Brussels

The ride to Brussels kind of sucked. We were in a rush so we basically stopped at a Texaco for lunch. On a positive note, I found these really great chips. Just FYI, 80 people purchasing things from a single cashier at a convenience store not only looks like a circus, but def takes more than 10 minutes.

We got stuck in rush hour traffic on the way in.

This is the only pic I got during our walking tour before my camera died. The following pictures were all graciously taken for me, donated, or stolen by/from Jess, Jen P, & Alison. Thanks girls!

We stayed at the Hotel Ibis Centre Sainte Katherine. This is La Grand-Place--the central market square and top tourist destination. It was only about a 5 minute walk from our hotel.

We were only in Brussels for about 18 hours, but our visit just so happened to coincide with some festival in the city that only happens once a year. Everyone was dressed to impress.

People were out pre-gaming for the festivities.

Anxiously awaiting the start from the balconies. It was at this point that we realized this was kind of a big deal.

In the meantime, our walking tour continued through the streets.

Neuhaus is the oldest chocolate shop in Brussels. Our tour guide said she actually prefers Galler, but it was closed.

belgian chocolate dreams

I think I spent $50 so if you're nice to me, maybe you will get some (if they make it back before getting eaten). If you can't wait, you can order your own here.

Belgian chocolate was #1 on our to-do list, but getting our hands on a belgian waffle was a close second. We didn't waste any time and headed straight for the place recommended by our guide. Words cannot describe how amazing they were.

Left, waffle with strawberries and whipped cream (me). Right, waffle with strawberries and chocolate (Alison).

Waffle with bananas, whipped cream, and chocolate (Jess).

Waffle with strawberries and vanilla ice cream (Jen P).

We tried to kill 2 birds with 1 stone by searching for the Manneken Pis while walking off our waffles.

There were so many interesting sights to see along the way thanks to the festival!

Especially countless different costumes.

And they were everywhere!

We finally found it! It was much smaller than we had expected which might be the reason it was so hard to locate? Here it is, Manneken Pis! The name literally translates to "little man urinating" in Dutch. I'm pretty sure a bunch of Chinese tourists also have this picture on their cameras.

Here's a closer shot because I know you're curious.

How convenient, an aptly named bar right across the street! We had to check it out.

Jess found raspberry beer. It was pretty good, but a little too sweet for me.

This is the bar Delirium that we had heard only rumors about until the moment we saw this sign.

Pretty much everyone from our program was there. It looked like a regular old bar from the outside...

and inside, for the most part.

The ceiling and crowd both contributed to the party atmosphere.

but what really set it apart...

was the ridiculous selection of beer.

They hold the Guiness World Record for most varieties of beer commercially available.

And they sold beer in boots! Beerfest anyone? You had to put down a 20 euro deposit to get a boot (I guess the temptation to steal them is too much for people to resist) but it seemed totally worth it to me and Alison!

Naturally, half of the fun was taking pictures with it. It got passed around.

I think it was warm by this point, gross. They didn't have Stella which was weird in Belgium, but they gave us something similar to it.

I discovered that the air bubble really exists when it splashed all over me.

I can't believe we finished them.

Our first friend, Christian!

We had seen people eating mussels while walking around earlier and Jess was on a personal mission to get some before retiring for the night. Some of our other classmates recommended a place that they had eaten at earlier.

We basically had a 3 course meal (including mussels) for 10 euro...deal!! This was the shrimp scampi appetizer.

les moules et frites

chocolate gateau with whipped cream for dessert

The next day, we stopped at the EU Commission on our way out of Brussels. Brussels is considered to be the de-facto capital of the EU. It was kind of interesting, but everyone was exhausted from the night before. A bunch of people kept themselves awake by spending half of the presentation chatting to other employees in the hallway. This is their official website if anyone is interested.

We were sad to leave Brussels so soon. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun time. I'd also consider coming back in the future to spend more than a day there!

Bussin' it to Luxembourg with the promise we'd stop at a nicer eatery than Texaco this time! Partaaay!!
xx