Bruges,
Belgium
In case
anyone is wondering why I've been tagging all of my photos #InBruges this
morning, it is of course a reference to the title of the 2008 movie. A few weeks ago, I was having a debate with
my friend about the tourist increases a location experiences when a popular
movie or TV series is filmed. I said
that that doesn't interest me. King's
Landing is not a real place, so why should I care about visiting the city In
Croatia where it was filmed.
However, I continued, real locations from movies do interest me. "In Bruges" probably wouldn't even rank in my top 100 movies of all time, but Bruges is a very real place, and I enjoyed the movie well enough. Now, here I am, in Bruges, sitting in front of the Belfry in Markt Square, a central location from the film, smoking a Churchill, just having finished a Belgian waffle.
More examples of this are, while I had no interest in visiting whatever hall in Oxford was used as a set for the Harry Potter movies, the first time I went to London, I was sure to visit King's Cross and take my picture between Platforms 9 and 10. Or the time I waded into the Reflecting Pool in DC (Forrest Gump). When I wanted to do Argo: The Experience, I didn't go to the locations in Turkey where it was filmed, I went to the actual locations in Tehran. Likewise, I was eager to visit the Twilight sites in Forks, but I didn't care about the Hunger Games filming locations in Georgia.
More examples? I won't even count the locations in New York I have visited. Oh, Big Bang Theory. I didn't care where they film the show. I visited Caltech, since that is where it is set. I'm sure I could list countless more examples of this, but I won't bore my readers.
After I closed last night, I headed upstairs,
hoping for a miracle, but no such luck.
Dejected, I published the writing from my phone as a Facebook post and
went to sleep. I woke up about six hours
later, packed, got dressed, and headed to the train station. It a boring and unadventurous train ride to
Bruges. I tried to sleep on the train,
but to no avail. When I got to the train
station, I found a taxi outside.
I had
planned for him to take me to the beguinage, wait for me to take my ceremonial
picture, then drive me to the Belfry, but I had drastically misunderstood the
distances. They were much shorter than I
had believed them to be. I told him to
just drop me off at the beguinage, and I would walk to the Belfry from there. My astute readers will realize that I had my
suitcase with me at this point. I did
not worry about leaving my suitcase in the beguinage (basically a convent)
while I walked around the garden and took my ceremonial pictures. I did just that. I lit up another Juan Lopez Benelux Exclusivo
and took my ceremonial pictures.
I then
walked to the Belfry, with my suitcase, truly admiring the beauty of the city
as I walked around. I got to the Belfry
in short time, noting that all the souvenir shops were closed, being it
relatively early Sunday morning. I then
found a good spot for my ceremonial picture and announced, "Flanders
Complete. That just leaves
Wallonia. Now let's see if I can find
some of those famous waffles."
I
went to a "tea room" in the square and ordered a waffle and some hot
chocolate, which I paired with the rest of my cigar. After I was done, I found a bench with a view
of the Belfry, where I sat down, lit my Churchill, the last from the box I got
in Cuba, and proceeded to write this entry, which I will now close so that I
can begin the Return Journey.
However, I continued, real locations from movies do interest me. "In Bruges" probably wouldn't even rank in my top 100 movies of all time, but Bruges is a very real place, and I enjoyed the movie well enough. Now, here I am, in Bruges, sitting in front of the Belfry in Markt Square, a central location from the film, smoking a Churchill, just having finished a Belgian waffle.
More examples of this are, while I had no interest in visiting whatever hall in Oxford was used as a set for the Harry Potter movies, the first time I went to London, I was sure to visit King's Cross and take my picture between Platforms 9 and 10. Or the time I waded into the Reflecting Pool in DC (Forrest Gump). When I wanted to do Argo: The Experience, I didn't go to the locations in Turkey where it was filmed, I went to the actual locations in Tehran. Likewise, I was eager to visit the Twilight sites in Forks, but I didn't care about the Hunger Games filming locations in Georgia.
More examples? I won't even count the locations in New York I have visited. Oh, Big Bang Theory. I didn't care where they film the show. I visited Caltech, since that is where it is set. I'm sure I could list countless more examples of this, but I won't bore my readers.
Amsterdam
Airport Schiphol, The Netherlands (AMS)
Well, here I
am at Schiphol, enjoying one last cigar before I fly home. My flight is in two hours, and it is just
four hours since I entrees the train station in Bruges. It is pretty remarkable to think I got from
the train station on the west coast of Belgium to a city in central
Netherlands, and though security at the airport, and bought cigars, and sat
down in the smoking lounge all in 4 hours.
It takes me half that time just to get from my office to my gate at Kennedy. I couldn't imagine getting from like New
Haven to Kennedy in 4 hours.
The public transportation in Europe is pretty remarkable. Nothing in the States comes close. I relied almost entirely on public transportation when I went to Sweden and Finland, and I did not regret it. My big Eurotrip from 2013 was way too ambitious to do by public transportation, what with my 7100 miles of driving over 18 Days. This was less ambitious. I will wax on about the beauty of Northern Europe when I have access to a working computer and can actually type out my thoughts. I have a feeling I'll be watching "In Bruges" tonight. Suffice it to say for now it has some of the most beautiful cultural beauty of any country of the world.
France and Spain are nothing compared to the beauty of the lowlands. All that remains for me to say "Benelux Complete" is a trip to Wallonia (unless the Netherlands picked up another WHS, can't remember). I don't think I've been to Wallonia yet, actually, unless I passed through on my way from Brussels to Luxembourg. Actually, I guess the Battle of the Bulge was in Wallonia. I don't think I'll make it there next year, but it'll likely be one of the first international trips I take in my 30s. The return journey so far, from Bruges to Schiphol, has been thankfully unadventurous.
After I closed in Bruges, I found the nearest souvenir shop and got
everything I needed. I then remembered
about my sock. Well, this morning, the
bench had been wet, so I dried it off with a sock and left it hanging on the
back of the bench to dry. Of course I
had forgotten about it. When I went back
for it, a lady was sitting on the bench.
Without a word, I grabbed the sock and walked away. I wonder what she thought when she saw a man
in a suit walk up to her bench, grab a wet sock, and walk away. I walked to the train station and ditched my
cigar outside the station.
The train was
a few minutes late and got delayed en route, but I figured I should be good to
make my connection at Antwerp. I slept
(or tried to) for most of the ride, and we got there about 15 minutes late,
still plenty of time to get a waffle. I
had one (yes, I know, another one, but they're so good) and bought one to bring
back home for my friend. I went down to
the track after I finished my waffle and waited for the train, which soon
came. The conductor said I was on the
wrong train. With confusion, I realized
I was showing him my ticket from yesterday.
They served lunch, the best part of which was the bread and beer. Before long we were at the airport, three
hours before my flight. My grandfather
would have been proud.
I got my ticket and was granted access to priority screening due to my frequent flyer status. The security checkpoint was the most ingenious and technology advanced ones I had ever seen. Each conveyor belt had three stations with automatically loading bins so that three people at a time could get empty their pockets. The bins would then load as usually, and you go through the backscanner. Then came passport control, just one question, where I was going? New York. No scanning of my passport. He stamped it and sent me on my way. I found a place to buy cigars and opted for a box of my favorites, which were priced insanely cheap. I then headed to the smoking lounge, which was in view of the fleet of iconic blue KLM planes, and sat down in a chair brought in from the restaurant, where I proceeded to light up one of the Cohiba cigars and write this entry, which I will now close so that I can head to my gate.
The public transportation in Europe is pretty remarkable. Nothing in the States comes close. I relied almost entirely on public transportation when I went to Sweden and Finland, and I did not regret it. My big Eurotrip from 2013 was way too ambitious to do by public transportation, what with my 7100 miles of driving over 18 Days. This was less ambitious. I will wax on about the beauty of Northern Europe when I have access to a working computer and can actually type out my thoughts. I have a feeling I'll be watching "In Bruges" tonight. Suffice it to say for now it has some of the most beautiful cultural beauty of any country of the world.
France and Spain are nothing compared to the beauty of the lowlands. All that remains for me to say "Benelux Complete" is a trip to Wallonia (unless the Netherlands picked up another WHS, can't remember). I don't think I've been to Wallonia yet, actually, unless I passed through on my way from Brussels to Luxembourg. Actually, I guess the Battle of the Bulge was in Wallonia. I don't think I'll make it there next year, but it'll likely be one of the first international trips I take in my 30s. The return journey so far, from Bruges to Schiphol, has been thankfully unadventurous.
I got my ticket and was granted access to priority screening due to my frequent flyer status. The security checkpoint was the most ingenious and technology advanced ones I had ever seen. Each conveyor belt had three stations with automatically loading bins so that three people at a time could get empty their pockets. The bins would then load as usually, and you go through the backscanner. Then came passport control, just one question, where I was going? New York. No scanning of my passport. He stamped it and sent me on my way. I found a place to buy cigars and opted for a box of my favorites, which were priced insanely cheap. I then headed to the smoking lounge, which was in view of the fleet of iconic blue KLM planes, and sat down in a chair brought in from the restaurant, where I proceeded to light up one of the Cohiba cigars and write this entry, which I will now close so that I can head to my gate.
I suppose it
is a good thing that the Olympics always occur during the Presidential election
years. While the election season divides
us, nothing more brings us together as a nation, whether we be white or black,
red or blue, male or female, than the Olympics, and our country loves to unite
behind Team USA, and it is one of the reasons I so love the Olympics. The Ancient Games brought about a three-month
cessation of fighting throughout all of Greece.
While we cannot expect to see an Olympic Truce this year, especially
with what is going on in the Middle East, it will be nice to see our country
unite for a few weeks.
I just finished watching the movie Invictus, and I cannot praise it enough. It should have won the Best Picture. It's Clint Eastwood directing Morgan Freeman at their finest. It was a movie about uniting a divided country over sport. By bringing the South African rugby team from worst to best, newly elected President Nelson Mandela got his entire "rainbow nation" to cheer together for the Springbucks, a team that had previously symbolized white oppression. By the end of the movie, the team had instead come to represent unity. We are in for a nasty presidential race this year. The primaries (on both sides) have been a nasty as I can recall. The general election will be even nastier. I can only hope that we can unite for 17 days in Rio and stop our county from becoming morr divided than it has been in my entire lifetime.
On another note, that dateline is a pretty
significant one. I have flown on most of
the world's major airlines, but none is iconic as KLM, with their unmistakable
light blue. Established on 1916, it is
celebrating its 100th year. No other
current airline has been operating longer under the same name. Everything speaks to its history, and iconic
shade of blue cannot be missed, nor the experience of flying Royal Dutch
Airlines forgotten. After I closed, I
made my way to the gate, and my priority status got me to the front of the
line, though being selected for random screening offset that. I sat down, enjoying the elegance of the
flight and texted with my friend until we took off. I chose Invictus for the in-flight movie, and
the headphones they have us were fantastic and in their iconic blue and
white.
They soon brought the drinks, and
the cabin attendant greeted me something like, "Good to have you back, Mr.
Margolin" and asked me about my trip.
My reader will note three things.
First, I had my headphones on and was clearly watching a movie. Second, I have SkyTeam Silver, I'm not a
Prince. Third, I've never flown KLM
before. I got my Diet Coke and dinner
was served soon, which was much the same as lunch on the train.
I want to note how short this trip has been. I cleared border control at Schiphol after 10 AM yesterday. I was back at the airport at 3:30 PM today. That is less than 30 hours. I have, much more than once, spent 30 consecutive hours awake. This is everything I ate: fries, a small currywurst, a small grilled meat sandwich, eight small chocolate candies, two small waffles, two slices of chicken breast, a macaron, and a bread roll, along with Diet Coke, coffee, and 18 ounces of beer. I'm sure my reader has faith in my ability to consume that much food in a single meal. This was a very short trip, possibly my shortest yet. Other than the laptop, everything went perfectly, though, and I will reflect on details later. Anyway, after I finished the movie, I took out my phone and proceeded to write this entry, which I will now close so that I can watch another movie or maybe take a nap.
I just finished watching the movie Invictus, and I cannot praise it enough. It should have won the Best Picture. It's Clint Eastwood directing Morgan Freeman at their finest. It was a movie about uniting a divided country over sport. By bringing the South African rugby team from worst to best, newly elected President Nelson Mandela got his entire "rainbow nation" to cheer together for the Springbucks, a team that had previously symbolized white oppression. By the end of the movie, the team had instead come to represent unity. We are in for a nasty presidential race this year. The primaries (on both sides) have been a nasty as I can recall. The general election will be even nastier. I can only hope that we can unite for 17 days in Rio and stop our county from becoming morr divided than it has been in my entire lifetime.
I want to note how short this trip has been. I cleared border control at Schiphol after 10 AM yesterday. I was back at the airport at 3:30 PM today. That is less than 30 hours. I have, much more than once, spent 30 consecutive hours awake. This is everything I ate: fries, a small currywurst, a small grilled meat sandwich, eight small chocolate candies, two small waffles, two slices of chicken breast, a macaron, and a bread roll, along with Diet Coke, coffee, and 18 ounces of beer. I'm sure my reader has faith in my ability to consume that much food in a single meal. This was a very short trip, possibly my shortest yet. Other than the laptop, everything went perfectly, though, and I will reflect on details later. Anyway, after I finished the movie, I took out my phone and proceeded to write this entry, which I will now close so that I can watch another movie or maybe take a nap.
The Warriors
and Spurs are tied at the half. Either
outcome will lead to an historic record-setting season for the winning
team. I will certainly not be leaving my
apartment again until this game is over, which might mean it's too late to try
and get my computer fixed tonight. After
I closed on the plane, I read the in-flight magazine and passed out. The rest of the flight was unadventurous, and
we soon landed a bit ahead of time. My
phone lit up with notifications, and I sorted through them as I made my way to
border control.
I passed through with no
event and was approached by some drivers offering me a ride home. One of them offered me a price close to that
of a taxi and let me smoke in the car, so I was happy. Once we left the airport, I lit up a Ramon
Allones, and I was soon home. I recorded
the MTV Movie Awards, where my friend had been in attendance during the taping
last night, and turned to the basketball game, in time to watch the last 5
seconds of the half. The score remained
tied. I then sat down in my chair, where
I proceeded to write this entry, which I will close, along with closing out
this trip, after I use the balance of halftime to do my reflections.
I don't have much more to say, other than reaffirming the cultural beauty of Northern Europe. There is a reason I love it so much. It is ironic, Flanders has more in common with Sweden than it does with Wallonia. Actually, I've never been to Wallonia, but Bruges is certainly much more similar to Stockholm than it is to Paris. It is a cultural thing borne from the language. The Germanic countries (Scandinavia, Germany, The Netherlands, Flanders, Austria) have much more in common with each other than they do with the Romantic countries (France, Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Luxemborg, Wallonia, etc.). Meanwhile, the entire Mediterranean shares a culture, too, that transcends the language and religious barriers there.
I prefer the beauty of the Germanic countries the most and look forward very much to my trip to Iceland an Greenland next summer, along with future returns to the Fennoscandia peninsula. The second half has just begun, and the Spurs have scored 6 unanswered points, so I will close and close out the trip, as well. Next stop: Philadelphia for Passover.
I don't have much more to say, other than reaffirming the cultural beauty of Northern Europe. There is a reason I love it so much. It is ironic, Flanders has more in common with Sweden than it does with Wallonia. Actually, I've never been to Wallonia, but Bruges is certainly much more similar to Stockholm than it is to Paris. It is a cultural thing borne from the language. The Germanic countries (Scandinavia, Germany, The Netherlands, Flanders, Austria) have much more in common with each other than they do with the Romantic countries (France, Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Luxemborg, Wallonia, etc.). Meanwhile, the entire Mediterranean shares a culture, too, that transcends the language and religious barriers there.
I prefer the beauty of the Germanic countries the most and look forward very much to my trip to Iceland an Greenland next summer, along with future returns to the Fennoscandia peninsula. The second half has just begun, and the Spurs have scored 6 unanswered points, so I will close and close out the trip, as well. Next stop: Philadelphia for Passover.
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