Trip to Belgium

Sorry it's been so long since last updated- I've been really busy getting ready for the exhibition. I will tell you about a little trip to BELGIUM.

I took the train with my friend Harish. We got into Brussels and made our way to the Grand Place- a square surrounded by really epic architecture- and had the first of many delicious Belgian beers....
The city itself is great. It reminds me a little bit of NYC. That might be just in comparison to Paris, though. We stayed with Pierre in his brand new flat, which has a balcony and a terrace too (!), which makes me want to move to Brussels just a little bit.
We got to see a lot of great art while in Brussels. First there the contemporary artist Félix Gonzalez Torres, and his emotional minimalist sculptures. There was also the Museum of Musical Instruments, which was a lot of fun. They had so many instruments from around the world. The setup was kind of bizarre. Upon entry you recieve a pair of headphones, which detects what exhibit you are standing in front of and plays music accordingly. This can be very jarring when you walk quickly through the whole room!
Another great exhibit was the Frida Kahlo show at the BOZAR museum. Bozar is a sound pun on "Beaux-Arts"... but sadly there is also another museum called Beaux-Arts and we thought we were there and so missed the Magritte collection. Well, all the more reason to take a second trip!
The highlight for me was a daytrip to Ghent, a small town 30 minutes from Brussels. The weather was beautiful and we rented bikes to tour the town. It was also an art pilgrimage for me: to see the famous Ghent alterpiece by Van Eyck, the Mystic Adoration of the Lamb. I don't know what to say; well, it was everything I was hoping for. Beautiful, and brilliant, and a very strange picture.
I also saw some very strange half-painted trees, and the world's first shopping mall!! And, made sure to bring back lots of beer and chocolates.