Hoppin over to Brussels

To mix it up a bit I decided to take a solo trip to Brussels for a few days at the suggestion of my dad, hoping to sample some Belgian beers, chocolates, and waffles. The trip of course was about more than food, but also about finding out what it's like to explore a new city alone, one whose languages (French, Flemish) I know virtually nothing of beyond "merci" and "croissant."

The classic "self-picture" in front of the Cathedral

I learned a few things from my three days in Belgium:
-hotel location can make or break your trip. My hotel was right in the middle of the city, saved me money on transportation and the convenience is priceless. This brings me to my next point...
-walking around all day is damn tiring
-Asian tourists in Europe are almost always assumed to be Japanese...people gave me Japanese menus without asking, and constantly said "konichiwa" (hello) to me.

One corner of the Grand Place, famous city square in Brussels (2 min walk from my hotel)

Brussels is big on comics, and I used to read Tintin when I was younger, which is Belgian, so it was cool to go to the Comic Strip Art Museum and look at the genre's rich history. Other highlights include stumbling across an exhibit of all 8 Faberge Eggs, among other jewels from the collection. The Eggs are unbelievably stunning...words can't describe their allure. After seeing them once I had to go back and look at them again before I left the museum. Also visited the famous Cathedrale St. Michel & Gudule which housed some enormous, intricate stained glass.

"What the smurf!" (this statue from the Comic Strip Art Museum)

Some good quotes from the trip:
-one guy, trying to get me to eat at his restaurant said: "You speak English? We have seafood! Mussels in Brussels....YEA....Jean-Claude Van Damme!"...hilarious, almost got me to eat there.
-From a museum on Belgian Beer, the narrator in a film: "Our beer is always agreeable among friends, and it's a good decision in all circumstances."
-the train conductor: "I apologize for the delay ladies and gentlemen, but we have found an illegal immigrant aboard the train"

You knew I had to get one of these...

Overall Brussels was a good time, although by the time my 8:30pm train departed I was definitely ready to leave. Good city, but the cold and the snow and not being able to speak French was starting to get to me.

Hope everyone has a great New Year's.