It's a pretty obvious statement that every European country has a very unique culture, or soul. Saying France is like Germany is like comparing New York to Texas. So far, one of the things I've most enjoyed about my trip has been discovering the unique soul of that place... so of course this was the first thought on my mind as I landed in Brussels.
The thing is though, after an afternoon of wandering around this town I think I've decided something. While Spain is so very Spanish, & France is rather disgustingly French, Belgium is... European. Unlike anywhere else I've ever been in Europe, this place could really be... anywhere in Europe.
Every European city has the same cathedral...
In the same main square...
Each one has a row of houses so gaudy and pristine they could easily be made out of spun sugar and I don't think anyone would know the difference.
Each one has the same alley crammed full of fallafal stands and gyro shops.
Of course they also each have that dangerous avenue infested with little cafes equally inflated in ego and prices, with managers looming in the doorway.
The same accordianist is playing on the street corner, the same magnets dangle from the windows of the same tourist shop, and I swear, there is exactly one street artist on the whole continent, who just moves from plaza to plaza selling the same pen and ink sketches.
And really, that's pretty much Brussels, as I see it. Inately cute, and of course in every way charming, but in the way that everywhere in Europe is charming. I don't know if it's the EU influence, but I really can't tell you what Brussels itself is like, exactly. All the same though, if someone didn't have much time and wanted a whirlwind taste of Europe, I might just tell them to skip it and see Brussels.
I will say though, for all of its generic anomonimity, Belgium is very famous for five very concrete things. Mussels, beer, fries, waffles, and chocolate. Now... being that mussels are pretty much just mussels anywhere they're eaten and I'm not really a beer fan, I personally came here for the last three, and was determined to sample them.
I tackled the frites on my first night in the city, for dinner. Armed with information about the supposed best frites place in the city, I set out. I found myself at a kind of amazing little place called Fries in Friteland, with its burly owner standing in the doorway anouncing his superior fries in an accent that was way more Brooklyn than Belgian. I told him that I was at a loss by his intimidating menu of endless combinations of toppings and sauces, and I was putting my fate in his capable hands to give me his personal favorite.
What was handed to me five minutes later (after several proclaimations of, "no, no, no! For my new friend, more fries!" was THIS monstrousity:
Every ten minutes or so my new buddy would come out to check on me... presumably to make sure that I hadn't collapsed under the weight of the thing yet... and ask me proudly, "well... what do ya think? Better than White Castle?" And best of all was his look of proud admiration when I actually managed to finish the whole thing. Let's just say I was replete, as my mom would say.
The next morning I set out to accomplish my number two objective... Waffles! After finding myself supremely lost in the labrynth of Brussels streets, which have a habit of randomly changing names whenever they saw fit, I found the supposed best waffles place in the city two hours later, by shear stubborn nerve. But I think this was worth it:
By the way... I'm never eating at IHOP again.
Believe it or not, the most difficult for me to break down and buy, and I know no one who knows me is going to be able to believe this, was the chocolate. I tried to talk myself out of it... tried to convince myself that the little things they sold in the grocery stores was enough. But finally, on my last day in Brussels I just couldn't stand it any more... and I found myself walking into the most glamorous chocolaterie I could find and buying myself a decetant little box
which cost me, oh... as much as my hostel the night before. But I mean come on... LOOK at this:
And really, I'm in Brussels, right? I mean, wasn't this the reason I wanted to come to this silly place in the first place? And how could I honestly justify leaving without indulging in this sweet, sweet loveliness. I mean really... me obstain from chocolate?! I just couldn't.So maybe it should be said that Brussels has quite a soul after all... it's just in edible form.
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