Riding the Rails...

As our train today was gliding slowly through the flower-dotted fields of Holland, I had the rather unoriginal thought that sometimes cliches really are spot on.

The countryside was exactly what I would have imagined it to be...fields of all colors green, dotted with sheep and cows throughout. The cows were even the classic white and black splotchy types. :) And, since it was Holland after all, canals snaked through the fields, complete with small boats maneuvering about. Lovely.

We met two interesting folks today...I talked for a bit with a shy and softspoken African man on the train; he is from Mauritania, and our most common language was French, which was fun for me to practice; he was very patient! Luckily the World Cup was an easy common subject to discuss. (He assured me that South Africa will be ready to host in 2010, "except maybe le securité". Hmmm.)

Then, we decided to splurge and take a cab to our hotel in Bruges, and had the pleasure of being driven by Amir, the Iranian-Belgian who has also lived in Los Angeles and Chicago. I was a big hit with Amir since I knew how to say useful things in Farsi like do you want cheese, water, milk, etc, and also "naughty", his favorite. Thanks Negar! He listed various world famous Iranians, discussed the terrible racism he encounters in Europe, and when he dropped us off and I warned him about my heavy suitcase he said: "For me it is no problem, I am Iranian, not Belgian!"

Anyway, not so much about G & I today, but just some little pictures of the moments that fill our days. Europe is certainly the uncomfortable, multicultural, racist mess of the French riots and similar, but it's nice to find friendly people who help us along, and to feel like we're making some small effort to break stereotypes of Americans. But even if all that becomes a bit much to think about, it's nice to know that there are also green fields with flowers and pretty cows.

More about Bruges tomorrow, and pictures asap!
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