A normal keyboard!

Well, the letters are in all the right places. However, the keys are in disrepair. Some are slanted and others must be pounded with extreme force for them to work. I've got a lot to update you on. We'll see how much happens in the next half hour. An African woman is yelling on the phone and distracting me.

After the hectic pace and expense of London, I really enjoyed Brussells. It's the home of the EU and NATO headquarters. Chocolatier shops and waffle shops are scattered throughout the tourist district. We each got a waffle before stopping to admire Manneken Pis - a fountain of a little boy peeing. The residents periodically dress him up in little outfits. We just missed the Asterix and Obelisk festival. I think he dons an Obelisk costume on Saturday. Meridith toured a museum of musical instruments while I wandered and stopped to pray in a cathedral. We met by the Palais de Congres where an exhibition of strangely painted horses was being held.

Our train ticket to Amsterdam allows us to stop along the way so we stopped in Antwerp, not really knowing what to expect. My guidebook didn't say much about it. Antwerp is the heart of Flemish Belgium. To speak French here may hamper the service you receive. We stayed in a hotel in the Jewish part of town, right beside the railroad tracks. Orthodox Jews kept going by with their ringlets and long black coats blowing in the breeze. On the way to our hotel, we walked through the jeweler section of town. At one time, Antwerp was the hotspot for Benelux rich people. The money that has gone through here is evidenced by the multitude of jewelers and ornate buildings on the shopping streets. This has declined, with many jewelers shutting their doors for good.

But Antwerp is still one of the diamond capitals of the world. This is where a large percentage of the world's diamonds are cut and set. In fact, the standard cut that many jewels have is the Antwerp Cut, developed here of course. We went to a showroom and saw the craftsmen at work.

Antwerp was the hometown of the painter Rubens and is quite proud of that fact. My favorite sight in the entire city is Antwerp's Notre Dame. We arrived late for an English tour, but still caught most of it. This cathedral is about 700 years old. Originally, only the clergy had access to the altar area - it was actually cut off by a wall. In the main part, each of the guilds had their own chapels. During the French Revolution, all the paintings were sent to Paris for safe keeping and the building was used to stable French horses. The king of the Netherlands brought the paintings back on a horse cart.

Our guide took a lot of time to explain to us the significance of the art in the cathedral. Because the people were illiterate, the art had to be didactic. In the tradition of Ignatius, the art had to draw the people in to make it realistic for them. That is why the paintings have people in 17th century dress instead of biblical. It challenged the people to think where they would fit into the story. There were four Rubens in the cathedral, but we focused on two. My favorite was The Descent of the Cross. To my eyes, the panels depicted three events not normally put together - pregnant Mary visiting Elizabeth, dead Jesus being taken down for burial, and Simeon blessing Jesus in the temple. But the guide explained that the theme is carrying Jesus, being a Christ bearer. The guild of the Musketers wanted a painting of their patron saint, Christopher - the Christ bearer. Because the story of Christopher is legend and not fact, they weren't allowed to. So Rubens did a painting on the theme of the story. On the outside of the panel is a picture of Christopher and an old man with a lantern. The lantern is symbolic of Jesus, the light of the world. I felt challenged to be a better Christ bearer. How are you carrying Christ . . . .

Last night, we checked into a different hostel where the reception area gave us the creeps. We made our way over to the river Scheldt and watched the sun go down as we sat beside a Canadian war memorial. After eating some pizza, we hung out in a square before finding our way to a jazz club. While sipping on a Belgian beer, I listened to a jazz pianist collaborate with a sax. The saxophonist had bushy bushy eyebrows that added to his mystique. It was lovely.

Next stop: Amsterdam. My guidebook has some advice on purchasing weed and hash. I don't think I'll be needing it.