Waffles, , Mussles, Frites, Chocolate and Beer...

...really, what more could a girl ask of from one city? I suppose that breathtakingly tall buildings, oodles of history, and an overall beautiful day couldn't hurt, but I didn't want to be greedy. So - to be fair - I didn't ask for those things. They just came with it!

I'm about a week behind when I was supposed to update with this entry, so there may be two today. I've got Brussels and Amsterdam Pride up my sleeve, so we'll start with Brussels.

Belgium was one of the few counties in the EU I'd never been to, so I decided to make the trek last weekend. It's only a 3 hour train ride from Amsterdam, though - like most train rides here - that's a sloooooooooooow trek. (A small word to the wise here:If anyone tells you it takes 30 minutes to get somewhere by train, it actually only takes 15 minutes. The fact that the train goes slow enough to make you wonder if you'll have to get out and push yourself accounts for that extra 15.) So i set out with a friend early on Saturday morning, and headed to Brussels.

The nicest thing about most European cities is that - much like the train rides - their size is greatly exaggerated, as its inhabitants have the habit of speaking of it as if the city (and the country) were huge.In fact, a lot of countries could be planted in an Iowa corn field, and you could use the city limits to measure a 50 yard sprint. Okay, so now I'm exaggerating, but not by much. You can get around easily in Brussels on foot but, for those who think a 10 minute walk is a bit much, Brussels has a fantastically integrated public transportation system of trains, metros and buses. There are also signs every which way, so you never really get the opportunity to get lost. So despite the fact that I only spent 24 hours in the city itself, I got to see a good bit of what it had to offer. A follow-up trip is definitely in order, though.

Aside from the aforementioned favorites, Brussels' Grand Place is easily one of one of the most fantastic architectural squares in Europe. Home to the Hotel de Ville, built in the 13th Century and sporting a 96-meter spire that's stunning from a distance, overwhelming up-close,and absolutely spectacular at night, when it's used as the focal point of a music & light show that would be almost tragically corny if it weren't so arresting to watch:




The Place is flanked on all sides by the guildhouses, including #26-27, which housed Victor Hugo during his exile from France. Karl Marx sat frequented the cafe directly across from this house while in exile himself, putting the finishing touches on the Communist Manifesto before being unceremoniously deported again immediately after.















Brussels was also home to my fave, Victor Horta and the he city is dotted with his
and others' Art Nouveau contributions. The Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinee (Center for Belgian Comic Strip art) is located in one. If you read French or have the slightest interest in Tin Tin, I highly recommend the trip. The path is paved with another kind of the art, for the more modernly-minded. This is an excerpt from a piece that lines the entire block's length up to the museum:


And of course, there's the Mannequin Pis, and the Bruegels and the Rubens and an almost innumerable other sights, facts and figures to cover while you're in Brussels. I'm going to try and get all the photos uploaded to an album so I can link them from here. But it was a fantastically beautiful weekend (yes, the sun came out for us!) In 3 weeks' time, I go to Cologne and I'll have my fancy new camera that's arriving from the states, so I'll have more images.

Just one final bit, though: I've discovered the nectar of the gods here in Holland. And if anyone who reads this has ever had even the slightest interest in my on-going happiness, they'll do me the biggest of favors and track down where to buy this in the US:


Yes - it's coconut beer. Yes - I'm serious. They make a banana variety that it also truly yummy, but stay away from the Quinoa and Palm Nut varieties. They don't have half the flavor of the other two. So yeah - find it, invite me over, hand me an ice cold one, and I'll marry you. No .... seriously. It's that good.