A bittersweet good bye yesterday to the city of Paris. It seems just as I begin to adjust to the city that I'm in I change cities and I'm still not sure which causes which. In Paris I discovered my new favorite: escargot, "salted" soy sauce versus "sweet" soy sauce and that in Europe it's not called wi-fi, but rather "wee-fee". Ha! (It's just funny to hear them say it.) One thing I can tell you without a doubt is that the people in Belgium smell a hell of a lot better than the people in Paris did:)
I spoke with Freddy before I left and asked him what countries in Europe would I be welcome in as an American and not feel I had a dirty secret. Between him and his friend, they came up with one: Kosovo!! Are you kidding me?!?! Geez...
I'm really proud of myself. Yesterday, upon my arrival, I hit the ground running. I went straight to the Centre Vincent Van Gogh and checked in, dropped off my pack and began walking the city. As directionally challenged as I am I almost count on getting lost, but yesterday I didn't!!! I got out my map and decide to go to the Botanical Gardens. There I found myself in a garden labyrinth complete with a bar and "wee-fee". Is there anything the Europeans haven't thought of?! I figured it was about time for dinner after that and mussels in Brussels couldn't be better!!! (I say "I figured it was time for dinner" because this is the season of Northern lights so it gets dark much later. Many of the pictures I've taken so far have been taken after 9pm, but you would never know it based on the amount of light in the photo.) I had remembered how amazing the mussels were last time I was here and I was ready for an encore. I walked from the Botanical Gardens past Grand Place to Rue de Bouchers where the air smells of lobster and butter. I had mussels that melted in my mouth and made sure to take a picture to share:) I ate one before I took the pic because it didn't even look real!!! I had one of the 500 different beers brewed here and then left to go walking around. I had read about a place called Havana that had djs spinning everything from techno to salsa and that on the weekends they have live music. They hadn't opened yet when I got there so I popped into a little restaurant owned by a husband and wife a few doors down. They were the cutest! I had the greatest time talking with them, watching Nadine run around the cafe like it was her kitchen at home with their dog close at her heels wielding his pacifier. (Apparently he is a puppy and "training his teeth" as they put it.)
Today I leave for Amsterdam. I'll tell you about that someday when you're a little older...Ha!! I'm kidding:) I'll be in touch.
Somethings I've learned since I've been here: to make the conversion from pounds to dollars double the number. For conversion in euros add half again as much. From celsius to fahrenheit double the number and add 30:) Remember, "coffee" in Europe is espresso! And the barely legal kind that has you grinding your teeth for hours!!! I'm convinced that the majority of the population is either drunk or spun out on caffeine.
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