Belgium – More Than Beer & Chocolate

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Our original plan was to go to Strasbourg to see the world-famous Christmas Markets, but after we realized the journey was nearly 8 hours one way, it was time to implement “Plan B”elgium. Fabien has never been and I can’t say the country was on my list of places to see before I die, but no doubt there would be some fun things to do and see.

The Roadster

Therefore, the Thursday before Christmas we hopped in our little European roadster, “Papi Rene’s Clio” and headed north. After a quick stop in Lille to spend the afternoon, we were greeted in Brussels with Parisian style traffic. It took us 2 hours to go 3 miles. In typical European fashion, all of the metro, bus and tramway workers were on strike just in time to cause enough holiday chaos and have their demands met the next day. Our GPS joined them in the strike leaving us totally lost in the city. Fortunately, we were going so slow, there was enough time to stop and ask several people if we were headed in the right direction. A great test of my french speaking and listening skills!

Eventually, we found the apartment we rented through Airbnb. This was the first time we had used the service, but if you’re not familiar, you should definitely check it out. Basically, you rent a room or apartment from a person. It can be anything from pull out couch, a private room or your own apartment. This is a great way to travel in Europe as it helps keep costs low and gives you a chance to live like a local. In Brussels, a crappy downtown hotel room would have cost us at least $125 a night, but instead, we got our own, nice downtown apartment for $60. Not to mention, the host gave great recommendations on places to see and eat. All around, a win-win.

Saint Michael Cathedral

Our host alerted us that Brussels is more beautiful at night so we were eager to head out and visit immediately. We walked a few blocks and around every corner were surprised to find something more visually stunning than the previous block. The Belgians have the most architecturally beautiful cathedrals and know how to make a grand display of them with lights, music and sparkles. In Liz Broad’s, Travelogged website, she declares Brussels to have one of the most spectacular Christmas decoration displays in the world and so far it is the most mesmerizing I have ever seen. Here is a video of the show at La Grand Place. Honestly, I think it will go in one of my top 5 favorite travel moments.

After leisurely walking around La Grand Place and seeing other street spectacles, we popped into the restaurant our host recommended for a typical Belgian cuisine – mussels, fries and beer. I can’t say I’m in love with the combination, but “when in Rome…”

Post dinner we stumbled on an amazing Christmas Market. It was the biggest and best I have seen to date. The rhythm was gift shop, gift shop, bar, gift shop, gift shop, bar. Works for me.

Famous (and tiny) Manneken Pis. Translation – Pissing Man Statue

The next day, we woke up early and visited the city’s shopping street, the Manneken Pis and the spectacular Palace. From there we hopped in the car and drove an hour north to the picturesque city of Bruges. Famous for their canals, bridges and chocolate, being in the city is a tourists dream. All the buildings, streets and shops were perfectly cute and we spent the afternoon walking around with no destination or agenda. Before heading back to Brussels, we made another quick stop in Gents for a view of the square and their beautifully lit churches. I hate to say this, but the Belgians churches blow Frances out of the water. Sorry guys.

Bruges

 

 

All and all, my first impression of Belgium was fantastic. While I’m no expert on Europe, I view it as a laid back and underrated country. Also, a tad easier on the pocketbook than France, but what is saved will just end up spent on chocolate and beer.

 

The French Visa

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“Congratulations, Stacie! You have been formally accepted to the Universite d’Orleans Institut de Francais.” Yay! When I received this letter, I exhaled and naively assumed my days of jumping through hoops were over and I could now focus my energy on the end goal – learning the french language.

“Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha”, said the French Embassy.

I thought all I needed was a little visa for study’s and based on the fact I am married to a citizen of their country, I might even get a little special treatment. First, I discovered I must make an appointment and have an interview at the nearest French embassy located in Atlanta. After I recovered from that aneurysm, I conceded and snapped up the earliest possible appointment-1 month later. Next, I began researching the requirements, which were filled with many gray areas. However, after 20 phone calls, a snarky email and being told (in English) that “the Embassy does not answer questions in English,”, Fabien (not me) received a call back from a disgruntled diplomat who advised him of the requirements for his wifes visa. So, like a good little documentor, I collected letters from my in-laws, bank statements, pay stubs, university diplomas, evidence of insurance coverage, marriage certificates, etc. for my appointment on Monday, December 12th.

The night before, I drove through the mountains, in the dark, to Atlanta to stay at a shady La Quinta Inn thinking it would all be worth it when the Consulate welcomed me to France and thanked me for choosing to study in their country. You’re welcome! Que the laughs again.

I was not denied at my interview, but was told, by the football shaped woman, that I did not qualify for the visa and she gave me several reasons why.  I named the person at their office who advised Fabien of the requirements and I provided documentation over and above what they were asking. She then reminded me of the Parisian motto: “Not my problem”. Stunned, furious and confused, I left the office in tears and drove 4 hours back to Nashville.

When I returned home, I feverishly research and reinforced what I already knew – she was wrong. At 1am, I wrote a scathing email to the Consulate and almost immediately receive a response that they would see me the next day. I was hesitant to spend another 8 hours driving only to walk away even more furious and hating France. At the crack of dawn, I called, demanded to speak with the man who emailed me and asked for his reassurance, which he (sort of) gave to me. So, I hopped in the car at 5am and drove through the mountain fog, to Atlanta…..again. 6 hours later, I was driving back to Nashville, visa in hand. Turns out, there was a mistake, the football shaped woman did not know what she was talking about and since they felt so guilty, they issued it on the spot.

Should you ever find yourself applying for a visa, it goes without saying, but it is so important to know your visa backwards and forwards. When I applied for a chinese visa, I researched the requirements so throughly that I received my visa even before Fabien, who had an attorney assisting him. However, with the french visa, I simply relied on what I was told my the embassy. One would think that would be enough, but you must confirm, reconfirm and know the requirements inside and out. Had I approached the french visa as the chinese, I would have been successful on the first attempt. But, then what fun would that have been?

After all was said and done, even though it was a lot of stress, work and miles on the car, the embassy’s mistake worked in my favor as it normally takes 3 weeks of processing time. In my opinion, the entire process was France testing my sanity. But most likely it was the Universe playing a game of “how bad do you want it?” Whatever the  reason – I am officially a recipient of a French visa.

Tennessee – A State of American Classics

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A really exciting aspect of living in a totally different part of the country is traveling to the little areas that would we probably never make it too had we stayed in Michigan. While Fabien & I have only been in Tennessee for 1 month, we have found time to explore. Through these explorations, we have found Tennessee to be a state of true American Classics.

Country Music Culture. Other than Baywatch, there is nothing outsiders associate with America more than Country Music and its surrounding culture. When we were living in Detroit, Fabien and his friends loved to go to a Coyote Ugly-esque bar called ‘Coyote Joes’. On any given night you would find the girl next door shaking her barely dressed body in an American flag bikini top to ‘Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy’. This American flag wearing, cowboy boot sporting, country music listening scene is oozing from Nashville and the whole state.  Having been a fan of the music for years, I love it.

Jack Daniels. Say you live in Tennessee to a foreigner and they’ll picture you sitting on your wooden porch, shotgun at your side and a Jack on the rocks in your hand. Lynchburg is an hour from our house and while some friends were visiting we ventured to the one and only Jack Daniels Distillery.   While I’ve never tasted whiskey without gagging, I really enjoyed the tour. The grounds are absolutely beautiful and are similar to a Michigan Cider Mill, but in the mountains. I love that their business is run in a simple and grass-roots manner. The headquarters is no bigger than the office at my last job and once a month employees walk away with a free bottle.  My favorite fact surrounding the brand is that the headquarters is located in a dry county which has been since Prohibition (1920-1933).  It’s a vicious cycle really- the county does not have enough voters to overturn the law and no one will move there because they can’t drink. However, through a huge financial bribing disguised as taxes, the company has arranged to legally sell alcohol on their grounds.  The rule is: you can buy, but you can not consume. To see pictures of our visit at the Jack Daniels Distillery, click here.  One tip if you ever find yourself in Lynchburg – go on a weekday when the actual bottling takes place.

Elvis. Okay, seriously. How can you not love Elvis? He is such an endearing icon of American culture and the driving force behind Memphis’s tourism industry. I could not wait to go to Graceland, so as soon as Fabien got a couple of days off, we drove 3 hours west to see the King’s Castle. From the front, it doesn’t look like much, but the property is impressive in the way of elaborate decor, rooms full of awards, a car museum, planes (yes, planes) and countless wardrobe displays. It should be a sin to go to Memphis and not visit the home, just be sure to bring some cash. To cross the gates, it costs $35 causing Fabien to say “Elvis raped me.” for the rest of the day.  However, if you visit the attraction website (Graceland) and become an Elvis Insider (free), you get free parking and a few dollars off your tickets. For pics, click here.

Fried and Fattening Anything. No wonder this season of the Biggest Loser had two Nashville area residents as finalists. Everything is fried, dipped in BBQ sauce and then refried. Recently, I went to lunch and in lieu of french fries asked for the vegetable of the day. Guess what I got? Fried pickles. As yummy as I find them, I don’t consider anything fried a vegetable.

Total Cheesiness. Note the bullets above and all of it has an element of American cheese. This was most evident when we visited Ruby Falls in Chattanooga. As a teenager, I visited Lookout Mountain in the area and thought it was only a tad smaller than Everest. So, when we arrived and Fabien said, “That’s it” (He’s such a mountain snob), we decided to go to Ruby Falls instead. As your driving to the city there are literally 200 signs located on farm lands, billboards and painted on barns urging you to “See Ruby Falls”. Upon arrival, you can expect to pay $17.95 per person and  to get on an elevator that takes you a 1,120 feet towards the earth’s core. The falls were quite beautiful and interesting, but whoever manages the attraction slathered them in cheese. Our guide thought he was a comedian and his plan was to hold us all hostage for an hour to listen to his stalagmite and stalactite jokes. And when you finally arrive at the falls, dramatic music and disco lights are queued on the water.  “Why can’t they just shut up and leave the beauty alone?” (Fabien) If you are ever lured to the attraction via the highway signs, go to the Falls. It’s neat. Skip Lookout Mountain and drive to Point Park for even more beautiful, natural (and free) views. Pics are here.

Having been in the state for only a month and finding all of these great things to do, we are really looking forward to exploring even more American Classics over the next couple of years. Feel free to leave comments of not to miss places in the great state of Tennessee and/or other areas in the south.