Day 9 - Brussels and Home

March 22 -

Consuming both wine and beer the night before did me in. I'm not a big drinker and crashed immediately after returning to the hostel. I had to get up early to make the 10am flight, creeping around a full room of snoozing people. I made it to Centraal Station for the express train to the airport quickly. The Gods were watching over me today considering all the times I got lost in this city.

Airport check in was busy, but smooth. I learned at the gate that due to a mechanical problem, the in-flight entertainment system would not be working for cattle class. Of course, it worked for first class! Figures, this would be the only flight where I didn't pack a book to read. Thankfully, there were some free magazines available. Airline food was terrible (what's new?) and I spent the bulk of my flight napping or lost in thought. Having my iPod Touch was a godsend and I don't know what I'd have done without it, on the plane or throughout the entire trip.

My impressions? Paris was fantastic, but I didn't come away in a dreamy state as others do. This jaded city girl was able to see Paris for what it is. I would definitely go back, but to focus on the lesser things and the smaller museums that others don't usually take advantage of their first time. Those are the treasures here.

Brussels was much more multicultural than expected. Not a bad thing, not at all. I was surprised that the city remains bi-lingual with both Dutch and French street signs. It seemed that other than the Grand Place, which is tourist to the hilt, the other neighborhoods offer some sort of treat around each corner. I was especially impressed by the art nouveau houses.

Antwerp was absolutely beautiful. A definite can't miss city. I'm glad to have visited, hokey trolley tour and all. The architecture is to die for. I need to go back and spend more time there. A day isn't merely enough time to see what this city has to offer.

In addition to the usual postcards, here's what I bought -

Madrid -
Valor chocolate (for Spanish hot chocolate)
Saffron. It was cheaper there, but not considerably so compared to NYC prices.

Paris -
Amora mustard (the Maille brand was a bit too posh, and pricey for my tastes)
Crème de Marrons (I want to give this a try, it's a French thing)
Macarons from Laduree (I loved them, but realized there's a place in NYC that does them as good)
Vanilla meringues (bought sort of accidentally and fell in love, love, love!)
Necklace from Diwali in Montmartre
Prints from street artists
Bottle of wine
Shirt from Petit Bateau (it was somewhat cheaper in France and the only real retail splurge my entire trip)

Brussels -
Earrings from a street vendor in Agora Square
Underwear, socks, and camisole from Hema

Antwerp -
Toast rack from street vendor
Belgian chocolates
Speculoos
Cecemel
Hotcemel
A bottle of Leffe blonde beer (shouldn't have bothered, it's found allover the US)
Fresh waffles from the bakery
Licorice

Surprisingly, I didn't go all out and crazy with shopping. The list seems long, but a majority of the items were cheap. Most were only a few US dollars each. The t-shirt from Petit Bateau was the most expensive single item purchased, if you can believe that.

I've realized that my love of Belgium is not superficial after all, but the start of a long romance. I know it's not jam packed with big cities and landmarks. A small country of probably no significant importance when put up against some other European siblings, but it's fine the way it is.

Day 8 - Antwerp

March 21 -

Got my Dutch on today. On weekends, Inner-Belgian train fares are half off. At 7 euros round trip, I couldn't resist a day trip.

I had never been to Antwerp before except to switch trains for Bruges in 2006, and had been intrigued with visiting the place ever since. Brussels Centraal Station was packed, this half fare is quite popular.

Arrival and Lawbreaking
I arrived at Antwerp Centraal and started my day off with a waffle at the station. When in Dutch country... Thankfully, there was a tourist information booth as I hadn't much of a clue where to begin. There were really no major preparations for this excursion. With map in hand and a general direction to head to, the walk would be a bit far and I wanted to concentrate all physical exertion around the main areas. I took the metro from Centraal, illegally. The train pulled in and I immediately wanted to get on, to the point where I evaded the fare. I'm not going to be proud of this fact, but it was easy, even if I had butterflies in my stomach the whole two minute ride to the designated stop.

Not once in my entire time in Brussels was I asked to present my ticket for the metro and trams. No one asked for my ticket for the trip from Brussels to Antwerp. It's a total honor system. Admittedly, I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I was so insistent on getting on this train that I didn't focus on getting my fare.

Groenplaats and Beyond
Arriving in the Groenplaats there was a gimmicky trolley ride that takes you around Antwerp for only 5 euros. I gladly gave in. It turned out to be fun and I got my bearings around the city much better. Plus, I got to relax my legs and feet a bit more for walking around later. After the ride, I went back to explore some of the places I had noted on the trolley tour, but couldn't find this cool comic mural I had seen and desperately wanted a photo of.

I noticed a lot of cool murals in Belgium, Antwerp especially, including a neat one on Wolstraat. The walk along the boardwalk of the river Schelde was made more beautiful by the sunny weather we were having. Although it was a day trip, it wasn't enough, but it would have to do given the time constraints.

Antwerp's City Hall/Old Market Square (Stadhuis/Grote Markt) is almost as stunning as Brussels' Grand Place. Again, photos do not do this square any justice. I lunched at Brasserie Populaire in Sint-Paulus square, receiving a weird look, along with a quizzical "are you sure?" for requesting milk with tea. Milk poured in tea is just not done with the Dutch.

Hema department store, on the Meir pedestrian street, made another appearance and I purchased a baby outfit for my expecting cousin and some licorice. Later, to my horror, I would discover I had purchased salty licorice instead. Shudder!

Antwerp is a fabulous walking city. There are also tons of cafes for rest and refueling. Walking through the streets, I stumbled upon a silver stall and purchased a heavy pewter toast rack. Each slot for toast is a letter that spells out the word "TOAST". It was my most favorite souvenir this entire trip, setting me back a mere 3 euros for the pleasure of owning it.

The oddest part of my visit were the pit bull breed dogs I saw allover the city. It seems everyone here owns one. They clearly outnumbered all other breeds I'd seen that day.

Walking back to the train station, admiring the drop dead architecture, the skies opened and the heavens appeared - Match supermarket was right in front of me! Anyone who knows me knows very well that a trip isn't complete without a visit to the supermarket to stock up on local goodies. Here I bought spekuloos cookies, Cecemel, a package of fresh waffles from the bakery, and a bunch of other items. Being green, I purchased a Match shopping bag to lug everything back.

I got to accomplish a lot on this day trip: sightseeing, relaxing walks, and shopping.


Dinner and Finishing Up
I arrived back in Brussels in the evening, packed for the early morning departure, and headed out for dinner a block from the hostel, where it seemed to be loaded with non-touristy restaurants. I ate at Le Forestier Chez Hatem, enjoying the plat du jour of lamb in a nice gravy, legumes, and the Belgian version of fancy tater tots. All this for only 10 euros. Another glass of wine and a Belgian beer and I could've done without the cheese platter I ordered, which was a bowl of bland cubes of fromage and cornichons. Aside from the let down of the cheese platter, the lamb dish was probably the second best meal of my entire stay here. The first being the tartine in the D'Orsay cafe.

I reflected on my entire trip and how problem free it had been. Aside from getting lost easily in Brussels, everything went off without a hitch. Paris was amazing and Madrid came through in the short time I was there. Brussels had been a nice, quiet way to end the vacation and Antwerp was a fantastic day trip. The weather had turned colder in Belgium, but it was sunny otherwise. I think that's what I'll remember the most about this trip, the constant sunshine.

Day 7 - Brussels

March 20 -

I conquered a lot of Brussels in one day. I was all museum'd out from Paris and so wanted to be as leisurely as possible during the rest of this stay.

Grand Place & Agora Square
I explored Grand Place a bit more, stopped in Agora Square to check out the vendors selling jewelry, bought a few inexpensive pairs of earrings, and paid another visit to Mannekin Piss and the surrounding area for daytime photos. I did not want to leave Grand Place; the beauty was incredibly surreal. If I ever get back, I'd like to hang out in a chair in the middle of the square for the day and people watch.

Marolles District
My guidebook mentioned a flea market in the Marolles district on Place du Jeu de Balle and I found it after a metro ride and walking past the Palace of Justice, whose gorgeous dome was pretty much covered over for renovation. I arrived at the market at tail end, but managed to rummage through some of the quirky junk on sale, finding nothing of real interest. I meandered along the twisting streets to a different metro to carry on to the Uccle district to one of my must sees for this trip. The Brussels metro turns into a tram once it emerges from the underground. I learned this the difficult way trying to reach the Russian Orthodox church.


St. Job Russian Orthodox Church
I couldn't go overseas and not see something Romanov! The church of St. Job in Brussels was built specifically to honor the last Tsar and his family. I'm assuming that it was named as such because Nicholas II was born on the day of Job. It was something he always lamented and resigned his fate to, especially when death looked him in the eye at Yekaterinburg. What you cannot see are the supposed relics of the last Imperial family, donated by Nicholas' surviving family. Built in the wall of the church is the box containing various items and some pieces of human remains found at the first dumping site, Four Brothers Mine, after the family and their retainers were murdered. The investigators collected all that was left behind, including one of the deceased fingers.

Also inside was the bible the family used while in captivity. What was unfortunate, was that the church was closed and wouldn't be open for service until Saturday night or Sunday morning, both inconvenient times to visit. Sadly, I resigned myself to the fact that I would probably not get to see the inside.

Grand Palace
Belgium has a royal family, though not as illustrious as some of Europe's other dynasties. Like other Benelux royals, they stay low key. The palace too is low key, with a park across the street that once was reserved only for the King, until it was open to the public. Next to the palace is the BELvue museum, which honors all things Belgium. There, I stumbled upon a Brussels art nouveau book and remembered reading somewhere about how Brussels was the capital of art nouveau. Gleaning some information from the book, I decided to find Ambiorix Square where tons of these nouveau homes are located.

Ambiorix & Gutenberg Square
Using a bad map which only highlighted the city centre, how I managed to make it over to Ambiorix square, I don't know. I walked up and down several streets in the immediate area, hoping to stumble upon what I was looking for. Once I reached Gutenberg Square, which rivals Ambiorix, I knew I was in the right place. Gorgeous! However, cars obstructed the homes and so many of my snapshots look like surveillance photos instead. Everything about the area was pretty, including the pond at Square Marie-Louise. Unfortunately, number 11, Villa Saint-Cyr, the most famous home on Ambiorix, was under construction, so I couldn't get a good look.

Hema
No visit to Belgium was complete without a visit to Hema. I had first discovered this cool department store on my trip to Bruges a few years before. Brussels closes shop early, so I arrived at Hema as it was closing and didn't have much time to dilly-dally. I did walk away with some goodies though. Nieuwstraat (New Street), a pedestrian street, was like a scaled down version of Herald Square, but Hema was the only store that interested me.

For dinner, I ate at Pizza Hut for a sit down meal of salad and a personal pan pizza. Yes, I bowed down to the Big P. At this stage of the vacation, I was craving carbs and familiarity, two things I love. This happens on every trip I take. I've learned not to beat myself up over it considering I do sample the local cuisine, keeping my mind as open as possible, despite the fact that I'm not food adventurous. That said, it was delicious and I ordered a Belgian beer on tap. I'm not a beer drinker but this was absolutely lovely and I'm finding the blond beers more agreeable to my palate.

This was such a long day. I packed so much and got back to the hostel in a tired mood. I wanted to explore a bit more, but Antwerp was scheduled for the next day. Still, I saw a lot and loved Brussels, despite losing my bearings so much.

Day 6 - Paris & Brussels

March 19 -

Off to Gare du Nord to catch the 12:25 Thalys train to Brussels. I spent the morning lounging, lazing at breakfast which was quite the different pace than days before where I utilized time stuffing myself silly in order to stave off the need to eat too much throughout the day. I was purposeful in my attempts relax at breakfast this day, taking in the canal view a bit more than days past.

I spent the rest of the morning packing up, heading out to the shops nearby to buy food and wine. I had stopped into the Monoprix a few days before, but remembered there was a Franprix that was cheaper and closer to the hostel. Plus, it was across the street from the little Bodega I was using for my fruit and other cheap treats. There, I bought a bottle of super cheap Cote de Rhone, upset that I didn't have the strength nor storage to bring more wine home with me. At the Franprix I purchased Amora mustard (cheaper than Maille), Creme de Marrons (I have to give this stuff a try), and a box of cookies for my Nan. Previous trips always have me buying more than necessary, but I really calmed down on the purchases. Besides, there was still Belgium.

Paris was striking that day, but thankfully, I wouldn't be effected. Thankfully. That was all I needed, no?

Getting into Brussels was quick but I had a bad map and needed help from the information booth. I managed the metro just fine, followed the directions, and made it to the hostel with no problems. It was a HI Hostel and those tend to be iffy because they are the bog standard. A lot of the private ones go for broke, but HI Hostels tend to be as basic as possible. After having so many amenities at St. Christopher's, such as a sauna, and free wifi in my room, this place was like a detention center, but it would treat me well my entire stay.

Laundry. I have become better at packing light. I've come a long way in this respect, and I'm still amazed at how light my luggage is lately when I leave home for vacations. Still, laundry in Europe is expensive and what's worse is you can feel like a dolt trying to figure out how to work the most basic machine in a foreign country. Thankfully, someone happened to be in there, spoke great English, and showed me the protocol. In the US this would all make sense in English, you either pay all with coins or you buy a special non-currency bearing coin to operate the machines. But trying to figure out the protocol in both French and Dutch, it doesn't make sense.

Brussels is quite international, as well it should be. It's the capital of the EU. Being on the smallish side, it should be easy to get around. Looking at a map it would appear so. Then tell me why I got lost almost every single minute of my time there!! Finding Grand Place was easy, you just followed the spire that dominates the skyline. Breaking away from it was difficult and I walked in circle many times. Still, Grand Place is hands down, one of the most beautiful squares I've ever seen. No photo I took did it the justice it deserved.

What disappointed me most was Mannekin Piss. For some reason, due to his popularity, I assumed he'd be the center of some grand square in Brussels. He's not. Instead, he's hidden away on some side street, kitty corner against some building. Not that he was the highlight of my stay, just not as grandiose as I expected.

Street food made up a considerable amount of my diet here the first night. I consumed waffles, frites, and Belgian style hot dogs. Divine!

And She's Off...Again

This time to Paris and Brussels. I leave Friday night and return next Sunday afternoon. I booked the flight last summer when oil prices were through the roof, so it looked like an amazing deal. Who knew things would be different and airlines would be begging us to fly. So, the price actually turned out to be competitive with what's currently out there today.

Oh well, I don't have a crystal ball, or else I'd have hit Powerball years ago, so I'm rolling with the punches. That said, I lucked out on a great deal on a hostel. Paris isn't known for doing hostels properly, and this place just opened; apparently, they know their stuff. It's got a sauna too. How cool is that?!

I added Brussels because of my love for Belgium. It's a sort of superficial love, so we'll see if it's held up after all these years. I may take a day trip to Antwerp to get my Dutch on. Belgium is split bilingually between Dutch (Flanders) and French (Wallonia). There are many political scrabbles and it's believed that at some point, the country will completely split. Again, I'll be hosteling it. I hope I can fit in the bed after eating all those pommes frites and waffles!!

I'm a little anxious about visiting Paris, which is why I was always hesitant about going there after all these years. One thing I'm not looking forward to is the day long layover in Madrid, Spain. Because of past experience, I hate Madrid (or "MaDread" as I call it), but I believe that everything happens for a reason and maybe I'll actually enjoy my super short time there. I will definitely watch myself on the Metro, which is loaded with thieves.

Thankfully, my street smarts thwarted a pickpocket attempt the last time, hopefully, I won't get bothered again. I'll have my belongings all on the inside of my coat, which will help. That's another let down with this flight. Had I waited, I could be in London for my day long layover. Again, it's all beyond my control. Lesson learned.

So, wish me luck...