Bushwacking Through Brussels

I recently got back from a wonderful trip throughout the Benelux Region (Belgium and The Netherlands). My first stop was Brussels, Belgium. A "working" city, there wasn't a huge amount of things to do there, but it was very enjoyable and beautiful. I had the opportunity to visit the oldest brewery in the city called Cantillon. The Cantillon Brewery is family owned and the last natural lambic brewery in the country. Belgium is famous for theie beer, one of the reasons I wanted to go there. Additionally, they are famous for a specific type of beer called lambic. Lambic is the beer with a distinctive flavor: dry and cidery, with a slightly sour aftertaste. I arrived at a great time and was able to see a batch being pumped upstairs into a giant copper cooling bin. The beer will sit here overnight where the natural yeast in the Brussels air will enter the liquid and begin the fermentation process. It is an amazingly unique way to make a great beer.

Here I am being a Belgian tourist with waffle and Belgian Beer in hand. Two of the bottles of beer are of the top 100 beers in the world. The Belgian waffles are everywhere and delicious, made with sugar that caramelizes when it is cook, they are amazing.

Here is a famous naked peeing baby statute in Brussels that has over 800 different costumes that he wears.


Here I am visiting the Leopold II Museum, which was basically a collection of African items that were plundered by Leopold II during his visits to Africa. The museum was pretty good, and the grounds of the museum were lovely with well manicured shrubs and grass, fountains, trees, and rivers.

More posts coming soon...but in the mean time...

I am currently on the road and unable to upload any pictures, so I decided to wait to make any new posts, despite the protests, because without pictures it wouldn't do it justice. So far I have been to Brussels, Bruges, and Antwerp, Belgium, as well as Amsterdam and Utrecht in The Netherlands. In approximately five hours I will be on a train which will be arriving in Cologne, Germany. I don't know what is there besides beer and a big cathedral, however, I felt that if I passed up this opportunity to go to Germany I would regret it, so I am going. From there I am headed south to Luxemburg then finally back up to Brussels for my flight back to Lyon. After two days in Lyon I jet off for Barcelona, Spain...but that is another story.

In the meantime, I thought I would chime in about travel accessories. After living and travelling in Central America I have a good idea about what kind of stuff and clothing to take with me. For example, I whittled down my two weeks winter vacation here in Belgium and The Netherlands to only a day pack...no hard feat. Anyone who had talked to me knows my favorite two travel accessories. Good earplugs and a LED headlamp. These are a must. My earplugs are soft and work wonderful, pillaged from the Forest Service by my brother in law Rene. They are soft and conical-shaped, allowing for a tight fit. Anyone who has slept in a dorm room knows these are critical. Next, the headlamp. A good LED headlamp from Petzl or Black Diamond will last forever (unless it gets stolen in Nicaragua). The LED is a great light for reading and doesn’t wear down your batteries nearly as fast as a regular lamp.

On this trip I have begun to embrace a few more items that I will add to my list of must-carries. The first is a microfiber towel. I received mine as a gift from my Mother in law Nancy, and am only now getting around to using it. It is great. Perfect size for absorbing the water from one shower, dries super fast, and packs small and light. Mine is from MSR. The next item is smart wool socks. I bought my wife a pair a few years ago and she loves them. I on the other hand never picked any up because they are expensive. However, my REI dividend was running out and there was a sale on REI.com and I picked up two pairs for around five dollars. Where to start...they are soft, warm, and light. However that is not why I love them. I think the best thing about them is that they do not smell! After a days use, if they are aired out, they smell as good as new! I even had a used pair in my pack and a clean pair and went to put on the clean pair, but I could not figured out which was which. This is a great feature because they will not smell up your bag and in a pinch can be used again.

There you have it! Next time you are travelling I recommend you try or bring all of these things and you will see why they are the top four travel accessories to pack.

Vacation Planning

So I have been starting to work on my vacation plans for the coming weeks here in Europe. I have three weeks off, yes, three weeks. I figure I need to make the most of my time here so I am hoping to leave the country any chance I get. On February 8th, I will be heading to Belgium from where I will be basing my trip. I will have two weeks in the reigon and will be going to The Netherlands and Luxembourg as well. If I feel like it I might bop over to Germany too. I am so excited to go to Belgium as it is essentially the beer capitol of the world. Those who know me are well aware of my addiction to fine craft beers. I am hoping to visit a few of the Abbes were Trappist monks make their world famous beer. My ultimate goal is to get to Westvleteren Brewery, home of the best beer in the world. It is in the middle of nowhere, so I might have to rent a car. It is, however, somewhat of a beer pilgrimage and will have to be done. After Belgium, where I will meet some other friends from school, I will be heading north to The Netherlands were I will spend a few days as well.

My University

Here are a few pictures of my university and the views from close by. The school is specifically the law school campus for University Jean Moulin Lyon III. The school is right on the river Rhone and is acress the riverr from the big central square and shopping district of the town. I live a little ways across town and have about a 15 minute walk to school if I don't talk the subway.
Across the beautiful bridge it the town center "Bellecour" where all the expensive shops are located, including the two town Starbucks which are apparently extremely popular, expensive, and always require a long wait in line.


These weird torch-like structures are across the street from our University and we can't figure out what they signify. There is an old abandoned pool and water slide at their base.

My First Classes

I have now started classes and am almost done with my third week of school here in Lyon. Thus far I have been less than impressed with the classes themselves. We have block schedules, which means that we essentially have one class per week, 6 hours a day, Mon-Thursday. On Friday we receive our final via email and have 72 hours to complete it. Come Monday, it all repeats.

Last week I had International Criminal Law, a far cry from anything I have taken before. Our professor was a very nice Egyptian Professor (the Dean of the School of Law at the University of Cairo), who was lacking somewhat in the "captivating" category. He insisted on reading straight from prepared text and seems to be reading from copies of a book, on which he would take periodic notes. We all decided that he was writing a book and editing it as he taught. He also insisted on rolling the letter "R" in every word, which was quite entertaining. In the end, it was an overload on latin criminal law principle and he did an effective job of turning what could have been a very interesting subject, insanely mind numbing. This culminated in our final: "Defenses, Justifications, or Excuses for Criminal International Law. Discuss." It was really quite easy, however, the lack guidance on page length, outside research, etc...required us to try and figure out what he wanted.

This week we have International Labor law, a class that actually made us miss the friendly Egyptian. The woman's Spanish accent is difficult at times and in general she is very disorganized in here teaching style. Additionally, her final exam contained numerous mistakes and we actually had to email her multiple times for clarifications. Oh well. I am still in France :-)

It's not Bally's but it will have to do

Because I have a lot of time on my hands I have been working out a lot to hopefully come back a few pounds lighter from France (no small feat I know). I am lucky to have a "gym" in my apartment...essentially a bench, barbell with weights, and an elliptical machine. I have found a really good website that shows a variety of lifts I can do with a bar to workout various muscle groups. I just wish I had a few dumbbells and a squat rack. The one interesting element of the gym is the two vibrating machines that are somehow supposed to helf you get fit...but I cannot figure it out. I didn't feel like getting up early (my usual routine) and worked out in the evening yesterday. I learned my lesson when my usually dead gym was literally packed with 3 other people. I will be waking up early tomorrow...

My Home Away from Home

I thought I would post a few pictures of my humble abode. I am now situated in a nice little studio, close to the subway and a supermarket. I have a nice little bathroom, kitchenette, and internet. Overall I am very happy. I very much enjoy living simply and with few possessions. Although I have avoided buying anything significant here for my place in the event I will most likely leave it all behind, I am considering buying a small coffee maker. My friend Blair found a decent thermos source, so I might have to bite the bullet. It is a very reasonable price so I will probably spring for one as soon as I buy a thermos. The only probably with my studio is the rapid growth of the frost in my fridge. I have checked the seal and what not, however, it shows no signs of stopping and will likely require a monthly defrosting.


One interesting element of my place is the blackout shutters. It seems that in France they often use shutters instead of curtains. So, instead of some crappy vinyl curtain (e.g. my blinds in Tucson), I have industrial metal roll down shutters, the type used by businesses when that are shut. The best thing is that the room becomes black…I am talking cave level black. It is excellent…


I am also very happy to have speedy (usually) internet. This makes it easy to keep in touch with Brittany, download TV from the States, and of course, play poker. The only problem is that Blogger seems to be blocked, so I am forced to wait until I get to school to post my writings.
I am sure I will get used to living here, in time to leave in four months, but I guess that is okay. After all, home is where my Brittany and kitties are, so this is just my home away from home.

Settling into Lyon

After just over a week in Lyon, France, I think it is fair to say that I am getting settled in here. I arrived from London to about half a foot of unexpected snow that made things a little tougher. With everything I would need to live here for the next 4-5 months on my back, I somehow managed to find my friend Blair, who helped me figure out where in the town my apartment was. After arriving at my apartment I started to get settled, only to have to move after my UA roommate declared the place to be insufficient for her class of living... literally sending me packing after only a few days. Fortunately for me, Blair, my friend from UA, and my other friends I have made here assured me that I wouldn't go homeless and I found another place right away, the only downside is that it is much more expensive. By the time I found my new home, a nice Studio in student housing, I had also obtained my Student ID, which I used to get my Metro pass. Using the Metro (subway, tram, bus system), I have been able to cruise around the city, discovering good stores, figuring out my way around, etcetera.

I am very happy where I am living now. I am very central to a lot of places, close to a Metro stop and good grocery store, and have good internet so I can keep in touch with Brittany. My place also has a small weight room...essentially a barbell, bench, weights for the bar, and elliptical, however this is enough to keep me going on a daily basis. With some extra time on my hands I have begun to workout every morning and I have accepted the challenge to learn new exercises that I can do with a bar.

By far the best things about this study abroad experience are the other students. I have met so many amazing people from Thailand, Canada, Sweden, New Zealand, and the US. We have become instant friends and have our own little family, so far from home. I can truly say I value every minute I get to spend with these people and look forward to seeing them everyday. Let's hope that doesn't change :-) Fortunately they tolerated my rapping of Will Smith's "Miami" in the pub the other day, so they have probably seen me at my worst, and yet they still associate with me.

School on the other hand, is getting off to a slow start. My "family" of friends and I get to suffer through six hours a day of boring lecture. While the subject of Criminal International Law is potentially very interesting, our Prof seems to suck the life right out of it. Let's hope it gets better from here. The good thing is the school administration is great and extremely helpful, so any problems that arise are usually fixed in due time.

Now that classes have started my days have become a bit less exciting. Lots of class and trying to finish up loose ends of business that need to be done (like getting a French bank account to pay my rent.

More to come soon, I promise.

Just Touched Down in London Towm

Hey there everyone! Before arriving here in Lyon, I spent three beautiful days in London exploring the sights. I was welcomed by a parade of over 10,000 marching band members and performers. Although I first figured I was receiving the most joyous welcome to Europe, I soon realized that everyone was in fact welcoming in the new year...oh well. I found a cheap but nice hostel and during those three days mastered the Tube (subway) (not saying much since it is wonderfully easy to use), watched the Rose Bowl with numerous Ohio State fans at a London sports bar (Thank you to Drew for the tip), and saw numerous sights including Big Ben, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park and the famed British Museum. Initially it was somewhat difficult, adjusting to the traveling, missing family, etc, but my expert traveler instincts soon kicked in and got used to accents, cold weather, and asking a lot of questions. I was taken back by the pure kindness of Londoners...everywhere I went everyone was so nice, welcoming, and didn't mind answering any questions I had. I enjoyed my hostel where drunken locals opened me with open arms and explained me the "sport" of darts, as we watched the World Dart Champions, ultimately won by a Brit. In addition to kindness, fashion was everywhere. Everyone dressed very hip and cool and I definitely felt the melting pot of cultures and fashion and I tubed by way around town. I felt fortunate that the weather was absolutely gorgeous, with sun, sun, and more sun...although it was continuously close to freezing. It was sad to leave so soon after arriving, but Lyon soon came calling. My only hope on my way home I can see Buckingham Palace and a theatre production or two... London, I will be back!

Welcome to my blog

Hey all,

I decided to create a blog to keep everyone I care about apprised of my adventures while I am living in France for the next four or five months. I am taking Masters of Law classes in Lyon, France at the University Jean Moulin Lyon III. I will be living and studying here with other international students, including others from Canada, the US, Sweden, Thailand, Israel, France, and New Zealand. I hope you all can keep in touch and follow me along as I explore French and European law, culture, bureaucracy, and of course...cuisine.