Dear all, life in Brussels keeps chugging along and amazingly enough it is already time for the first round of parent teacher conferences. This weekend was another Brussels weekend but do not think for one second that I am in a rut; there are just always things to do around here. Friday the girl Interns and I went out for drinks at a decidedly touristy bar, Delirium, that is not without its perks and problems. The fact that so many people speak English and there are literally gazillions of beers available often out ways the sometimes sketchy tourists who show up there. Saturday dawned clear and sunny warranting a trip to a nearby park I only recently discovered. Fall is a terrific season in Brussels when the weather is good. The leaves are staring to pile up, the trees are changing colors in various stages of vibrancy, and the air even smells different. The park is full of meandering paths, wide open green spaces, and a decent sized lake. Brussels is full of parks and wide tree lined boulevards thanks to King Leopold II who was trying to emulate the French and bring Brussels up to par with fellow European capitals of the day. Whenever the city gets to be too much it is not difficult to escape to one of the many parks and get away from it all.

A couple of the Interns and I decided to do a little museum touring. I was really interested in visiting the Africa Museum since discovering its existence shortly after arriving in Brussels. The Royal Museum for Central Africa came into being following the World Fair of 1897. It is one of the only museums specifically dedicated to Central Africa and Congo in particular in Europe. Belgium and Congo are forever connected as the King responsible for all of the grand promenades, green spaces, and parks is also responsible for the purchase and establishment of Congo. The Belgian people and government never agreed with King Leopold II who believed the future of Belgium lay in overseas colonies and refused to let him spend taxpayers money on what they believed to be an outlandish idea. Leopold II later had the government of Belgium loan him the money by conning them into believing he was starting a holdings company in Central Africa. The result was the Congo Free State which Leopold was able to rein over virtually without restriction. Eventually he won over the government and the people of Belgium with the riches he was importing and they took up colonialism with fervor. The museum offered little insight into the relationship between Congo and Belgium currently and in the past which was disappointing. The artifacts and animals were amazing to see up close but at the same time without historical context and two sides of the story it seemed contrived. The Africa Museum is worth a visit and be sure and get the audio guide as little information is presented in English.

Sunday was another spectacular day and the Brussels Breast Cancer Walk/Run. It was my first race situation in a considerably long time and a beautiful reintroduction on a course through those famous Leopold II parks. I was neck and neck with a Norwegian the whole way and ended up dukeing it out in the last kilometer which felt good. Who would have thought that in a country a flat as Belgium the last kilometer would be all uphill? I made it to the market after the race still dressed in my race attire and the Moroccans did not even bat an eyelash. I could not let another weekend pass by without hitting up a couple of my favorite vendors. The market was teeming with people, more full than I have ever seen it; everyone is taking advantage of our nice days while we have them. The day ended in the park lounging in the grass on picnic blankets writing postcards; not a bad weekend at all. How was yours?