Belgium, surprise!

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Why not. The hostel has a bus excursion on Tuesdays, so I went through Antwerp for about 90 minutes & 2.5 hrs in Brussells. Holly cow, overload on chocolate, beer & waffles. Left about 10 AM-about an hour to the border; drove past Rotterdam (3rd busiest port behind Shanghai & Singapore) another half to Antwerp then another hour or so to Brussells. From the bit I saw, cool cities, neat architecture & definitely overload, in the tourist areas with chocolate, beer & waffles. Lots of traffic in Brussells & lots of big multi-national companies (Microsoft, HP, Toyota...)

Belgium info:
-Amsterdam & surrounding area-1 million people
-Antwerp-400,000 people; Brussells-1 million people
-The area of Belgium is Flanders where they speak Flemish, a dialect of Dutch (however, I was greeted by Bon jours by every store owner as I entered.
-Home to the World Court in The Hague
-NATO headquarters (stands for what Alex? Could be a Jolly Rancher) North Atlantic Treaty Organization
-European Union headquarters
-Treaty of Ghent (ended what war Alex? for another Jolly Rancher?) The War of 1812 (fought between who?) United States & Great Britain

Returned about 9 PM so 11 hours; it was a good time. So that makes 4 countries in 2 days

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Comments

[Alex @ Cornell]

Okay, so I didn't know any of those answers. Though, admittedly, I could easily have Blackled them. What's w/ the eternal flame not being lit?! That sorta contradicts it being "eternal". And I was dragged to a beer...err wine...err alcohol store just like that one in the pictures. I kept imagining what would happen if they just all...fell from the shelves. Knowing me, I'd probably be the one to do it.

[Sarah]

YUMMM
Wow nice pics..but my favorites would have to be of the chocolate and waffle pictures...you did at least try some chocolate right??

[Michelle]

chocolate
I hope you are bringing some good belgian chocolate back to the U.S. for all of us. And.... Sarah, don't eat all of it!! It has to last until grandma comes out in October. Aunt Michelle

[SPMargolin]

History Lesson
Absent the day you studied the War of 1812? Oh Alex. I thought the same regarding the (non) eternal flame; the tour guide indicated wind. Did too, have some fears, that I'd be dragging shelves of souveniers down with me as I had my daypack in toe weaving through narrow spaces. So far so good.

[SPMargolin]

Chocolate
I had some chocolate samples, but I bought the waffle.