Brusselicious.

Going to a foreign country – from Valladolid – just got easier. While the airport isn’t new to Valladolid, I utilized its location for the first time to go on a long weekend break to Belgium. Being able to sleep in a few more hours in the morning can make all the difference; not having to go to Madrid was the nicest time saver! Just 20 minutes to the airport was all we needed. I’ve never lived so close to an airport… boy, was it nice.

They say first impressions are everything... well, I was an instant fan of Brussels.

This isn't zoomed in. I was actually standing farther back and had to cut some of it off... it was THAT BIG! :)

This was actually the first thing that caught my attention... but, I couldn't stand to bare in mind that Justin was taking a back seat to an outdoor, handy john. But seriously, I've never seen one of these in my life... whyyy!?!

Katie and I arrived to Brussels mid-afternoon. We went to our bed and breakfast and got another nice surprise: a room with two twin beds, a couch, a TV, and a piano! We had our own private bathroom, which was also a nice space. Breakfast was quite nice too, with a good selection of toasts, yoghurts, juice, coffee, and Belgian pancakes! 

And this wasn't even the whole thing... :)

Our beds for a few nights. I wasn't complaining!

We were quite hungry after our journey that we headed straight for dinner. I love non-touristy places, and we found just that when we set off on our first Belgian dining experience. Luckily, our waiter (Nathan) spoke English or it would have been a “point and order” kind of meal. We don’t speak French. We don’t speak Dutch. Those were our two options of languages in Belgium… since it boasts the capital of the EU, many people spoke English as well… 

I told Nathan – “I want something really traditional Belgian…and a sweet, light beer.” Katie told him, “I want something with chicken and a darker beer…” Well, we got just what we were fancying! Seriously, Nathan read our personalities and food preferences to a T. We were so happy with Nathan that when he gave us his number to meet up later in the weekend, we jumped at the chance!  After dinner, we visited the center – to see the Gran Plaz and the Mannequin Pis, a small statue of a little boy peeing… (It’s famous… and about 1 foot tall…) It was here, just beside the Mannequin Pis that I had my first authentic Belgian waffle! Ok, maybe it wasn’t too authentic, as I had it topped off with nutella and bananas, but it was so tasty!

Pure heaven. Mine isn't pictured here because I ate it. haha

Seriously, I'm not sure why he is so famous... it's just a tiny little statue!

Sometimes, he gets dressed up, too! He has worn tons of different costumes!

Belgian chocolates?

Early on Saturday morning, we ventured off to Brugge/Brujas. It’s a smaller town, with nice walking zones and small canals. We had Belgium’s famous mussels and chips for lunch, which were quite good! We entered many chocolate shops to just smell the fantastic aromas, as smelling was less fattening than actually buying the chocolates. (Not sure if you’ve seen, but all we did was eat! Waffles. Mussels. Fries. Chocolates… not to mention the beer, which we had at every meal...what a culinary experience of junk food!)

Main plaza in Brugge.

I was here. These photos never get old for me.

Enjoying the day!

Yes, we have matching boots. Katie had them first. Don't judge us!

Mussels, fries & beer.
Doesn't get much better than this, unless we want to talk about the sauce we dipped them in.

Saturday evening, we returned to Brussels to find the Gran Plaz lit up: GREEN! It was St. Patrick’s Day! To celebrate, we bought our favorite Belgian beers and drank them on the Stock Market steps, just like the locals. We bought them in a shop just near the Stock Market and when we got to the steps, we realized they weren’t twist off tops…. So, we went back to the shop, had them opened and went back to the steps. We took the second beer home (very carefully!) to drink while we relaxed on our sofa in our room. We put our feet up and watched The Hangover that was on the television. After watching the first part in French, we finally figured out how to change the language. Thank goodness. Watching a movie in Spanish is one thing, but French is another… I don’t understand French, so to sum it up: Not fun.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Sunday morning we visited the European Union buildings and stumbled upon the Royal Palace, too! We walked forever to find them, but I was quite happy when we did. To my surprise, I found many “1^st of March” bracelets hanging on the trees! The “1^st of March” bracelets are a typical tradition in Bulgaria, that symbolizes “Spring has arrived!”

The magnificent Royal Palace.

EU Parliament House

European Union Flags!

Health! Luck! Happiness!

Sunday morning we also visited the famous Atomium structure, one of the only things that is still around after the World’s Fair in 1958. We went to the very top and toured the inside of the structure, which is comprised of 9 different spheres connected by tubes you can walk through. From the top, you could overlook the city in the distance – what a view it was! 

Overlooking Brussels.

Looking outside! Mini Europe is just behind - a park with all of Europe's main attractions in miniatures!

The Atonium.

Sunday afternoon was spent in Ghent/Gante, another small town near Brussels. It had a really nice center area, complete with a castle! The canal was much grander here and everyone used bikes for transportation. We wandered onto a street full of graffiti; while we were a bit scared at first that we were going down a scary alley, we soon realized that it was legal for people to make paintings and artworks here. There were several artists painting as we walked through, and when we left, we saw a group of school children making their marks on the wall! Controlled graffiti like this was such a nice thing to look at – I think all cities should have an area set aside for artists so they don’t ruin the main streets and buildings. 

Holy bikes!

Inside the graffiti tunnel.

I can still smell the fresh paint...

Bike Love in Gent.

Ghent, Belgium

Just down from the castle, Ghent.

Great houses!

Looking out, into the canal. (and another bike...)

It just looked so inviting... and super Euro!

A larger plaza in Ghent... we were on the search for a mid-afternoon snack: beer.

It was in Ghent where I had my first authentic, authentic Belgian waffle…. No whipped cream, no strawberries, no nutella, no bananas…. Just waffle and this light caramelized sauce that they cook it in, in the machine. Just the right flavours! Just pure heaven!  (I repeated this experience once more on the trip before I could say that I had had my fill of sweets!)

Can you see the syrupy sauce running down the side of the waffle maker? yummm!

We had enough time Sunday evening to give our new Belgian friend, Nathan, a call to meet up for drinks. We went to a place that has over 2,000 types of beer from all over the world. Nathan did the ordering, so again, we were happy with our drinks! My new favorite type of beer: PEACH! Fruity beers are so tasty! It’s kinda like drinking black vodka – goes down like water because I don’t realize there is alcohol in it! However, the prices were high, so that reminds you it isn’t water. I guess it’s better – easy way to watch your alcoholic intake! (Collection of beer photos from the whole trip, not just the last night!)

Favorite! Lindeman's Peach!

Kriek came in strawberry, cherry and raspberry!

Leffe Blond.

This was actually Katie's beer. I just liked the elephants.

Mystic Raspberry. You forget it's beer!

Barbar honey beer was a refreshing afternoon treat!

Another Lindeman's... mmmmm!

Katie, Nathan and I on our last night at the super famous bar Delirium.

We had to wake up early on Monday morning to catch our flight – just another of the luxuries of flying with Ryanair. Haha (Note, if you fly with Ryanair, it’s better to bring a bag with wheels – this guarantees that it can go in the overhead bin – if you have a backpack, it must go under the seat in front of you… all types of handbags/carry bags. While everyone is allowed one bag under 10kilo, if it doesn’t have wheels, you automatically lose your leg room too. Que discrimination!) 

When it was time to return to Valladolid, it wasn’t a dreaded return.  Unlike normal trips outside of Spain, there is always the dreaded return to Madrid, transfer to the train station, and back to Valladolid. But, flying with Ryanair from Valladolid made everything so much easier! Unfortunately, I’ve been to all the places it goes, (not to toot my own horn) so I don’t think I’ll be utilizing it too much more before my year in Valladolid is over. I did see a transfer/shuttle bus from the airport to Luxembourg for just five euros… I might have to make a trip back Belgium to just get that shuttle bus! It would be fun, wouldn’t it!? Or maybe I could use it’s close proximity to visit Paris or Amsterdam again, just because it’s cheap and easy to get to! 

I have to say I really enjoyed Belgium. I mean, what isn’t there to like… waffles, chocolate, beer… Cheers, to you, Belgium – until the next round!