Today I woke up around 9, got myself ready and got on a 10:30 train to Brussels, Belgium. Yes. I went to another country and came back in the space of 8 hours. The middle of another country, even. Much like my experience in Paris, the amount of time I had really didn't let me actually do very much, but I did see a lot of things and I can legitimately say I have been to Brussels. I even have 25 euro worth of Belgian chocolate to prove it! And a few train and bus tickets. And some photos.
Before I tell you all about my day in the capital of the EU though, I'd like to discuss something I have learned about myself. I am a very shy tourist when I'm traveling by myself. I want to be completely inconspicuous all the time. I either do this by not looking like a tourist in areas where there aren't a lot of tourists OR by looking completely like a tourist where there are lots. I don't really much enjoy looking like a tourist at any time, since it limits where I am comfortable wandering. Unfortunately for me, speaking the language is part of blending in, so when I'm in a country where I don't speak the language I have to stay where the tourists are regardless of how local I may look. I had this problem to an extreme degree today, where I did not have it yesterday in Delft.
In Delft, while they do mostly speak Dutch, I could avoid talking to anyone and wander about looking normal (with my skinny jeans, cute flats, scarf and side bag I looked plenty Euro) along the quiet streets. I didn't need to go into any restaurants and could just get some frites from a fast food type stall. Easy. Quiet. Inconspicuous.
In Brussels, everyone speaks French and talking to them is somewhat necessary as you're bouncing about from shop to restaurant to tourist attraction and back again. And while they're definitely not snippy about it like the French are (they want you to at least try to say things in French in France, much like Americans are about foreigners speaking English) it's still a pretty large language barrier that it takes a lot of bravery for me to deal with. And that's even with my background in Spanish AND when they all speak English anyway. But, I'm getting ahead of myself, back to the beginning!
I stepped out of Brussels Centraal onto a city street and was promptly baffled. I had half decided on the train that I was going to hop on the nearest touring bus and use that as a way to see the city (because I wasn't sure how walkable, or not, Brussels would be) but the street I stepped out onto had no touring busses. I looked around and walked towards the nearest large looking street and turned the corner to find a bright green double decker bus with a big sign saying "City Sightseeing!" Naturally, according to my plan, I hopped on. A bit steep at 20 Euro, but honestly at the end of the day I saw a lot more on the bus than I would have trying to navigate my own way through the crazy streets of Brussels. Seriously, I did some of that later and nearly got lost a couple times. Anyway, the bus also had a very interesting audio guide that pointed out various buildings and parks along the way from place to place. Conveniently it was also hop-on hop-off, so if there was something I wanted to see closer, all I had to do was get off the bus and I could get back on the next one 20 minutes later.
The first place I got off was, I think, the Palais Royal. (I have to guess because there are about a dozen palaces in central Brussels alone.) I stepped off the bus and walked through the building (which was free!) and saw all manner of royal rooms, portraits and chandeliers. It was like Napolean III's apartments in the Louvre, only Belgian and a whole building. There was a ballroom too! and what was once I think a dining hall of some sort with beautiful paintings on the ceiling, that for some reason the Belgians had decided to use for a science exhibition? They even had a room, a very palatial looking room, with green fabric detailing on the ceiling, filled with Exploratorium type science games. I was very confused. I don't think the Belgians quite get it...
Anyway, some time later I hopped back on the bus for most of the rest of the tour. We went past the Atomium and the Justice Palais (spelled in french on purpose) and the other remains from the 1958 Worlds Fair, the inland harbor and the EU parliament. Along with a bunch of other EU buildings I couldn't name. Eventually we came around to the shopping district (Sablon) and I got off to see the Mannekin Pis (a tiny statue of a boy... well... pissing) and buy my chocolate. Here he is... and me with a dopey face.
So I bought my chocolate and then proceeded to wander about trying to find a place I felt comfortable getting some food/ maybe run into the Tintin museum. I didn't succeed at either really, until I looped back around and went to a place on the same street as the chocolate shop and the Mannekin. That was after I'd bought a Fanta at one place and crossed the same street about 6 times. It was especially hard for me to find a place because it was both an odd time to be eating (about 3:30p) and I was stupid hungry. But, I did find a place, sat down, ordered some spaghetti and ate. I felt much better afterwards, and slowly wandered my way back to the train station. I sort of wish I had actually found Tintin, but it was late and the museum closed at 5 and I knew I probably wouldn't have had enough time in there anyway. It's alright. On my next Europe trip, I will not only have a travel buddy at all times, but I will be spending a night or two in Brussels and will definitely have time to find and see Tintin AND go to mini Europe. This trip just made me familiar with Brussels. I just had enough time to get my bearings, and not really enough time to really be there. But it's really alright, it was a good trip and I know what to do for next time :) I had to mess up at some point on this trip, and if today was it, I've done quite well. I even got chocolate out of it!
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