Caveat: 204

Dateline: Leuven

It was still dark and drizzling when I left my hotel in Lisbon this morning.  I took a taxi to the airport and flew to Belgium… given I only have 3 days left on this huge trip, I didn’t want to try racing across spain and france on the train, and the “teleport” only cost 130 € on Virgin-Express.

I decided to come to Leuven because one of the European business schools that’s most attractive to me is located here (Vlerick).  Although my enthusiasm for b-school is currently at a low-ebb – feeling like my heart may not be in it?   I don’t actually have an interview set up – my online applications processes were stalled by lack of momentum and some important information that I stupidly didn’t bring along – but I figured I could take a look around.

Leuven is nice to see in that it’s not a tourist town… it’s just a medium sized university city in Flemish Belgium.  If I did come here, I’d be compelled to learn flemish (dutch) as I couldn’t stand the idea of living somewhere and not knowing the local language.  The Belgian dialect is more “german-sounding” than what I heard in the Netherlands, tho I think the written forms are the same.

My room number in this hotel is 204.  That was also my room number in Lisbon and also in Tanger, tho not in Seville or Algeciras.  Weird coincidence, or secret message from the gods?

It’s clear and definitely spring-like here.  A huge plaza filled with outdoor tables, students chatting and drinking beer, and a near-infite swarm of parked bicycles.  The stadhuis is a neo-gothic, ultra-ornate box with weird turrets and towers that remind me of Gaudí.  Date on the building is 1904.

Still haven’t found a wireless link-up for my laptop, but when I get one, I’ll post a series of retroactive in-depth observations on Morocco.