Don’t all of those things just sound like you’ve arrived in some fattening heaven? Well I did a few weeks ago for my friend Kristin's 21st birthday. It started out with boarding a bus for four hours (still drunk from the night before) with everything I needed but my tights despite a night of drunk packing. Most seats were full so we had to sit separately, luckily I sat next to a nice girl who didn’t snore or make weird noises, and picked up my glasses which flew off of my tray.
We arrived at Bruxelles Midi which is some weird station on the outskirts. I was sort of disappointed, thinking I would end up in some jolly city which only tiny European countries can offer. We hopped on the metro and as soon as we ascended to what seemed to be nothing but blue sky from the bottom of the metro stairs, I was happy! Our hostel ended up being a series of modern little apartments complete with kitchen, separate bedroom, patio, and (my personal obsession) television.
Within an hour of us being there I was so happy to be around nice people who spoke French. Don’t get me wrong, I love the French, but sometimes the ones I encounter around tourist areas are a little pissed off at all of the tourists (understandable and I am now pissed off at them come their April migration). Maybe it’s all of the beer and sugar that makes Belgians so nice.
Brussels offered a ton of cool stuff (art galleries, an abundance of delicious food stands, and humorous landmarks). I probably could have spent a week at Delirious, the bar with apparently the most amount of beers in the world (their menu was a full-on magazine). They had giant barrels for tables, 90s rock on repeat, and tattoo-covered bartenders. I could just see myself dancing on one of those barrels, mango beer in hand, singing along to the Red Hot Chili Peppers as the chorus around me joined in. But alas, to the clubs we had to go.
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| the ceiling at Delirium: good view from atop a barrel right? |
After a dinner of muscles and fries (weird combination right?) we went to a club. I must say, I quite enjoyed the dj that night at the club. But next time I’ll leave the clubbing to Rome and London.
Sunday (continuing my perpetual hungover weekend), we found our way to Bruges. Ahhhh Bruges. Has anyone seen the movie “In Bruges” with Colin Ferrel? Well that’s what I was thinking of the entire time (and Flemish painters). Just adorable street after adorable street of medieval brick buildings, chocolate shops, horse-drawn carriages, waffle stands and canals.
After a fantastic Belgian meat stew, I embarked on my personal tour of Belgian chocolate. Some pieces from posh, cheap, reputable, and random shops. The most amazing thing was the hot chocolate which was warm milk and a wooden spool with a huge chunk of pure milk chocolate on the end that you place in it and wait to melt. It was the most magical little Belgian day in Bruges. Sunniness and gorgeous scenery were everywhere (trees, flowers, canals). There was even a cute little trinket fair (refer to previous entry on trinkets) to tickle my fancy hahaha.
We made our way back to Brussels that afternoon and nearly missed our bus. When I finally got on, again, I had to sit with a random. We were unloading our stuff into our seats when I notice the girl next to me had the same book the first one had on the way to Belgium. The random I was sitting next to was the same girl from Saturday's bus ride there. We both realized at the same time, gave a nice enthusiastic smile and “hello”, and soon everyone was asleep to the sounds of the Russian driver and buddy in front of us chatting it up. The gorgeous French countryside passed us by: castles, cathedrals, villages, and I felt so happy having come full circle, back in Paris.
Elizabeth
