Crazy...

This has been kind of a crazy week...the cooking class yesterday was really interesting and I learned a lot ...BUT...it started at 12.30 and Linda and I ended up leaving before it ended, at 6:15 because I had to catch the 7 pm train to Brussels. And the lady expected everyone to stay and help clean up afterwards - she said they normally finish around 7. Hello? Does anyone else think that seems kind of long for a cooking class? It was a bit much for me.

So then Linda dropped me at home, I said a quick hello to the boys, made sure they had some dinner, and then headed for the train station, met up with Stefaan at the Palais des Beaux Arts where the concert was being held, picked up our tickets and got in our seats. It was a beautiful concert, the Basel Philharmonic performing two symphonies by Beethoven... somehow though I was just still too fizzy from the rest of the day to really sit back and enjoy it.

Then we were all driven in a double decker bus to the Warande Palace, where the reception was to be held. It's one of the very posh old Brussels houses that is now used by the Flemish goverment for events - it was beautiful and they came around with drinks and food (this started at 10 pm - way later than I ever eat). We were talking with two of Stefaan's colleagues when the President of Flanders, Kris Peeters, came up to us (one of the colleagues used to work very closely with him) and shook hands with us and started telling us stories about his recent horseriding accident, and his plans to climb a mountain in Argentina with asthma patients.
It was very interesting to see a politician of his calibre in action up close - it is unbelievable how much charisma he had and how compelling he was - and he ain't bad looking either (see picture)! Then as quickly as he came, he headed off again, and there we all stood, still basking in the warmth of his glory (just kidding)! No, seriously, he was extremely charming - now I get why they call him the Flemish George Clooney!

So now, here comes the really crazy part: because the last train from Brussels to Leuven is at 12.05 and if we miss it we would be screwed, I was keeping an eye on my watch while we were busy talking to a man who has been something of a mentor to Stefaan, and his wife. They are lovely people and I felt really bad but I finally said we really had to leave or we would miss our train. So we finally ended up getting out of there at 11:50 and we still had to get to the train station - on the other side of the royal park and down a couple of blocks! Help!

This is when it's good to be a runner: even in open sandals with heels, while it's dark and raining, and there are cobblestones and staircases - we made a mad dash, running nearly all the way to the station and just made it with two minutes to spare! The running itself didn't feel hard at all but I was pretty scared about falling, tripping, breaking my ankle or something like that. Luckily none of that happened. But I can tell you I was beat after we got on the train and have been pretty useless today, too. But hey - I got to meet the Flemish George Clooney, right? And even better - they gave us a box of Belgian pralines - good pralines, Neuhaus - at the reception, and after that mad dash, I really felt I had earned one!