23 Dec 2011
I awoke today full of nervous energy and excitement. I was leaving for Brussels this afternoon--which I was ridiculously excited for. However, since I speak barely a word of French (and NO Flemish), I was a bit nervous about how I would communicate.
I know that people say that people speak English nearly everywhere, but I like to be able to speak the language of the people in the place that I'm visiting. I feel that I can discover more about other people's culture when I speak to them in their own language. And I feel a little less like an obnoxious tourist...
I arrived in Brussels late in the afternoon after a (thankfully!) uneventful flight. Amazingly, I made it to my hostel without getting lost--possibly a first!
The hostel was absolutely beautiful. It's actually an old house that's been turned into a bed and breakfast. The owner is also incredibly nice. He gave us a little, informal orientation for traveling in Brussels. He asked us what were interested in seeing. I, of course, mentioned my interest in Belgian chocolate! He showed me all the best (and affordable!) places to get real Belgian chocolate.
He was also able to give me recommendations for places to visit that weren't really obvious on the map. He mentioned a tram ride that would take me through a forest to a park/forest outside of Brussels. This sounds interesting so I might do that on Christmas Day when everything is closed.
Since I arrived so late today I didn't really have time to do anything except eat. I went in search of Belgian food with another person staying at my hostel. We ended up having stoemp with sausage and bacon, and I tried my first Belgian beer! Stoemp consists of mashed potatoes/puree of potatoes with some other vegetable mixed in.
After dinner, we returned to the hostel for a good night sleep since tomorrow is going to be busy!
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