I had to take a blog hiatus because I was busy enjoying a vacation. My wife & I flew to Paris on the 19th. We stayed very near the Bataclan Concert Hall. This was not something we did on purpose, but something that happened. We walked down to Notre Dame Cathederal and had dinner near our hotel.
On Monday 21 March we got brave and started to use the metro. It is amazing how with free wi-if, google map and a handful of euros that two country mice could move about a huge city like Paris with confidence. We went to the Louvre. My favorite thing this time was the large sculptures. I think one would need to spend weeks there to take it all in. Maybe when I retire?
On 22 March we visited the Modern Art Museum. The House of Horrors made us laugh out loud. Think artist making a statement about modern life by creating a haunted train ride complete with a lady smelling her dog's droppings. Gross for sure but wildly funny. We saw a lot of dogs in Paris and it seems maybe some dog owners are better than others at dealing with their dog's bodily functions. I think that was the artist's point, but maybe I'm wrong? It is my blog so I'm free to speculate.
We also visited the Eiffel Tower and climbed 669 steps to the second platform. Once we returned to earth, we waited 45 minutes in line to use a free toilette. The funny thing is the line was only about 10 souls long when we arrived. After every visitor the toilet would complete a cleaning cycle that seemed to take forever. Time literally stands still for people waiting in these lines. My wife and I went in together when it finally became our turn. A self cleaning toilet is an impressive feat, but this version needs serious reconsideration. From there we used the metro (light years ahead of the aforementioned toilet) to get to the Arc de Triomphe. Amazing monument dedicated, I think, to fallen military. We closed out the night going to a pizza place near our hotel called the pink flamingo if my memory still serves.
Tuesday was the day of the attacks at the Brussels airport and metro. Our hearts were broken as we read what had happened. I pray God will grant those that have suffered needlessly peace of mind.
On Wednesday we headed to Brussels with some fear in our hearts, but also a feeling that we must not be afraid as well. We arrived by high speed train. Our passports were checked and there was heavy guard presence (some with machine guns). The people of Brussels were brave and going about their lives. We ended up in Leuven where we stayed for 3 nights.
On Wednesday night we strolled around the center of Leuven and through some very nice parks. It is as if their. Cathedrals are made of lace.
Thursday we took a train to Ghent. We hoped on their version of a metro (above ground) but powered by electricity and got to the city center. We toured a castle Called Gravensteen built in the Middle Ages. It is amazing how it has been restored. One can find an amazing collection of military armor and weaponry. I even saw a guillotine! I decided it would be best to keep the king's peace and keep my head on my shoulders. We visited two churches and a bell tower. The bell tower had something like 400 bells if I understood Flemish correctly. There was a giant wheel that spun every 15 minutes and a song was played on the bells (think here an elephant sized music box). The bell tower was a way to keep everything running on time which must be an important part of Belgium culture. The view of the inner city from the top was so cool I found I did not want to leave, but leave I did. We, of course, bought chocolates. We hopped back on the metro (wrong one) and ended up in the country side (not quite) before figuring out the error in our ways. We did make it back to Leuven but late.
Thursday night was a bit hellish. We learned the Brussels airport would not be opening before Wendy's flight on Saturday. We spent 3-4 stressful hours working on and off with United airlines considering options like Luxumbergh, Düsseldorf, Berlin, before finally settling in on Paris. We booked Wend a high speed train directly to Charles de Gaulle & a nearby hotel. She was inconvenienced, but she was brave about the change of plans. We got to bed at 1 am.
Friday was a quiet day in Leuven seeing sites and buying more chocolate and cookies to bring home as gifts.
Saturday I made me way by train from Leuven to Thonon by train. It took 10 hours because I gave myself plenty of time at each stop to be sure I got on the right train. The mountains after Paris was gorgeous. The guy who tried to scam me into buying a 32 euro all-day metro pass was a loser and I wish him a very unhappy life. I finally had to yell at him, "I'm not stupid! It should only cost me two euros!" And at that, the little man who tried to scam me ran off. I got to Thonon right on time. My colleague Jean and his wife Isabelle took me out to dinner and saw me to my apartment.
Today Wendy is on her way home. She calculated it would take 28 hours. I hope she can find restful sleep on the airplane. I was taken by Jean to buy groceries for a few days because it seems Thonon will be shutdown until Tuesday morning owing to Easter. Isabelle who is very busy with her new job made time to cook us chicken, potatoes and green beans. For dessert we had 3 types of cheeses (the blue cheese blew my mind) and a pealed pear slow boiled in red wine with sugar and cinnamon. It was a perfect meal eaten with two of my favorite people. Now I'm tired of blogging. If anyone has read this far, let it be understood that I intend to make this blog more about the science and the challenges we face and how we overcome them. Research is like a puzzle and I hope to share how the pieces come together. If you want to learn about my first trip a few years back visit
http://lakebourgetcollaboration.blogspot.fr
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