Mussels, fries, waffles, and chocolate. Those are the things I think about when I think of Belgium. Oh, and beer. Very strong beer. And mayonnaise on the fries, but we will not discuss that one, because it's nasty. I had the opportunity to visit Brussels on a weekend in between my US trip and going to Ukraine, so, I thought why not...who really needs any time at home anyway (as I write this, I am anticipating another 2 weeks away from home in Croatia!).
Kamila moved to Brussels a few months ago to work for the EU, and since she'll only be there for a few months, and I had never been to Belgium, it was a perfect chance to check out another country. Someone once told me that Brussels was the "most boring capital city in Europe" (which can't be true, after experiencing it myself), so I didn't have high expectations. Actually, I didn't know what to expect except the 5 things listed above. But that was good enough for me.
The flight on Wizz Air was cheap, as usual, and since I had my new iPad, the flight literally flew by (haha, get it?). I noticed that everyone around me was speaking a funny language that sounded like they had peanut butter stuck on the roofs of their mouths. In other words, they were speaking French. Of course, Belgium has not only French speakers, but also Dutch (in Flanders they speak Flemish...it makes me giggle just saying those words). I feel like eating peanut butter right now for some reason.
While it was nearly 30C degrees in Warsaw (high 80s), it was 12C (low 50s) in Belgium. To everyone who thinks Poland is always cold, there's a little nugget for you.
Belgium has a really nice combination of French and Dutch architecture. Up until the early 1800's, Belgium was part of the Netherlands, so there is obviously the Dutch influence. However, over time, the French have influenced it greatly, in both culture and language. The city is very ethnically diverse, and honestly it was a bit of a shock because lately I have been travelling around Central/Eastern Europe, which are not very diverse at all. It felt like I was back in NYC. And I felt like saying hi to every Asian person I saw.
The Town Hall square at night
By the end of the first day I was already 80% through my food checklist...fries with curry ketchup from a street cart, waffles from various places, loads of chocolates, and of course, plenty of beer. I even had Flemish goulash! There is an area called Delirium village, a small street filled with bars, one of which serves at least 300,000 beers on draught (at least it seemed like it). I tried a few different ones, including some that were 10 or 11% alcohol content. These tasted very good, but were very dangerous. That's about double the content of a normal Polish beer, and about 3 times the content of light beers in the US. A few of the beers I tried were Chimay, Leffe, Delirium, and Malheur.
The best waffle I had came from Aux Gaufres de Bruxelles (I think that means Waffles of Brussels, creative name). It was fresh and warm, soft and dense on the inside with some sugar crystals for an extra texture and kick, and a bit crunchy on the outside. With strawberries and/or nutella and whipped cream, I don't know what can be better. My mouth is watering thinking about it.
These are actually different waffles, but they were also good
We also did some sightseeing, including around the Town Hall square, many side streets, and of course Mannequin pis.
The architect of the Town Hall committed suicide in the 14th century because he ran out of space the building is not symmetrical
Mannequin pis, who gets dressed up for various occasions throughout the year. I love the 'stache.
The secret to Belgian beer
Eating mussels in Brussels...and they were amazing
My post-meal art work
This wallpaper made me giggle every time I saw someone sitting at the bus stop
In addition to eating and drinking our way around Brussels (and falling asleep on park benches), we also went to Bruges. The only thing I knew about Bruges was that Colin Farrell had a movie about it. But I never even saw the movie. Bruges is close to 1000 years old (that's pretty old), and the Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Canal in Bruges
Main square in Bruges
I knew that I was in a richer country than Poland once the train started moving. Unlike the trains in Poland, this train was quiet, smooth, and I could hardly tell we were moving. And I could hear myself think. The city of Bruges was very nice. Quaint, with beautiful architecture, good food, and nice for just wandering around, the city was easy to navigate in a day. Besides the architecture, the canals, and the "cuteness" of the city, the thing that stood out to me the most was the millions of chocolate shops everywhere...if there were fewer than 3 on any given block, it was a surprise. There were so many choices of shops, then so many choices of chocolates within the shops, that my head started spinning. I just bought whatever was in front of me because after 20 minutes of thinking, Kamila was getting mad at me.
Chocolate everywhere
I love chocolate, but I'm not sure what this next story says about me...I distinctly remember seeing all these amazing chocolate shops, then noticing an amazing, delicious smell coming from around the corner. I followed the smell, and found....Subway! No joke, I love the smell of their bread. But not sure why I was drawn to it being surrounded by millions of chocolates.
Overall, it was a very good trip, and I found Belgium to be much more than just good food. But obviously, I'd go back for the waffles alone.
I usually go back there for the fries...
ReplyDeleteFunny you should post it today, I had some fries in Sketch for lunch and they were almost as good as the real deal!
After having moved out of Brussels, I barely ever eat fries any more - nothing tastes right.