Mmm... Belgium!

One word to describe Belgium: delicious. They should rename the country Belg-yum. I kid you not. Indulge my exposition of Belgian cuisine...

Frites! They are the literal cause of a heart attack on a plate, or in a paper cone, or however you choose to eat them. I had heard that these babies were to die for, but when I saw them I wasn't so sure.  Personally, I prefer crunchy/salty (a la In-N-Out) to soft/potato-y, and when I was served thick-cut frites I was a little skeptical. One bite into these piping hot, fresh from the fryer taters and I was in heaven! The secret to frites is animal fat. Instead of vegetable or olive oil, Belgians fry their potatoes twice in what is basically lard. Oh, yeah... did I mention they fry them twice? So. Good. Yet. So. Bad! Many Belgians like to put sauces on their frites. I tried tartar and my friend Sean had curry-ketsup, but the list of sauces is pretty extensive. Two servings of frites in a weekend was plenty for me, though.

Waffles! What we have in America doesn't even come close to being as good as true Belgian waffles. Although a pamphlet proclaimed that all waffles taste the same, it was wrong. There are two types of Belgian waffles: the kind you eat in a cafe, and the kind you eat on the street. Both are served with sugar. In the cafe, the waffles are served with powdered sugar on top and are often accompanied with fruits and whipped cream. On the street, for your consuming convenience, the sugar is within the waffle so you don't spill it and all the extra toppings all over yourself. The more toppings on a waffle, the more expensive it is. I had Belgian chocolate on one, powdered sugar on another and Speculoos on a third. Speculoos is a spread that has the consistency and color of peanut butter, but it tastes like sweetened ginger snaps because that is what it's made of: crushed Speculoos cookies. A friend of mine is obsessed with it. It's all right in my book. I must admit that I'm missing peanut butter a bit. There nothing quite like a spoonful of Skippy to bring me back to childhood.

Aside from the food, the trip to Belgium was a lot of fun! I wouldn't say that it's my favorite country, but definitely worth visiting in the long run. After surviving the scariest taxi ride of my life—in which our driver honked, flashed, and sped his way from the airport to the city center—Sean, Nicole and I navigated the metro system to our hostel that was located a distance from the historical city center. We found the place to be busy and full of Spaniards (lisps and all), so we took to the streets to explore the capital of Europe. There aren't too many things to do within the city itself except for walking around to the different landmarks, though the architecture in the historic square at the heart of the city is absolutely amazing and makes up for the lack of activities. Soaring spires and intricate Gothic ornamentation dominate the facades of most civic structures. The heaviness of the decoration weighs down on the buildings with an austerity that is absent in Italy. Surprisingly, my Renaissance Architecture class has taught me to appreciate the uncluttered simplicity that characterizes Italian buildings, and even favor it over the overwhelming Gothic.

We wandered Brussels, munching on the aforementioned frites and waffles until sundown, stopping at the cathedral, royal palace, and famous Manneken Pis. You can't pass any of the tourist or chocolate shops without seeing a model of this little guy (who is only 24 in). The peeing pipsqueak is quite a crowd pleaser for there is a constant herd of tourists at the base of the fountain. Nobody really knows where he originated, but rumor has it that he was made in honor of a little boy who saved the city by putting out a fire with the only weapon he had at hand. I think he's a bit of tongue-in-cheek Belgian humor that no one will ever truly understand.

After a days worth of traveling and aimless wandering, we enjoyed a Thai dinner in a nightlife area of the city before crashing back at the hostel. The next morning we got up early to visit Bruges, a small medieval town near the coast, which is romantically complete with canals and horse-drawn carriages. Bruges was very much a tourist destination, though the frigid rain kept them at bay for most of the day. We went to a chocolate museum to escape from the weather. I learned (among many random facts about the history and making of chocolate) that I prefer dark chocolate with 71% cocoa. Our visit concluded with a chocolate demonstration in French and Dutch and a sample the product the confectioner created. The rest of the day was spent wandering, dodging in an out of stores to get warm, and eating. We headed back to Brussels for a kebab dinner (a near relative to the gyro instead of the American shish-kebab), waffle dessert, and a final visit to Manneken Pis.

We arrive back in Florence Sunday afternoon after an early start and a crowded bus ride to the airport, which was not nearly as life-threatening as that first taxi ride. The week flew by without much event. I submitted my first book review, which should be published soon! This weekend is going to be dedicated to studying for midterms, which begin next week. After that, Budapest! Until then, I promise another update and this one will be more timely!

Ciao for now!