With my time in Lebanon coming to a close, my final weekend there was marked with the baptism celebration for my youngest cousin, miss Alexa Abboud. I spent the day of the event preparing like every other Lebanese girl does for any good party.... I hit the salon and got hair extensions for the night. More than 100 family members came together for the event and the back yard garden party quickly turned into a festive celebration that lasted well into the night. Even losing power and waiting for the generator to kick in didn't stop the dancing; the crowd just chanted "we don't need no music" as we kept dancing.
I then said goodbye to Lebanon a bit earlier then planned and spent my last week in Europe. After a quick night in Paris to meet a dear friend for dinner, I made my way to Belgium to meet another follower of the "operation live life" approach to life.
Jon and I spent our first night in Brussels where we were entertained by friends who took us to Delirium, a bar that holds the Guinness Book of World Record title for the most beers on tap; over 2000. We had only sampled a few of the beers on tap before we were drawn into the Absinthe bar adjacent to Delirium. Big mistake. I can only assume that people who have no sense of taste actually enjoy drinking Absinthe...the stuff is dreadful. By my second sampling, I could be found in the Guinness Book of World Records for the person most quickly to vomit a shot of Absinthe...I was still standing at the bar and I had just put the shot glass down.
Leaving the Absinthe bar behind, we went back to more palatable cocktails and mingling with the crowd. The most interesting character of the night was Francois. Jon and I had a hard time deciphering who Francois was more interested in, me or him. However, we settled on a tie when Francois asked if he could join us BOTH as we were leaving for the night. With Francois's proposal declined, we said goodbye and called it a night.
We spent the next day exploring Brussels before being picked up by Jon's friend Ulrik who was going to host us in Ghent for a few days. We arrived to Ghent and checked into a little house in the garden of a bed and breakfast around the corner from Ulrik's home. The little house in the garden was somewhat like a pimped out shed with a summer camp sort of feeling. It would have been perfect if only it had hot water....but hey, after two mornings of ice cold showers, I feel confident I could do the polar plunge into the Atlantic ocean if ever required.
While in Ghent we enjoyed some wonderful meals and sampled a number of the bustling bars and clubs. My favorite spot was located in the old city center square, home to a bar where you have to deposit one of your shoes while you enjoy the largest beer on their menu. The glass itself is worth almost 100 euro, and the bar takes a shoe as a deposit to deter anyone from trying to make off with the glass. So with our order placed, our shoes were put into a basket and hoisted up to the ceiling, where they remained until we returned the glasses. About half way through the beer, I was left wondering if I could have merely placed a 100 euro deposit down instead. I certainly did not want to go to the bathroom without both shoes on....but nature called, so I hobbled on one foot up the stairs to answer the call.
I arrived home on tuesday evening and finally got to sleep in my own bed. It was just blissful after traveling for the past three months between seven countries.
My next trip will be out to California and Las Vegas to visit with my family who I've missed dearly since I began this adventure. And from there.....well, I still have to figure that part out. But once I do, I'll be sure to start up my update emails again.
A big thank you to my family and friends for all the love and support you have provided over the last 6 months. Your emails, text messages and calls were constant reminders of how blessed I am to be surrounded by such an extraordinary group of individuals.
Love, Nadia
Mom and me at the baptism celebration.
The Gang enjoying Delirium in Brussels.
Well, at least Absinthe looks like a cool shot despite tasting horrible.
Ulrik, me and Jon enjoying the night out in Ghent.
Jon and me 'cheersing' our big beers. Ps...you are also given a wooden stand to help hold the glass, that sucker is impossible to hold for the duration.
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