The Best Bed, Waffles, and TV

Belgium is Tom's favorite so far. We took a 2 hour train from Paris to Brussels and arrived just after noon. It was raining, so we took a taxi to the hotel instead of our usual subway or walking. We are staying at a Marriott, as soon as we got to the room Tom said, "These are the best beds, Ever!", as soon as he turned on the TV, he said, "YES, seven channels in English!". His next sentence was, "OK, where are we going to get waffles ?" (When we got to a waffle stand-there are several, he changed his mind). The hotel definitely caters to American guests and even has a New York Style Steakhouse. Tom still had a Club Sandwich.

Brussels is by far the most old-style European city we have visited. Tom said he likes it the most because it is the least like New York. It is relatively small, with lots of winding, cobblestone roads. There are cafes, markets, etc. all outside, and lots of chocolate shops. The Grand Place, town center, is amazing. We visited the Church of Saint Nicholas, and the Royal Palace- just as good, maybe better than Buckingham Palace.

We took a short detour to the Post Office, this was not the highlight of our day. The Brussels postal workers set new standards in slow/inept service. Not just as an American, everyone in line was upset at the workers. It was slow, by any Caribbean, European, 3rd World, or Linda at the Acme standard. Tom survived by eating his small stock of chocolate (shaped like the statue described below) which we had purchased.

Another highlight of Brussels is the Mannekin Pis, a statue of a little boy going to the bathroom. He has over 650 outfits, and his likeness is on every postcard, and souvenir in Town.

More than likely, we are in for the night now. We have an 8am train to Cologne, Germany where Tom is looking forward to buying a big, German Beer Stein with a flip up lid.

Tot Ziens (See You Soon in Dutch)