Doesn't he look happy to be babysitting his friend from the States??
Belgium is known for several things. First, obviously, is the Belgian waffle. Waffles are sold everywhere. You can't walk down the street without passing 3 waffle vendors. Authentic Belgian waffles?? Sign me up! Ryan attested to their greatness. I bought a waffle - no syrup, no toppings needed. These suckers are perfect in and of themselves. Except for the one I bought. It was a little overcooked and burned on the ends. Oh well, it was still good and better luck next time, right? Wrong! The next one (the next day of course, I don't sit around eating waffles all day....) was also overcooked and a little dry. So I wonder if it is me, or Ryan was not quite being honest about these delicacies....
Surprisingly, fries were invented in Belgium, not France. I guess fries can be "invented". Regardless, Belgians take their fries quite seriously here. You can buy a "cone" of fries, then proceed to put any number of bizarre sauces ON your fries. Here are some new friends- travellers like me who stopped try it out.
Best of all is the selection of sauces available.
In case you can't read that, those sauces are cocktail, samurai (your guess is as good as mine), andalouse (??), tartar, curry, etc ,etc. Right....can someone pass the Hunts??
Lace is really big there as well. You can make anything out of lace. Need a hat for your dog? What about a decorative toaster cover? Picture of your favorite Aunt? Or a frog? You can buy it! I am only half kidding - take a look:
Now, let's talk cities. We went to 3 cities in 2.5 days. This post I will talk about Brussels. But stayed tuned for Antwerp and Brugges!!
We had a lot to do in 2.5 days, so off we went to see the sights of Brussels. Our first stop was the former palace of the royal family. Although they no longer live there (took way to long to clean), this giant building is still used for governmental business. First photo-op - poor Ryan. At this point he does not know how many pictures I take when in "tourist mode"....
Brussels is the capital of Belgium, but more interestingly, it is the administrative center of the European Union. So in a way, Brussels is like Washington, DC and the rest of the EU is like the states.... ;)
There is a lot of interesting architecture in Brussels. The city also had many small parks and green spaces. It was nice to find then in unexpected places.
The vibe in this city in unbelievable. There is so much activity. The streets are filled with people milling about, walking in and of of the small shops and cafes. It was great to see. I cannot describe it other than to say that the city felt like it was alive.
But the piece de la resistance was Grande Place. This square comes up on you very suddenly, which makes your first impression breathtaking. Ryan told me I would be impressed, but nothing prepared me for what I saw. It literally made me catch my breath. I cannot begin to describe what I felt, only that these pictures do not begin to do this place justice. You must come see this for yourself...
I am sorry to say these pictures do not reflect the grandeur of these buildings, nor the atmosphere. I could not help from wondering what it must have been like to grow up with history such as this all around.
To end this blog, I have to include the most photographed structure in Brussels. It is a water fountain. Is it big, you may ask? No. Does it make beautiful water art, like the fountains in front of the Bellagio Hotel in Vegas? No. Does it flow with colors and music? No. It is called Manneken Pis and it is a statue of a little boy peeing. Here I am with it. As you can see, I have my eyes closed. Well, I wanted to give him SOME privacy...
There was much more to see in Brussels, ranging from the beautiful to the bizarre. It is a wonderful city, and a place everyone should try to visit. But this is all for today, it is late and I need sleep.
Thanks for all the comments and e-mails. I love hearing from you! Take care, and a bientot!
1 comment:
You mean the people in Belguim cant make waffles? I can just ask Kristen and Allison. Come to my house and I will make you a perfect wassel (Alli talk) with no crumbs (Kristen Talk).
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