Mar5

A trip to Leuven – Working out at a cathedral climbing gym

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Friday, 18-April-2025


Our last day in Belgium was unscheduled – we had the whole day to ourselves. Some people made some plans, but I had my own goals for the day… ages back, I’d read about a cathedral in Brussels that had been converted into a climbing gym. I hadn’t had a chance to check it out while I was there in 2024, and so now was the time to make it happen.

I packed my climbing gear into a pack, hopped on a train, and zoomed off on my own lovely little solo adventure.


After a week of classes, negotiations, and socializing, this was heaven for me. Calm, quiet, and blissfully solo. I kept to my own schedule, rented a scooter, and blasted my way around town until I found myself climbing tall routes under beautiful stained glass.

Then, I grabbed a quick snack, and did it all again – scooting my way to the train station, then catching a ride back to Leuven in time to meet the class and get the bus to the airport.

Yeah… I do enjoy planning and executing my own adventures.


(A quick link to a news story about the gym: https://www.brusselstimes.com/1566631/hidden-belgium-climbing-space-in-church)



Mar3

A trip to Leuven – Brokering peace at the EU Parliament

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Wednesday, 16-April-2025


Okay, so while I may have my opinions about Trinity, I’ll give the Leuven trip some legit credit here – We got a very solid tour of the EU Parliament on Wednesday.

I mean, there’s not too much else to say, though. I got to talk with one of the Policy Coordinators for the EU – specifically the one reviewing tariffs, which was interesting since this was just at the start of the “US vs. the world” tariff war. I learned a bit, explored a bit, and enjoyed it a good bit.

And I dressed up, with a fancy Trinity Knot tie. So… that’s a fun part.

Mar1

A trip to Leuven – settling the tabs

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The entire week, from Saturday (12-April-2025) through Friday (18-April-2025)


Leuven is a college town. In Belgium, which is known for its beer. And it’s also sort of a tourist town?

What I’m getting at is that there were lots of pubs, and restaurants, and evenings spent carousing between settling in to our planning and scheming and negotiating.

Definitely one of those “work hard, play hard” situations… Though, truth be told, I was a bit underwhelmed by the actual working parts… but hey, that’s a story for in person. Maybe over a few good Belgian beers.