Well, I just got back from approximately 31 hours in Brussels. A trip that very nearly didn't happen, since (relatively), I nearly missed my train from London yesterday morning. They had to rush me through the check in/security line. Damn tube...
When someone says the word "Belgium," certain things come to mind. I would venture to say that beer, chocolate, and waffles are at the top of the list. Also, french fries are Belgian. I'm happy to say that I consumed all of these. In fact, it feels like all I did all weekend was eat. In retrospect, it was probably rather disgusting. I was shocked to open up my bag back in Mile End, only to notice that along with my other belongings, I had crammed in four bottles of Belgian trappist ale, one bottle of which is of a giant wine bottle size. Of course I knew I bought them, but still, I couldn't believe I fit everything in. I also have about 500 grams of Leonidas chocolates.
Speaking of beer, the first thing I did in Brussels yesterday was visit a traditional brewery, the Chatillon. It was a really good deal, as I paid 5 euros for a self guided tour, as well as two tastings. And unlike American brewery tours, here you could get up right next to all of the equipment. Chatillon is famous for making gueuze, a traditional Belgian style made of blending 1, 2, and 3 year old lambics. Apparently, it's the only spontaneous fermentation beer in the world, and it has a very unique sour taste. Needless to say, I have a bottle of it.
I don't know, I drank my fair share of Belgian beer this weekend. I'm kind of a beer snob, but didn't know a lot about Belgian styles, so I decided to try as much as possible. I wouldn't say I became an expert by any sense, but I think I appreciate it a lot more. I really wanted to buy a beer glass, but I didn't know how that would work transporting it back to the States. Every different brand of Belgian beer has its own unique glass, so some of them are pretty wild.
Anyways, probably the coolest thing I did was take a four hour bike tour. I had read about it on Trip Advisor, and it came pretty highly recommended. It turned out to only be three of us on the tour, plus the guide. The guide was a young German student, who seemed like he was just waiting to get done so he could go get drunk. A really nice guy, don't get me wrong, and he knew his stuff, but I just thought it was funny. Then there was Laura, who was Spanish, and Chris, who was from Boston. We rode around these big, intense, Dutch-style bikes, and it was crazy. Thankfully, the traffic is light on summer weekends, but it was still pretty wild, darting in and out of cars on cobblestone streets. It took a little getting used to, that style of bike, but it was a blast. I got to see a lot of the more out of the way parts of the city that otherwise, I probably wouldn't have seen. I guess the best example would be the huge European Union complex. Plus, we went to a frittur (french fry stand), that according to the New York Times, makes the best fries in the world. I must admit, they were rather tasty. In Belgium, the frites are fried twice, so they're very crispy on the outside, and soft in the middle. The only qualm I have is that I got probably three pounds of fries, and that was the small. I don't really consider fries/chips/frites a meal, but I guess I didn't quite get the memo.
So yeah, the bike tour was wild. Well worth the 22 euros. After the tour, Laura, Chris, and I went around looking for chocolates. Then Laura left, and Chris and I went on a bit of a pub crawl. He was kind of a beer snob as well, so we had a good time. I'm not usually one to be very outgoing and meet new people, but he was a solo traveler as well, so it worked out great. I was quite impressed with myself.
This morning, I took the metro out to the Atomium, which is this gigantic atom sitting on the outskirts of the city, built for the 1959 World Expo. I went up in it, since I thought the chance to be inside an iron atom was too great to pass up. Did you know that every single iron atom has a food bar in the 4th molecule selling Duvel? And that it has tiny exhibitions on the optimism and modernism of the 1950's? Well, they do my friends. Think of that next time you're passing by a construction site.
I thought the whole concept of building a gigantic atom quite strange. But then again, Brussels itself was kind of strange. I don't know exactly how to explain it. I guess I expected some sort of French speaking colony, but that certainly wasn't the case. I guess it was Belgian, that's the only explanation. I tried my best to communicate en français, but I was always sorely disappointed when people would automatically respond to my overtures in English. When I stopped to get moules and frites and the waiter actually kept talking to me in French, I was sure to tip him.
As always though, it was nice to come back to England. I was glad I went to Brussels, but if I only had two weeks in Europe, I don't know if I'd make the stop. There are certainly more impressive and interesting places to go, but it is a charming place. Everything cliché Belgium you can think of, I'm fairly certain I did, and I think I have a newfound respect for the country.
But like I said, it was nice to get on the train (with plenty of time), and come back. I came out of the Mile End tube stop, only to come face to face with eight Metropolitan Police officers frisking a chav. Ah England, c'est chez moi.
(Many photos are posted on the photo site, under "Brussels 2009." Check it out)
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