We wake up early to buckets of rain pouring onto the skylight. In Belgium there is a saying: sa drache; it’s bucketing. We manage to leave the house at a more reasonable hour, and poke our heads into yet more police activity in the little square where we are staying,…

Belgium has the oldest compulsory voting system in the world, and goes to great lengths to enforce it. Matthias received a ballot and voting instructions all the way in the States for the election that was held here on Sunday (we voted last week, and it was kind of fun…

Beinvenue à la maison doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. Another one of those untranslatable things. There’s a massive canvas of the Brooklyn Bridge in our Brussels apartment. There are Burton and all manner of other snowboard/skateboard/surfing whatnot stickers and decorations and knickknacks around the apartment. We pity…