we saw another building in the same neighborhood from the same architectural movement so it was fine. I definitely didn't need to go over there for nothing though!

Tomorrow is yet another strike. In the papers, union leaders were threatening it would be worse than last time and that people should be prepared for big delays on the metro. That is all well and good but last time it was not that bad! I think that they are just frustrated, not getting paid, and the financial crisis has been the government's response to all of their demand. I also live near one of the Sorbonne campuses, and they have been on strike as well in opposition to some new laws that would eliminate research positions at their university and impose on a number of other academic freedoms by privatizing administrators and involving the government more than the school. I read their pamphlet because I was curious and it turns out that they oppose this law and are also frustrated with the government's dealing with the financial crisis. Most people know that it is going to be a difficult time but they continue to try to vocalize their demands and concerns. Some Parisians want them to stop because they think it is useless and it ruins other peoples' days. Those participating in the strike are still determined to fight the good fight. I feel like Sarkozy won't give in to their demands and it is somewhat futile, but I don't think that means the concerns are invalid. I guess we will see if anything happens tomorrow.

In addition I am also starting to have some solid summer plans. For a month I will be working as a Resident Advisor and the Israel Education Specialist at the URJ Kutz Camp, the Reform movement's teen leadership summer program. I will get to work with a lot of very dear friends and respected colleagues. I think it will be a lot of fun!! Kutz, as much as I mock NFTY, truly is a special place and I think a pretty exciting place in the summer. I am glad to be able to work their. I will also have an internship in NYC, but I am still working on the details.


Coming up, my friend Jonah is going to be in Paris and I am so excited! Astrid and I are also trying to go to the movies. She really wants to see "He's Just Not That Into You" or as it is translated in French "What Men Think." Kind of a sad translation haha More updates soon...

I can't believe I am almost halfway done with my time in Paris. This was really the right place and time for me and I am very happy.

My parents just left this weekend from a week-long visit along with my Aunt Sharon. They did a ton of sight-seeing without me and some with me as well. I got to show them the NYU campus, my favorite hot chocolate place, and some fun shopping and eating out. We also went to my favorite museum (the D'Orsay). I think one of the biggest highlights for me was the day trip to Chateau de Fountainbleu. It has been a residence for kings from as far back as the 12th century and was the main hunting lodge for French kings. Various kings added on wings, decor, and renovations over the years, so each room and wing of the castle is truly unique. Beautifully planned gardens, amazing architecture, and so many details made it very impressive and special. Once my dad downloads his pictures I hope to post some here.

In addition to all the running around my family was treated to two homecooked French meals. The first was with my host family and it was a ball. As usual for Karina (my roomie) and I every week, there was a lot of alcohol and food in general, so we were in our habitual food coma by 11 pm and my parents went home just as full. My host parents absolutely love my family and my host dad is absolutely smitten with my aunt..he asks about her ALL the time it's a little creepy fr us but we humor him. Friday night we had a great dinner with Astrid and Bruno and family which was so fun. I finally got to meet her (really cute) brothers and spend some more time with them. Bruno cooked a lot of it and made us a foie gras that was delicious. It was really fun and I think it is a special way to add to a trip to meet natives and spend some time in French culture.

This week and next I have midterms so I really don't have a ton of time outside of studying. I am trying to plan some travel for the weeks ahead, maybe even just by myself. I am getting tired of waiting for people but I think I will be able to work it in so I get to Brussels and one more place in France before I leave Paris.

Today I also went to the Megillah reading at my English-French synagogue. I really enjoyed the fun atmosphere and everyone was nice as usual. The people I met at Shabbat said hi again and I met this couple living here for the year who are from the city and the husband is getting his PhD from Columbia, so we reminisced about NYC a bit. I hope to get to services this week and study a lot before Sunday afternoon, which is the Purim Carnival. It is the first time all the Jewish liberal communities have collaborated on something like this and I am excited to see it even if it is just for a little while. I will try to update again after I hit the books!