Day one in Brussels: We have to first wake up at 2 in the morning to catch a 3 am bus to catch another 4 am bus to get to the airport by 5 to catch a plane by 7, and somehow we were able to do this without a hitch. Once we got to Brussels, we walked to our hostel and checked in and then went on a walking tour of the city. It was very lovely and there were so many buildings guilded with gold!
The tour guide was hilarious, telling us about a sculpture that is said to bring good luck if you touch it and his words were, "I have touched it a bunch, and my luck hasn't changed, but if you want to touch it feel free, but instead of luck you may get a disease because I have never seen anyone clean it." Needless to say we skipped that part.
After the tour, we got frites! Something Belgium is known for, its fries:) They double fry them and some of the places do it in beef fat, sounds gross but don't knock it till you try it. From there we went right to a waffle house and got dark chocolate covered Belgium waffles....best thing I ever had! After walking around a bit more and going back to the hostel to rest for a bit, we had dinner at a Thai restaurant which was random, but something I was weirdly craving so I was happy, also chicken was a nice change from all the carbs I had been eating.
So close yet so far....
After lunch, we walked, or I should say trekked, all the way out to the Brussels Basilica pictured above. It was stunning and so beautiful. Thank goodness it was sunny because as soon as we finally made it there, we sat on the steps for a long time before heading back into the city. My feet still hurt from thinking about that walk. It was also fun, because there were lots of dogs, and in London people do not like when you pet their dogs, but people in Brussels don't mind, so we played with any dog that came up to us.
We then made our way to the famous Delirium cafe and tried some of the Belgium beers, which were so good! I had the Delirium cherry beer to start. After, I was still full from my waffle for lunch, so naturally I went straight to dessert and got a Belgium waffle with speculoos gelato, speculoos melted on top, and a biscuit for garnish.....I think my stomach died and went to heaven, because that was amazing!
Day three, Brussels to Amsterdam: We had to get up early and make out way to the train station to go from Brussels to Amsterdam. We got there plenty early and sat down to get Starbucks. While relaxing in there, we all realized we were at the wrong train station! So quickly we found a train going to the one we needed, bought the tickets (which thank goodness were very cheap), and made our way there. After arriving there, we found our correct train and just made it on there with 2 minutes to spare. It was a miracle! Then we all found out we were seated in different cars. We all went to our different cars, but I decided to go find one of my friends and try and sit with them. As I did, the conductor came over and asked if I was with a group, and when I said yes, she let us sit in the back car, made for 16 people, and there was only 5 of us, so we had a lot of room to lay down and sleep. It was actually really awesome after a long stressful morning.
We finally made it to Amsterdam, checked out stuff into the hostel and made our way to the walking tour where we met up with our roommate who came from Denmark! We learned all about the red light district, "coffeeshop" business in Amsterdam (where they sell weed, which feels weird saying but it is completely legal there, so we think, but it is weird because it is actually not legal there, but they have such a tolerance, that the shops were named coffeeshop and as long as they follow code, no one gets in trouble), and the actual culture of the city.
Amsterdam is beautiful, with bikes everywhere, canals, and so many beautiful houses. The houses are on the canal, so they had to be built above it, which meant they needed a foundation, so they were built on tree stumps, but some of the stumps rotted, making the houses tilt onto one another so Amsterdam looks a bit crooked at time. Some of the houses are also built leaning forward, because they are so narrow, that to get big things like couches upstairs, they use a pulley system outside the house, and to ensure it doesn't hit the building, they leaned it more forward. This is done instead of just elongating the pulley system, but hey, whatever works. The roads were weird, because most of the time you couldn't tell if you were actually on a road, bike path, or walking lane, its easier to understand that if you have been there. But believe me, I got honked and bike belled at enough to last me a lifetime.
But after the tour we walked around the city and had a good afternoon exploring, getting dinner, and ending our night with a walk through the red light district, and that is about all I will tell you about that part....but its not as dirty as people make it out to be, and it is a completely normal way of life for these people, so it is more respected and protected, and that change of view was quite refreshing to learn about.
Day four, last day traveling: If you made it this far through my blog, thank you! And last day of traveling I promise:) We got up early today to go stand in line for the Anne Frank House. We waited in line a little over an hour in the rain, but it was all worth going in and being able to read this young girls amazing story, and all the people in her life. Their hiding place during the War was so amazingly thought out, and the people who helped keep them safe were truly amazing for all they risked to do so. If you have not read up on Anne Frank I suggest you do so, because not only was that a very humbling experience, but it makes you really think about all you should be thankful for in life. From there, we grabbed lunch at a dutch pancake house, basically a thin crepe. I got mine with chocolate sauce, bananas, and whip cream. They kill you at the end, because each topping is extra, although none of us knew it so we all paid more then expected, but it was still yummy.
After lunch, a few of us went to the flower market and walked down those canals for a bit, before making our way to the Van Gogh Museum. It was amazing to see how in his last days, when Van Gogh starting going out of his mind, he was still able to create 75 paintings in just 70 days, and all of which are stunning. His works were amazing, and he has and continues to inspire so many artists.
Finally our day was done, and we made our way back to the hostel, checked out and headed for the train station. We caught the first train to the airport and easily got to our flight. Once we landed, we had to catch a bus, but our flight was delayed 40 minutes, so we missed our bus time, and the driver of the next bus would not let us get on unless we paid again, so we took a train to London city center instead and caught the last tube back to our flat. I have never been so happy to see my flat. It was weird how at home and comfortable I felt once we got on the tube in London, because it has become such a lifestyle for me here.
After many days of running around I am happy to be back, but am also looking forward to my next adventure:)
No comments:
Post a Comment