Every four years, the world goes mad. Why? World Cup football, or soccer as we Yanks say, returns, pitting 32 teams against each other in a race for bragging rights — and $42 million in prize money. The runner-up gets $30 million. Just by qualifying for the competition, the players’ wallets get a bit thicker […]
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Thanksgiving, which we affectionately called turkey day when we were kids, has always been my favorite holiday. For me, it’s about friends, family and food. But for Europeans, it’s just another day on the calendar. Thanksgiving in Europe is just an American thing. Why I Love Thanksgiving Unlike Christmas, Thanksgiving is free of crazy commercialism.
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“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” That wasn’t just Peter Finch’s rallying cry in the 1987 film Broadcast News. It’s a battle cry around the world these days. Here in Belgium, anger about rising costs and reduced buying power have come to a head with a “national day of
There are so many challenges being an expat living in Europe. I didn’t think renting a house would be one of them. When I left Minnesota in 2016, I rented out my house, first to family members who took loving care of it, and then to renters vetted by a local management company. I never expected
Bad Renters: A Cautionary Tale Read More »
Charleroi Airport, Belgium’s second busiest airport, closed to departures for the third day in a row on Wednesday, October 19. It doesn’t seem like the season for strikes, but the airport became a chaotic scene this week, especially on Monday afternoon when access to the airport for departures was restricted. A strike by the airport
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Waterloo Uncovered helps veterans heal through archaeology with a unique program at the Battle of Waterloo site.
Waterloo Uncovered Read More »
Is horticulture hot? Heck, yes. Find out for yourself at a once-in-a-decade horticulture exhibition in the city of Almere, the newest city in the Netherlands. The 148-acre International Horticulture Exhibition Floriade brings in the big names in horticulture for a six-month exhibition. This year’s focus is on growing greener cities and inspiring people to live
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Going Dutch took on a whole new meaning for me this week. No, it’s not just sharing payment on a restaurant bill. For me, it now means embracing sustainability, caring about climate change, and being a responsible citizen. That was the message I got when I walked away from a day-long visit to Floriade, a
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Traveling from Brussels to the U.S. is about to get easier, although it will take more than a year to accomplish the feat. Last week, the Belgian government approved a plan to pre-clear passengers bound for the U.S. at Brussels Airport in Zaventem instead of at their first point of entry into the U.S. Great,
Pre-Clearance Coming to Brussels Airport – Eventually Read More »
Lately, I feel as if the world is traveling back in time. Sometimes that can be good, like when your time machine takes you to the Belgian province of Limburg. Turn your clock back and see what rural life looked like in Flanders hundreds of years ago. If you are a history buff or just
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