Here are my reflections on Brussels:

Is this possibly the junk food capital of Europe? Over 800 beers brewed and bottled in a country of 10 million, and very few of them, I believe, are crap. It’s famous for moules/frites, but on the average day, people forgo the mussels and just eat very large paper cones filled with fries smeared with mayonnaise. It’s also famous for waffles, but here they’re thicker and more like sweet bread than pancakes. Of course, they’ll cover them in ice cream or chocolate for you. And let’s not forget the chocolate…total heaven. Who’s to say Americans are the only ones who eat poorly?

It’s possible to walk absolutely everywhere in Brussels, and it seemed positively impossible to get lost. I had a tiny map in the back of my guidebook, and there were only about four streets that were labeled. I’d be walking along, looking for a specific road or landmark, and I’d think I was completely lost and off track. Just at the point where I felt I needed to ask directions or hop in a cab, the place I was looking for would appear before me. Amazing.

People in Brussels couldn’t have been nicer. In two and a half days here, I’ve had more conversations with people I don’t know than I have had in five months in Paris. Also, everyone is at least tri-lingual, and I mean perfectly so. Wow.

All in all, despite a rainy Monday before I headed back to Paris, it was a great trip. I wish I had more time to travel, but then again, I’m here to cook…