DRT in Leuven: when the past comes to meet me

The DRT (Deformation mechanisms, Rheology and Tectonics) meeting is a conference organized every second year in a different city in Europe. This has been my first conference ever, when I was at the beginning of my PhD school, in 2005, in Zurich. Then I had to skip the following meeting, in Milan, because of the organ diploma. I went to Liverpool, in 2009. There was one in 2011 in Oviedo, but I was already in the meteorite impact research. After having sent tens of applications for a post-doc in geology and at the end being relocated to Brussels working on a complete different topic, I was sure to have definitively said "farewell" to structural geology and micro structural analysis. I was wrong! The DRT this year is in Leuven, 20 minutes by train: even for fun, I couldn't miss it!

A surprise waited for me. Although I asked a poster presentation, I had a talk. I've presented a side-project I was working on in Vienna, but my speech wasn't good. Amen! I was freezing in that room and I bit distracted by the feeling of being again among structural geologists, some known, some new. Many elders were not there, I don't know if because of contemporaneous fieldwork or teaching. I was the only italian, though my current affiliation is belgian. This was a bit sad. A professor that I met in 2006 remembered that I play organ. Well, this means that I didn't change much in these years, I'm still equally divided between my two great passions: geology and music.

The conference was, anyway, quite interesting. Not only for the state of art in the field, but also for the opportunity of talking of possible collaborations on what I'm working on now. Surprisingly, other geologists are interested in shock metamorphism! The conference has given me also the opportunity to visit Leuven, which was recommended as candidate for moving out of Brussels. The town is really beautiful, with gothic buildings, pedestrians areas, historical squares, and an old catholic university. But I cannot live there: as I was afraid of, the city is sized for students. It would be like living in Oxford. It's not for me, I'm too old for that. Anyway, it was nice to jump back in the past, enjoying travels by train and a conference in a nice, quiet and clean place. Hopefully this was also a glimpse of future.

Wien bleibt Wien

I've recently discovered an Austrian author, Alfred Polgar, famous for his aphorisms. The title of this post is part of one of them: "Wien bleibt Wien - und das ist wohl das schlimmste, was man über diese Stadt sagen kann" that means: "Vienna remains Vienna and this is really the worst thing one can say about this city." Another one tells "Die Österreicher sind ein Volk, das mit Zuversicht in die Vergangenheit blickt“ that means "Austrians are people that look with confidence to the past". These two sentences summarize my feeling towards Vienna, while I was living there and now, after a short visit. Vienna is perfect, as always, even too much, as I've been complained before leaving, stuck in a happy past, ignoring the recent history, but this makes the city... a dream. That's the novel of my short dream a few weeks ago.

Saturday: departure.

Don't cry! This is what I've been repeating to myself since I booked the flight. I usually begin planning my journeys days in advance, but not this time. Whenever I tried to look at the subway map of Vienna I began crying again. Again! Like on the way back from Japan. This has to stop! This is why I've prepared my baggage one hour before leaving and I was at the airport 3.5 hrs earlier than the departure time! I was hungry, despite the crazy prices (€3,50 for a L 0.5 bottle of water?!) I looked for something to eat but I could take only sweets for I-don't-know-which-law that forbids selling sandwiches after a certain time. Cold air conditioning, noisy gate area,... STOP complaining on Brussels! I'm going to Vienna, I'll enjoy some days vacation in the place where I lived for 3 yrs and 1 month, I'll meet my dear friends, I'll hear again that sweet rural dialect (Wienerish)... Well, why am I so nervous then? Because I feel as Jasmine in the recent Woody Allen's blockbuster "Blue Jasmine" (if you don't understand what I mean, watch the movie!), but just because of me. Going again to Vienna will be like meeting again an ex-boyfriend, although I've never had one. I can't wait but, at the same time, I would escape the meeting.

Anyway, everything went smooth, the flight landed earlier than scheduled, my baggage was delivered sooner than in any other airport, the train was on time and, after a delicious Italian dinner with some dear friends, I've ended up riding a bike through the city and passing in front of my old flat. What a wonderful life I've had here and I didn't realize!

Sunday: soul and stomach

Early rise for the mass in my "old" church. The priest smiled when he recognized me again, at least this seemed to me. He didn't know, anyway, that mine was only a short visit. Lunch with friends with homemade "sugo alla puttanesca" and grilled vegetables. E.B. is a great cook indeed and a perfect host! The weather was... Belgian, probably I've brought it with me. We therefore stayed at home chatting and drinking coffee until dinner time, when we went to Grinzing for a glorious meal in a "Heuriger". Nice place! But it took a while to understand that "gebackene Fledermaus", literally baked bat, had nothing to do with the flying mammals, but rather a part of the beef. Then we went home on foot, enjoying the quiet Viennese night (more than 8 km). What a dreamy place for vacation (life is different, this is why I complained also when I lived here)!

Monday: papers

As I've been repeated so many times in this blog, bureaucracy was invented in Austria. I was really afraid to have to fight against that, but this didn't happen. Despite the mass of paperwork, still handwritten. In fact, in 10-15 minutes I was done in my former bank. For lunch I've met some of my former colleagues that are still in town. The humor and the long list of complains about the situation and Vienna didn't change. The whole afternoon flew on chatting and in the evening I had to run to catch the D tram, as in the old days, to reach other friends (from ItaliansOnLine) in Rathausplatz. Finally my stomach enjoyed again the so long dreamed Käsespätzle and the local beer. Last view of the shining viennese monuments in the clean Austrian night. Stop, or I'll start crying again!

Tuesday: again "adieu"?

Very last visit at the university for giving back the office key and then last brunch-lunch with my girlfriends, under the shadow of the U6 arches. Last shopping in a local store, last "farewell" to Vienna, last journey by S7 to the airport. It's time to wake up and cope the current life.

The Belgian welcome was a bit tough as always. The flight was about 20 minutes late, after walking for 15 minutes across the airport I had to wait further 15 minutes for the delivery of luggages. I've missed a train for a few seconds, luckily there was another one after only a quarter of hour. I took a bus and I walked to my place rather than crossing alone at 10 p.m. the South Station. The night view of Brussels is beautiful (you don't see the ugly buildings, only the nicest ones are illuminated), but why there is this unpleasant smell around? Please, don't tell me again that I should'n complain because Italy is worse! I'll do my best to forget the recent Austrian dream but I hardly believe I'll miss this place when I'll have to leave it. Anyway, who knows? Never say never.

Vacation!

No way! I did my best to show the nicest corners of Brussels to my parents, but also the weather (hot and rainy) has ruined my efforts. My mother tried to be positive, my father noticed the same defects I hate of this place. The only outstanding locations are the church Notre Dame du Sablon and the Jubilee Park. The rain has spoiled also the St. Gilles market on Saturday. The little town of Grimbergen offered more opportunities, with a bell concert, a nice museum in an old mill, and the garden around the old castle of the local prince. After showing Antwerp to my parents that have appreciated the pedestrian areas and the beautiful buildings (included the gorgeous railway station), we moved with the camper van towards the southern Belgium. The selected destination, suggested by a Belgian friend, was Durbuy, a medieval town in the Ardenne. Unfortunately the camping site was deserted and we reached Erezee, another cute town in the Ardenne.

Nassereith

The following step was traveling across Belgium and Germany, down to Kempten in Allgäu. We stayed in a camping close to a clean, warm, and very inviting lake. How sweet was hearing again the local musical dialect and receiving congratulations for my German. It has been like being in the heaven for me! The day after we visited our old friends in town. It was sad to see how much they are aged... they are over 80 and he is going to be 90 in a month. We stopped a night in Nassereith (Austria), a town that is noteworthy for the Baroque churches and painted walls of the buildings in the traditional Tyrolean style.

Italy welcame us with traffic jam in the highway and no information. Typical! I've spent the last Saturday climbing the Mount Cornetto, between Lavarone and Folgaria. After a long time, I overcame again over 1000 m altitude gap. I got a sunburn on my forearms but the landscape from the top of the mountain was worth of the effort. Far from any trouble and, above all, far from the ridiculous news about the Italian politics! We stopped one day in my hometown before I took a flight back to Belgium. This has been the hottest day ever. Finally, the flight to Charleroi was sad, not because it marked the end of my vacations, but because it marked the return to the Belgian life. I'm still not accustomed to this situation. The long queue waiting for the bus and the little issues found in the letter box have been the adequate conclusion of my happy  vacation days. The autumn atmosphere, with rain and 17°C temperature, did the rest.

De Fide

Torno a scrivere in Italiano, solamente per un post, perché la questione merita una maggiore attenzione alla parola. Il grande Eugenio Scalfari ha recentemente pubblicato un intenso intervento su Repubblica a proposito dell'attuale papa, Francesco. Nell'articolo pone 3 domande al papa, ma mi permetterei di dirgli che non occorre essere ricevuto dal papa in persona per rispondere a simili quesiti. Qualsiasi sacerdote o credente dovrebbe poter rispondere. Purtroppo non è sempre così ed uno dei maggiori difetti di una parte del clero è di rifuggire il dialogo e la discussione critica. Proviamo dunque a rispondere ai quesiti di Scalfari, pur nella mia ignoranza, per fare umile autocritica, non certo per presunzione di potersi sostituire al capo della Chiesa di Roma o alla Congregazione della Fede (l'organismo preposto a simili risposte, non il papa). Ovviamente le risposte sono frutto del mio ragionamento e della mia educazione, non hanno alcun valore, potrebbero addirittura essere considerate eresie, ma spero siano lo spunto per un tentativo di pensiero proprio. 

"Prima domanda: se una persona non ha fede né la cerca, ma commette quello che per la Chiesa è un peccato, sarà perdonato dal Dio cristiano?"

A che gli servirebbe il perdono di un Dio cristiano cui non crede? Il perdono è un dono e quella persona che non si pone dubbi sulla propria esistenza probabilmente rifiuterebbe un simile regalo. Oltretutto, per la Chiesa di Roma, il perdono va chiesto. Si deve riconoscere di aver sbagliato e pentirsi del proprio errore. In questo caso credo che una persona venga perdonata anche senza dover fare la coda presso un confessionale.

"Seconda domanda: il credente crede nella verità rivelata, il non credente pensa che non esista alcun assoluto e quindi neppure una verità assoluta, ma una serie di verità relative e soggettive. Questo modo di pensare per la Chiesa è un errore o un peccato?"

Ho sempre fatto mio il motto "dubito ergo credo". Porsi delle domande è la via verso la fede. Personalmente ammiro molto le persone dotate di fede spassionata, che credono senza ombra di dubbio. Qualche volta i dubbi ci sono, lo spirito critico acquisito con la scienza pesa, ma l'impegno per trovare la Risposta c'è tutto. Ritorna il concetto della domanda precedente, se uno non crede che interesse ha nel giudizio della Chiesa sul suo modo di pensare?

"Terza domanda: Papa Francesco ha detto durante il suo viaggio in Brasile che anche la nostra specie perirà come tutte le cose che hanno un inizio e una fine. Anch’io penso allo stesso modo, ma penso anche che con la scomparsa della nostra specie scomparirà anche il pensiero capace di pensare Dio e che quindi, quando la nostra specie scomparirà, allora scomparirà anche Dio perché nessuno sarà più in grado di pensarlo. Il Papa ha certamente una sua risposta a questo tema e a me piacerebbe molto conoscerla."

Questa domanda mi sorprende. Gentile Scalfari, non c'è già abbastanza letteratura sull'argomento? Non si trova già la risposta nei Vangeli? Pure la "scommessa" di Pascal prende in considerazione la cosa. Se per i non credenti con la scomparsa della specie umana scomparirà tutto il nostro mondo (non la Terra, mi riferisco alla filosofia, alla religione, alla letteratura, alla musica, etc.), per i credenti si tratta di un passaggio, di un'evoluzione ad un'altra vita.

In conclusione, davvero mi aspettavo di meglio da un fine pensatore come Scalfari, con tutto il rispetto per la persona in questione. Se un non credente si pone delle domande, s'interessa al giudizio della Chiesa (che non è giudice) e del suo Dio sulle sue azioni, forse è sulla via della conversione. Forse no, vuole solo fare il polemico di turno, cosa che va tanto di moda di questi tempi ma che non mi permetterei mai di sospettare nel celebre giornalista. In ogni caso ben venga una riflessione sull'argomento!

Discovering a corner of Japan 2

... continuation of the previous post

A long weekend

This was a 3-days weekend, because today, Monday, is the Marine Day. It's also my last week-end in Japan, because in a couple of days I'll go back to Europe. But let's begin from Saturday. I've spent the whole morning just for shopping. Usually girls love it, but not me. The only good thing was enjoying the air-conditioned mega stores, looking at Western prices for Western clothes. I found nothing of what I was looking for, but I managed to sort out something for my friends. I've tried to find also the catholic church I wanted to visit for the mass, but it was closed.

After 5 yrs from the Organ Summer Academy in Haarlem (the Netherlands), I met again two dear friends, obviously organists and obviously Japanese, in Tokyo on Sunday. Although they don't live in town, they came just to meet me! This is the sweetest present a friend can give. We visited the Jojijoj Temple, my first time in a buddhist temple. Oh well! The business behind the religion is the same in every confession, here as well as in a catholic sanctuary. We had lunch in a traditional Japanese restaurant. I was surprised to have to remove my shoes at the entrance, but then I've astonished my friends with my "ability" with the chopsticks. I'm learning. In the afternoon we had fun in the shopping center under the Skytree, tasting sweets and refreshing drinks and making my friend's baby smiling in front of the camera. We promised to meet each other again, in Europe or in Japan, possibly much before than in 5 yrs.

On Monday morning I bought the food for the last days, I've unsuccessfully looked for stamps for Europe, and I've reserved the bus to the airport. I would have been to see the ocean, but the weather forecast called rain and I was enough tired after two days of walking. Therefore, in the afternoon I had the last glimpse of Tokyo, thanks to the Italian physicist and his Japanese girlfriend. They have shown me the Imperial Palace and gardens and an important Shinto Temple. It was great! Far from the crowded shopping areas, in the peace of quiet little wood, where one can forget to be in maybe one of the most traffic congested cities in the world. Sayonara Tokyo, perhaps we'll meet again sooner than you can imagine! 

the last days in Japan
I must admit that Tuesday was quite boring, just work, except for the evening, when we went out for my farewell party. We were seven, from the boss to the post-doc, but I guess they asked a female post-doc to join us just to have another woman in the party, besides me, although she almost didn't say a word. I had been warned about this kind of party... In fact it has been very nice: eating good food, drinking beer and (finally) sake, talking about science, history, travels, etc. Nevertheless, the talking was a bit limited, because only the older members have spent some years abroad and speak fluent English. The sum of my and someone else's limitations produces no conversation, alcool doesn't help much, at least for them. At 9 p.m. I was already in the guest house.

Wednesday was a bit more adventurous, also because I'm always quite nervous when I have to leave. At lunch time, I've rented a bycicle at the guest house and had my first and last (for now) ride in Japan, driving on the left side. It wasn't just for fun. I looked for a post office to send some postcards. I don't want to get crazy at the last minute at the airport! In the afternoon I was almost ready for leaving, with samples for my colleagues in my backpack but a bit upset for not finding again one sample I was interested in. During a farewell tea, we ate rare and expensive cherries from the Prefecture of Tohoku, as last present for me. Finally the time to say goodbye to my kind hosts has arrived. I promised to visit again the NIPR and I wished to meet them again anyway at one of the next international conferences. Then I went to my room, to clean it and to try to organize my suitcase. My plan was to sleep at least 6-7 hours before beginning the longest day (traveling to west) of this trip, but I didn't succeed. I slept maybe 3 hrs.

The longest day. Waking up was not a problem... as I didn't sleep much. The reserved taxi was waiting for me and , oh! surprise! T.T. waved from her balcony, in front of the NIPR. She woke up at 5 just to be sure that everything was fine for me. So nice from her! The bus arrived on time and in 2hrs we were at the airport. Passports were checked 3-4 times, once also on the bus, but everything went smooth. The breakfast was a bit sad... with packed sweets and an American coffee not particularly strong. The airplane wasn't completely full, so I had more room in my row, but I got sick just at the beginning. of the flight*. Maybe the coffee, perhaps the lunch or the cold temperature in the airplane. Just the time to check my emails at Vienna Airport, in one hour I was peacefully sleeping on the last flight of the day. A taxi brought me quickly to my place, while a warm sun still shined over Brussels. Goodnight!

* From this moment until landing in Brussels, suddenly I began crying and couldn't stop. Like the last Sunday in Vienna, when I've been for the last time in "my" church and then I crossed the AKH Campus, still covered by the snow. Exactly in that moment I realized that the happy and equilibrated life I had there was at the end. During the flight I didn't cry because I was sick (common thing and also quite short), but because everything on that airplane (Austrian) reminded me my time in Vienna. I expected, somehow, this reaction when I chose the flight but I didn't imagine it so strong! Also writing these lines I cried again. This morning is going much better. There was something unsolved, not accepted, about my new life. The person I was in Vienna doesn't exist anymore, I'm back to the odious single lady I was in Padua before emigrating. I hate the place where I live, although I love my new job and I try every day to make me enjoy Brussels. Back from Japan, I should summarize my impressions on that country, not regretting my (forced) choices. But it's time to move on, saying definitively farewell to Vienna and trying to be happy also here. Even if this would be the only good thing I learned from my Japanese trip, it is a great achievement!

Discovering a corner of Japan

My 15 days in the Tokyo area, working as guest of the National Institute of Polar Research and exploring as simple tourist.

1st day-2 days: the missing night.

Traveling towards east, the time seems shorter. Actually it is. I've left Brussels in a cold and rainy morning and after a short stop in Frankfurt I've landed in a gray and hot morning in Tokyo-Narita. The flight should have replaced the night, but I didn't sleep much. I was too much excited: first time to Japan and first time in the A380, the double-decker aircraft of the sky. Due to a delay in the luggage delivery, I've missed the planned bus to Tachikawa, the following bus left almost 2 hrs later. In the meantime I've realized that my quad-band phone is already "old" for this country: only umts smartphones work here. The shuttle bus didn't seem exceptionally new or technological advanced, but what really astonished me was the behavior of the "assistants". At the bus stop, a few guys, wearing the same uniform, load the suitcases and help people find the right stop (ok, that's normal). These guys bow down every time the bus arrives and leaves! I thought that bowing was an old-fashion honor for Queen Elizabeth II...

The journey with the bus was shorter than thought and I was more tired than expected, but I got the first idea of the landscape at this latitude. After crossing green areas for km and having a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean, we ended in a traffic jam in the complex network of highways between skyscrapers. A walk in Tachikawa, my destination, made me enjoy a bit of less "contaminated" Japan, with a lot of cyclists, a few old people wearing traditional clothes, the monorail that seems outdated, the supermarket with fish seller-singers at the corners, the drummers practicing in a school, the low houses with small windows and gorgeous little gardens. Traffic is intense but not chaotic, houses and streets are minimal, clean, ordered but not too much. Bikes have a very simple lock and have a label with the name of the owner... if you do something similar in Vienna maybe you get a fine by the police because you tempt the thieves, if you try in Italy or in Brussels... your bike disappears in 5 seconds but you can hear the thieves laughing for years!

The NIPR is something in between the super-organization I've experienced in some research centers in Germany and the self-doing and randomization of happenings I've lived with in Italy. I'm staying in the guest house for visiting scientists, a one-floor building close to the research area. My room is small but super-equipped, with kitchen(dishes, glasses, forks (forks!!! not only chopsticks!), pans, etc. are also provided), bathroom, desk, tv, bed, and air conditioning. The picture is for those Italians that dream of a "bidet" when are abroad: here is built in the water closet. You can also select the pre-heating of the seat and the temperature and the intensity of the water, different for your "posterior" and front. Not tried yet, it was already a challenge understanding the instructions. The weather is awful, the hot mist can kill you, it seems Padova in the worst foggy days of July but, at least, here there aren't mosquitos. Now I'm definitively tired. Good night! (more pictures on Facebook)

2nd day: science and party time
Having a reverse jet lag is priceless. At 8 p.m. it is already dark, at 5 a.m. it is day, so I went to sleep at 8 and woke up at 5...when it is 10 p.m. in Europe. The working time was spent planning the next week and measuring 104 samples collected the last winter. I met many other scientists, but because my scarce understanding of their names and their poor English most of these new acquaintances will be forget soon by both. That's sad, I know. It's the same at many international conferences. Sometimes you meet again a person you met the first time years ago, you cannot remember his name but for some reasons you had never forgotten his face, then you become friends and never forget each other anymore. This happened to me many times, now I'm sharing the office in Brussels with a colleague I met in 2005!

In the evening there was a party to celebrate the 55th anniversary of something related to Antarctica. About one hundred of Japanese from the institute were there, exactly at 6 p.m. Official speeches of the different directors (hierarchy is amazing here) and then the cook introduced his specialities. The audience replied clapping or with enthusiastic ooooh... I did the same, but unfortunately I didn't get a word. The party was very nice, although for the 1st time in my life I've realized I'm... the black sheep, until I've recognized a "Western" face and heard that "the face" spoke English. Wow, he's European! Wait, he's French. Well, we aren't in Belgium, it is fine. He's a biologist who studies Antarctic species of penguin and is doing a post-doc here. Ok, 2 black sheep over more than 100 white sheep, but that's fun!

First weekend
On Saturday I've tried to go to Tachikawa Station for shopping but I quickly changed my mind, too hot and too expensive and western-style. I've preferred to stay "home" to work, with the air conditioning on, ... like a Japanese.

On Sunday I took a train to Tokyo. Stations are simply crazy. Tickets are sold for price, so you need to know in advance how much you should pay... not the distance. There are trains every 3 minutes, in peak hours even every minute. Stops are announced in Japanese, English and that I guess is Chinese. I've been lucky (or ability) enough to arrive at my destination, the Ueno Station, to meet John, an other Italian scientist doing a post-doc abroad and friend of a friend met in Vienna. We visited the National Museum of Nature and Science and a special exhibition about the deep ocean exploration. The museum was quite interesting but all the explanations were only in Japanese. We had lunch in a nice place with traditional hand-made noodles, then we crossed a local colorful market, just along (better, underneath) the local railway.

We've seen also the famous district of manga and technology shops but I cannot remember the name. It is famous for bars where people can play electronic games and be served by girls dressed as dolls. Sorry for the bad explanation, I know nothing about the manga world. We ended the day seeing the city from the 45th floor of the town hall in Shinjuku, just before getting lost in the subway station. But finally I reached safe the guest house in Tachikawa, just before a beautiful sunset. Thanks John for having showed me things I would have not seen alone. The next weekend I'll try to have a look to the most touristic spots in town, thanks to an Italian guidebook we found in the town hall, although I like more the authentic suburb.

A full week
A full working week is not worth of a post, except for a few episodes, one per day. On Monday morning, surprised to see me at 9 a.m., the host prof. said: - Oh, so you survived the weekend - Uhm... Japanese humor? Although I've told him many times that I feel like in Padova, or even better because there aren't so many mosquitoes here, he and his colleagues are always afraid that I get sick for the heat.

On Tuesday he informed me that an important seismic fault passes just underneath the building. A large earthquake is expected after the March 2011 event. The building is well insulated by ground shaking... but not if the fault moves exactly here. Thank you! I don't care of your precious database and sample collection... I'm terrified to be stuck here if an earthquake occurs. They said that the guest house is safe, that the safest place is the bathroom, etc. Ok, I trust them. But when the March 2011 earthquake occurred, scientists of the NIPR have been stuck in the building for days because trains stopped, the electricity was rationed (no heating, no air conditioning), and roads were closed.

On Wednesday I begun to use the microprobe. That was real fun! Never give a similar toy to a geologist! The only inconvenience was the temperature in the room: 20°C. Brrrr! I needed a wool coat to resist and then I risked to die when I went out of the building.
On Thursday my hosts brought me in a special place for lunch: a traditional Japanese restaurant famous for the thick noodle and tempura. It was delicious!
On Friday I've played with Raman spectroscopy, helped by a very kind Japanese colleague who can say two words in Italian (tanta neve = a lot of snow).
Now I'm ready for the second and last weekend in Japan!

At train distance

If I cannot change the place where I live, I must change my mind about. It's my fault if a feel bad, get sick, and only "survive" here for the job. I must think different. I must remove all my prejudices, because there are for sure tons of good things in Brussels I cannot see just because I don't want to. One of them is the location. Close to all the most important capitals of Europe and to the most lovely cities of Belgium. Let's explore the neighborhood by train!

Freaky Friday in London

A business trip to London has given me the opportunity to cross the Channel by train for the first time. The expensive Eurostar is pretty fast and comfortable. Well, we had to pass through security and passport check (3 times on one way! as many as the borders we crossed) like at the airport and the train has the moquette, but it was much better than flying to Heathrow. I remember my first opinion about London, not much different from what I think of Brussels: dirty and chaotic. But London has a soul that I'm still looking for in Brussels.

Anyway, the reason of the trip was meeting the curator of the meteorite collection in the Natural History Museum. It was the best visit ever! Not only for the opportunity to discover the "secrets" of the museum and the job, but also for the bright example of efficient conservation and research at the same time. I've learned a lot and probably also loved a bit more the city. The funniest moment was... eating fish&chips with the museum people at the restaurant reserved for the staff. Time flew so fast... I had no time to meet a friend of mine... I must plan other trips to London!

Saturday in fairy city

Although the one day trip to London made me quite tired in the evening, the day after I planned to go to Bruges. I wanted to visit the famous city but also meeting again another organist, who I had seen the first and last time in 2008 in Haarlem. The only Belgian I knew before moving here. After having been already twice in Antwerp, let's see something new.

The weather tried to persuade me to stay in bed in the morning, but then turned into a windy a sunny day. The journey by train (I love the weekend-tickets!) was peaceful and in a good company of hundreds of tourists. The town is lovely! It sounds a bit fake, not because rebuilt in a fake ancient style like Dresden, but because the time seems to have stopped centuries ago. There are almost no architectural signs of modernity. The only baroque church I've seen sounds weird like a black sheep... and it was the most modern church nearby. The friend of mine, born and grown up there, explained and showed me many corners that are usually skipped by tourists. In the meantime we talked about music and common acquaintances. That's the way I like to visit a new place!

Looking forward to traveling again!