All the Keys Are in the Wrong Places!!

This particular post is probably going to take me forever to write because several of the keys are in different spots from what I'm used to... Nothing important, just A, M, etc... Oh well.

Yesterday I was up and out of my hostel by 10. I hiked up to the train station (in the rain) and caught the first train to Brussels. The train left a little before 11 and took about three hours so I was there by 2ish. Brussels is a very difficult city to navigate; it's divided into two parts: upper town and lower town. Not by North and South, but literally because one part of the city is higher than the other. Both today and yesterday have been very gloomy; though it had stopped raining by the time I got to Brussels, I haven't seen the sun since Wednesday. That, coupled with the fact that lower town (where my hostel is) has no consistent street design made finding my hostel rather difficult. Still, I found it, and was in and unpacked by around 330 or so. I took a walk around for awhile just to try and get a feel for the area. I did get a good sense of the area around my hostel, but it took a couple more hours of wandering today to really get a feel for the city. None of the streets are pointed exactly in one direction (north, south, etc.) and I had to constantly remind myself of what direction I was traveling so that I didn't get lost today. I didn't get lost today, though. Also while I was out last night I tried a kebap, which was really good.

Today I was up by 8 something and out by 10. Since Brussels is a relatively compact city, I went everywhere on foot. This had the dual benefit of getting me exercise while letting me see much more of the city. I saw Le Grand Place, where the town hall is and where the trade guilds are. I had a Belgian waffle and some coffee while I was there (SO good). There was also a little museum there for 2€, and I went there too. I also went to the Parc du Cinquantnaire, which had a museum (I didn't go to that one) and a magnificent arch, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Belgian independance. I spent a couple of hours in an art museum, which was right across from the royal palace (which looked an awful lot like Buckingham palace). Also there was the Cathedrale Sts-Michel et Gudule, which was nearly as impressive as Westminster Abbey, and the Bibliotheque Royale de Belgique (the royal library of belgium). That was kinda cool; I spent some time in the map room where I found a book that showed a bunch of maps of America from the 16th century to 1856... Actually, I found that fascinating.

I've never before seen such an obvious melding of different cultures. There are two different national languages: French and Dutch. Also, because Brussels is sort of the capital of Europe (the European Union is centered here - did you know that? Oh yeah and I saw that too) there is always a mix of different people here. Though the streets are often not in any order whatsoever, the city has a certain charm about it, even in the gloom. The houses and are reminiscint of days gone by, but modern cars and people roam about. All of the streets have their names in two languages, and there is an eclectic mix of western restaurants and hotels right in with traditional bars and restaurants. I like this place.

I just ran into a burger joint to get some dinner, and now I'm off to a bar that someone recommended to try a couple Belgium beers. Don't worry it's only a block away from my hostel so I won't get lost. Tomorrow I go to Amsterdam (I booked that hostel in advance), and on monday I'll be on my way to Germany. Sorry this post isn't very long; it took 40 minutes (an exasperatingly long time for me) and I'm almost out of time.

Also,
Red Guy... yeah that doesn't help at all.
Mandy - I probably will not be able to afford coffee or chocolate for you. Sorry!

I'll post here again on either Sunday or Monday, it depends on how things go in Amsterdam.

-Swag