Belgium

So my phone doesn't feel like working right. I managed to save my Belgium notes but not the rest of Amsterdam yet. So I will update the Amsterdam one when I get back, for now, here is Belgium.


i am currently writing this in the charles de gaulle airport before i sleep for a few hours, and then run to the other side of paris to catch a flight...but that will be explained later.

the last morning wee spent in amsterdam included a fresh dutch breakfast. it included all the foods the dutch people love: sliced cold ham, cheese, and some untoasted toast and over easy eggs. it is something that would be hard to get used to, but worth a try. we then went to the only station in amsterdam and headed to belgium.

when we got to brussels, the first thing i noticed was that directions were generally in dutch, then french, then english, and sometimes in one more language. the guy in the information kiosk had to be quite talented. we left the station and walked to our hotel (a hotel was cheaper than hostels for the weekend in brussels, but, no joke, the place seemed deserted). the hotel looked real snazzy, but we weren't duped. we got stuck in some far corner of the hotel, shitty wifi (they pronounced it whiffee), and no eggs for breakfast on the last day. otherwise, it was safe and looked pretty nice. after that we went on an exploratory walk, only using what we heard/saw to guide us. we ran across their famous satute, a fully naked boy peeing, the royal garden, some palace and whatnot. but the best part was the end of the day. we found the delirium bar. if there is no other reason to go to brussels, this is it. it holds the guiness world record for most beers in stock, as of 2004 they had 2004 beers. their full list was a thick magazine. and if you need anymore incentive, they have delirium tremens on tap. most beers they had on tap were over 8%. anyways, it was a good night. oh and on the way there we stopped for some belgium waffles with fresh chocolate poured on top. if you ever open a bar, here is my advice on bar food....sooooo good.

the next day we decided to take the 2 tourist walks the hotel provided and combine them. we had planned for coffee before the 1st park, lunch before the second, and chocolate before the 3rd. while the parks were huge/kinda forest-esque/nice overall, apparently brussels doesn't function on weekends. literally, not one restaurant was open on the entire walk. we walked by the EU buildings and EU parliament, nothing there. before/after their national park and arc, 2 waffle trucks awaited us, we decided to trek on in hopes for real food. finally, before the last park, we foud lunch. amazing roasted chicken with an overdressed salad. it was pricy, as is all the food in europe, but well worth it. as we walked back through the 3rd park, we saw the royal theatre. we ended up venturing to the back but was stuck. we saw a low gate and the familiar park on the otherside. so we decided to jump it. no real harm/no foul, jay has the videos online. then, we found the chocolate. and oh was it heavenly. we picked some up from leonidas and got some coffee from godiva. what an excellent pair they made. it made me wish i could have it daily. after the long arduous journey we decided to end the night at delirium, also a great tasting/fun night.

on our last day in belgium we DID LAUNDRY. it was spectacular, our clothes feel like new again. also, we decided to take a day trip to brugge, north of brussels. apparently it was in a movie and supposed to be quaint. man, there were a LOT of tourists there. we walked through what seemed like a weekly city wide yard sale near the front of the station. then we continued to walk through town aimlessly, no maps were provided. when we asked for one at the station, the man rudely sent us outside to the closed info kiosk. the city was interesting, very medieval, lots of homes/small businesses, and a whole lot of churches. by the time we got the the museum, it closed, when we went to the tower to get a good view, it closed. we finally got on a boat tour, which was pretty cool but hard to understand his accent. after a little walking around we headed back to home base. of course we ended the night at delerium. this night was something different. we ended up spending the night with 7 other americans, we were definatley the loudest in the bar. after playing many rounds of quarters, the people working at the bar ended up giving us 4 free double tequila shots, great night. we then knocked out and went to bed.

brussels was a good break from traveling for us. not many people around, some cool things to see, but not mentally exhausting. i would suggest maybe 1 full day there, after that, just not that worthwhile. also, after london and amsterdam, i noticed everyone there really didn't dress up as much. people just kind of lived life like any other larger suburb. therefore, really nothing that special. chocolate, waffles, and delirium, your reasons to visit brussels.

now, on to today. we got on our train to get to rome. we had a 4 hour stop in paris, so we decided to meet up with a friend from ucla, taylor. she was gracious enough to show us around for a few hours. after a screw up on arrival times, we met her an hour late. but we then went to the eiffel tour, after buying some bread and brie cheese for our mini picnic. it was a lovely day and i was able to get some awesome pictures. a true success for a quick stop in paris. but trouble ensued when we were taking the metro to the other station for our next train. we got there literally 5 minutes late, after running from the metro station. for once, the trains decided to leave on time, and this time we missed it. this train is a highly requested overnight train. we rin to info, they gave us some halfway logical explanation that they can't get us on the last train out and can't book it for the next day for some odd reason. we were then told to go to gare de lyons station for more info. the eurorail office was closed. we then decided to catch a last minute flight. so we took the metro to the charles de gaulle airport in the far north of paris. after running around for a little bit we were told tickets wete 940 euros each. easy to say we looked for another solution. after using 60 roaming minutes to call eurorail for another booking we simultaneously paid for the .15 euro per minute computer station. after sitting on hold for 60 minutes, no joke, we decided to book flight for 270 dollars each from another airport to rome. we now have to wake up in 4 hours to get to the other side of Paris to catch our flight. on a bright note, we'll get there at about the same time. on a even more important note, we are both safe and in shelter, and really that's all that matters