Local Market in Oruro, Bolivia

Last semester we had a guest lecture by a Bolivian scholar where he introduced tourism development in Oruro province of Bolivia and let us know how many natural and cultural wonders there are in this area. In his words, Bolivia is the heart of South America (which is no doubt according to me, both culturally and geographically) and Oruro is the heart of Bolivia (um, geographically yes). I remember he concluded that Oruro could be the heart of South America, I was seriously doubtful about it as I had not heard about this city before.

In the end, during my Bolivian trip earlier this year, I was forced to have a stop in Oruro unexpectedly.

L’atelier en Ville – an Artsy blend of furniture / home decor / clothing / coffee 这家咖啡店卖家具还卖衣服

Let me introduce my new favorite cafe that I accidentally found out the other day while wandering around in town. It is called L’atelier en Ville, a cafe spot housed in old warehouse type building in Brussels city. In fact it is a mix of a furniture shop, a boutique shop and a coffee shop, sounds like a strange combination but all the elements blend in together greatly and create a unique atmosphere.

前几天在布鲁塞尔城市瞎逛,无意中发现了一个很有意思的咖啡店。其实叫咖啡店并不是很合适,硕大的空间其实只要一小半是咖啡店,还包括了一个家具店,一个设计师小作坊和一个服装店。听起来这个组合有点奇怪,但是其实它们意外的结合得很好,而且营造出了咖啡店独特的氛围。

Place St. Gery – my favorite area to hang out in Brussels. 布鲁塞尔聚会好去处

Place St. Gery is one of my favorite spots to hang out with friends in Brussels. The square is around the St. Gery Hall which is the place to be. It is a rather small square yet busy with lots of bars where one can relax and enjoy the Brussels gem.

The area is is full of cafes, it is especially nice during the summer time when everyone enjoyed “terrasjes doen” (Flemish word, means sit outside in the terrace). Most of the time on a warm sunny day, you will find the terraces full. But no worries, there a lot of cafes around and they are spacious inside. You can find all kinds of cafes here, big, small, jazz, etc.

让我们一起去布鲁塞尔中心的一个非常热闹的酒吧聚集的St. Gery 广场看看。St. Gery广场以一个旧时的带顶棚的市场命名。广场虽然很小,但是周围都是各种小酒吧,是过来放松娱乐的好地方,是城市里很有特色的地方。

我也很喜欢来这里聚朋友,尤其在夏天天气好的下午,大家从下午开始就开始露天喝酒,享受阳光。广场附近酒吧非常多,有大有小还有一些爵士和live吧。所以完全不用担心没有空位。