Seminars and visitations at the buildings of Henri Spaak and Jacques Delors. The former houses the European Parliament, the second the Committee of Regions.

Yesterday's lecture was relatively thorough, so not everything we heard was new. These are some of the more interesting things I'd noted:

• That the voters' turnout for EU Parliamentary elections is at a low of 43%, waning as popular enthusiasm and confidence in the EU declines; that the media is problematically bored with the EU's legislative matters and, unfortunately, shows its interests on matters of scandal.
• That the European Court of Justice punishes with fines. This is problematic for nations in debt, yet, what else can the court do? What is really important, among the member nations, is accountability and the upholding of the Union's principles. Without this solidarity the EU would otherwise find enforcement impossible.
• That, surprisingly yet unsurprisingly, there exists within the EU Parliament a full-fledged party system that spans the everyday political spectrum, and that the Christian Democrats are the biggest and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists comes second.
• That pride makes problems. France refuses to let go of its Parliament in Strasbourg; Greece continues to veto Macedonia's acceptance into the EU because of its name.
• That, although the EU costs billions to fund, the peace and stability it sponsors are priceless.
• That the EU really does feel like a multinational corporation (that just so happens to function in 23 languages).

An indoor picnic concluded the school week. A couple of us went to Italy, one to Noordwijk, most stayed in, while the handful I joined took the metro to the Atomium. There we walked in its presence, nearby parks and gardens. On this outing I saw a new and vast side of Brussels. I realized how short this weekend would be, and how little of Little Paris I've seen.

A fascinating lecture on the European Union prepared us for the next day’s visits. This included a general overview on the EU, its bodies, its function as a confederacy, its precursors, historical development, ideology, controversies and current state of affairs.

Afterwards: the René Magritte Museum, which traces thedevelopment of Brussels’ most honored son of surrealism. I stuck around to see the Flemish masterpieces of van der Weyden, Bosch, the Brughuels and their contemporaries[, returning in the weekend to see Rubens, Godecharles, Navez...].

It cannot be left unsaid that this day was the 181st anniversary of Belgian independence. 1830 makes the nation young, and despite the doubt of instability it has emerged as one of Europe’s finest. The streets and parks were filled with crowds, musicians, waffles, frites, beer, red, yellow and black. The army painted faces. The police held attack dog demonstrations. Highlanders, Brazilians and folk orchestras paraded the streets with noise. That night, everyone cheers'd. Fireworks exploded.

WEDNESDAY:

What is happening to Belgium? Brussels, the biggest city in the north, is in a state of deterioration. Liège, the biggest city in the south, is as well; this goes for the whole of Wallonia. How did this happen?

Belgium introduced continental Europe to the industrial age. Wallonia struck steel. The region prospered; wealth concentrated in Liége, and with it, grandeur and a population boom.The steel industry eventually collapsed under the weight of outdated technology. Wallonia has yet to recover, seeing increasing social problems and poverty in the face of Flemish prosperity. The lion roars; the rooster cock-a-doodles. Is this why Wallonians prefer to identify with Belgium?

“The city, nowadays, is rather poor,” explained our guide, Guy Janssens. Its people, however, have not lost their honor. Citizens of Liège bear a unique pride, perhaps similar to that of those in Friesland. Liège is indeed a beautiful city. On our tour we saw a gothic courtyard, panoramic views by the hilltop bunker/Nazi gallows/mass grave, much of the city, its alleys, steppes, river and monuments to war victims and freedom. A café and St. Paul’s Cathedral occupied the lunch hour. A visit to the Maison de la Métallurgie finished the day.

I am sitting beneath a crucified Jesus. All around me there is Jesus, suffering and nude. A girl in black leather pants and neon shoes walks by - I must be in a relic of the past. A baroque Catholic church replete with saints and Mary's, candles, columns and donation boxes, carved stone and textile walls, stained glass and a grandiose overhead; and it is empty - but for two women browsing and two men in silence. Is it fair to call this antiquated, when people don't pray but take pictures?

I believe Holland has no churches like this. There the Franco-Spanish Catholic influence didn't seep into its culture the way it did here in Belgium. This church that I am in, a place of exclusive faith, is the maker of difference. Indeed, in many ways exclusion makes history.

When Catholocism excluded all other faiths, Protestants flocked to the Netherlands. When the Hasburgs privileged French-speakers, they excluded Dutch-speakers from the prestige of their own land. Because today, the French-speaking Belgian government refuses to cooperate with the Flemish majority party, a stalemate threatens the nation with political vulnerability.

This morning we were given a lecture on the history and culture of Belgium, past and present. When I leave this church we will visit the Parliament[, where red means the Senate, green means the House, security is high and speakers are symbolic].

Some opinionated questions:

1. Is the French-speaking government stubborn and unjust for refusing to cooperate?
2. Will the increasing wealth of Flanders bring more Dutch-speakers to Brussels, as was the case with the Walloons during their reign of economic prosperity? I am suggesting a potential process of reverse-"Frenchification" and pondering its consequences on the Flemish separatist movement.
3. As a student of Dutch, am I hopelessly biased?

A lot of us arrived in Brussels in bad faith. We knew the beer would be good but we heard the hostel was bad. Several of the girls already made plans to spend the weekend elsewhere. Professor Jeffrey Tyssen introduced us to Brussels by telling us of its lost glory, state of deterioration and anarchy. If this city is so unappealing, why - if I may speak for myself - is it not?

The tour gave me answers. Prof. Tyssen’s passion for history was an inspiration. The city’s destructive tendencies have made it what it is now: an odd mish-mash of ugly, uninspired buildings and beautiful, modern architecture. Ambition (and lots of post-war reconstruction) to be the most appealing city, an admiration of Paris, as well movements in Gothic, Baroque, Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture, contribute to the latter. The bad side is from mismanagement and poor foresight. Mannekin Pis - “much ado about nothing” - is fascinating not only for its odd touristic magnetism, but its role as a political and cultural symbol of the Belgian mentality.

Roskam Café’s barmaid had on a shirt that read “I hate Mondays.” She must have served over a dozen trappiste Westmalles - Jeffrey Tyssen’s enthusiastic recommendation. New streets to walk, ethnic groceries and a kebap house kept the evening busy. Exploring the Palace of Justice was incredible. Once the largest building in Europe, with grand columns, giant statues and central dome, it is now practically out-of-order: an unruined ruin. It felt post-apocalytpic and hauntingly beautiful. Outside of it was a memorial to Belgian victims of the world wars. These are all over the city, of a nation so deeply scarred by their consequences.

City Hall’s light show - to quote a peer who could have finished my sentence - turned the plaza into “Disneyland.”

The Weekend

LVXEMBOVRG

SAMEDI

Walked through the garden of the nearby hospital - once a church - and along streets, alleys and rivers.

Hiked a cliffside trail, explored ruins and fortifications. Ventured into the city's financial boulevards.

Had dinner at the city center, a drink of local liquor, paraded the blues and jazz festival under an umbrella.

DIMANCHE

The streets were empty and the shops were all closed; all day the Chilly Vanilly music festival kept the hostel lively, fed, noisy, and festive. All day, with a hand I walked around the city. Saw the casemates, orange pinstriped circular cutouts, ruins, the canals in a kayak, the cliffside perimeter, the gardens inbetween, beautiful buildings, faces, a public miniature train park, the rain.