Bye Bye Belgium!

Well, after two short days, we've wrapped up the lovely city of Brussels. This place was the mecca of gastronomic experiences; they really do have three food groups of chocolate, waffles, and beer. There were chocolate shops on every block, and we even took a tour (and tasting!) of the chocolate museum. We had lots of Belgium waffles, which were sweet and hot, baked with a sugary crust, and topped with your choices of chocolate, strawberries, bananas, creme fraishe, or even ice cream...it doesn't get any better! Also, we hit up some home-brewed Belgian beers, particularly the fruity Kruk (sour cherry) or Framboise (rasberry). Finally, we partook in the national dinner of "Moules en frites", or Mussels and fries, a strange but delicious combination.

While we were here, we got to check out a number of touristy attractions. Some of the highlights included:

• The Grande Place - an open square surrounded by beautiful Gothic churches, buildings, and shops
• Mannike Pis - Brussel's famous peeing cherub statue. Tiny and cheesy, but hilarious (especially since locals like to dress it in costumes!)
• Le Atominum - A giant model of an iron atom built for the World's Fair. Yes, only we would find a giant atom.

And the best part of the trip - a real European soccer game!!! We scored tickets from a scalper last night for the Belgium vs Portugal game, part of the Euro Cup. Belgium lost 2-1, but since the Portugal fans were way more fun anyway, we just cheered for whatever crowd we were surrounded by!

Anyway, we're headed out pretty early on the train to Amsterdam with 2 of our roommates. We'll talk to you soon!

Alison