Day 13

Arrived in Brussels! It was a great train ride, I actually started talking to a group of three other backpackers from Sherbrooke, Quebec. They are super nice and the good news is one of the girls is heading to Paris from Monday to Thursday which is the same time as me. So if all goes well I will have a French speaking friend in France which makes life easier for a few days.

Brussels, is well, it's okay. It is not as pretty as I pictured it, it seems more grey and dim and not as happy as Bruges. I walked around the square and main streets with all the shops and big old buildings for a while and on my way home came across a weird demonstration. There was around 150 people with chalk on the ground writing their names on the main strip with a few camera crews around. Then a siren went off and everyone jumped up and walked away. Unfortunately I arrived just in time for the last bit and couldn't catch any video of it. I have heard that Brussels is a big spot for protests and demonstrations and in fact many of the locals didn't seem too impressed by it.

The good thing about Brussels is how many waffle kiosks they have. I grabbed one for a snack today and it was the best 1,70 Euro I have ever spent! Fresh, hot and right off the grill, dare I say it? Yes it does come close to beating the strawberry shortcake from La Felicita back home.

Tomorrow is Sunday which means most stores are closed in Belgium so I will have to make due with markets for the day, which is fine by me. I will be going over my French tonight so I can bargain and get the best deals. See mom, I have learned from all the garage sales we have been to in the past!