Pee, waffle, and a flag.

Pee, waffle, and a flag.
Originally uploaded by klheckert

October 12- Dublin to Brussels

We flew from Dublin to Brussels via Aer Lingus, which had the same sales strategy as Ryan air- pretty funny to see, and wonder if all European airlines do this or if it is just the discount flights? The flight was okay, though we were delayed about an hour after we were onboard because of some problem with the water pressure on board- they expected it to take 2-3 minutes to fix....60 minutes later we took off! But, we got there safely, so can't really complain. Matt was a little extra miserable on the flight though, as he has gotten a mild cold- the pressure changes on the sinuses are never fun when you are congested. But he's hanging tough and doesn't seem to be very impacted overall.

When we were at last in central Brussels, after taking a quick train from the airport, it was already pushing 10:00 PM- and thinking the last check-in at the already paid for hostel was 10:30, we were on the fly out of the train station. With no map. And no real directions to where we needed to be, other than knowing it was south and behind a mall. But, taking a guess that South from the North train station must be toward the "center" sign (all in German and French), we headed out into the night. And miraculously stumbled upon the mall we were trying to find within 15 minutes of walking blindly south. And happend to immediately take the right turn to find the "back" of the mall, arriving in a panic at the hostel as it was pushing 10:30. Finding it, we hurried inside- where we learned that check in was 24 hours. :) In any case, once again, blind luck and a little bit of information coaligned to get us where we needed to be!

We then set out to find dinner, and stumbled upon a bar that was still serving dinner (now post 11 PM), but only Spaghetti.(As it happened, this bar was called The Raven- a callback to a DC haunt.) Just happy to have found somewhere open, we ordered 2 bowls, and were shocked when they came out- the two biggest bowls of spaghetti either of us have ever seen! As hungry as we were, only made it through about 1/2 of either (though it was very good).

We then headed back to the hostel, which was not too bad- in room sink, and 2 beds each built into the wall (like a dorm).

Oct 13: Brussels to Brugge
We wandered around Brussels for a few hours, including seeing the Mannequin Pis (a small statue of a peeing boy), which is the biggest "tourist attraction" in Brussels (funny for a city of over a million people). As you will see in the photos, quite a large tourist industry has captured its popularity, and there are replicas all over, in all sizes. the only real disappointment is that the little boy was not in costume today- generally he wears different costumes changed frequently, but I suppose the upside is we saw him as intended originally :)

We also went to the Belgium Beer Museum, which is in the middle of Grand Place (the big square with beautiful buildings from late 1600s). This was pretty interesting, as it covered a variety of beers that are made only in Belgium, including Gueuze, Lambic and Kriek, which all use spontaneous fermentation (much like American sourdough). We also learned that there are actually only 6 Trappist monestarys in the world, 5 of which are here in Belgium (though there are many more "abby beers", which are just generally associated with churches and not brewed by the actual monks themselves). It was good fun, and ended with a included beer. I had the Kriek, which tasted quite a bit like American cough syrup... but hey, it's traditional!

We then caught a train to Brugge, which we are in now- doing laundry, drinking a beer, and updating this blog in the hostel all at the same time- quite productive :) Haven't seen the city at all yet, but have all day tomorrow and it is quite small, plus we will venture out after the much needed laundry finishes!

Some random thoughts for you:
-Regardless of the bad Kriek, the other Belgium beers we have had are quite good. Love the Whitbeer (White Beer- eg, Leffe Blonde, which many of you have had in the US).
-We lost another hour, so now we are 7 hours ahead of DC.
-On the way to the airport in Dublin, we met Andy's Irish twin- very similar hilarious sense of humor, kept doing goofy voices from all over the world, and never shut up for one second of the ride :)
-Matt shaved his travel beard. He no longer looks like a hobo. Back to 17 year old instead.
-One funny contrast that is already nice about Belgium compared to UK or Ireland, the sinks here seem to all have adjustable temperatures- I am sure this relates more than anything to the age the faucets were installed (or reinstalled), but its nice to be able to wash your hands again without either scalding them (so hot the mirror immediately fogs up) or freezing them. Another random note about the plumbing, because I know it is your top topic of interest, all the toilets have dual flushing modes- big and small. Nice way to save water, and something I've only seen once in the US (at a friend's house that was very recently built in DC). Wonder if this will catch on?
-People in Brussels drink beer while doing their morning (okay, 11:30) crosswords! Love it.
-it's getting cold here.
-Have been enjoying more international food- had shwarma for lunch, and the best waffle ever for breakfast from a street vendor. The waffle was very sweet, with sugar inside somehow, so you didn't need syrup or anything additional and could easily eat it while walking down the street. (We took a couple photos of tourist waffles covered in toppings but didn't try one...yet).
-This is the first time I have ever been unable to read anything on a menu. A bit intimidating...luckily many of them have photos so you can sort of point and smile. The waiters are used to tourists, so even if they don't speak any English and you speak no French or German, you can end up with something yummy!

Laundry is calling, and dinner soon- hopefully cute photos of Brugge tomorrow!