How it all starts ..

I am doing something very different this time around by skipping on fables of misery from Eindhoven and Maastricht, enroute Leuven. Why? Lets just say that there's more to tell on the wonderful time in Belgium, than there is to report on some weird and awkward experiences in Netherlands - and I couldn't keep my fidgety fingers from picking up the laptop and typing. From tall tales of "uh oh"s and "damn"s, this is a welcome change - for I want to let you all know what happens in this Flemish town of Leuven - I might be wrong but shut your piehole because Leuven sounds better presented that way!! :P

The horrors of the journey afresh, a closed series of stores just outside the station, and a nerve-wracking cold, the only thing keeping me from picking the next guy and yelling at him for no apparent reason was the need to get in touch with my friend so that she could dawn the guise of my fairy godmother, come and pick me up - of course not in a horse carriage made of pumpkins like Cinderella! Humans have a tendency to be abrupt in their neck movements, but when you're so bogged down, the energy barrier to get that sudden movement goes sky rocketing and instead you croon about as if your neck was a periscope of a Russian submarine. Left, right, up, down - nowhere could I locate a telephone shop - but then a sudden flash of lightning struck me - ah who am I kidding - it wasn't lightning of wisdom - 'twas my tummy grumbling so I went into Carrefour to pick up some grub. I think guys have either a huge mental block or they are genetically designed to be indecisive when it comes to basic stuff like food and clothes. After a 10-minute scrutiny of all the waffles in the line near the counter, I moved on ahead deciding against eating - well hullo - I was going to be eating with my friend - can't be an inconsiderate twit! Now the lightning struck - honestly it did - and I thought of asking the Carrefour counter if they had any GSM SIM cards - why did I use the word GSM in that question to him, I still don't understand - so after much confusion he gives me a Carrefour SIM card - I happily scratch it, insert it, switch my cellphone on - and voila - I have a signal!! BUT, like all cards, it needs to be registered so I have to send a text message. Instructions are in Dutch. Great.

I hurry back to the bloke, he tries hard to help me, to the extent that he forgets about the queue and instead starts reading and calling and messaging, with a disgruntled public mouthing grunts and sighs at him - what do I care - I got my very own Santa's lil helper working the problem. :) I do not mean to brag, but eventually my German proved more fluent than his Dutch and the mobile was officially online - congratulations you have 15 euros in your account! Woohoo.

After calling her up, I waited impatiently at the train station - I am very unreasonable at times and I do not know why but I expected her to be there to welcome me - how in gawd's name could she do that - she didn't even bloody know when I was coming - me and my 'great expectations' ! Oh boy is it a relief to see her walk from the distance. Home, finally. We walk, chat, I crib, she laughs, and I stand agape in front of the Stadhuis - not budging for a few seconds. We move on for some dinner - Amici Miei - an Italian restaurant - a favourite with "my friend and her band of merry maids" - talk bout "Robin Hood and his men in tights" being a funny title - beat this ! :P A Mexicana for me and a De blah blah for the lady, please, and could you also get us a bottle of red wine? Order placed, we catch up on stories. Me red with anger, she pink with laughter - oh da agony. Two wine glasses, the bottle comes and the guy pours some into her chalice - "would you like to taste the wine first?" - well it doesn't happen at a restaurant with a 'student menu' - so we're a little taken aback and *sip*, she tastes it. A frown. Looks upwards, shakes the head gently, looks my way, I taste and like a brute blurt out - "faltoo hai" (is crap) and make a piggy face - how dumb, I know. Well we order the house wine - a whole bottle of it, which is better than the previous one.

Awesome pizza, lovely wine, and a hearty meal later, we walk towards home. I guess the one thing I love about Leuven is how carefree you can be walking around, and how much fun it is to be in such a place with friends all around. They say physical attraction is superficial, but really, it could be the first step forward. Leuven's dynamism, and its liveliness left a mark, and that is how the Belgian affair started. ;) The second date is with Brussels, more on it later - right now have to rush off to meet my friend :)