Leuven

I had the opportunity to visit Leuven, Belgium in early June, when I was invited to give a lecture on evolutionary perspectives on human behavior to biology Ph.D. students. It was a very busy time of the year, but there were several reasons to accept, including practicing talking to biologists rather than psychologists, doing a favor for Leuven University, and, naturally, the experience of seeing Leuven. So I took an afternoon train from Amsterdam to Leuven on a Thursday before giving a lecture on Friday.

Leuven is a true college town, in the European sense. It is very small, with the university acting as the heart of the local economy. It had the same cobbled streets as Gent (another city in Belgium I visited in November) and an old church/cathedral and city hall in the square in the middle of town. It is only 21 square miles in size – unlike the other cities with universities I’ve seen in Europe, this one seemed to have the university and nothing else.

This did not detract from its beauty. Lights were pointed at the cathedral and town hall and the bars and cafes lining the few main streets. And, naturally, the bar that I visited on Thursday evening offered over fifty Belgian beers (~90% of which I’d never heard of before), and several shops offered Belgian waffles, one of which I had covered with melted Belgian chocolate before eating.

So, I’m batting 1.000 (two for two) for Belgian cities. I preferred Gent given its larger size and better specialization as a tourist destination, but I’m very glad to have seen Leuven.