Belgium: Land of more than just waffles

17.10.10


Brussels, Belgium


We have entered our sixth country on this trip, and all I was expecting was piles and heaps and Gogols of waffles. Let me tell you, this was a rather narrow and unrealistic thing to gamble all your money on. If you do ever encounter many metric tonnes of waffles in Belgium stacked higher than any mountain, please tell me so I can reclaim my future son's livelihood. Thank you in advance.


Now, back to Belgium. Indeed, there is much more to it than delicious waffles covered in chocolate, toffee, or nothing at all (I'll admit, we've tried - and loved - a number of these delightful wonders of the dessert world). What I love the most is the ubiquitous bike paths that run parallel to nearly every road, making travel by bike a breeze - and a safe breeze, at that. Perhaps this amazingly sound and simplistic infrastructure is why we saw considerably more bikers on the roads than cars the first two hours this morning.


Aside from the ease of travel by bike and the delightful red color of the bike paths, Sean and I were more than surprised by the dozens of towering spires we encountered traveling through Belgium. Even the small towns that we planned on passing through in a few minutes demanded we stop for a long, steady gawk followed by backing up a hundred feet to try to fit the whole tower in the picture. Once inside these massive churches, the architecture is somewhat similar to those found in England and Ireland but done more in an Eastern European style, smacking of Russia for some reason.


Not to be a Debbie Downer or anything (cue the mournful trumpet), but not everything here is roses and plastic, rose-scented rose figurines. No, not at all. When camping last night, where the temperature dropped to a mere 35 degrees, we found, crawling on the outside of our tent, a small but all-too-real tick. That's right. The War Against the Ticks has begun. No prisoners, no cry, as I always say, which drives Sean absolutely mad for some reason.


Oh, and if you pass by a bakery anytime in the near future, do yourself a favor and stop in, at the very least to be engulfed by the delicious aromas and taken to another world, one filled with only gustatory pleasure and buttery goodness. And try marzipan; you won't be disappointed.

Chow!