Antwerp and Friends

I’m in Antwerp Belgium for a bit of a layover prior to leaving for Kigali. After traveling for 10 hours, it was terrific to see a friendly face waiting for me at the airport in Brussels. Who else, but an old friend from Missouri – Jeri Weber-Meckel.

Jeri and I grew up just 2 houses away from each other in the burbs of St. Louis and were reacquainted a year ago at our 20th high school reunion – ‘Go, Parkway North!’

I’ve had the pleasure of staying with Jeri and her family in Antwerp, where she lives with her husband, Hannis, and their 2 lovely daughters Hannah (8yr) and Lillie (4yr). The girls already speak English, German and Flemish (Dutch) with equal fluency, and are doing their part to keep Barbie-doll phenomenon alive and well.

Last night we feasted on steamed mussels - a Belgium National Dish, prepared by Jeri, in a soup of olive oil, wine, butter, onions, garlic and herbs. Unbelievable! We drank wine and discussed topics ranging from Global Warming, chronic pain, getting enough attention as children (yes, we did), living abroad, and the prospect teaching medicine in Rwanda.

Today, Jeri, Hannah, Lily and I rode bikes into the center of Antwerp. The network of urban bike lanes and the amount of bicyclists really puts our US cities to shame. We’ve got a long way to go, but I’m seeing progress all the time. In the end, it will be consumer demand that drives the change in urban planning - so get out their on your bikes and start commuting!

I just returned from a Jewish Seder event at the home of friends of Jeri and Hannis. I learned the story of the Passover, and dined on homemade traditional Israeli food. They we very welcoming and made sure to include me in the songs and readings. A crew of kids kept the event lively and forced the conductor to keep the ceremony moving along.

Jeri and Hannis were terrific hosts, and I truly enjoyed hanging out with them. The girls even admitted that it wouldn’t be too much of an imposition if I wanted to visit again. Tomorrow morning, the Weber-Meckel family leaves for France, and I depart for Kigali!