My First Observations About Belgium/Europe

I finally made it to Belgium two days ago at around 7:30am (Belgian Time).  I didn't really sleep on the flight so I was awake for almost 40 hours straight.  I'll tell you what, you know when you're no longer in Kansas when all of the signs surrounding you are in Dutch.  It's rather frustrating coming from a city such as Chicago which I know my way around fairly well, to a city that I've never been to, have no idea where anything is, and can't read any of the signs.  I've noticed a few key differences between the states and Belgium so far, including:

• Think about a standard luxury car in the U.S.  Such as BMW, Audi, Mercedes.  Well all of those are used as Taxis.  Think about that, a car that costs about $60,000 in the U.S....a TAXI!
• When taxi's stop to pick you up, the driver get's out and loads your luggage for you (if you have any), and opens the door for you.  It will be a cold day in hell before a taxi driver in Chicago does both of those things.
• It's hard to walk on Leuven roads.  Many of the streets are cobblestone, and I cannot even guess how many times I've stumbled on an uneven stone already.
• Nobody wears gym shoes.  I have yet to see anyone in a pair of gym shoes other than myself.  Not only does this make me stand out as an obvious tourist, but also makes me wonder how uncomfortable Europe's feet must be?
• Some middle aged European men love to pop their collars.  Not only did I spot a few on my flight, but also walking the streets of Belgium.
• I love paying for a beer with a coin.  We went to a festival and a Stella Artois was only 1.80 euro, luckily I had a 2 euro coin in my pocket and tossed it to the jolly man behind the stand.

Other than that, it's going to take me a while to adjust to the new time zone, new surroundings, new people, and new lifestyle.  AMERICA.