Belgium on the hop

I decided to come to Belgium pretty much on a whim. I hadn't read up on the country or really given it much thought until I was on the train from Rotterdam to Brussels.

When I arrived at the Noord station, I thought I had made a horrible mistake. It was pretty desolate and it was pretty evident that I had stepped into the heart of the red light district. Great!

Thankfully the 20 minute walk to my hotel got me into a safer area, albeit only mildly. My hotel itself is very nice but the description on Booking.com should elaborate on the neighbour at bit more.

No worries. After checking in and a quick respite, I headed out to the city centre for a quickie look around. Along the way, I stumbled across St. Micheal's Cathedral which was lovely. The priest was performing mass in Flemish so it was a good way to wipe away the images of peep shows and condom shops from my recent memory.

I was also able to find the Grand Place. Normally, it would be hard since the signage here is very good, but a lot of the city centre is torn up for repair work. Much of it trying to be completed before the National Day, July 21.

I weather throughout my stay has been a mix of sunny blue skies and fast moving dark rain clouds with the ability to flood the streets if you are not careful.

With uncertain skies above, I headed for the movies. I had not seen a flick since Cape Town and need to get a popcorn fix. For anyone who has not seen the Hangover, step away from the computer right now and go see it. Definitely the funnest thing I have seen in many years. Good call Celia, thanks for the tip.

In my brief visit to Brussels, I have developed a checklist for anyone planning a visit, or like me, just finds yourself here. It is really a delightful place, despite what the Dutch say about it.

Brussels checklist:
Giant molecule - check
Left over from 1958 World's Fair. Cool science project.

Grand Place - check
Seen both by day and by night.

Mannequin Pis - check
Only the Belgians would make a little boy peeing a national symbol. I wonder if Benny Hill was actually born here.

Seat of European Union - check
Saw all the monuments and buildings swing by as I ducked for cover in my sightseeing bus because there was a massive downpour for 5 minutes.

Moules - pass
Seafood is still not my thing.

Belgium Waffles - check
With strawberries, bananas, and chocolate. If you are going to do it, might as well do it right. And I didn't spill any on myself!!

Frites - check
Belgium is apparently the birthplace of fries. They were good especially with the traditional mayonnaise, but they didn't rival my childhood favourite; Blue Water bridge chip truck. Can I get a witness?

Chocolate - check
Picked some up for friends, so had to sample a piece to be sure I was getting the good stuff.

Bizarre hand ball game - check
Played in the middle of the Grand Place with grown men slapping a small rubber ball back and forth; no discernible rules. I guess the soccer teams were already full at school when these guys went to sign up for sports.

Beer - check, check, check, and check
There are over 400 beers produced in Belgium so I will have to come back to do them justice. It is good practice for my upcoming trip to Ireland.

So much for the 20lbs I had lost so far on this trip. I am going to have to keep up with my rigorous sightseeing walks if I want to maintain my culinary delights.

Tomorrow I am off to Brugge for the day. Again, I don't really know that much about the place except it is meant to be beautiful. Let's hope the train station isn't hooker haven or that the city father's haven't decided to erect a monument to the desecration of public space by a little boy and his willy.