Soggy

Belgium has lived up to its rainy reputation this week; especially this weekend. The rain has been relentless. Consistent, if not torrential. It is the kind of rain that keeps you from following through on plans or making new ones. 

SWMBO and I had originally planned on going to Antwerp to shop and explore. After breakfast though, it was apparent that it would only end in profanity, so we switched plans and opted for the mall to see if I could find a fall coat.  Having lived in Maryland the last 20 years, I never really needed anything heavier than a wind shirt or a sweater at this time of the year. In the Mid Atlantic, you go from Summer to Winter without too much of an Autumn. Belgium is different. It is more like New England. The temperature can swing pretty dramatically over the course of a day, never mind the constant threat of rain. So I need to find something.

We started at the mall. The Woluwe Shopping Center is the closest thing to an American mall we have here. It is small but has a decent selection of shops as well as a boucherie, fromagerie, a grocery store and a little Italian market. What it does not have, are too many options for the male shopper; at least the American male shopper. SWMBO believes that we just have to shed our American fashion sensibility and integrate. Which is easy for her to say. The women’s clothes are fashionable if a bit more revealing than in the US.  For men, you can go in two directions, either formal i.e., sport coats, etc. Or you can embrace your inner euro-trash self and find something colorful, shiny and skin tight. Not much in between the two.

From a fashion standpoint it doesn’t really matter however, because I am afflicted with something more difficult to shop for, American size. I think most stores in Belgium cater to an average male size of about 5 foot 7 and 145 pounds. After a day of shopping not just in Woluwe, but also around Avenue Louise, I honestly did not find a jacket that would have fit me in high school. It was a little frustrating because it is not as though my gut was doing me in. For the most part, they were just built for really tiny guys.

So it looks like I will hold off getting a jacket until I can get either to the US or to Germany. Someplace where large is large.