![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Understanding in a Museum
Ok, one of the things that annoys me about traveling is museum displays that I can't understand. I love museums, thanks to a childhood in the basement of KU's Anthro Museum. And I understand I am in a foreign country. But I so much more enjoyed the Museum of Chocolate over the Military History Museum. Ok, it also might be the chocolate that they fed me. I'd forgotten until this morning about Belgian chocolate. And it is good. After going in multiple chocolate stores for the smell, I found the Museum of Chocolate. Small, but worth it. A very nice lady explained chocolate making, including how they make moulded chocolate. You fill the mould up all the way, then after a minute or so pour the excess out. A layer of chocolate sticks to the mould, leaving the rest hollow. That's why chocolate easter bunnies are hollow. For liquor filled candies (like my favor, brandied cherries) you have to powder the chocolate with sugar to seal in the filling. Neat, yes?
Whereas at the other museum I saw many tanks and sabers, but couldn't figure out why they were significant. Other than the F-4 display, which discussed the Fighter/Bomber Squadron 23's (Devils) being the first to conduct night vision landings in the Belgian Air Force, and how that makes them truly the "Princes of Darkness". Clever, no?
I think I covered most of the tourist sights in my 9 hours of walking. Towards the end, had a nice young man try to talk to me while I was taking a nice skyline shot. He tried French, no luck. I explained that I only know English. He tried again, and I shyly admitted I knew a little German. That worked, and he chatted away about his family. And I understood! I may not be able to understand much Russian anymore (as evidenced by Matt and the fact I didn't realize chertie was not Japanese when discussing Yen), but German is to much like English.
Cathedrale Sts-Michel et Gudule was a nice church. Yet again, the English explanations helped. I like to think for a heathen, I know my Christian personalities, but I can't tell any female figures apart. Especially when they include the historic people who commissioned the windows in them to. Very neat was underneath, where they had excavated and displayed the earlier Romanesque church on the same location. Quite impressive.
Also bought several postcards to use in my apartment. Odd images for wall/ceilings.
Whereas at the other museum I saw many tanks and sabers, but couldn't figure out why they were significant. Other than the F-4 display, which discussed the Fighter/Bomber Squadron 23's (Devils) being the first to conduct night vision landings in the Belgian Air Force, and how that makes them truly the "Princes of Darkness". Clever, no?
I think I covered most of the tourist sights in my 9 hours of walking. Towards the end, had a nice young man try to talk to me while I was taking a nice skyline shot. He tried French, no luck. I explained that I only know English. He tried again, and I shyly admitted I knew a little German. That worked, and he chatted away about his family. And I understood! I may not be able to understand much Russian anymore (as evidenced by Matt and the fact I didn't realize chertie was not Japanese when discussing Yen), but German is to much like English.
Cathedrale Sts-Michel et Gudule was a nice church. Yet again, the English explanations helped. I like to think for a heathen, I know my Christian personalities, but I can't tell any female figures apart. Especially when they include the historic people who commissioned the windows in them to. Very neat was underneath, where they had excavated and displayed the earlier Romanesque church on the same location. Quite impressive.
Also bought several postcards to use in my apartment. Odd images for wall/ceilings.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2004-05-15 06:36 pm (UTC)(link)neat!
(Anonymous) 2004-05-17 10:25 pm (UTC)(link)Carlee