Cold, cold rain

Chilled to the bone, waiting for the rain to stop and the sun to come out. I am told it might be a long, long wait as this is Belgium and rain is the norm. Though the weather was fairly nice in August, with temps in the 70's F (20's C), this first fall is proving to be quite chilly. What makes it even colder is the high humidity. So much humidity and rain, that the ground has not dried out since we arrived August 11th, and even when there were two warm, sunny days in a row, I still tracked moisture from the grass in the back yard into the house.

With so many days being like today, I am learning what layering means (being from Florida, layering on was not something we did very much ... In fact, quite the opposite!) But even with sweaters and socks, today's kind of chill still seems to seep through to the bones. To help counter the chill, I have kept the kettle going all day. The dogs and I are cuddled on the couch under a throw as I sip warm cups of tea while I write this blog.

So tonight I am making a nice, hot chicken soup for dinner. Perhaps that will help abate the chill.

Looking back at The Big Apple

Three years flew by so fast and the city that I once feared became my home and a place I grew to love. There were so many things to see and do in the city. I could walk for miles and never realize how far I had walked until I got home. With so many shops, people, parks, and places of interest I was never bored on my long walks. At first I could not imagine walking across the park to the whole foods store, it was so far away! But it was not long before I was walking from Battery Park, up the West Side and across to home without thinking about the distance at all.

There is always something to do in the city. You can visit a park or go to the zoo, stop by a museum, go shopping, meet up with friends at a local eatery (or Starbucks), visit an attraction. The list goes on and on - after all it is called the Big Apple for a very good reason.

Some of the highlights of the city were the streets fairs, parades, and festivals. Almost very weekend, from May through November, a street fair or festival can be found somewhere in the city. These can span anywhere from 2 blocks to 20 blocks or more in length with stands selling fruit, smoothies, corn on the cob, cannolis, meat on a stick, or any variety of foods on each corner. Pashimas, hats, artwork, services, stage shows, kiddie rides, plants, clothing, spices, and what seems like miles and miles of people. Most of the festivals are fundraisers for schools, churches, and other charitable groups. A few are purely for fun like the Renaissance Faire and some of the school and community fairs.

If there is a reason to celebrate, there is a parade for it in New York. There are Easter parades, parades for almost nationality, parades for religious holidays, and parades for gay rights, and of course the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. The Macy's parade stretches from 81st street on Park West down Broadway to the Macy's store on 42nd street and is televised world-wide. The parade features bands, on and off Broadway acts, Santa and of course the massive character balloons. They start inflating the balloons around midday the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and finish sometime during the wee hours of the night. These balloons each take 50 or more people to handle as they walk along the long route, but they are the highlight of the parade. Next to the Macy's Day parade, one of the biggest parades is the Saint Patrick's day parade where thousands come out just to be Irish for the day (though many have no roots in Ireland at all). There are bagpipe bands, clan after clan, and people sporting green and orange everywhere. After this year's Saint Patrick's day parade lasted more than 5 hours, the city council decided it was necessary to put a limit on the length of the parades.

The Big Apple is a city constantly in flux. It was protected for a long time from the effects of the recession - that is until Wall Street crashed. The crash affected everyone from the pauper on the street to the wealthiest of residents. I saw people who once lived a life flowing with money standing in food lines, using coupons, and reusing items they once would have discarded without a second thought. There were empty shops on Madison Avenue that at one time would have had no problem bringing in clients. For a short time, life in the city slowed it's pace. People were out in the parks more, walking more, and meeting their neighbors. But as all things change, the vibrance is returning and the people are regressing back to their solitary lives in a city of millions. I once overheard some people say that if they ever wanted to get lost, they only had to move to Manhattan. Perhaps they are right ....

I will miss this place ... my friends and co-workers, the close proximity of everything (and free delivery!). It was an amazing place to live for the short while I was there.

The Great Shoe Dilema

I think one of the more difficult things I encountered while adjusting to living in Brussels is deciding what shoes to wear. Yes, I did say what shoes to wear. Me - the one who usually could care less about what shoes I wore on a day off from work, but this is different. Since I am not working at the moment, I like to wander the streets of Brussels, discovering the wonders this city holds. Many of the streets and sidewalks here have that old world charm of being made from cobblestone. Now if you have ever walked on cobblestone, you know what I mean. If not, let me explain. Cobblestone is made from small stones about four or five inches in diameter. These were used on roads and sidewalks before concrete or asphalt. Now when you walk on cobblestone, you have to be careful how you step as they can be slightly rounded on top and are joined by a type of mortar. As you can imagine, walking in heels can be a bit precarious. Fortunately, I have no worries there as high heels are not my shoe of choice in the best of circumstances. My closet is full of flats - sandals, clogs, sneakers, boots, and my Tom's. But even wearing flats is not enough to manage these sidewalks and roads because walking on stone is a bit harder on the ankles and knees than walking the flatter, more smooth surface of American sidewalks and roads.

I headed out on first excursion the day after I arrived. Since I was meeting my husband for lunch, I thought I would wear my clogs. Riding the metro to his work and having lunch was not a problem. But after lunch, I decided to go on walk about and visit the Grand Place in central Brussels. It did not take long for me to realize that this was a very bad choice. I kept turning my ankles as I walked and had to cut my visit short. I arrived home with very sore ankles and knees.

So, I tried my Tom's. I LOVE my Tom's! Simple, flat, comfortable and I found it much easier to walk on the cobblestone ... except that there is little or no padding which made it a bit hard on the soles of my feet. (Okay, so maybe I've become a tenderfoot.) To make matters worse, it was raining and where there is not cobblestone on sidewalks in Brussels, there is slate. In the rain, slate can be slick. Without some sort of traction on the bottom of my Tom's, I found myself slipping and catching myself with every other step. By the time I got home, the bottoms of my feet and my knees were aching.

Next, I tried my Sarcony sneaker's. I love my Sarcony's! They fit nicely and are comfortable to wear ... usually. Unfortunately, they did not provide enough padding against the cobblestone (ouch - the soles of my feet still hurt). My knees are taking a beating, so much so that I am beginning to find it difficult managing the stairs in my home.

So, I am starting a quest. My quest is to find the right pair of shoes before my ankles and knees go completely.  Hmmm ... soles that provide enough protection and spring, and insoles with lots of cushioning and support? Is there such a perfect shoe anywhere out there for a reasonable price?

At long last ... Brussels

Packing, unpacking, sorting and arranging are done. Now to set about acclimating myself to my new surroundings, which is proving to be a bit more challenging than expected.
For starters, we have to have ID's to get or do just about anything from banking to recycling (I'll explain this later in my post). Getting ID's is a challenge in and of itself. First my husband, who works for the government, needs to apply for a card since he is the one with the job and work permit. Getting his ID can take anywhere up to a month. Once he has his ID, I can apply for my ID (I have to wait because I am not a citizen of the same country he is from) which will also take up to a month.
At first we were told we could not apply for a bank account without an ID but, due to my husband's job, we were able to apply for a bank account now. Applying for a bank account means just that. We filled in an application and now have to wait until they send us a card before we can deposit money and use the account. It has been three and a half weeks and still no card. Without a bank account, we cannot get a cell phone or membership to anything. We were able to get cable and Internet (thank goodness!) but we are supposed to pay through our bank account. Paying through a bank account is not like back home. There are no checks and no online payment options that I know of. The companies send you a voucher that you sign and send back. To top it all off, many places do not accept your bank cards or Visa cards (they might accept Mister cards and Master cards) as payment, so almost everything has to be paid for in cash. Why do we have a bank account? Oh yeah,to pay our bills!