Since it's Christmas Eve, all of the museums and shops are closing early. So I wanted to make sure that I got to see all the museums I was looking forward to visiting!
We started by walking toward the Palais Royale. Near the Palais Royale, there is an archaeological site with the ruins of a previous palace--called Coudenberg.
Coudenberg was really interesting. I could see where different parts of the palace had been built over.
Later, we went to the Cathedral of Saint Michael since it was nearby. The cathedral had an interesting exhibit of nativity scenes made by members of the community. There were nativity scenes made by Japanese people, Solvakians, Albanians, Spaniards, etc. I enjoyed looking at the scenes and observing how they were different and how that reflected the culture of the people who made it.
Then, it was well past lunchtime, and I was starving! We found a nice restaurant where I had another typical Belgian meal. I even "ordered" in French. The friend I made at my hostel coached me on how to order in French (and later how to ask for the bill). As I practice, I was able to say everything--almost--perfectly. However, when the waiter came, I got tongue-tied. (Stupid Affective Filter!)
I ordered vol-aux-vant--which is basically a pastry bowl that is covered in a creamy sauce with chicken and mushrooms. I also tried a blanche aux cerises--which is a white beer with cherry flavoring. It turned out to be really good--the cherry flavoring wasn't too strong and neither was the beer.
However, I had the good fortune to run into someone else from my hostel! What a small world! Considering that I only know a handful of people in Brussels, what are the odds that we'd both be in the same museum, in the same exhibit, at the same time?
After the museum closed, we decided to go see the European Parliament building--since it was nearby. Given the current situation in Europe, it was interesting to see the place where people meet to decide the future for a continent.
Then, I made a quick buy at the supermarket for a Christmas dinner being held at the hostel. The hostel owner was gracious enough to host a Christmas meal for anyone who was interested. He made the main dish and just asked that we each bring a dish from our respective countries and a bottle of wine.
Since I didn't have any time to cook anything, I bought a typical Belgian Christmas dessert--a cake in the shape of a Yule log!
Christmas dinner was beyond anything that I could have hoped for--especially for my first Christmas away from home. The people that I was fortunate enough to meet were amazing! I met travelers from all over the globe. Everyone had interesting stories to tell of the places they traveled to and their plans for the future.
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