Broken Stones
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Leg Strength: Increasing
October 1
Last day of L5R World Championships. Made Top 32 in Kisada's Gift tourney. Starts early. Win in Top 32, but get knocked out in Top 16. Oh, well. Very fun people around, hanging around more with artists and some friends I made. Good times. Win Challenge Booth later on. Very good. Convince story editor Shawn Carmen to write barfight scene for my clan to win. Excellent. Tournament ends around 8:00 PM, everyone goes their separate ways. Sad to see it go, but it was fun, so count as positive.
Go back to hostel. Use internet to check email, then overhear The Simpsons starting up in lobby TV. Must watch. Unfortunately, dubbed in French. Bump that. Go for dinner, get pizza.
The Simpsons may be in French, but CSI: Miami is in English. End up watching while eating pizza topped with oysters and calimari. Delicious. Watch with a British guy named Joe Jackson. I forget to check his feet, but I choose to believe he was not wearing shoes.
Pass out. Very tired from last few days. Want to sleep in tomorrow. Sadly, American man sleeping across room is worst snorer EVER. Like he is screaming in my now-bleeding ear. Attempt to wake him up, but apparently he is such a heavy sleeper that saying his name and poking him and flicking him and squeezing the circulation out of his arm don't wake him up. Wonder how he ever awakens normally.
October 2
Get up about noon. Cleaning lady very angry I'm still in room. What is the point of having a lockout in the middle of the day? I don't need my bed cleaned, just leave me be. Stupid hostel. Don't stay at "Sleep Well" hostel in Brussels. Name is a lie.
Wander around city some more, getting lost in new and exciting ways.
It is weird to see gangs of thugged-out black guys roaming the streets trash talking, only to realize that their gutteral nonsense is in French. French is not a language that one readily thinks of in terms of ebonics. For that matter, I though inner-city black youth with disciplinary problems were exclusive to the United States, or at least mostly exclusive. Not so. What other countries is the problem present in? How many other languages? One imagines a group of Swahili tribesmen in puffy jackets and bling-bling, vaingloriously throat-clicking away with boastful tales of what is surely the Third World equivilent of riding dirty.
Brussels is very different from the reality of most European cities. Like all things of age, it is slowly crumbling and in need of restoration. However, here, unlike most, there seems to be no effort to preserve the historical nature of the city in an architectural context. Rather, as one thing goes, the newest, most contemporary structure possible is built in its place. Building by building, street by street, the city is modernized. This creates a number of odd situations, glass-walled skyscrapers shooting up between two-story 18th century flats. It's disturbing.
The best example I've found of such a thing is on Blvd de l'Empereur, near the city center. This is a major, four-lane boulevard, mind you. Prime real estate. On one side of the street, one sees the dome of a minor cathedral, several office buildings, a 30-year old bowling alley, and then a chunk of the old city walls. I was stunned to see this. This is the remnant of a major medieval fortification, thirty foot high stone walls with a guard tower and portcullis. It stands flush up against the office building beside it, occupying what is otherwise a grassy, vacant lot. I was astounded. There are no signs, no markers on the map. Passerby walk on without giving it a glance. I wanted to scream at them. "Do you not see this!? This incredible, ridiculous thing! A charge-breaking battlement right in the middle of your precious commercial district!" I don't understand how no one can care about this. There's more culture in that one little chunk of wall than in any two of the city's museums.
So, naturally, I had to give it the finger.
Took some pictures of a ridiculous elementary school gym class doing exercises by this great copper statue of a man on horseback. Why by the statue, kids? Realized when the left that in the distance behind them was a state building of some importance. Flipped that off, too. Very good. Found out later that it was partly St. Jaques Cathedral. Oh, well. I'm sure he did something to deserve it at some point.
Speaking of statues, holy crap. There are more statues in this city than they know what to do with. Giant marble sculptures that would be iconic and famous in the States sit in derelict squares. It's kind of sad, but also kind of majestic. There's a lot to see, even if not all of it is celebrated. I guess that's what comes from having actual history.
Had a Belgian waffle covered in Belgian chocolate. Very good. Let me tell you, that thing will keep you on your feet for a couple extra hours.
Back to hostel for dinner. Kebap shop again. I swear, those things are keeping me alive. I sit down and eat with the snoring American man, Mike, who despite being loud in his sleep is quite good company awake. We watch Hitchcock's 'The Birds' dubbed in French and make raucous fun of it the whole time. Anyone else notice what a bad movie that is? Wow, is it hokey. Good 'Mystery Science Theatre 3000' fodder, though, so we had a good time.
Early to bed. Gotta fly to Finland tomorrow.
Progress Thus Far
Countries Visited: 1
Stupid Tourist Moments: 7
Monuments Flipped Off: 5
Free Food Ganked: 2
Free Booze Ganked: 5
i think that we shall never more, at any future time,
delight our souls with talk of knightly deeds,
walking about the gardens and the halls of Camelot,
as in the days that were.
-Tennyson, "Morte d'Arthur"
Leg Strength: Increasing
October 1
Last day of L5R World Championships. Made Top 32 in Kisada's Gift tourney. Starts early. Win in Top 32, but get knocked out in Top 16. Oh, well. Very fun people around, hanging around more with artists and some friends I made. Good times. Win Challenge Booth later on. Very good. Convince story editor Shawn Carmen to write barfight scene for my clan to win. Excellent. Tournament ends around 8:00 PM, everyone goes their separate ways. Sad to see it go, but it was fun, so count as positive.
Go back to hostel. Use internet to check email, then overhear The Simpsons starting up in lobby TV. Must watch. Unfortunately, dubbed in French. Bump that. Go for dinner, get pizza.
The Simpsons may be in French, but CSI: Miami is in English. End up watching while eating pizza topped with oysters and calimari. Delicious. Watch with a British guy named Joe Jackson. I forget to check his feet, but I choose to believe he was not wearing shoes.
Pass out. Very tired from last few days. Want to sleep in tomorrow. Sadly, American man sleeping across room is worst snorer EVER. Like he is screaming in my now-bleeding ear. Attempt to wake him up, but apparently he is such a heavy sleeper that saying his name and poking him and flicking him and squeezing the circulation out of his arm don't wake him up. Wonder how he ever awakens normally.
October 2
Get up about noon. Cleaning lady very angry I'm still in room. What is the point of having a lockout in the middle of the day? I don't need my bed cleaned, just leave me be. Stupid hostel. Don't stay at "Sleep Well" hostel in Brussels. Name is a lie.
Wander around city some more, getting lost in new and exciting ways.
It is weird to see gangs of thugged-out black guys roaming the streets trash talking, only to realize that their gutteral nonsense is in French. French is not a language that one readily thinks of in terms of ebonics. For that matter, I though inner-city black youth with disciplinary problems were exclusive to the United States, or at least mostly exclusive. Not so. What other countries is the problem present in? How many other languages? One imagines a group of Swahili tribesmen in puffy jackets and bling-bling, vaingloriously throat-clicking away with boastful tales of what is surely the Third World equivilent of riding dirty.
Brussels is very different from the reality of most European cities. Like all things of age, it is slowly crumbling and in need of restoration. However, here, unlike most, there seems to be no effort to preserve the historical nature of the city in an architectural context. Rather, as one thing goes, the newest, most contemporary structure possible is built in its place. Building by building, street by street, the city is modernized. This creates a number of odd situations, glass-walled skyscrapers shooting up between two-story 18th century flats. It's disturbing.
The best example I've found of such a thing is on Blvd de l'Empereur, near the city center. This is a major, four-lane boulevard, mind you. Prime real estate. On one side of the street, one sees the dome of a minor cathedral, several office buildings, a 30-year old bowling alley, and then a chunk of the old city walls. I was stunned to see this. This is the remnant of a major medieval fortification, thirty foot high stone walls with a guard tower and portcullis. It stands flush up against the office building beside it, occupying what is otherwise a grassy, vacant lot. I was astounded. There are no signs, no markers on the map. Passerby walk on without giving it a glance. I wanted to scream at them. "Do you not see this!? This incredible, ridiculous thing! A charge-breaking battlement right in the middle of your precious commercial district!" I don't understand how no one can care about this. There's more culture in that one little chunk of wall than in any two of the city's museums.So, naturally, I had to give it the finger.
Took some pictures of a ridiculous elementary school gym class doing exercises by this great copper statue of a man on horseback. Why by the statue, kids? Realized when the left that in the distance behind them was a state building of some importance. Flipped that off, too. Very good. Found out later that it was partly St. Jaques Cathedral. Oh, well. I'm sure he did something to deserve it at some point.
Speaking of statues, holy crap. There are more statues in this city than they know what to do with. Giant marble sculptures that would be iconic and famous in the States sit in derelict squares. It's kind of sad, but also kind of majestic. There's a lot to see, even if not all of it is celebrated. I guess that's what comes from having actual history.
Had a Belgian waffle covered in Belgian chocolate. Very good. Let me tell you, that thing will keep you on your feet for a couple extra hours.
Back to hostel for dinner. Kebap shop again. I swear, those things are keeping me alive. I sit down and eat with the snoring American man, Mike, who despite being loud in his sleep is quite good company awake. We watch Hitchcock's 'The Birds' dubbed in French and make raucous fun of it the whole time. Anyone else notice what a bad movie that is? Wow, is it hokey. Good 'Mystery Science Theatre 3000' fodder, though, so we had a good time.
Early to bed. Gotta fly to Finland tomorrow.
Progress Thus Far
Countries Visited: 1
Stupid Tourist Moments: 7
Monuments Flipped Off: 5
Free Food Ganked: 2
Free Booze Ganked: 5
i think that we shall never more, at any future time,
delight our souls with talk of knightly deeds,
walking about the gardens and the halls of Camelot,
as in the days that were.
-Tennyson, "Morte d'Arthur"
posted by Will Jones at 7:01 AM
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