We have had a long day. No, make that a long couple of days that were rolled into one. The flight was one of “those.” A disinterested crew, space between seats and rows that would cramp the average six-year old and a flight full of infants screaming for their parents…parents who seemed immune to the sound of those screams. Very little sleep was managed on this flight. But no matter…at least our plane got in on time. It turns out that despite an on-time arrival the airline still had one more card to play before letting us go: we had no gate to park at so we wound up in the middle of nowhere and had to take a bus to the terminal. We were warned that the stairs being brought to the plane to get on the bus would be icy. Fortunately, no one was hurt and our bags arrived a mere one hour later. Don’t you just love what modern flying has become? The really good news is that we are all safe, we all have our luggage, and the day got progressively better.
We got to the hotel by noon…took a quick shower…and had a lecture from Dr. Morgan starting at 1.
Next it was outside to walk around our Brussels neighborhood (On the left is Dr. Morgan holding forth with some of the students around the block from our hotel) and a walk to the Metro to get to the European Parliament. This was our first real adventure for some of our students who were not quick enough to get on our Metro car. They got left behind. But not for long. Using their brains and travel skills…and remembering not to panic…they asked someone what stop to get off for the EU Parliament, got on the next train, and quickly caught up with the rest of us.
The EU Parliament visit started with a great briefing by one of the young staffers there who provided a complete and detailed overview of the EU system of governance. Despite jet lag and lack of sleep we all found the talk engaging, informative and a great way to start our journey (on the right–all of us in front of the flags of all the members of the European Union).
After our visit, it was time to walk around the old part of Brussels and get our reward from Dr. Morgan: some great chocolate from one of the fine chocolate shops in the area. That was just enough to whet our appetites for dinner in the old market area where we all feasted on traditional Belgian cuisine. Fortunately it was warm food because it is bitter cold out tonight. Of course nothing takes the bitterness out of the evening better than our next stop: Belgium waffles with warm chocolate on top. Then it was time to waddle home to the hotel, get to bed early and get ready for any early call tomorrow. We start with a lecture and then it is on the train to the Netherlands for a visit to the Hague.
Glad y’all made it safe and sound. Stay warm!!! Enjoy!!!