Anyway, I come bearing gifts of stories--stories that begin on Thursday, September 12, 2013. I left for Brussels, Belgium to visit a friend, who I actually met in Valencia (if you remember that journey I went on. If not, I encourage you to scroll down the page a little bit and feast your eyes). Of course, the origin of our friendship is perhaps a sketchy one, considering we met at a bar in Valencia; but needless to say, we hit it off, we are friends, and it was one more connection I had enticing me to visit another country. The whole process of getting to Brussels was a little rough here and there. First of all, Elliot, my friend, was supposed to retrieve me from Charleroi Airport in Brussels, but he got into a fender bender and informed me I would have to take the bus to the city (which was an hour away) so I was panicking a little bit, considering I don't speak ANY french. Okay, I'm selling myself short. I can say "Bonjour!" "Merci!" "Parlez vous Anglais?" So on top of not knowing how to get from the airport to Brussels, I had to learn how to maneuver getting from the train station in Madrid to the Madrid Airport. Ah! That's a laugh.
The train ride was nice. I did manage to let EVERYONE on the train know I was a tourist, however, and that was slightly embarrassing. I didn't realize there were assigned seats, so I just plopped down right at this nice seat by the window and had a table and everything. I was all settled in, until this older man started talking to me in Spanish, which I had no idea what he was saying, but everyone else did. It took about a solid 30 seconds for me to understand that I was in his seat. Shortly after I found my seat number on my ticket, but it turns out I was in the wrong car of the train. So I had to lug my bags around asking where my seat was and looking like an absolute fool. I finally came across my seat and prepared myself for the four hour ride to Madrid.
PERTINENT INFORMATION: On the train ride, they for whatever reason found it necessary to play the movie Taken, which for those of you who don't know what it's about, heres the jist of it: a girl gets kidnapped. Dad takes revenge.
I finally arrived to Madrid around 11:00 at night. I was slightly nervous thinking about how I was going to find the metro, but I figured the Spanish are friendly enough and they will surely help me find my way. So I asked someone. He directed me in a certain direction and I followed his instructions, until I realized he was incorrect and there was no metro there. So I asked another person, who instructed me differently. And also incorrectly. So I asked another person, who pointed me in another direction getting me to a spot in Madrid that I was not to very fond of-- especially not at 11:45 at night. A young, vulnerable girl, alone... All I could think about was Taken. I thought for sure "All right. This is where it ends. In Madrid on a random street." Luckily I was able to find a taxi within a couple streets from where I was and swiftly hopped in. I had to pay the guy like 24 Euros, which is around $32.00 just to go about seven miles. It was GREAT!!
My flight didn't take off until 6:30 in the morning, so I got to spend my night in the airport, landing a solid one hour and 45 mins of sleep for the entire night. But it's okay. I made friends from Portugal and England along the way (both of which bought me food and drinks. Golden!)
BRUSSELS:
So I made it to Brussels safe and sound. And what's even better, I found the bus immediately (had to pay 14 Euros though...) and within an hours time, I made it to the city center. And low and behold, Elliot actually did make it to the bus station like he said he would. I have to admit, I was a little nervous that the whole car crash story was some elaborate tale he made up in order to ultimately ditch me. But he didn't. Hooray! He showed me a bit around Brussels on Friday. Saturday and Sunday we had more time to explore.
Truthfully, Brussels is an absolutely amazing city. I'm so happy I met this friend in Valencia, because otherwise, I'm not sure I would have taken the time to travel there. It definitely wasn't in my top cities to visit. But the architecture and the atmosphere are incredible, really. It delivers the classic European feel that you would see in any kind of movie. The cafés on the narrow streets, vines growing on historic, brick buildings, flowers in the windowsill... Not to mention the aroma of the city is to die for. There is a constant scent of Belgian waffles, chocolate and all sorts of yummy food (such as mussels). It's a charming city. So much so that I may go back and visit one day.
In addition, Elliot took me to a bar called Delerium Cafe which has one of the largest selection of beers in the world (maybe the largest?). Probably a bit touristy, but still completely worth it.
And then, I was exposed to another side of Brussels that perhaps most tourists don't venture off to, which was the university side. There were immense amounts of cafes and restaurants that were super trendy and had such a great vibe.
It was difficult to say goodbye to such a fun weekend and come back to work again.
Lastly, if you are ever given the opportunity to visit Brussels, do it. I've always heard it was pretty, but I feel like maybe this city is sold short among all the major cities in Europe. This city is BEAUTIFUL. Make no mistake.
I believe this is all I have to write about at the moment. It may be a while before I update this again.... Gotta earn some money before I travel somewhere again. Kinda broke after this trip.
And yes, I am now taking donations for the "help Sydney travel everywhere" cause.
Missing everyone dearly.
XX
Love the story and the pics. Totes jel! I want to be there
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