Back on the Bike

After about 10 days in the bike shop, my bike was finally ready. It didn't need 10 days of work, they just forgot that it was there. Ahhh, Belgium. I haven't really done much riding at all in about five or six years. There was a period in my late 30's where I was riding a lot, but travel and responsibility got in the way and my bikes just hung in the garage. Cycling seems to be the national sport of Belgium and everwhere you go there are cycling shops and groups of riders sporting team logo lycra. So it seemed natural that I try to get back on the bike.

I should make clear that I do not consider myself a cyclist. I like to ride my bikes. It is good exercise, scenic and generally enjoyable. I am not however, built like a cyclist. I am not tall and lean, but rather wide with short legs. Even if I wasn't fat, my torso is still built like a sail and I catch every bit of wind. I try to tell myself that the increased wind resistance makes it better exercise, but mostly it just slows me down.

Last year, the Tour de France's route took the race literally in front of my house. We didn't live here then, proving timing is everything, but there are photos to prove it.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.133177556714459.16096.114475351918013

Typical of this part of the world, our streets are mostly cobblestones which is why I think they picked us for that part of the Tour route. If you have never ridden a bike on cobblestones, all I can say is, they are no joke. The bumps are only half the issue. The bigger danger is the uneven and slippery surface. I have incredible respect for the racers who ride at speed over these things. I think I am going to have to become a much better rider before I feel comfortable clipping in to my road bike. As it is, I was riding my hybrid with much wider tires and felt like one slip and my teeth would be scattered across the road. Hopefully I can avoid injury long enough to get my bike handling skills back up to my high standards of mediocrity.

It was good to get back on the bike again this morning. My hinder is a bit tender from yesterdays ride, but not as bad as I expected. I wore my mountain biking shorts and a T-shirt because nobody wants to see my fat self squeezed into lycra like a neon Memorial Day bratwurst. (Something that has not ocurred to many of my Belgian counterparts). I figure I need to get below two bills before anything remotely resembling road cycling gear goes on my body. I tried to maintain as brisk a pace as possible, but my general level of fitness tells me that it may be a while before I join the peloton. Still, I am trying to tell myself that now in my mid forties, anything physical that I do is a positive. If nothing else, it offsets some of the beers that I am reviewing for this blog.

Sports Aren't The Same When You Can Fast Forward

Living in Europe is not always easy if you are a US sports fan. Sure we have ESPN America on the Belgacom Sports Package but that is no cure for the temporal displacement issue. 6-9 hours of time difference can make following your favorite team in real time a challenge. Most days the game starts at some ridiculous hour that we simply can't stay up for. So then you wake up and either try to avoid the internet all day so that you can watch it from the DVR the next evening or you just chuck the whole thing and check the box score in the morning.The real issue for me though, is that watching games in tape delay ruins the intensity and drama. If you can hit fast forward to see how it turns out, the life is sucked out of it. So we are stuck with a much lighter diet of sports than we had in the US. I do think we appreciate it more however when we have something on that we want to watch. Weekends are a little easier as there are usually a few games that start at a reasonable hour. Last night was one of those times when the time change benefitted us. Red Sox had a matinee game which hit us right at 7PM so we were able to watch the drubbing of the Tigers in real time. Almost felt like home.

As I mentioned, we have ESPN America on the Sports Package, which also gets us about a half dozen channels with cricket, snooker and soccer options. Haven't yet developed a taste for those, but if I live here long enough, who knows. Before we left the US, SWMBO and I bought the MLB.TV package, which is really great. We stream the games in high definition to our computer and string that through an HDMI cable to the flat screen. It is a little choppy sometimes, but the image is excellent. I think I will probably need to do the same thing with the NFL this fall, although it is less urgent with footbal. In Europe, ESPN America plays almost every US football game over the course of the week. So while you know the score, you can watch football almost every evening.

Our rigged internet viewing extends to other selections as well. We get our Daily Show and Stephen Colbert Quota this way, as well as South Park. When we first moved here we were able to purchase shows from itunes as well. Unfortunately, when we changed our billing address, that option went away. Belgian itunes does not have TV or Movies. Only music. Bad French Pop music at that.

Tonight is game 7 of the Bruins, Tampa Bay saga. I am rooting for the B's but I don't think I can stay up for the 2AM start. Hopefully they win and I won't mind watching the replay in the morning. Go Bruins!!

We are still here and Luxembourg is Nice

So class, what have we learned this weekend? How about not to believe lunatics with doomsday predictions and Luxembourg is a beautiful little country with a thing for winding roads.

SWMBO and I headed out for Luxembourg for the weekend Saturday morning bright and early. Weather was great and we took a very direct route. Less than two hours of drive time and we pulled into the center of Luxemburg City (And they are spelled differently). We really lucked out on the hotel front. SWMBO researched hotels and we wound up staying at the Parc Beau Arts. It is a little boutique hotel across from the palace and within a quick walk to all of the sights of the city. We got a great deal on a suite and the room was excellent. Very comfortable and tres chic. Possibly my favorite part though was the garage. They have an automated system where you drive your car into an elevator, press down and you end up facing a circular enclosure with a platform at the center. You drive onto the platform, empty your car and step out of the enclosure. Once out, you press another button, your car spins around to face you and then drops through the floor to be stored in a racking system below. It was all very James Bond and a fun start to the trip. Leaving the enclosure was an adventure as well, because the garage empties into a tunnel system that runs under the city and goes back to the hotel.

We spent the rest of the day wandering the city and sightseeing. Luxemburg City is a fairly small city but it has substantial elevation changes. I would recommend better walking shoes than we were wearing. By the end of the day we were beat, but it was good exercise and we saw some really interesting sights. We headed back to the hotel after sightseeing to get ready for dinner. We ate at Le Bouquet Garni, which has a Michelin Star and I can see why. We both ordered the Menu de Asperge (Asparagus tasting menu). The food was absolutely amazing but not stuffy at all. Very relaxed. I asked our waiter about the matched wine tasting menu and he steered us away from it. He said with the flavors we would be happier with a single wine and recommended a Pouilly Fume from the Loire. The wine save us 40 euro and was excellent. You have to appreciate honest waitstaff.

This morning we woke up reasonably early. Had a nice breakfast in the hotel. (Have I mentioned that croissants here are awesome?) Had more fun retrieving our car and then hit the road. Our itinerary was Chateau Beaufort followed by Castle Vianden. Both in the Little Switzerland part of Luxembourg. The route we took was incredibly scenic and in many ways reminiscent of the Swiss countryside north of Geneva. The roads really made me miss my old Cayman S. Switchback after switchback. These roads are made for sportscars and motorcycles. If you are looking for a great place in Europe to drive, this would not be a bad choice. The castles were interesting and the driving was fun. I am glad the Rapture didn't happen and ruin the good time.

So what about the beer? Well, it was a bit uninspiring. I only had a Bofferding which as it's unfortunate name may suggest, was not stellar. The beers of Luxembourg seem to trend toward their eastern neighbors in Germany rather than their Western neighbors in Belgium. The Bofferding is a pilsner style beer and seems to be the everymans beer in the area. It is not bad, a little like a Becks. After trudging up the hills of the city, it was quite refreshing, but it is not a beer that you would go out of your way to get.

Waiting for the Rapture

I was tempted to have a nice tirade about the peculiar brand of mental illness, narcissism and religious zealotry that produces individuals who, with a straight face, predict biblical fantasy. In the case of Harold Camping, you can probably add geriatric dementia to the mix. More unbelievable to me, is that anyone would take it seriously. And you know those people are out there. But, I decided that I live in secular Europe and this is a beer blog, so I will not sully this forum with my rants about the rants of lunatics.

Not letting the predictions of imminent doom spoil our fun, SWMBO and I are preparing for a little trip to Luxembourg this weekend. Looks like about 90 minutes by car, so SWMBO has printed out a circular route that should have us hitting a variety of sights along the way. Tomorrow night, a dinner at a Michelin Starred Restaurant in Luxemburg City. Sunday we visit two castles. (SWMBO likes castles) Then back to Brussels. I know I comment on this all the time, but the scale of Europe really makes trips like this enjoyable. Being in Brussels, we are close enough to most of Europe to make a trip easy in a two day weekend.

The approach of the Rapture calls for relaxing beverages. Tonight, mine is a Rame'e Amber from Brasserie De Brunehaut. I poured this beer into my standard Leffe tulip. It is a clear dark caramel color. A hint of sweetness with some mild hop, some spice and tobacco. At 7.5% it is not a strong beer by Belgian standards. This is a perfectly acceptable beer, but it lacks depth. It does not have a strong finishing component to take it to another level. Would I have it again? Probably not. With a fleet of Trappists on most menus and certainly in our markets, there is no reason to. Three Drunk Monks.

Working From Home

Today I took a day to work from home. Technically, it was running errands that would enable me to keep living in Belgium and traveling for work. Woke up early, addressed a few emails and then headed to the Administratif Centrum to have a form in Flemish validated. They tell me that it says that SWMBO and I still live in our town. Oddly, this form that the Administratif Centrum validated, goes back to my company, who then attach it to another form that goes back to the Administratif Centrum. Somehow I think they could probably cut out a step or two, but this is how it works. It gains you nothing to question it. The people in the Administratif Centrum are supposed to only speak Flemish to me, but they are nice and we chatted in English while she took care of filling out the bits that I could not understand. I hear horror stories about this sort of thing all the time, but the people in my town are just really nice and accomodating. With that done, I realized that I had locked myself out of the house while SWMBO was at the gym. Fortunately, my doctor had an opening, so I was able to turn the mistake into a multitasking opportunity.

The big event of the day and the main reason for my working from home was to head into the city to go the US Embassy. The process is that you make an appointment, generally at least a week in advance. You must specify the reason for the visit. I made my appointment for 1:30 which is the first one after lunch. In Brussels the entrance to the Embassy is quite well guarded and you cannot just walk in front of the Embassy. If you have an appointment, as I did, you have to wait until the time and then stand in line in a cattle chute. Because mine was the first after lunch, I was able to get close to the front of the line and within 15 minutes I was inside. I needed to get new pages added to my passport as I only had two spots remaining and several trips scheduled. I was prepared for them to tell me that I would have to come back later in the week to pick up the passport but the woman at the desk said I could wait and she would have someone take care of it right away. Imagine that, beurocratic efficiency!!. I was out of there in about an hour with my new passport, thick as a paperback novel.

In case you are wondering, yes, I did get some real work done today. A slide deck finished for an upcoming meeting and several other requirements for my meetings the rest of the week. After 20 years of working out of my house, today was a welcome return to that old routine.

Date Night

I attended a scientific conference in Brussels on Friday. It was a good meeting discussing ways to facilitate personalized medicine approaches in Europe. I was able to meet up with a few people that I have been wanting to speak with for a while and I got a few new concepts to add to my slide decks. All in all a productive day. Because the meeting wrapped up around 5, SWMBO joined me in Brussels when the meeting let out. She had made us 7:30 reservations, so we headed down to Moeder Lambic Fontainas. This has become our favorite beer bar in Brussels. 40 Belgian Beers on tap with a few hundred in bottles. The neighborhood is not too scenic, although on Friday night it was a little more animated. Moeder Lambic is very close to the rainbow center of Brussels and with a Gay Pride parade scheduled for Saturday morning, the area was already quite colorful. We found a nice table outside and ordered a couple of new beers and a mixte plat of raw milk cheese and cured meats.

We ordered a couple of rounds. Moeder Lambic serves in somewhat smaller 25-30cl pours as opposed to the standard 33cl, which is great for tasting a few different beers without getting sloppy. I am not going to do a complete review of all of the beers as I was not taking notes but generally they were al in about the same range. I ordered an Ardeladus Tripel followed by a Bons Voeur Tripel. Both solid Three and a Half Drunk Monks with a slight edge to the Ardeladus.

SWMBO ordered a Valeir and a Witkap Blonde. She prefered the Valeir but again, both quite solid beers that I would rate at Three to Three and a Half Drunk monks. I had first had the Witkap at the Belgian beer festival last September and it was as tasty as the first time. All were on tap and quite refreshing on a warm evening.

After our beers and snacks, we wandered around the Centre for a bit and then headed up to the Petite Sablon for a bit more wandering and looking at galleries. The restaurant where we ate was OK, not great, and after the cheese and meat plate (which we did not finish, we are not pigs after all), I really didnt need much more. The restaurant itself was really pretty however and we again ate outside in their courtyard. It sometimes surprises me that SWMBO and I have anything to talk about anymore. We see each other at least 50% more than we have over the last 10 years now that my traveling is greatly reduced. We spend far more time together and have not yet managed to get sick of each other. Who would have thought?

They Eat Horses, Don't They.

Today at lunch I was eating with two of my German colleagues. We all are new to Belgium and are in the same group so we generally have a lot to talk about. Today, one of them got the "Jockey Salad". Essentially a meat patty with a fried egg on top surrounded by some greens. I quipped that I was going to get that but figured with a name like Jockey salad, the meat was probably horse. To which my friend replied, "Could be" as he continued eating.

The fact is, there is quite a bit of horse meat around here and many people do enjoy it. She who must be obeyed made learning cheval and parden a priority so she didn't bring home Trigger or order it in a restaurant. The horse comment got us talking about the fact that much of the horsemeat in Europe comes from the US, which can be seen here http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6478115. I am not sure how I feel about the whole thing. Conceptually, I don't have a problem eating horse, but I do have an issue if it is not treated humanely. I would have the same issue about any other species though. That being said, there are enough protein alternative here that I probably won't be bringing home seabiscuit for dinner any time soon.

In terms of dinner, I am glad I had a full dinner before trying the Straffe Hendrik Bruge Quadrupel. Similar in style to the Quadrium I reviewed previously, this is not a beer for an empty stomach. At 11% it is high in alcohol and you do taste all of it. The flavor is sweet caramel malt with that strong alcohol bite. Frankly, I prefer the Urthel, but this is not a bad beer. Straffe Hendrik is brewed in the center of Bruges. When She who must be obeyed and I were there in the Spring, they were getting a delivery of barley. I wish we had taken a picture of that because the tractor trailer delivering the barley was wedged into this tiny courtyard where the brewery sits. Having had a hard enough time driving my 520 in that town, I have the utmost respect for anyone that can snake a vehicle that big through those streets. Overall this is a good beer. A little too much alcohol bite for my taste, but worth a go if you happen to see it. Three and a half Drunk Monks.

Too Much of Too Much

Well I hate to admit it, but my week in the US left me with a few extra LBS on my frame. I think the combination of hotel breakfasts and 16 oz ribeye's are the culprits. Which of course means a culinary austerity campaign whilst back in Belgium to get back to my pre-US weight. I am heading back to Chicago for 10 days at the end of May, so I am more than a little worried about my will power for that trip. Business travel can only be descirbed as toxic. Too much food, too little sleep, not enough exercise. Until then, She who must be obeyed has vowed to march me around Belgium until I shed the extra pounds.

Not terribly in line with this goal is the boerinneken beer for this evening. Boerinneken is a strong pale ale. The beer pours a cloudy amber color and is quite rich. It has a creamy mouthfeel with a sweet yeasty finish. Hops are light but present and give it good character. I like the beer and would not hesitate to order it again. Three and a half drunk monks.

Hooters for Mothers Day????

I just returned from a week long business trip to the US. I started in Chicago and then went to the Bay area. Returning to the states these days provides an interesting set of observations. I have maintained all along that as good as the food is in Belgium, nobody does a steak like the US. A big juicy dry aged ribeye is a thing of beauty and something that is all but impossible to get in Europe. Bourbon is another weakness. I can get basic Jim Beam in Belgium, but something more refined like a Woodford Reserve, is not so easy. When combined, a Woodford and a Ribeye, I start feeling a little homesick.

There are other things though, that leave me shaking my head. As I was readying to leave San Francisco, I was watching ESPN and an ad for Hooters came up. The Advertisment was promising 10 free wings for mom for mother's day. That is correct, Take mom to Hooter's for Mothers Day! I realize that they have good wings, but shouldnt common decency dictate that you not bring the mother of your children to Hooter's on Mother's Day? And if that is where mom want's to go, perhaps there may be other issues that require addressing? Maybe I am a prude, but even taking the love of your life to Chili's is probably better received than Hooters. Shouldnt the Hooters people focus on Cinco de Mayo or even Father's Day??? And what about the kids? I find this more than a little disturbing.

Returning home from the US, I broke open an Urthel Samaranth Quadrium 12. The Urthel is a a very strong complex ale. The Urthel pours a deep caramel color. The nose is yeasty. The flavor is heavy on caramel malt sweetness but with many layers of hops and butterscotch. As you drink the beer there are additional flavors of spice that come out with exposure to the air. Complex, tasty and kicks like a mule. 4 Drunk Monks!!!

Golf, Belgian Style

Played golf for the first time in Belgium at a nice course called Pierpont Golf Club. (http://www.pierpont.be/) A friend from work invited me to join he and his cousin for a round. The course itself is great. They were in the process of putting a new roof on the place when I arrived. It is essentially a great house with several attached outbuildings which form a picturesque courtyard. Like a lot of the new courses in the US, they have used the original buildings to create atmosphere. The course had some ground under repair from quite a few renovations that they seem to be doing. It really seems as though they are investing some money into the place and I have to say, I am thinking it might be a good course to join.

One of the differences between golf in Belgium and golf in the US is that very few people use golf carts. The order of the day is walking. I like walking a golf course. I think it slows you down a little and makes you see the hole better. That being said, I am not ashamed to say that at the end of my 18, I felt it. As much as we walk here, I seldom have occasion to walk for 4 hours over hill and dale without a break. It didn't occur to me until I was done, that in the entire day, I did not see a single golf cart.

My game was a little up and down today, which is to be expected as I have not played since last August. Missed a few short puts but had a couple of birdies and shot 86. All in all, a great first outing.

In a celebratory mood, I opened a Tempelier. We have owned the tulip glass since we moved here but have not yet tried the beer. The tempelier pours a deep amber color. A nice yeasty nose and lacy head. There is some hop, some malt and a little spice. This is a very acceptable beer. Easy to drink, low on alcohol (relative to most Belgian beers), but is not memorable. Three Drunk Monks.