I'll be leaving the UK at the end of the week, so I've been wrapping up some things around Cambridge. Today I went to request a bunch of transcripts since it's easier to request them now while I have my bank account in pounds and I'm in Cambridge. At Grinnell, whenever I requested transcripts, I walked into the large and airy Chrystal Center, filled out a form, and handed it to one of the friendly people working there. Requesting official transcripts at Cambridge, on the other hand, was mildly like going to see the wizard of Oz.
First, I couldn't find the Student Records Office in town because despite being at 10 Peas Hill, the building is not actually on Peas Hill, it's on a cross street facing it. When I couldn't find it I had to go ask at the tourist information office which was very close. It felt a bit embarrassing and for some reason I felt obligated to mention that I wasn't a tourist when I asked for directions. Then when I got there, once I went through the large wooden door (Cambridge has lots of big intimidating doors on old buildings), there was a tiny entryway barely large enough to stand comfortably in, and the next door forward was locked. There was an intercom to the left of the door, and I pushed the button for the student records office. After I pushed it, someone answered and asked me what I wanted, and I said I wanted to request a transcript, and the disembodied voice said to look to my left for the transcript request forms, and then I could drop it off in an envelope through the slot on the main door when I filled it out. There was a little folder of the forms mounted on the wall. I had to leave since I didn't have a pen.
Anyway, I thought I'd go ahead and post some photos of my trip to Belgium which I took mid-June. These are from the first day, which I spent in Brussels. Below is the Erasmus house, a residence where scholar Erasmus spent some time, which has now been converted into a museum. The museum was really hard to find and it was raining, and then it was not terribly interesting inside, although Erasmus is pretty interesting. He was a contemporary of Sir Thomas More, and I translated some of his letters in a Latin sight reading group. In one letter I read Erasmus recounts meeting the young boy who would later become Henry VIII; Erasmus describes as a spoiled little demanding kid.
The next two photos are of the Grand Place or Grote Markt in Brussels, a big main central squre with lovely historical buildings. Locations in Belgium tend to have both a Dutch and a French name (sometimes confusing) since those are the two languages of Belgium. There are quite a lot of linguistic tensions, actually. People speaking one language often feel discriminated against by speakers of the other language. This tension was present historically as well, as French was considered to be the language of art and education, but then after the industrial revolution that started to reverse itself.
Brussels (as I experienced it, anyway) is largely French speaking, and I typically started conversations in French and then they changed over to English since Belgian people almost always speak much better English than my French. But the other cities I went to were mostly Dutch-speaking, so there I started conversations in English rather than irritating people by trying French.
Then I went to a brewery museum; Belgium is very famous for its beer. The beer below isn't just red looking from funny lighting in the photo; it is actually a lambic made with cherries (called kriek bier on the menu). It's quite sweet from the cherries but has a beery finish and tastes very good served nice and cold.
Finally here's the front of the Cathedral of St. Michael
in Brussels.
After visiting Brussels, I went to Antwerp, then Bruges. I hope to post photos from those days very soon!
As I watched them and took photos, a woman came along and fed bread to the rabbits as well as some pigeons and chickens in the area.
Then, I went to Antwerp's Church of Our Lady. The main part of the interior is below, but on the sides there were a great number of paintings out for viewing, largely by Rubens and contemporaries.
The following two photos are the exterior of the cathedral, the tower and then one of the entrances.
As I watched them and took photos, a woman came along and fed bread to the rabbits as well as some pigeons and chickens in the area.
Then, I went to Antwerp's Church of Our Lady. The main part of the interior is below, but on the sides there were a great number of paintings out for viewing, largely by Rubens and contemporaries.
The following two photos are the exterior of the cathedral, the tower and then one of the entrances.
