Richard and Daniele are on the homestretch of their trip, out of Spain and in Belgium for a quick stop before Amsterdam.
I've been sending them tips for each stop and I've been surprised by two things.
One,
Madrid is more interesting than I remembered. True, I only spent two nights and an afternoon in Madrid before and after 8 days volunteering near Salamanca, so that contributed to my idea of Madrid as nothing special. Although Barcelona gets more attention, it's getting so much tourist attention which has made Barcelona more expensive with more of a touristic feel. I loved my visit in 2008, but there have been many changes. However, Madrid has kept the spirit of a city. Barcelona is fun for a visit, Madrid is somewhere you could live.
Two,
Brussels is underrated. I've heard that Brussels is not very interesting, but from what I've been reading it seems like a fun visit. Daniele confirmed this. Yes, the weather is temperamental, but the city itself is quirky. For anyone who loves food and beer, Brussels is a paradise. With a mix of French and Flemish, the food is more approachable than in Paris, and just as interesting.
The place they are staying is
Place St. Gery, this was the historic center of Brussels, a tiny island that has now been converted into part of the mainland. Looking at it, you would never guess it was once detached from the rest of Brussels.
They took a day trip to
Bruges and at my suggestion stopped by the
Beer Wall. From their half tipsy emails, I'm sure they enjoyed their beer flights.
Also in Bruges is
Chocolate Line. I've been craving the odd chocolate creations of
Dominique Persoone ever since I read about them. His notable creations include wasabi, tequila, curry, tobacco, sake, and fried onions.
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| Via Wikipedia |
As for Brussels, there are so many places that there is no way their day and a half could cover it all.
Their first meal was at the highly recommended
Le Fin De Siecle, a two minute walk from their apartment. They loved the food even if they didn't get the
carbonnade (typical Flemmish beef stew cooked with beer and mustard) or the ham thigh covered in mustard sauce. But they will get their chance at their other food stops,
Nuetnigenough (famed for their veal meatballs) and
Het Goudblommeke in Papier (billed as the oldest pub in Brussels).
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The next recommendations are 100% touristic fun!
Poechenellekelder is a puppet themed bar next to Manneken Pis. Yes, a bar full of those creepy puppets from your nightmares.
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The other tourist stop is Delirium Cafe. Pink elephants, 99% chance of being surrounded by only tourist, and the Guinness World Record holder for the most beers offered. Yeah, that Delirium Cafe.
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For chocolates, the three brands I asked for are
Leonidas (everyday type of pralines, great quality price ratio),
Neuhaus (credited for creating pralines), and
Marcolini (over the top expensive and creative works of art). Earlier they stopped by the supermarket to pick up a few bars of chocolate before getting the pralines. Even average Belgian chocolate beats out American chocolate any day. While on a trip to Salzburg and Munich, we discovered supermarkets are great places to pick up chocolates without the hefty tourist mark up. Some of my favorite chocolates were from a German grocery store packaged under their own generic brand.
For waffles, there are two styles, Brussels and Liege. Brussels style waffles are lighter in texture and can usually be recognized by their square shape.
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Liege waffles are more dense with crystallized sugar pieces inside the batter.They can be recognized by their uneven shape. I've only tried Liege style between the two, and I found the Liege waffles to be too sweet, but then again this was in Seattle and who knows how authentic it was!
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This is only a small amount of the yummy food to be had in Brussels. I haven't even touched on frites or mueles!
Who knew, so much delicious food existed in such a small area! Belgium is now high on my "must visit" list, if for nothing else but to try this beer and get this glass!
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| Poirot!!! |
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