Brussels, and especially the part where we have been blessed to live - Woluwe Saint Lambert, is a lush, green and very beautiful place to live. Not everything is perfect, but it is very nice. We have found the people to be very friendly. Today (Saturday) we went for a very long walk of about two hours. The only time I had walked that long in Tennessee is when I got lost near Percy Priest lake. As we walked along the Woluwe Greenway we saw cute little boys chasing Trumpeter Swans. Luckily they didn't catch any. The Swans were bigger than the boys. We saw hundreds of Canada Geese. (Are they immigrants from North America also?) And, we finally saw some fish! I don't know if I want to spend $50 to "tease" them though. "Teasing" is a direct translation for fishing. We love to say it. Then we walked down an unpaved trail and it felt like we were deep in a forest. The only thing we could hear was airplanes overhead. Then we emerged into Old Woluwe. It looks like what you think of Europe - narrow cobblestone streets and flower boxes on the windows. We were going to take the bus home but it was too long to wait. Next we were going to see the bourgmestre (mayor) dedicate the reworking of our street, so we walked back to the church we occasionally attend, which is on our street. There we met some friends and walked with them to the Street Dedication. We couldn't find it! After asking for directions and consulting a map, we discovered we had made a wrong turn. We turned around and went back to find the procession was just beginning. We found the mayor and about 10 other people led by a New Orleans style band, with a motorcycle police escort. We joined in and walked in the parade down to the yard of a big, old church, where he made a speech, and then we had snacks and drinks. Then we went home and did more French homework. We met several people along the way and it was a blessed day!
