Weekend 1: Brussels, Belgium

I've returned (and attempted to catch up on homework -- thus the delay in posting) from a wonderful weekend in Brussels, Belgium. 


We headed to the train station after class on Friday for our first train ride! As you can see in the picture below, they were small compartments of 6 seats -- the same style as I imagine the Hogwarts Express to be :) We had a compartment to ourselves; although after our train ride home, we realized we might have been sitting in first class. 

We arrived around 11 o'clock at night and had to go on a quest to find our hostel. Mary Margaret printed out Google maps directions for us which were very handy with the minor complication of not being able to see/find/read street signs and having no idea where we were going since it was very dark. We finally found our way, including a stop to take a picture with this really nice statue...  (sorry I can't figure out how to rotate it right now -- you'll have to go for the fun head tilt sideways) 

We stayed in a room of 10 -- dorm style at our hostel. We had 6 random people staying with us, 2 of which who were awake when we arrived and friendly enough to help us set up our beds! Our night, however, was filled with a cacophony of snores. definition of cacophony: A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds. which is exactly what this was. A HARSH mixture of terrible snoring sounds. It's safe to say that sleep was rare Friday night. 

I have decided to include a few useful hints for hostels (HIH) throughout my blog while I encounter various experiences as a way to share my story and perhaps guide others in their hostel adventures. My first 2 are:

HIH 1: Always check to make sure the toilet seat is down in the dorm-style bathroom. 

HIH 2: EARPLUGS. Even if you think you don't mind the sound of snoring, when 3 random strangers all snore in different patterns -- you'll mind. 

One of my many travel books told us that in Belgium we should experience their: waffles, fries, chocolate and beer. What better way to start our Saturday morning than with a Belgian waffle and whipped cream?! 

Saturday morning we went on a 4-hour bike tour around Brussels. It was a truly incredible way to experience the city. It started in the Grand Place (see below) and went to a variety of different areas and sites around Brussels. Below are a few pictures of the places we visited. 

Grand Place

(sorry about the lack of rotation again)

Manneken Pis --  a 2 foot tall statue of a boy peeing. A lot of times, they'll dress him up in a variety of outfits to celebrate different things! 

The Royal Palace -- coincidentally it is no longer used as the residence, it is now where they deal with affairs of state. 

Jubilee Park -- the building was commissioned by King Leopold II and built for the 1880 National Exhibition 

European Parliament -- Brussels is the capital of the EU so we made a stop by the European Parliament. 

(sorry about the head tilt again)

We were lucky enough to come across a parade around the Grand Place that afternoon. It's called the Zinneke Parade. The theme was disorder. We all agreed that perhaps we're not artsy enough, but we didn't really get it...

This was a huge man made out of cardboard and his limbs were controlled by people. They made him "walk" down the street. It was pretty cool. This group of people was supposed to represent "a little disorder among friends". Other groups represented cerebral disorder, auditory disorder, citizens' disobedience, etc.

After the parade we grabbed lunch and had to check off the next thing on our foods to eat in Brussels -- fries. I'm going to be perfectly honest here, they weren't anything incredibly special. But according to my travel book and our bike tour guide, they are cooked twice at very specific temperatures for certain amounts of time making them crispier and hotter -- which I can't disagree with. Nonetheless they made for an excellent afternoon snack. And they serve them with a tiny fork which we found comical. 

After a brief pit-stop at the hostel for a nap (due to the lack of sleep) we went out for a late, European style dinner. We had mussels in Brussels! We sat around and chatted and made friends with our waiter who spoke French, English, Spanish, and Arabic. Kristen, Mary Margaret, and Kate all practiced their French with him while I chatted a bit in Spanish. And he gave us his advice on which of the Belgian beers to try (checking off another Belgian food suggestion) as they have over 400 different kinds! 

Giant pot of mussels 

trying our Belgian beer

We rounded out our trip with one last waffle (and Coke and coffee for our sleep-deprived bodies) and a trip to the Musee du Cacao et du Chocolat. I wouldn't say it was the most exhilarating part of our trip but it did include a praline making demonstration and a sample which I can't deny was delicious. 

Nothing says Sunday brunch like a Belgian waffle in Belgium :)

Praline making demonstration at the Chocolate museum!

A presentation given in our GTL 2000: What is Europe? class said that Brussels is the most boring city. Perhaps you think so but I think it was a splendid way to kick off our summer travels!

Next weekend we're off to Paris! I can't wait!