Beer and chocolate

Early, and I mean early like a quarter to 5 am on the 19^th of December I walked/ran to the train station at Gare de Nord to board my train for Brussels airport. Upon arrival I waited a few hours near the arrivals gate awaiting my family. If I’d been anywhere else in the station I would have been bored out of my mind but it just so happens that the arrivals gate is the reason why I love airports as much as I do. I love the emotion that pours out of people waiting for their loved ones in suspense and the excitement that ensues when the anticipated person(s) finally walk through the doors. I’m pleased to say that I was just as ecstatic to see my family as they seemed to be about seeing me.

We made our way to the old city center after a short train ride where we dropped our bags and went to explore. But before any exploring could take place, the family had to try frites! Or fries, or chips, or however you prefer to call them. Mayonnaise seems to be the condiment of choice, yuck!!

 I do recommend trying monk made beer though, which you can find most anywhere including little convenience stores. Brussels is covered in dozens of chocolate shops and at least a few should be tried as part of the Belgian experience! Everywhere you go there are icons of this statue of a bronze boy peeing, following the signs we made it to this statue which ended up being incredibly small, smaller than the stone one that my mum has at home!

 We perused the Christmas market and ate little things along the way, none seeming to be specifically Belgian though.  Each city we went to seemed especially magical because of the many Christmas decorations and lights strung through shops and streets. So once it got dark and we had eaten, we walked around enjoying the scenery, down one road different banners of lights were hung that signified the different constellations. My favorite thing in Brussels was the light show on the buildings in the main square. All the buildings flashed different colors of lights in time to music that was playing. Sometimes it jumped from one building to the next and you were left spinning in circles trying to take it all in!

Our next day was spent in Bruges. I prefer this little quaint town over Brussels, because of its traditional and bright buildings, random flowing waterways and giant windmills. We ate lunch at a little restaurant called Humpty Dumpty which was pretty cheap and offered tasty sandwiches. Christmas markets were spread around here as well but offered mostly the same kinds of things like food and souvenirs. I again recommend trying some different beer and chocolate! We spent the day walking around the city in its entirety, which doesn't really take that long! Just outside the main central area of tourist shops are some really beautiful rivers flowing away from the center and just a little further out are some wonderful tall windmills that you can walk a short grassy hill up to. There are plenty of little places to stay and local things to enjoy in Bruges.