Brussels

Ryanair is either loved or hated by all… it’s very cheap if you catch the right deal, but you must pay extra to use a credit card, to check in at the airport (which you must do if you are not an EU citizen), you don’t even get water on the plane and you cannot carry a purse in addition to your carry on. Still, if you are poor and the opportunity to fly to Brussels and back for a grand total of 30 euro presents itself, one can find herself on the “Ryanair-PRO” side of the fence.

Rachael whisked me away from the airport Thursday evening upon my arrival to this multi-lingual land. We drove into the city center to fetch two of her friends, Sandra and Savegry, then drove to the university part of town for dinner. I had a cherry wine followed by another dark brew, both of which are made in Brussels. The angelic Rachael already had a box of chocolates in the car for us to nibble after dinner and we, after driving in many circles, drove around the Atomiun, a giant model of the atom built for the 1953 world’s fair… it’s no Eiffel Tower but it’s neat looking. Because of bad road signs, it took about half an hour to find and involved some laughs at our driver’s expense, but we had chocolate to keep us happy. I also got to meet her German beau, Peter, who drove two hours to just to have dinner with us and to meet the new girl, knowing the whole time he’d have to wake up in only a few more hours to drive back to Deutschland and go to work. I found him to be a most considerate chap.

The next day, I got to wander the sights of this city, after a tutorial from Rachael. I saw the Manneken Pis, the comic strip museum where I got a picture with a Smurf, or should I say Schtroumpf that somehow didn’t format correctly on my camera (Darn you Gargamel!) They have a great pedestrian zone with shops and crowds, where I was approached by a middle aged man who asked if I had been at his philosophy lecture that morning because he was sure I was the girl who asked a question bout how one goes about reconciling Plato and Aristotle in the artwork of the Sistine chapel… righhhttt. I asked him what on earth needed to be reconciled and he actually smiled and said “That was my answer.” He’s smooth all right. I left him to go and try

a Stella on tap. I stand by my choice.

And chocolate, oh the chocolate! Shops everywhere peddling house-made confectionaries. It turns out Neuhaus was the first man to create the concept of an individual chocolate- a filled chocolate shell. And my oh my, how those Belgians fill those shells. Caramels, nougatines, marzipan, fruit pastes, nut creams. From the ones selling to the masses to the specialty one who is commissioned to perpare confections for the royal family’s events (Pierre Marcolini- where they dress in suits and play trendy music… it’s like shopping for fine jewelry there!), there is

something for everyone and one wants to wander into every one of those shops.
That evening, Rachael and I went to dinner at Sandra’s place and had a wonderful girl’s night. Her friends have enough boy drama to fill many wine soaked evenings so we had a great time. Rachael and I spent the rest of the night up until the wee hours bonding over chocolate and drunky skyping her family.

The next day passed like a blur as we drove around different EU buildings for my last glimpse of the city. Then, like a grand hostess, she could not let me leave without experiencing one of Belgium’s finest inventions: The French Fry. The line for them was comparable to ones I have stood in for the right Philly Cheesesteak or the perfect cheeseburger. They have perfected the

technique by double frying at just the right temperatures before serving to you in gargantuan portions with any number of sauces to dip in.

It is sad that no more weekend trips are possible until Spring Break, being that I’m wrapped up in preparations for midterms. Still, there have been amazing dinners with friends here and celebrations for anything we can get out hands on as an excuse.

Some weekend escapades around Northern Italy

Sometimes you need to get away. It’s great to live in a place where planes and trains are readily available for just these moments.
Just before the semester started, after my London experience, I got to be on the receiving end of the aforementioned need to get away. Mike, a Yank who lives in Germany, came to Bologna for a short visit and because he’s not the only one who fancies escapism, we took a train to Ferrara to take in the sights of this lovely little town only 45 minutes from here on the cheap train.
Most ruling families want their castle up high on a hill… away from commoners and protected geographically from invaders. Not Marquis Niccolò II d'Este… he decided to build Castello Estense right in the middle of his city… “Haha, I have a big castle and you can’t come because I’m going to surround it with a giant moat!” An added bonus, he put in some great dungeons which you can still go into and have messages written by prisoners over 500 years ago. They have dank down to a science.
Of course, Ferrara boasts its own lovely duomo and a number of other neat churches. They have a row of great confectionaries along a main street which make incredible tiny delights. Mike was so taken with one that he ordered a second round and declared it the best dessert he’d ever had. Their specialty is a kind of Lebkuchen surrounded by chocolate… it’s good, but it’s not the best sweet to be had.

A freak rainstorm during this sunny day led us to duck into the natural history museum. It was run by two bored middle aged women who were delighted to have visitors. We spent the remainder of the storm looking at animals from around the world, randomly placed in exhibits together. A manatee was sharing a display with birds. The ancient bug exhibit was creepy… and they even had a shrunken head!
Our dinner that night was amazing. Ferrara is known for its pastas stuffed with zucca, or pumpkin- a specialty of this region and without a doubt one of the best pasta dishes I’ve experienced in Italia. We both got it for our first course and at the homemade ravioli was almost an inch tall because it was so full of orange goodness. A walnut cream sauce completed its flavors and our Chianti washed it down while we waited for our second course- I had a swordfish steak in a lemon sauce accompanied by roasted veg. After all that, we should have stopped but “boozy cake” and a dessert liquor was too tempting to pass up for me. He had a custard dessert and a liquor recommended by the waiter, who took amazing care of us. We enjoyed the meal for almost 3.5 hours… this is how Italians do dinner.

The following weekend, Lenea and I spent Saturday afternoon in Padua. It was another short train ride from here and we soaked up the spring sunshine as we wandered through and intricately landscaped park. The town is beautiful and peaceful… not overrun by tourists but still boasting its share of treasures.

The Scrovegni Chapel, built for the owner’s usurer father in order to make restitution and get him into heaven, is the main attraction for any art lover or history buff. In the early 1300’s, He hired Giotto to paint frescos on the walls and the works, which cover the life of Jesus and Mary and also depict the final judgment, cover every surface in the small church. It is one of the most influential frescos and is said to be the first to use three dimensions in its technique. It also features faux painted marble that I never would have known wasn’t real if the 15 minute informational video you watch while sitting in an airlocked, temperature controlled room before the church keepers allow you to enter the main attraction in order to maintain the integrity of the somewhat damaged works. You get only fifteen minutes to take in the beautiful artwork and it truly isn’t enough… although you so tire of getting watched like a hawk the whole time.

On one of the piazzas, we wandered into the Palazzo della Ragione, which is a large building that is supposed to be one of the largest roofs in Europe to be unsupported by columns. There are paintings all along this huge cavernous hall and a giant wooden (and… er… anatomically correct) horse on randomly placed inside as well. The best part of this however, was the sunny walkway with beautifully painted porticos and a great view of the city.

We wasted the next hour people- watching on the piazza and drinking coffee… followed by wine. The sunshine infused us with hope of winter’s imminent departure and we traded stories of spring romances before traipsing across town to get back to Bologna in time for our friend’s birthday dinner in a beautiful restaurant on the Piazza near my house. It was a glorious end to a perfect day... we even managed to study on the train ride- is there anything SAIS students can't do?

Austria and a Viennese Ball

A free glass of wine, courtesy of the student government, relaxed the students on three coach busses heading east, far from Bologna, away from the confines of studies, the darkness would lift and in the morning, they would find themselves in a land of imperial dynasties and a center of European history. But not before some individuals on Bus 3, which happened to contain me as well, supplemented their free wine with cheap whisky and Italian beer and spent part of the night taking care of one of their friends, snapping photos, and gleefully replaying his less than dignified performance the night before as he wondered why he smelled so awful in the morning…
We groggily departed the busses and checked into our hotel rooms. In a place known for its cafes, I went out to a real breakfast at a most beautiful one with large wooden tables, high ceilings, chandeliers, and waiters dressed impeccably. They offered a wonderful real breakfast consisting of crusty rolls (back to a land of German baked goods- oh the difference!) with fresh butter, eggs, ham, fresh squeezed orange juice, and Viennese coffee, which is like a cappuccino with less foam. Revived and ecstatic to have a breakfast consisting of more than one pastry, some of us set off into the city to walk around its sights. The large cathedral in the middle of a pedestrian zone was a good meeting spot and we traveled along the ring road, passing historical buildings and amazing architecture, ending up at the Danube… which is a little less romantic in person than in your mind.

That evening, all transformed from scruffy students into debutantes and gentlemen; the fellows donned tuxedos and ladies went to the hairdressers to complement their intricate ball gowns. 210 SAIS’ers and their guests (our entire student body isn’t that big!) started the evening at a wine reception in the Museum auf Abruf- a gallery which shelters the contemporary art collection of the Department for Cultural Affairs of the City of Vienna. Here a SAIS alum, who heads this department, (how can I land a gig like that!) welcomed us to his city.

Walking to the for the actual ball, many of us stopped at the many small market stands set up close by and had German Christmas market food for dinner… in our formal wear. I had wonderful ham on good dense bread with sharp mustard and fresh horseradish (if you have been paying attention, this is my second serving of ham in the same day)… heavenly, but it could explain why I didn’t get asked to dance more…

The many rooms in the expansive Hofburg (built originally as a medieval castle, expanded into a residence for the all-powerful Habsburgs, currently home to home to offices of the Austrian President, National Library, Schatzkammer Imperial Treasury, Museum of Ethnography, the Spanish Riding School, and many intoxicated foreigners trying to master elegant 19th centrury dances) where the IAEA was having their ball each held surprises. Some had bars and sold appetizers, one had an oyster bar, another with hot dogs! One small room near the grand central staircase boasted a swing band and inexpensive wine while another, with a wall of windows looking into a courtyard, featured different Latin music all night. On the bottom floor was an 80’s dance room.

The main ballroom, however, was the sight to behold. Debutantes in white dresses all had their time to shine as they made their first appearance with their dates and showed us all how to properly waltz. Other events in the room included a square dance, different waltzes throughout the evening, and even an Abba cover band- completely dressed to the part.

We had two rooms to call our own, which were next to the small stage where the Celtic band played and people pretended to know how to Riverdance. We had a champagne toast in those rooms and could come and put up our feet, which was quite necessary for ladies who are used to wearing boots or sneakers day in and day out.

Until about 5am we kicked off the new day dancing in the 80’s room, everyone just letting go and going making the most of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I can say I danced with one random dude who works at the IAEA, whose name I’ll never know. One of the band leaders, about 60 years old and resembling Kofi Anan, got up on the bar and danced for us. Taxis took us to our hotel rooms for a few hours of sleep. My roommate and I spent the morning watching Darkwing Duck dubbed into English.

We had the entire of Sunday to run around Vienna and walked around, took pictures, went to a few museums. We got to see a wonderful Klimt and Schiele exhibit at the Albertina. I knew nothing of Schiele before this but can say his work amazed me and his life story is nothing short of tragic.

Managed to find some fun sights. I had multiple servings of good, seedy Austrian bread. We hopped upon our busses at about 9pm and managed to get a few hours of sleep before we arrived at 7am in Bologna. The entire student body went home and slept. I have not taken a nap without being sick in years… I didn’t even make it under my covers.

I am taking a class called “Evolution of the International System” which is a European-centered history of the world since Napoleon, and we were just learning of the Congress of Vienna before going there so it was amazing to see the actual sights where these world-changing decisions were agreed upon… and to ice skate in front of them while dancing the Macarena with your friends… oh life, you are simply too good to me…