Belgium

This past weekend was the last full weekend that I could use my Eurail pass, so I was looking for a place to go.  I really wanted to go to Belgium, but it was going to be a huge pain to get there, changing trains over 3 times.  On Thursday night I was back with the host family doing my laundry (a true replacement daughter) and they mentioned that actually, there is a direct train from Colmar that goes to Brussels everyday!  So, naturally, I got up the next day and headed for Belgium on my first solo trip of my stay.  The train ride there was about 6 hours but it was a pretty ride.  

The first night I got there, walked around, ate an amazing Belgian waffle, and visited some shops.  The next day I went to a city called Bruges (apparently there is a movie called "In Bruges" if anyone has ever heard of it).  I went with someone I met at the hostel who was also traveling alone.  We walked around the city, climbed 366 steps to the top of the Belfry, drank some white belgian beers and headed back to Brussels.  The night before I was bummed out because all of the bars looked SO FUN but I didn't want to go alone.  If Belgian men are anything like creepy French guys, there's no way I am stepping foot into a bar alone.  Well back at the hostel, I met a girl from Pittsburgh that wanted to go out.  So we headed for a bar called "Delirium" which is in the Guinness book of world records for having almost 3000 different kinds of beer.  Wow, seriously ANOTHER dream come true.  I wish I had time to try them all!  We got to talking and figured out that we both have summer houses up in Canada on Georgian Bay, and she has been going up there her whole life too.  I don't even meet people in Cleveland who know where Georgian Bay is, so it's pretty funny that I met a girl in Belgium who knew exactly what I was talking about!  After the Delirium bar we went to the Absinthe bar to try out a shot of Absinthe.  They don't make absinthe with hallucinogens anymore, so don't worry. It's just like any other liquor now, not like when it made Van Gogh chop his ear off and send it to his girlfriend.   

Sunday was miserable and rainy, but I managed to walk around for a little bit, and went to see the Atomium, which is like the "eiffel tour" of Brussels.  I thought it was kind of boring, but it made for a nice picture!  I also had some good finds at a huge flea market that I came across, I have never seen so much JUNK in my life, but it was fun to look at. 

Overall I have learned that when you're staying at hostels, you are never traveling alone.  I had to sleep in a dorm room with 3 snoring boys, but that's what ear plugs are for.  

"Grand Place" in Brussels at night

The famous peeing boy statue. Small and not impressive, but makes a nice postcard
Bruges 



Peeing dog made of Belgian chocolate.  
The chocolate museum, showing how truffles are made
Delirium 
All the different kinds of Absinthe 
Lighting the sugar on fire for the absinthe shots 
Flea Market 
Atomium