Blogs from Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium, Europe - page 62

Three months. That's the length of our travels around Europe. One week. That's the amount of time we have been here. But man does it already feel like a few months are under our belts. We have been cramming all the good and bad, the touristy and off-the-beaten track activities, and cheap, cheap, and more cheap food and accomodations under our belts way too fast. PB&J's are already getting old. We have stuffed ourselves with so much Belgian cheese that we won't hit a "water cooler" until we arrive in Italy. And the chocolate. Like we have never had before. We have adapted the saying of "When in Rome..." to "When in (insert present city here)..." We walk an average of 5-6 hours a day simply exploring the city. Getting lost is both fun and frustrating. ... read more

Ah, Belgium. Perhaps I was expecting too much, perhaps a certain 'Belgian' friend of mine had been a bit too indulgent in his praise of his country's magnificence. From what I had seen of the Belgian countryside during the train ride from Frankfurt, it really does look quite beautiful. But as we neared the capital, Brussels, things soon turned ugly. Brussels is a slum. It's supposed to be the capital of the EU, so I was expecting things to be pretty - well, pretty. But yeah, it's a slum, venture just a little outside of the miniscule centre around the Grand Place, and things get grimy pretty quick. I was also looking forward to getting sick on fine Belgian chocolate, but unless you know exactly where to go, you might as well be buying imported Belgian ... read more

(August 18th through the 20th 2005) A little more confident and assured about doing this on my own, I leave Luxembourg behind midday on a Saturday. Excited to go to a bigger city gets my blood pumping, and all I can do is just see the scenary the ride offers. I get into Brussels around mid-afternoon, and head out of the station to find the hostel I have chosen--from my travel guide of course. Getting out of the Gare du Nord is a bit confusing, and as I wonder around, I find my self in a shopping mall, trying to find an exit to the street. A bit awkard I felt carrying my bag on my shoulders in the middle of this place. Finally I find the street and get out onto Rue D'Argent, the shopping ... read more

Arrived in Victoria Coach Station after a surprisingly comfy bus trip down from Edinburgh - thanks to some crazy Geordie drivers who overtook everything in sight we arrived early (6am!). Bleary eyed we make our way to Waterloo and note worryingly our shoulders are already aching from the packs... Met Claire at the unnaturally early hour of 8am (Sunday!) and spent a lovely morning chatting, drinking coffee and buying last minute provisions. Eurostar trip to Brussels uneventful and we hope the rest of the train journeys will continue like this. Arrived at our gorgeous Plaza Hotel (5*!) and took full advantage of our luxurious surroundings including the complimentary glass of champagne - off for a quick meal and then to bed early as we were exhausted. It all starts properly soon.....we'l update as often as we ... read more

Ska packa väskor ikväll, så kan vi ge oss iväg i morgon bitti. Rob skjutsar oss till Bryssel, så flyger vi via en mellanlandning i New York till San Francisco och kommer fram där på lördag (lokal tid). Om vi hittar nån dator i Amerika så ska vi försöka skriva lite här ibland.... read more