No pics from Zurich......

I've looked and I've looked and I've come to the realization that two of my favorite pictures are not in digital format.....and of course they are both ones that I took in Zurich! Which means that none of my Zurich prints are on the computer! I did not have a digital when I first moved here, and while I thought that I had all of my pictures put onto CDs, I can not find a CD with Zurich pictures on it!

So to make up for the lack of Zurich pictures, I thought to introduce you a little bit to my life here in Brussels and show you some pictures from here!

First off I would like to introduce you to the "Baxter Aqueduc Project"....what my fellow co-workers and I call the lovely building that we live in.....the projects because it is well....falling apart....or in my case falling down as I am waiting for the day the ceiling caves in on my when I am either sleeping or showering....since massive water damage cracks are above both places, either could happen! I live on the top floor - the corner window, two windows to the left and the one to the right are all in my living room / kitchen area and the section that sticks out a little bit is my bedroom. Take a look at my kitchen....notice the tiny fridge on the floor? Same size as a college dorm room fridge.....seems to be the norm here for apartments! (the kitchen picture is old...I'll try to take some new ones in the daylight of the rest of the apartment)

Next up....my neighborhood! First is the view of the lovely bar kitty (catty) corner from my apartment....I've been awoken many a night at 3 in the morning by screaming voices, police sirens and general pub uproar!

Feeling thirsty? Lets take a walk down Rue Bailli and stop at the Bank....no, we are not stopping for money, but for a pint of Guinness in an Irish bar that was once a bank....inside you will find the old safety deposit boxes still on the wall, and the bathrooms...well lets just say you'll take a walk downstairs and into the vault!

Next is a trip to my local yarn shop, Art et Fils - a fairly small store, but she has it fully stocked from floor to ceiling....be careful of your pocketbook though - her yarn tends to run as expensive as the rest of the yarn shops in Belgium!


Since walking always seems to make one hungry, how about we stop by La Piccola Mammas....my favorite local Italian restaurant. The waiter, Yussein, is extremely friendly, speaks English, and for the price and the size of the portions one can not go wrong! The pizzas are made in an Italian stone oven...yumm!! Even better, they do take-away (Emporter)!

Continuing on our sight seeing adventures, how about a quick look at one of the spectacular buildings in our market square - The Grand Place! As a note of interest, the Grand Place is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and is the only listed site to host an annual beer festival!

Lets not forget to take a short walk off the Grand Place to see if our local statue has been dressed today! With over 600 costumes, this little guy has attire for every occasion! He is dressed on scheduled days, often to commemorate different groups, holidays and events! I present to you The Mannequin Pis!

And to sum up today's short guided tour, I leave you with the building that I spend more time in than my apartment.....my office!