We arrived home safely Sunday evening around 10:45 at the Waterloo Airport. We had left Brussels at 9:05 AM and had connecting flights to Frankfurt (1 hour), Chicago (8 and ½ hours), Minneapolis (1 hour) and finally a 45 minute flight to Waterloo. All flights were on time and the lines moved quickly through security.
Our final day at Schutz (June 20th) was spent with those we have grown very close to over the past three years. My technology assistant Islam and his family came over for a little while in the afternoon. Islam has been a very important cog in our technology development. He has excellent rapport with the staff and has shown a willingness to do whatever he is asked to keep things running smooth. Later on we said goodbyes to many of the local staff workers (the kitchen and cleaning crews). These workers are the unsung heroes of the school. They take such good care of us and treat us as members of their families. We will really miss their friendly smiles and greetings each day. In the late afternoon, we went out to Montazah and spent two hours with Debbie, Mahmoud, Alaa, Ji Yung, Barb, Jaida and Lobna at Lobna’s cabana on the sea. It was a nice way to spend our final hours with these dear friends who have given us so much in terms of friendship and support over the past three years. They have opened up their hearts to us and shared their wonderful culture with us. No matter where we are, they will always be with us.
We left Egypt early in the morning on the 21st. It was a quiet ride to the airport as we drove down Schutz Street for the final time. We flew to Frankfurt and then on to Brussels (known as the Capital of Europe – home to the European Union), arriving around 10:00 a.m. We took the train from the airport to the north station in Brussels and then walked (around 5 to 10 minutes) to the Hotel La Plaza. We rested a little at the hotel and then spent a while walking and exploring the area around the hotel. Brussels is a city of approximately 1 million yet the area we were in was very easy to navigate. The first thing we noticed was how early the stores closed (5:30 to 6:00) and how late the sun is up. It was light until 10:00 p.m. each day.
On Monday, after a hearty breakfast at the hotel, we walked over to the main or “Grand Square” and took the “Brussels Bike Tour” with another couple from the states. We biked nearly 12 miles throughout the city, stopping at various historical and cultural sites. Traffic was light in some areas and heavy in others so you had to be alert, especially at intersections. Bikers are frequent and the laws are “bike friendly” as you can go either way on one-way streets and there are numerous lanes and paths to follow. The tour lasted 4 hours and we saw the following: Manneken-Pis, Royal Palace, Royal Garden, European Parliament, Palais de Justice, St. Catherine’s Cathedral and a few others.
Halfway through the tour, we stopped at “Maison Antoine” for what has been called the best “fries” in the world. Belgium fries are cooked for 8 to 10 minutes, allowed to “breathe” and then fried for another 2 to 3 minutes. They are served in a cone shaped wrapper with your choice of toppings (ketchup, curry ketchup, mayo and several other toppings). After the bike tour, we explored the area around the Grand Square before grabbing a bite to eat and heading back to the hotel.
On Tuesday, we decided that we wanted to go back to several of the sites we had briefly visited on the bike tour so we took the “Brussels City Bus Hop On and Hop Off Tour” in a large double deck open top bus. The entire tour takes about 90 minutes but you get off and explore at the various stops for as long as you wish as another bus comes along about every 30 minutes. We decided to stop and spend extra time at the “Atomium”, a unique monument built for Expo '58, the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Designed by André Waterkeyn, it is 102-metres (335 ft) tall, with nine steel spheres connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times.Tubes which connect the spheres along the 12 edges of the cube and all eight vertices to the centre enclose escalators connecting the spheres which contain exhibit halls and other public spaces. The top sphere provides a panoramic view of Brussels. The other site we wanted to spend extra time at was the the Parc du Cinquantenaire which was established in 1880 to commemorate the country's 50th anniversary. Its centerpiece is the monumental Palais du Cinquantenaire, the two wings of which, linked in 1905 by a massive triumphal arch designed by the French architect Charles Girault, The highlight of this stop was a visit to the “Autoworld” museum, home to over 550 vintage cars and other vehicles. Most come from private collections. Among them are all the best known names including Mercedes-Benz, Horch, Opel, Minerva, Cadillac, Rolls Royce, Hispano Suiza, Ford, Humber, Bentley, Packard and Oldsmobile.
On Wednesday we took the train (for 12.5 Euro each) to Bruges, the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The historic city centre is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO. The city's total population is 120,000, of which around 20,000 live in the historic centre. Along with a few other canal-based northern cities, such as Amsterdam, it is sometimes referred to as "The Venice of the North". Bruges has a significant economic importance thanks to its port. At one time it was the "chief commercial city" of the world. Along the way to Bruges, we passed through the lovely Belgium countryside which featured picturesque farms which small fields, dairy cows and well kept homes and buildings. It is hard to imagine that this area was a virtual moonscape during to extensive bombing and shelling during World War I. We noticed many bikes along the narrow paved roads. Our hotel (Martin’s Brugge) was located right in the heart of the colorful historical area right behind the “Belfry” and Main Square. Early in the evening, we took a 30 minute canal ride throughout the city. The “captain” of the boat provided a colorful description of many of the key areas in both English and French.
On Thursday, we took a memorable “Flanders Fields” day trip. This tour concentrates on the WW I battlefields of the “Ypres Salient.” This area was a prime battle area between the allies and the Germans. The operator of the tour was very knowledgeable about the war and the area and provided much information throughout the day. In addition, she shared many “personal interest” stories about the war and the long lasting effects of the “Great War.” Each year, unexploded shells and bodies are still being unearthed. Farmers have to be especially careful when they plow their fields.
Highlights of the tour included a restored trench, British Commonwealth War Cemeteries, the Essex Farm Field Dressing Station and the beautiful city off Ypres which was completely destroyed and now has been rebuilt to medieval plans. The cemeteries were very solemn sites – many of the head stones read “A soldier of the Great War” as identification was unknown. One of the head stones had the name of the soldier along with his age (15). A whole generation was lost in this terrible war that featured 19th century battle plans and techniques along with 20th century weapons. At the Essex Farm Field Dressing Station, our guide introduced us to the famous “Flanders Field” poem written by Dr. John McCrae who treated many of the casualties:
In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
On Friday, we toured sites in Bruges such as the Fries Museum, the Chocolate Museum (to see how the famous Belgium chocolate truffles are made) and the History of Light Museum. Later on in the afternoon, we took a carriage ride of the city and then toured the Basilica of the Precious Blood where we viewed blood that is said to have come from Jesus. Bruges is an interesting city to visit. We tasted the famous Belgium waffles (Pat likes hers plain while I prefer chocolate on mine!) as we strolled the cobblestone streets with the many sidewalk cafes. The lifestyle in Bruges and Brussels was pretty laid back, the cities were clean and easy to navigate and the weather was in the mid-70’s during the day. As we traveled back to Brussels on Saturday prior to our flight back to the states, we were struck by the phrase that we heard early in our trip to Belgium: “In Belgium, people work to live – not live to work!”
