Belgium

I almost didn't go to Brussels. Once again lured in by outrageously cheap flights on Ryan Air I found myself at the Pisa airport last Friday, making it the ninth consecutive weekend traveled.

After battling a sinus infection all week, I woke up after Thanksgiving exhausted, frustrated and completely unorganized. After literally sprinting down the street to get my boarding passes printed in time I tore apart my room in a unsuccessful attempt to find my earbuds. With the clock ticking I abandoned the search and made my way to the travel agency I usually get my train tickets from to see if I could even make it to Pisa in time.

I did.

After landing in freezing cold Charleroi I found the city shuttle bus that would take me to the Midi station in Brussels. After a 45-minute ride I found myself cold, confused and in desperate need of a ladies room. After running all over the hell like a crazy lady the fine people at the Hagen-Daz pointed me in the right direction. I finally found the CO-ED bathroom (yikes) and for .50 euro I managed not to pee my pants. Thank goodness.

I took a cab to the Le Meridian, which my kind and loving mother and generously booked for me with her Starwood points. After checking in I tested the comfort of my king sized bed and the speed of the internet. Later I went out to find myself a waffle and some Subway. (Eat Fresh!)

Not sure what the name is. Not my Palace. Not my Problem.

After way too many cups of tea I tossed and turned practically all night, which is why I ended up bagging my side trip to Amsterdam. I decided that fours hours on a train plus the inevitable dent in my wallet wasn't worth the few hours I would get to spend in the city. I will just have to check out Anne Frank's house and the Red Light district later in life.

After sleeping in 'til 9:30 I finally got moving and bundled up for some sightseeing in Brussels. With the help of my handy map that I snagged at the Charleroi airport I wandered the streets stopping at whatever caught my eye. I was very excited to stumble upon a Christmas fair, but then I was less than impressed with the wares being peddled in the little wooden booths. After a ham and cheese crepe and a styrafoam cup of hot wine I was ready to move on.

I found all sorts of overpriced chocolate shops, a beautiful cathedral and lots of statues of little boys gleefully taking a leak. Fianlly I came across the original which was swarming with Asian tourists armed with digital camera and peace signs.

For a mere 250 euro one of them can be yours!

The original. Not sure what all the fuss was about?

I made my way up to a park that was truthfully nothing special but I managed to get someone to take a picture of me. After that I succumbed to the cold and walked back to my hotel to warm up, watch a movie (The Blind Side) and then call it an early night complete with room service.





The next morning I was up early. I checked out of the hotel and took a train from the Central station to the Midi station where I boarded my bus and headed back to Charleroi. After securing a seat in the exit row I inflated my neck pillow, put on my headphones (which I found in my laptop case) and fell asleep to the soothing beats of my "Mellow Mix" playlist.