I’ve owned up to being a control freak with O.C.D. and A.D.D. tendencies, but that’s so 2009. If traveling has taught me anything these past few decades it is that even the best laid plans can take a backseat to the whims of the road. Unexpected airline strikes, acts of God, and a million other surprises can turn these plans into bizarre experiences. But instead of freaking out, I just roll with it now. Time is always of the essence when you are away from your home base, so you might as well let go of some of the control and simply find humor in the moment. Champagne helps.

Anyway, a friend of a friend of a friend invites me to a big réveillon for New Year’s Eve, and I am told that there will be lots of traditional Belgian food, wine, and DJ music in some cool place. Sounds like a pretty typical NYE dinner to me, so I put on one of my favorite LBDs (little black dresses) and bags and hope that I won’t be underdressed (PS: there’s that cardigan again)…

It is a long, foggy drive in near pitch darkness to this friend of a friend of a friend’s house in what town I’m not sure as we can’t really make out any of the road signs. All I can tell is that we are in the countryside and with only a few lights along the two-lane “highway,” our biggest driving danger is not the fog but a stray cow. Yet we manage to arrive to this house, and once inside, it is like any contemporary house that I’d find in LA. All the women are dressed in chic LBDs and the men in black suits and I feel…appropriate. I recognize 4 of the people there so that helps break the ice. After the aperitifs, we all get into the cars and by now it is snowing a bit. Twenty minutes later we reach another town and pull into a large parking lot outside of a well-lit large building. I want to say it’s a converted barn or church. As my eyes adjust to the lights in the windows, I think to myself “Oh my God” and say out loud “mon Dieu.” How am I going to walk in the slushy ground in my 4″ Fendi heels? We all laugh. And we laugh and laugh some more when we get inside…

Are we celebrating réveillon… in a bingo hall?!? Er, sure, why not? Did someone call B-26? I think my group is just a bit overdressed and out of place, but after some hot finger foods and an endless flow of champagne, we give in to the surreal experience and take our seats at the table…

Good conversation and surprisingly decent food…

make the time pass rather quickly. The ongoing joke of the evening is that they’d all planned this big réveillon surprise just for me, to show an American how a real Belgian party is really done. Complete with a couple of very young DJs playing music from the 50s or 60s. But in their defense, they did throw in a Rihanna song or two.

And before we know it, it is midnight…

There is apparently a picture of me heading a farandole (some similarity to the conga line) but what do you say we leave that one off the blog. What happens in Belgium stays in Belgium.