I'm back in Heidelberg after my Belgian adventure. What beautiful weather we had in Belgium! Dan picked me up on Monday morning and we caught the train for Brussels. I had been here once before, the weekend of Dan's big birthday party a couple of years ago. He had recently purchased a house in the countryside near Mons, the closest town of any size and SHAPE, the NATO command center where he runs the Entertainment Program. It was only half an hour by train to Brussels.
We visited some key sites before settling on a place to have lunch. (Why is a key symbol of Brussels a sculpture of a boy peeing?????) Our main objective was to eat outside, in the sun. We found a few places in St. Catherine's Platz. We settled on an Italian, since it had a mid-range menu and was perfectly situated for direct exposure to the rays. We weren't disappointed. This place was very good. We started with a mixed antipasto of all vegetarian samples, all freshly prepared and delicious. I followed with a beef dish, a roast in a red wine sauce that was incredible. Dan had Tagliatelle (the fettucine-like flat noodles) with mushrooms. We indulged in a full carafe of red wine. Very decadent of us! We finished with a tiramasu served in a coffee cream. Let's just say that lunch went on for quite a while. Sitting in the sun, drinking good wine, eating delicious food and sharing stories with a good friend -- that is just what I needed at this point. During coffee, Dan's friend Sean -- an Irish guy living in Brussels, joined us. Very nice.
Soon after lunch, we were back on the train headed for Gent (or Ghent). It depends upon whether you are French-Belgian or Flemish-Belgian. Everything in Gent is translated into both languages. Believe me, the two cultures don't mix easily - and they are not so kind when they talk about each other. ("The Flemish are more organized and precise. The Flemish aren't lazy like the other Belgians..." -- I heard stuff like that a lot.) At least they aren't fighting each other about the differences. They live together peacefully enough, notwithstanding the catty remarks.
We walked from the train station to one of the schools where Dan's partner, Daniel works. He is principal of four different schools! It's a lot of work. But he was full of energy this day, in spite of problems he was having with his superiors. He took us on a full tour of Gent. It's actually the 3rd largest city in Belgium after Brussels and Antwerp. It also has its share of historic sites -- of which I think I saw almost all. The tour was thorough. He has an incredible memory, so he recalls all of the history. I couldn't quite take it all in, but I got most of the stories. I liked the one about the daughter who saved her father's life by feeding him milk from her breast. He was a Roman sentenced to death by starvation and they couldn't understand why he stayed alive so long. There's a sculpture of it on the prison that dates from 1741 (photo above.)
I was determined to have two things while in Belgium: Belgian waffles and Moules Frites (that's mussels with fries). Only fifty percent accomplished. The waffles you could find at stands on the streets; that's the best place to get them; they are crispy, warm and sweet. Try as we might, however, not a "moule" to be found anywhere in Gent that evening. Half of the restaurants were closed because it was a Monday and the rest were not serving mussels. So, we settled for a French place in the oldest part of town. Evidently, much of the town was under water when the settlers filled in pockets of land and built on them. That's why there are canals that run through the town -- not exactly like Venice, but you get the idea.
After dinner, Dan and I took a train back to Jerbais, and drove to Dan's house in the country. His backyard is literally someone's farm. He took great care to fix the place up; my room was most comfortable. It was cool, crisp, clear night -- the crescent moon shone through my window. Sleeping weather. And I did.
Next morning, Dan drove me to Mons where I caught my train for Wiesbaden, where I would do my third and final workshop. Actually, I should say trains - I had to change twice. I must say that the German rail system is on time, very clean and reliable. As you might expect!
In Wiesbaden, Charlie Fontana, who we had seen just a few days ago, when we came here to see the production of Fools, picked me up and took me to the American Arms Hotel. I spent the afternoon walking outside in the (blessed!) sun and getting a massage at a nearby spa. He came back a couple of hours later take me to the theater where we had seen Fools, the Amelia Earhart Playhouse. This time, it looked different. Since the show had closed, the whole "southern environment" he had created in the lobby was history. We used this space for the workshop. This time, instead of Improv, I was doing a workshop with the unlikely title of "Channeling Theatre for a Fulfilling Life". I'm not even sure what I meant by that!
Surprisingly, 24 people showed up. I began with some warm-up, group concentration exercises and then moved into a discussion of values, missions and goals. We did a guided imagery exercise and almost everyone contributed along the way. It was diverse group in terms of age, ethnicity and experience, but they all seemed so "into it" that it was a pleasure to facilitate. Some folks were actors or wanted to be; others had simple jobs on the Army base and others were retired. I discovered that the exercises I used were useful on many levels. The response afterward was extremely positive. I had several people asking me when I would return. (Hmmm....)
Afterward, Charlie took me out for dinner at a Greek place. Nothing extraordinary, but fine. It was interesting to talk with him about his experience running an Army theater. I was up early to head back to Heidelberg for my one last day off. Armin came to pick me up in a van, so I didn't even have to take a train. He's a charming German guy, who has been driving these vans contracted by the Army for years. Quick with a quip, he made me laugh as we fought the rush-hour traffic out of Wiesbaden.
No comments:
Post a Comment