Sun is setting in the Brussels part of the Belgian Empire.

Back in Brussels for a week. Our apartment has a top floor view from the private terrace, here off Louisa.

I’m no Royalist but it’s the first day of the annual opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace and I snagged a tour ticket. I got to walk through the U.S. White House East Wing before it was torn down. Hope the Palace never suffers the same failure of leadership.

A dozen or so years ago, I was on a Fulbright cultural immersion to Egypt for Academic Program capacity building. The current Administration doesn’t seem to care about the MENA or any other Region these days.

It’s fair to say that the students left filled intellectually and corporally. Thank you, David, and I hope to see you next summer, my friend. 4/4

Meanwhile, David arranged with the desi pub owner to lay on a feast for the 21 of us. The visual theatricality of the smoking, mouthwatering mixed grilled is surpassed only by the incredible tastes of the meats and vegetables, accompanied by elephant ear-sized nan bread and many side dishes. 3/4

At the Desi Pub, The Scotsman (see David’s excellent book for background), we were treated to a masterful lecture by David on the history and profound cultural significance of these safe spaces of communal diversity. 2/4

I want to offer deep thanks to David Jesudason @davidjesudason.bsky.social. For my visiting university students, he arranged a walk through Southhall, U.K., including Glassy Junction, from the train station to the Desi Pub, The Scotsman. 1/4

Up the road from Borough Market, at the Royal Oak, is the best list of Harvey‘s beers I’ve ever found in London.

Students all dropped at Heathrow (Piccadilly line to Terminal 3), after our 17-day class. Now my summer holiday begins, through early August.

Took my school group on the Fuller Brewery tour in Chiswick. Then it was a short walk for fish & chips at the Dove, in Hammersmih.

High above the scorching streets of London. Piccadilly line is especially brutal, today.

It’s Champagne, Wimbledon, and the vigilante eye of the law, here in Jubilee Market. London.

Dateline Amboise, FR. - The Loire River is whispering the charms of the Valley’s wines, and the Chateau is a panoptical reminder of it past royal excesses.

I spotted some hard-working Parisienne folks this morning, at the d’Orsay.

Am at one of my favorite Paris craft beer bars, Nautilus. The DRC vs. England is on the screen and I can’t help but think about Joseph Conrad, Marlow, Kurtz and the Heart of Darkness.

Without being too specific, I’ll say that my student group is now somewhere in France.

Moving the student group on to France, tomorrow. So, I ducked out for a pause at Poechenellekelder.

Students are at Cooking School this evening. They’ve learned to make grey shrimp in tomato appetizer, broiled fish with vegetables, and of course waffles.

More of the same tired sights.

Golden hour in Brussels.

Tonight, Tahrir Square is again filled with those putting themselves in harm's way for the simple freedom of dignity to which all humans are entitled. I am in a quieter part of the city, overlooking all of this. Tonight, like most any hot summer night in Egypt, Sakara is a fine beer indeed!

While I could detail the lingering lacing, excellent head, the nose, and so forth, I would rather wax philosophically…

… I daresay, the Egyptians have this beer just right. Needless to say, they know beer insofar as 5,000 years ago the Egyptians were not only drinking it, but packaging it with the dead to take to the afterlife….

Likewise! I was in Cairo on a Fulbright grant a few months after the Arab Spring uprising. From my Zamalek hotel rooftop, I wrote the following review of Sakara beer: “… after a hot summer day of sightseeing in Cairo, Sakara is a mighty fine complement to the cooling evening breezes of the Nile…

After a morning walk through the market, Abattoirs d’Anderlecht, it’s now the obligatory visit with the students to the Atomium. Should be clear enough to see the city center, today.

And now seeking refuge from the Bruges sun steaming up the town.

Bruges heatwave is breaking in the face of heavy rains.

We sweltered in the Brussels Grand Place this afternoon, under the threatening soldier on the golden mount. Tomorrow to Bruges and perchance a small relief from the heat.

Modelo Especial. Hecho in Mexico, bebido in Amsterdam.

Expats living in Amsterdam look like this, after 10 years.

Expats living in Amsterdam look like this, after 1 year.

My student group is in Gouda, today. It’s so hot the rounds of cheese are turning into a fondue.

Brouwerij ‘Tij, in Amsterdam. Couldn’t get this lovely couple engaged in a conversation, though. Lost in translation, I suppose.

Ok. I’m shaken but still standing by my World Cup Hope List.

What’s a warm Amsterdam evening without a clean beer from In De Wildeman?

In 2024, France imported 381 million liters of bulk wine, mostly from Spain at an avg price of US$0.51/liter. Most ends up as Vin de l'Union Européenne, such as this bottle selling for €1.45 in a Bordeaux supermarket. This includes €0.24 VAT and excise duty of €0.03, leaving a pre-tax price of €1.18

New Food-Studies open access book: The King’s Dinner: Family, nation, and identity on the British table, 1760-1820. Adam Crymble, Sarah Fox, Rachel Rich and Lisa Smith... they argue Britishness was more complex and multicultural than previously recognised. Download uclpress.co.uk/book/the-kin...

I believe it makes no difference if the VAR official was flashing this sign to show racist hatred or "merely" playing a child's game. He should be removed because the matches are about the event, not self-attention on referees. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

In a week I head for the Continent and Old England, leading a school trip and then on holiday. My Devon ancestors sailed to the New World from Barnstaple, England in the 1600s, so I feel somewhat like a Victorian vacationer of yore. This photo, taken last summer, is from inside the Musée d'Orsay.

My Bluesky chat group…

My World Cup Wish/Hope List: 1. The Netherlands 2. Belgium 3. France 4. Germany 5. England 6. Morocco 7. Mexico

Happy Ferris Bueller's Day Off, everyone. I hope you can do something special today, and stick it to the boss man.

Replaced part of the fence to keep Yeti contained.

Heading home to Providence on the Washington to Boston line, this late morning. Amtrak’s Acela Business Class is equivalent to France’s TGV INOUI second class seating, only slower and 4x the price.

Moved on, here in Washington to a nice Bistro for a light bite. Small board of fromage, dried fruits and baguette. Chartreuse is doing double duty as an apéritif and digestif. Santé!

In Washington DC on business. Happy hour at the authentic German biergarten, Prost. The beer is cold, the pretzel is warm, and the weather is mild. Prost!

Sun, Moon and Baseball. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.

Gorgeous evening at Fenway Park. Let’s go, Red Sox!!

Mr. President Trump, please note. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!