Belgium October 28-29th

I think, so far, this was my favorite side trip. There was (thankfully) no trouble with any strikes, so we were able to leave on time. We (Sutton, Brittany, Allyson and I) did have trouble with the metro. We waited for a half hour flat, but line 10, for some reason, was not functioning, so finally we left and took the bus instead to connect with line 4 to get to Gare de l’Est. We got there in time, but it sure was cutting it close. Everyone was getting on the train when we finally arrived. Seriously, no joke, we were sprinting whenever we weren’t on the bus or metro. I’m so glad we made it, though, because this really was my favorite trip.

Bruges is a charming little town with barely any tourists. I don’t know why more people don’t go there, but I’m actually kinda glad they don’t. It’s more intimate that way, you know? When we got there, Madame took us on a bus that cost us one euro per person which took us to the city square. From there, Madame set us loose to have some lunch, and me and a group of people did a little window shopping (I bought a nativity set and a scarf that did wonders for the cold) and then we found a nice little restaurant , we did a water boat tour, Church of Our Lady with Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child (it was very beautiful), went to a museum across from it.

Brussels, in my opinion, was less… impressive. It just felt like another Big City to me, and I had rather enjoyed the small town feel Bruges had offered. We went to the Magritte museum, which had art that referenced specifically to art in Belgium. It was interesting, but I spent the bulk of my time with Alexi and Spencer, “critiquing” a photo of an artist who resembled Père Noël. There was also a huge globe made entirely out of beetles. Gross.

Oh, and I saw the Mannequin Pis. It was tiny. And it peed. He. Whatever. How on earth did that little statue get to be so famous? One thing I’ll say about this little fellow: somebody kidnapped him once, but he was recovered, and now they have a security camera up and running to deter anyone who might try to steal him. I think that’s pretty hilarious.

I bought a lot of lace, here, but unfortunately, it is all lost. Lost! Because I accidentally left it on the train, and here people aren’t as honest, so if you lose something, you’ve lost it. I went to the lost and found several times, and they don’t have it. Somebody’s enjoying free lace, I tell you. It sucks. It was awfully beautiful, too. At least I still have my lace tablecloth.