Pretending to be Parisian for a few months...: the happiest place on earth

It's BRUSSELS! Who would have thought that Brussels, low on my list of cities to see in Europe, could have turned out to be so wonderful? I really loved the people and the food - everyone was so generous and friendly and didn't point out that I wasn't Parisian, and tasting a real Belgian waffle comes close to touching the divine.

We arrived on Friday evening, picked up by Natalie's family friend Henri. Though we were supposed to stay at his place, there wasn't enough room, so he put us up in a four-star hotel in the middle of Brussels. Not a bad introduction to a city, especially for four broke college students. We then went to the bar/cafe next door, and though they weren't technically serving food anymore, they heated up some homemade lobster bisque for us and let us sit for as long as we wanted. Natalie said we had to drink Belgian beer, so we tried all sorts of varieties (as long as they were light and/or fruity. yum!).

Saturday, we saw all the touristy sites - the Grand Place and the Little Peeing Boy Fountain (?), then went out to dinner and a movie with Henri. (You might be asking - why a movie? Well, the movie theater we went to was in itself a national landmark - IMAX-size screens, right next to this huge public art piece of an oxygen atom that lights up at night. Also, we were too tired to do anything else). We saw National Treasure: Book of Secrets, which warmed our little America-deprived hearts and souls. Unfortunately, Henri also bought us about two pounds of candy - totally unnecessary, but so fun.

Sunday, we ate at Le Pain Quotidien - incredibly good breakfast, and wandered around some more with Henri. Unfortunately everything is closed on Sundays, so when we finally got on the train that evening, we felt ready to go back to the busy streets of Paris, where, if anything, there's too much to do. I'm also glad I left when I did - another week and I would've gained 50 pounds. The waffles would have been worth it, though - they're shaped sort of like "Belgian waffes" that you get at any old breakfast place, but they're doughier and sweeter, sometimes dipped in a little caramel or chocolate, delicious enough on its own.

Oh yes, and did I mention Belgian chocolate? I wanted to buy some for people at home, but I was worried that it would go bad by the time it got there.

Pictures!