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WooHoo! I made it through terminal 5 at Heathrow airport! All bags showed up just fine. As I had only 7 hours (later close to 10 due to the flight being delayed) in London before flying to Brussels for a work meeting I stowed my carrying on at the Left Luggage, and trudged home with two big bags filled with clothes, new shoes and a Swifter Sweeper. Had lunch with a co-worker then headed back to Heathrow Airport.
I was quite impressed how much more comfortable I am in London after a bit of time away. Granted, this shouldn’t have been surprised as I have found leaving and then returning shrugs off a great deal of the uncomfortable feeling of being in a new place. Wonder how long the discomfort of everything being slightly (or greatly) different lasts if one doesn’t leave and then return? Either way London is a great place. Though for all you friends and family, I am not interested in staying here for more than a year or so, SO if you are planning on using me as an excuse to come over, time’s a ticking!
That was a bit of digress from telling about
my trip to Brussels. Meetings…blah! Last meeting ended on Thursday night so I switched flight plans to leave Sunday instead of Friday. Stayed at the Sleep Well Hostel, as recommended by Lonely Planet. Not a bad place. I’d stay there again.
Mostly, I wandered in Brussels. I took the Lonely Planet with me and walked the suggested walks. SO glad I bought new shoes in Virginia. After finally finding a cash machine I went to a restaurant with outdoor seating next to the Place des Martyrs where 467 patriots were buried after the 1830 Belgian revolt against the Dutch. Before my food arrived a group of falsely rowdy men and a few drunken wannabes banging on petrol cans, lighting flares and smoke bombs arrive and protest something in a half-hearted manner. More smoke than protest. Most broke off within a few minutes and sat down at the restaurant near me, more interested in beer than a cause. It was amusing watching them attempt to burn various flags. They seemed to be made of fire resistant material. All in all it was a nice diversion for a first hour tourist.
The Zinneke Parade was quite a treat. It is
held every two years and designed to bring all the people of Brussels together. This year the theme was water and while many participants had costumes that could be associated with water, many didn't. Interaction with the crowd was refreshing. Literally and figuratively. They threw water at the crowd as well as danced with the gawkers, teased the children and played jokes on everyone. Like the town, this parade included the handicap and really made an effort to include people of all ages, types, abilities (artistic and otherwise) etc. It lasted three hours and was fun from beginning to end.
Food in Brussels consisted of beer, chocolate, and waffles. There was a great many restaurants with most catering to tourists lured by the neon. Found a few good dishes and was grateful to the suggestions of LP, though I still found it difficult to find gluten free and fresh food.
Brussels was covered in graffiti, but in a polite manner. People would scrawl on most anything other than the building itself first and then go for the building. But make no mistake, graffiti was everywhere. Saw an interesting statue of a cartoon character on a bike. The next day
Zinneke Paper Mache
While the people were painted and decked out with bits of "stuff" there were also paper mache participants. There was so much that I almost missed this one, and in fact didn't notice the resemblance between the human and the paper macheshe had a moustache!
There were some really nice aspect about Brussels, but I think I’ll need more time to make up my mind about it. Perhaps it was all the contrasts that threw. I’d go again, if work paid.
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mom
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Surprising Brussels
I enjoyed your pics and descriptions tremendously. Wish I were there to experience it all with you. Keep up the good work.