I have navigated myself nicely into Belgium and was received well in the city of Leuven , a small but important city in the Dutch region, buy an ambitious group of engineering students. Thank you Group T VDS team for being so helpful and inviting. Hundreds of years and plenty of half decent planning have turned this place into a problem free family town full of history and culture. Bricks, cobble stones, and gothic architecture texturize everything.

Leuven has about the same population as Davis and only takes 20 minutes to walk across but feels like San Francisco with 150 bars and three story buildings lining every street. The massive and dramatic architecture of the Catholic churches and town hall add to the effect. On the weekends markets pop up selling piles of cheeses and other such goodies. Bakeries of the spungiest bread hang out on most street corners. Leuven is nice, a little too nice. There is no crime here, not that anyone can remember. It is the sort of place you would love to raise a family in but would be itching to leave if you grew up in. Most of the students, and they are about half the town's population, go home on the weeked leaving the city relaxed and uncroweded for the locals to enjoy. Bicycles rule the streets but follow the system or you will be fined on the spot by the police.

Belgium is really about one thing, beer. Quite a long time ago, Trapist monks from France settled here in monestaries called Abbeys and perfected the art of brewing, austensibly to preserve grain. So a Trappist or Abbey beer is usually bery nice. Their beers can be quite hearty indeed. Drinking an Abbey or Trapist beer here in Belgium is unlike any experience I have ever had. I never knew I liked beer so much. It is one of the most magnificent beer cultures in the world where local beers are celebrated and consumed dutifully by the locals. The famous beer, Stella Artois actually has its brewery here in Leuven. I am planning a visit soon. A 250 ml pour of Stella a the bars costs $2, no tip please.

Well I have a lot of work to do with the electric car project. Does anyone have a 10 kWh battery pack they can lend? And I have lots to see here in Europe before Christmas. I would like to get a good taste of Belgium and Holland. Any suggestions?