brussels

so... brussels is a bit different! a lot of ppl don't really understand english. had to pull out my non-existent flemish and ancient barely can remember french. i sort of had a plan or some ideas of places i wanted to check out, but i basically just hopped on the eurostar and landed in brussels. the tourist map was a bit shit, wasn't detailed enough and only laid out the touristy spots, which makes sense... but the pantone hotel should be on that map! unfortunately, it was not and i was just too tired from translating and walking to even figure out how to get there... i digress.. so i get off the train, follow signs and after much ado about how to get the hell out of there and which direction to go on, i decided to head to the atomium. it's this giant... atom structure built in the 1950's for the world's fair and has displays about the fair and other exhibits based on the theme, our future.
it took quite a bit of navigating and time to get out there, and i have to say most of my morning in brussels was spent on the metro and on buses getting and looking for directions. anyway, when i arrived at the atomium, i was astounded. this thing is HUGE, i mean like eiffel tower huge, it's ridiculous, the sheer enormity of this thing just sitting in the middle of no where. i was tired, got up at 5am london time to make my train, and didn't feel like paying the entrance fee, so i just hung outside, took some photos. this thing really is impressive and worth having a closer look.
after that, i decided to go find place jourdon for maison antoines which is suppose to be a famous place to get frites. this took me about an hour to figure out how to get there. a lot of back and forth on the metro, asking ppl where it is, and then finally getting on a bus, which is already kind of dodgy as there are no signs indicating what stop the bus is stopping at. so thankfully i was sitting near some nice belgiums who said that place jourdon stop is here.
after all that back and forth and walking around, i finally found it!! another 30 minute in the queue and i was at the front ordering fritens (large size... of course, do you expect anything less from me?!) and 3 different dipping sauces: ketchup, special sauce, and provencale. the fries really were delicious, they're crispy and... different. hard to explain, but it's just crispy throughout.
after that delicious pit stop, which was the first meal of my day!! yes, my belly full of fried potatoes and sauces mmm ... i decided it was time to get to the city centre and settle down there for the remainder of the day. i was thinking of going to the pantone hotel and this street market, but after my navigation issues w/ getting to place jourdon i figured it was best to just leave it alone. i really just did not want to take another bus, especially since i'll never know if i'd be at the right stop.

once i got to the central stop, i walked all the way down in the old city square, grand place and grand it was! it's not as detailed as italian cities, but it was still impressive nonetheless. it stopped me in my tracks. 4 large, tall ornate buildings make up the square and of course there are a bunch of side streets that veer off. i stumbled upon the manneken pis, the little statue of the peeing boy. it's the icon for brussels. i forgot the back story, but that little peeing boy structure is everywhere in the form of chocolates, bottle openers etc.

when walking down the streets i can smell sugar and chocolate b/c there's a chocolate store on every corner. it was actually getting kind of too much for me as i only had the cone of fries and needed something more real and substantial as a meal....haha but then i gave in and had a waffle w/ nutella and strawberries mmm. walked around more, actually more like wondered aimlessly... there isn't a lot to "do" it's not like paris or roma where there are more recognizable buildings and piazzas. eventually stopped the mcdonalds to make a pit stop, and then ended up at some pub for a leffe blond. was exhausted from all the walking around in the sun...

after that, ended up in some small cobbled streets full of restaurants where the waiters were trying to lure tourists in. i got enticed by the large flat screen tv w/ the switzerland vs spain game. my ankles were in pain, so i plopped down in this empty restaurant, drank a hoegaarden, and ate a bottomless bucket of mussels, i swear, there must've been about 100 pieces in there. i couldn't finish it all up, but i definitely made a dent. incidentally, i met a travel journalist who was walking down the street, saw me relaxing w/ the bucket of mussels and asked if he could take a photo of me w/ it. he's from toronto! what a nice coincidence, especially in this city where i felt like a total fruit, especially w/ my half sunburnt face (freak :( ) anyway, i gave him my address and name and he'll be sending me a copy of his travel magazine! and no, it wasn't fake, didn't get a dodgy vibe from him!
oooo it was so nice to just sit and relax, watch the game, and cheer and jeer along w/ the other algerian waiters haah. if only spain had scored to equalize the game, we all agreed they just cocky and played very lazy.
after that delicious meal, that included a free apertif at the end, i slowly made my way back to the gard du midi to get back on the eurostar.

it was a good day, a day in brussels, for me, was sufficient. i definitely should've played out the "how to get there" places better before i left vanny, but oh well... i'm on vacation, no rules right? i have to say, i was quite thankful when i got back to st pancras. i felt like a pro on the tube system, getting back to alexxi's. have to say, the more places i visit, the more i appreciate the complexity and ease of use of the london tube.

ok, it's midnight here, i am exhausted, 5am start and tomorrow i need to get to selfridges for the sale!!
ciao for now