I decided to pop into Brussels for a quick day visit on my way from Paris to the Netherlands, purely to eat as much as fucking possible and enjoy some of the best things in life… beer, chocolate and fries. I got lucky with a beautiful, sunshine filled day in their rainy season.

I arrived at 11am, dropped my stuff off at the AirBnb apartment and set off on an adventure. I love how small and easy to walk Brussels is and how the cars actually stop for pedestrians (a first I’ve experience in Europe). I enjoyed the friendliness of the Belgian culture and the cute shops in cobbled alleys.

I took another walking tour as a way to get an overview of the city and met a group of friends from the UK and an Austrian who would become my partners in crime for the rest of the day.

After a quick rest, we met back up for dinner and drinks. The night was closing in and I still hadn’t eaten frites. I went in search of them and found Smile-oke, a karaoke bar. I bought some frites and went back to Delirium to ask my new friends how much they trusted me and if they were down for an adventure… They were in. When 9 white people walk into a small, dimly lit bar full of Vietnamese business men doing lines of coke, you know it promises to be an interesting evening. We started putting our songs in and soon even the patrons were singing in English along with us. I had originally planned for it to be an early night but that never really happens, does it? Things gradually got stranger and we decided to head home, but that didn’t stop the singing… Sarah and I sang All Saints and Cher as we strolled through the main square and in the streets in search of a cab. I got home around 4:30am and enjoyed the 3 hours of sleep I was able to squeeze in before my train left. It was one of my favorite days of this trip. It was nice to be with group that felt like my crew back home… vulgar (in all the best ways), spontaneous and fun… I laughed all day.

Moments in Brussels:
-cramming my way through a huge flea market outside of the train station with two backpacks on
-stopping at Jat, an adorable coffee house where I purchased an ice coffee to sip on while I walked through Brussels Park
-seeing the Manneken Pis, a fountain of small Dutch boy peeing (the Belgian have good senses of humor!)
–Highlights from the Sandemann’s New Brussels Walking Tour: learning about the comic art history and scene including TinTin… hearing the history and culture of Belgium… seeing the Grand Place, Town Hall, Maison du Roi, The Stock Exchange, Galeries Saint Hubert, The Monnaie Opera, St Nicolas’ Church, the River Senne, the The Royal Square and the Mont des Arts

Food Highlights:
-sampling tasty house made truffles from Chocopolis (where I purchased 5 bars that I’ll somehow have to make it through 3 weeks of travel without eating)
-grabbing a warm waffle topped with whipped cream and Nutella (I asked the girl to make her favorite for me, it was a great choice)… thanks for the tip, Adam! I actually had to find a side alley to massacre this waffle, my face and hands were covered in Nutella
-dining with my new friends and having our patience tested as we waited over an hour for Middle Eastern food which was at least tasty (or maybe we were just starving?)… I was able to convince the man to give us free espresso
–frites… deliciously fried twice… with a spicy mayo sauce
–Delirium, a local brewery that has hundreds of beers (I have always loved their brews and was so excited to go there!)

Language Highlights:
-I can’t say I learned even a bit of Dutch or any more French, but I did sing in Vietnamese… that has to count for something, right?

AIRPORTS: 18
FLIGHTS: 18
TRAINS: 12
BUSES: 3
STATES: 7
COUNTRIES: 10
CONTINENTS: 3
DAYS TRAVELING: 135
CURRENCIES: 5