I left for my seven week tour of Europe on May 2 and arrived on May 3 in Dublin. I'm starting this new blog because I've decided I need more contact with people. Ireland provided many new friends, I'm not so sure the continent will be the same.
All that to say,welcome to my new blog! My art blog still exists, this is seperate for my trip.
I arrived in Brussels yesterday and found that it is a pretty blah town. I can see why it isn't at the top of most must see lists. The sidewalks are busted up, there is graffiti everywhere and few people are eager to help a wandering tourist. I was going to go to Bruges today to see what else Belgium has to offer, but ended up staying Brussels as I began to find better parts of the city.
I'm still not impressed with Brussels. (I'm not a big enough beer drinker for this town.) The whole place seems pretty unimpressed with itself as well. No one seems all that proud to be from here. Maybe that is why the cities symbol is a boy peeing into a large bowl. That could also explain why there is a church that has a urinal on the outside wall. Yuck!
One final story before I surrender the computer to the eager hostelers waiting for me to leave.
Today I stopped in a shop and tried on a skirt. I had already spoken a little to the shop owner who spoke a little English and I speak even less French. He asked if I liked the skirt and if it fit while I was trying it on. I said "I like it" in French. Well, actually, I didn't. I meant to say, "I like it" but instead I said "Je t'aime." Which means I like you. Sometime while he was muttering "no, no, no" I realized my mistake. Why oh why didn't I pay better attention in French class. That was the first moment on this trip I really wished someone was with me. Laughing at yourself is so much better with someone else laughing with you.
To Germany tomorrow.
12 comments:
Beautiful, beautiful!
You could have said "Je t'adore" and it would have been worse!
Glad you are alive and well on the continent. Looking forward to many more stories and great pictures when you return!
xoxo
megan
It means I like you, or more often, "I love you"! :)
No, no, I mean I was in the dressing room and said, 'shut the door.' Yeah, that's it!
You should have just kept repeating the phrase "I like you" over and over and over while staring at the skirt...then he would have just thought you were nuts and kicked you out of the store...
Who knows...maybe even with the skirt still on...Sweet! Free skirt!
Oh Jules! Don't worry we're all laughing with/at you from afar. ( : Thanks for sharing... it's a good reminder that you will always be you, even in Brussels!
Julia;
Here is the problem with your Brussels experience.
You didn't try the Brussel Sprouts!
Now in Germany,try the Black Forest Cake...... in Switzerland the chocolate...
Enjoy your holiday
Well, I greeted the people at the HEAL Africa hospital's worship service last summer in Goma (in the DR Congo) in French saying, Bon Soir! The only problem was that it was 7:30 AM. Have a great time in Europe!
Ha! Julia, you need to write a book. Stories like these travel about as much as you do. I'd love to sit outside some sunny summer day and read these stories. Thanks for sharing.
Curtis
Je t'adore aussi.
Mom
Julia I hope your graduation was great and I am happy to hear from you! I hope the next couple of countries love young American ladies, it seems the Belgians didn't get the memo the Italians got. Keep me on your blog so I can follow along.
Erin from OT
so Julia, did you get a discount on the skirt after that?
Tammy
A NOTE FROM JULIA (via Megan):
I am currently unable to post blogs because blogger thinks I am a spammer at the moment. This should be solved within the next day or two, so check back.
I have stories to tell...the waiter who saved Brussels, the train official that spent an hour telling me how crazy America is (he seemed a bit off himself), and more...
Thanks - Julia
Post a Comment