The first weekend

Steve and I had a great first weekend together in Brussels. We wondered the city and checked out a couple of different neighborhoods. We also enjoyed some of the great food and drinks that Brussels is known for.  One of the neighborhoods that we went to is called Sablon. Like most of Brussels the buildings were tall and narrow and had a lot of character. The sidewalks are mostly cobblestone, which is why I invested in flats shoes before coming here. Between the cobblestone and the hills, heels were out of the question.

MMM warm sugary glaze

Who needs an ice cream truck when you can get warm waffles

Food is a big part of the culture here. Instead of ice cream trucks you see a lot of waffle trucks. You can find them in high traffic shopping or eating areas and the waffles are delicious. The "simple" waffles are warm and they have this sugary glaze in the middle of the waffle that oozes out the sides and covers the waffle. It is the perfect snack as you're walking around and shopping.

I also love the "fritories" these places that makes the somewhat famous fries (the Belgiums claim that the French stole the fries from them and French fries should be called Belgium fries). The fries are so good and hot and fresh The smell draws you in especially when it's colder out. For those of you from Minnesota you know that big fry place at the state fair? And how you can smell it a mile away? Its like that but even better.

In Brussels people like to eat mayonnaise with their fries. My friend Sonya introduced that to me before I left Minnesota. She said it was a Minnesota thing but I guess it's a Belgium thing too. The downfall is that you pay for sauces like mayo or even ketchup. So Sonya if your reading this, we probably had $2 worth of mayo that day.


Of course you wash down Belgium fries with the world famous Belgium beer. Most of the bars around the major fritories have these signs that say frites welcome, so you can bring your big cone of fries into the bar with you. We are jumping wholeheartedly into the beer and frites combo. Especially the beer part. Steve finds a new favorite daily (well maybe not daily) and I found a type that tastes like cherry coke. It makes it easy to drink, but maybe too easy. Only after my face was bright red from cherry coke beer did Steve tell me that Belgium beers are stronger than most. Good thing I had a long walk home and a belly full of frites.