Love this statue

Love this statue
Originally uploaded by lovethypassport

Great View of Brussels

Great View of Brussels
Originally uploaded by lovethypassport

Place Sablon

Place Sablon
Originally uploaded by lovethypassport

IMG_0628

IMG_0628
Originally uploaded by lovethypassport

Brick Stairs Meet Bum

Hello you beautiful people you.

Today I am hobbling around as I bruised my booty and left elbow last night. What ha-ha-happened was: I was trying to make a glamorous entrance into a super duper cool basement bar near Gare Central called La Porte Noir. As I was cautiously descending the steep brick staircase into the dungeon, I slipped and down I went. They had to be brick. Of course I laughed it off like a champ.

The scene brought to mind the Ellen Degeneres bit where she discusses our tendency to laugh when embarrassed, no matter how much pain we may be experiencing. "Where is my eye? Ha ha…I can't find my eye. Ha." Luckily I was with a couple of pals who helped me up and picked up the magazines that had flown about.

James, an editor of a local magazine Kimberley writes for, Colin, and I went to La Porte Noir after bowling in a league nearby for the entire evening. It was great fun but I was definitely playing amongst greatness. I lagged behind by 80 points for the majority of the night. Effort was put forth I tell you. There was a great group of folks, and it was a laugh. We lost by the way.

Tomorrow Kimberley, John, and Chloe head to the States for a few weeks. It's a good thing I will be keeping busy with my new job and trying to fill up my agenda. So it will just be Millie and me hanging out. She is probably the coolest cat in the world.

Small Country, Grande Baguette

Uh oh folks…I know some of you will cringe when you hear this (Nini), but I believe I am beginning to fall in love with this strange city of Brussels (Bruxelles). My pals and I back in St. Pete are pretty well versed in Belgian beer thanks to Dan and Colleen at the Independent bar. However, many unique flavors can be found if one is daring enough to look in Belgian food, architecture, shopping, music, etc. For those of you who are as clueless about Belgium as I was before arriving here I have provided a map:

There she is...she's a bute ain't she? So there I am job hunting and exploring in Brussels. If I knew how to draw in a stick figure I would. Guess you will just have to use your imagination.

As you can clearly see Belgium is positioned between France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Therefore, it has a nice blend of Bavarian, French, and Dutch cultures.

Brussels is actually a dual language city comprised of both French and Flemish. All of the signs in the city are given in both languages. However, French is the most used language in Brussels. English would probably come in second.

So I have lots more to discuss however I have grown weary and need some R&R.

But first here is a taste of how well I have been eating. Notice I am absent from these photos. I am trying to hide the evidence on my chubby cheeks of over a month of non-stop bread, cheese, and chocolate. Kimberley has also been feeding me wonderful home cooked meals. When she leaves I am going to have to whip out the children's cookbook.

Bisoux

Brussels 003

Brussels 003
Originally uploaded by lovethypassport

Oh and this was my appetizer...wow I ate a lot that night. This was incredible. It was a bit like fondue on the inside w/shrimp and fried on the outside. Mouthwatering.

Le Boeuf Americain

Le Boeuf Americain
Originally uploaded by lovethypassport

Le boeuf americain...American Fillet
Its worth a glance at the wikipedia explanation. This is raw beef folks, and it is my new favorite dish. They serve it with raw egg, capers, onions, and mayo. Mix it all together and voila! Seriously though, se magnifique...especially with dijon mustard, tobasco, and worcestershire sauce.

Cafe avec un sucre shoz

Cafe avec un sucre shoz
Originally uploaded by lovethypassport

Generally when you order a coffee at a restaurant you get a complimentary sweet as well. No wonder I drink so much coffee. (Chalet Rouge)

Tooth update

Infection...gross. On antibiotics. In Belgium and I can't even drink any infamous Belgian brews bc of this darn tooth! The upside is this three week detox may enable me to lose some of the bread and cheese flab I appear to have acquired as of late.

Wisdom

I have nothing wise to offer aside from a few wise cracks. Nevertheless, my wisdom tooth is not playing well with his neighbors thereby causing me quite a bit of pain. Great way to start out my time in Brussels. Not to worry. I am taking care of it tomorrow at the dentist's office. Goodbye wisdom tooth...will I leave the doc a tiny bit dumber?

There it is...my wise crack.

So today I went for an interview to work w/a family as a part time nanny. Their main intent is for me to teach their daughter (2.5yrs), Andrea, English. If all goes well I will be staying in Brussels for as long as I can afford to. They would prefer at least 1.5 yrs...which is the perfect length of time for me to properly learn French.

Also, Kimberley told me about super cheap (150Euros) semester French as a second language class at the University here.

Brussels is the center of the EU and NATO. It is a political behemouth and this intices me. Not to mention this town has a plethora of networking opportunities.

We shant forget about all of the great beer here either. What is schmoozing without some boozing?

haha...here is the link: http://www.chateaulalinde.com/

Ok...Try not to be jealous!

Check out this link. I will be spending 5 Days here in the Dordogne at the end of April thanks to Kimberley. HOW LUCKY AM I????

Switzerland Smells Like Cheese

She may not be a movie star but when it comes to bein happy, we are.
Switzerland may not be as enthralling or seductive as glitzy Paris but that does not mean she is any less inspiring. Frankenstein was set along the Lake Geneva region; Lord Byron was influenced to write of a famous prisoner at Chateau Chillon (a Castle I visited...hope that is correct spelling); heck the Swiss even invented Absinthe.
Lausanne is a quiet town of approx. 120,000 residents who enjoy their cigarettes (indoors!), respect noise levels, and love their cheese. The last being my personal favorite.
My friend, Hannah, brought me way up in the mountains to a town called Gruyere for some true cheese fondue. Amazing. It looks like my other friend, Marie, is craving fondue for tomorrow night as well. If there is such a thing as cheese detox then I am going to need it after this week is over.
If you want to try a true Swiss meal, here it is:
Pork sausage with cabbage mixed in
Served on top of Leek and Potato
Dip in mustard (preferably FROM Dijon, France)
...Does not sound like much but I had this for lunch today and it was to die for.
Okay bedtime.
Love you all.
XOXO

Paris cannot let me go

Or is it the other way around?

Sorry for my absence...I have been lazing about Marie's apartment til the late afternoon practically every day. When I finally get out of the house it is suddenly the night. We joke that when I return home and people ask me what Paris was like I will respond with: "Dark".

The past couple of days I spent wandering around, getting lost, eating nutella and banana crepes, and peering into shop windows, salivating.

So I must share with you the cheesiest pickup line yet:

French Guy ¨Where are you from?¨

Me ¨Florida¨

FG ¨Did you bring Mickey with you?¨

Me ¨Au Revoir!¨

Obama is a well liked guy here and definitely a popular conversation topic. Several people have asked me what I think about him. Then they follow up with a reminder of how much they hated Bush. A dessert shop owner actually put on his 'Obama/Biden' pin when he found out I was American. He was very endearing as he informed his other customers that I was American. My new friend Jean Louis.

I am really enjoying Paris and the people are very nice. Decided to stay til Friday when I head to Switzerland.