[Travel] Brussels, Belgium
Continuing on my small European journey, the next stop: Bruxelles :)
A bit difficult for me to admit but --- I barely knew a thing about Belgium.
Sure, I heard things from people; I knew about Belgian chocolate, waffles, fries, but I didn’t have much of an impression.
In the end, Belgium surprised me the most.
What a beautiful country!
In a way, it also reminded me of Canada. You might be wondering “How in the hell.. Canada is huge, freezing, and on the other side of the ocean” and in wondering that you’re totally right. However looking at the history, I think in some ways it is similar. We were parts of different countries, we have mixed cultures and people, etc.
I also found it so strange that while mostly everyone could speak English, French and Dutch/Flemish were mostly seen. Dutch is Germanic and therefore sounds more like English and has a lot of similarities, but as a Canadian, French is more familiar to me.
Would it be Belgium without dark beer and friends ??
I was so fortunate to meet a couple of new people while staying in Belgium :)
The annual Christmas market just opened too! I’ve always heard of European Christmas markets and they are EVERYTHING. Most stalls selling mulled wine and other homemade-style dishes, light shows, little carny rides, beautiful French people selling delicious cheese ... I could go on forever.
When you live in Asia, you really start to appreciate a beautiful sky. It’s only one in awhile I actually see that dark blue colour the sky makes in Canada.
While in Brussels I went on a chocolate tour held by a local.
If you’re planning on traveling there I TOTALLY recommend it: https://abnb.me/tLzO1BtUAT?s=51
Although I feel like I knew more than the average person when it comes to one of my favourite things on this planet, I learned so much from her and its also a very useful lesson if you’re considering buying Belgian chocolate and not completely sure what brands are known for what.
On the tour you get an overwhelming amount of samples from each store which, you can build a consensus on what you like and what you can afford to buy for souvenirs.
I am a HUGE truffles fan so I naturally fell in love with the store Mary. On the tour, you can learn a long history about the founder, the store and even down to the design on the boxes.
-- Get the champagne truffles, you’ll never have another regret in your life --
If you don’t want to spend a lot of money and need a lot of chocolate to take back from Europe, you can’t go wrong with a hand-full of Milka :)
Europe around Christmas time is really something else.
This city, and the whole country honestly, totally caught me off-guard. I hope I get an opportunity to visit again :)
--Side Note,
There are multiple opportunities for people around the world to work or study in Belgium. I didn’t realize until I went that even for Canadians, we have many visa opportunities to stay in the country longer. My friend who is living in southern Brussels is paying a pretty decent price for an apartment that is very conveniently located and she is living alone. If you’re considering where to do your masters or something, maybe take a look at Belgium?