Bruges, "The Venice of the North"

I arrived early for the conference and used Sunday to visit the nearby medieval walled city of Bruges. 

Sometimes called "The Venice of the North" (a claim it shares with Amsterdam, Holland; St. Petersburg, Russia; Manchester, England; and even Pender Harbour, Canada, Bruges is said to be the most medieval European city. 

In this, it reminded me of Oaxaca, Mexico, which I love and have visited many times, and which is often said to be the more Colonial of Mexico's old colonial cities.

Three Colleagues on a Field Test

Three of my seminar colleagues,  Barbara Olds, Joanne Tornow and Frances Lawrenz, are shown here engaged in a scientific field test. 

They are sampling local Belgium beers for the purpose of confirming the hypothesis that Milwaukee beer is superior. (Immediately upon returning from this conference, I went on to Milwaukee for a week where I continued this field test.)