Belgium...aaaah!

Day 12: Change of Plans!

Our initial plan for the weekend was to spend Saturday idling in Paris and spend Sunday at Futuroscope, which is a sci-fi theme park abt an hour's drive from Paris. We were just about to book tickets to Poitier (which is the nearest city to Futuroscope) when on a while we decided to check ticket prices to Brussels. It didn't seem too expensive, so in an instant Futuroscope was ditched and we decided to go to Brussels.

Sachin and I went to Gard De Nord to board the 20.55 train to Brussels but decided against it. What was the point in going to a place at 11 in the night? So bought tickets for the 7.55 train next morning and went to an Indian Restaurant (again!) for dinner. A place called Gandhi which is apparently a chain of Indian restaurants across the world. They use the name Gandhi and serve meat! Sacrilege..at least to me it was...almost the same as asking a Brahmin to
advertise for KFC...Nonetheless had a decent Dal and Bhatura and left for home.

Day 13: The most beautiful place in Europe

Left for Brussels as scheduled. Got up at 5.30..I am sure there are people reading this blog who know what a Herculean task that is for me...anyways..switched on the TV from my bed so that I don’t fall asleep again..and watched the first English program on TV outside of CNN and BBC...nice Kate Hudson movie..Raising Helen..another movie wish fulfilled..finally got up at only 6...raced around and finished getting ready by 6.30. Had already finished packing the previous night like a good child..

Sat in the Thalys train..Thalys is the name of the international railways plying acrossEurope..you also have Eurail and Eurostar..Anyways, boarded the train and promptly fell asleep! Its a 80 minute journey to Brussels so after a round of tachi had an excellent breakfast on the train..

Reached Brussels..went to the tourist information centre and asked the lady for sightseeing places in Brussels and out came a variety of brochures in all sizes, colours and languages! All gratis of course..Belgium has 4 official languages and thankfully one of them is English...so communication was not going to be a problem here..thank god! Read the tour itinerary and figured out the must see places here..

Started off at the Grand Place. We decided to foot it in Belgium which we later decided was the best thing we could have done..The place is filled with architectural wonders and beautiful gardens everywhere! While walking to the Grand Place, we passed hordes of chocolatiers..I could barely contain my glee!!! I was literally the kid in the candy store...there were chocolates in all possible varieties!! After all, its the land of Godiva..(and I am sure everyone
know abt the legend of Lady Godiva..so I shall not elaborate!)

Coming back to the Grand Place. It is this huge square that is covered by huge palace like buildings everywhere..and they were selling flowers ion the square and it looked very picturesque. It is the picture you have in your mind when you think of Europe...finished with the Grand place and kept walking around..chanced upon this desi mall where all the shop keepers were Indians...didn’t even look too much..went then to the Galleries which is this huge closed
promenade of all the top European brands..their version of Champs Elysee I guess..too cool! Saw their opera House which actually didn’t look impressive architecture-wise but the listing of the concerts more than made up for it..Started with Mozart..went on to Bach, Vivaldi,Brahms....wish i could have stayed and attended at least one concert.

Went then to St. Michels Cathedral..I haven't been to Notre Dame or the Sistine Chapel but this place would definitely give those 2 a holy run for their money!!! the stained glass paintings on either side, the oak carved confessional boxes, the stone carvings of all the apostles of Christ...I could go on...really really beautiful place...and its just as beautiful outside the cathedral as well..a nice garden and loads of nice buildings on all sides...

Walked around to the Royal Place, saw a Palace, court of Justice, a couple more beautiful gardens...after a while, we just gave up...each building was better than the other..and even the houses had a similar facade to match the buildings alongside them..we just kept clicking...saw the Atomium from afar..its this huge structure of an atom along with the cohesive bonds between particles made in steel(I think!)...nice shiny thing...got a nice postcard of it..

Had a decent Italian lunch..had a Gazpacho..which is a cold soup..now the thing abt cold soup is that since it is not cooked..you get each flavour very distinctly in your mouth..unfortunately..im the kind who enjoys subtle nuances and play on flavours..basically like mildly flavoured food....safe to say the gazpacho didn't go down too well with me..had the only veg éntree on the menu..penne with cheese..was super filling so barely eat half my plate..then went
around hunting for the railway station and guess what...I heard the least unlikely sound in Europe...HIMESH RESHAMMIYA!!! Can you believe that?? I heard
Aashiq Banaya Aapne...and some Indians grooving wildly to it!!! Blech!!!

Took the train to Antwerp..was super super sleepy....so just slept the entire 1 hour..reached Antwerpen (in Flamish!) and headed straight to tourist information ( :-) ) ..got a map of Antwerp along with a friendly guy who suggested we rent bicycles!!!Sachin and I were mighty kicked abt the idea and went about hunting for the bicycle renting place near the station...finally found it after 20 mins..and got 2 nice, new, shiny yellow bikes!! toally cool we decided...I had been dying to have the Belgian Waffles..so we found a cafe where they served them and settled down..got a mikado Waffle..which is waffle with cream (slagroom in Flamish) and ice cream and sugar syrup...yummy...ate that and had a chocolade (in flamish) milkshake and dinner was done..

Once that was done with, we started off hunting for youth hostels to spend the night..we struck out at 2...that’s coz there is a summer festival happening in Antwerp right now....but managed to find accommodation in the Jewish section of town..since we were riding it wasn't much trouble(!)..got into the hostel and crashed for abt an hour..around 9pm we set out to the centre of town..walked along the Scheldes river..enjoyed the view of Antwerpen...then went to La Bodyguita..a salsa bar in Antwerp....the people who came there were amazing dancers...it was just magnificento..decided that I needed to learn salsa... returned to the hostel around 1 and crashed....

In all a beautiful day!

Day 14: Antwerpen...Happy Friendship Day..

Happy Friendship Day..have already written a post on this...so my dear friends read it..celebrated Friendship Day, with a good friend (Sachin) in Antwerpen...nice!

Woke up at 10 and left the hostel by 11...there are loads of flea markets around Antwerp...on account of the summer festival..so stopped at the first one..and picked up a nice summer dress..have always wanted one...very pretty..went around some more...

Had brunch in the city centre...I had this huge serving of Antwerp's famous fries..We then went to the Cathedral of our lady..beautiful..has paintings by the famous Belgian painter..PP Rubens everywhere..after walked around the square..Btw..today is no automobile day in Antwerp..at least in the city centre..so we could only see pedestrians and cyclists..

Saw this super cool march past of people dressed in the old regiment uniforms..very adorable..then went into the maritime museum that is housed inside a castle..saw most of what there is to know abt building a ship/yacht and running it..etc..very interesting..left then for the diamond district...Antwerp is very famous for its diamonds...bloody expensive though...just saw lots of pretty things I couldn’t afford and then we left for Brussels!

Brussels to Paris...and voila I am home again! dunno why..but Paris has started to feel like home to me now...strange but true..there is that instant ease and comfort and warmth that you feel in familiar surroundings...

End of Day 14 and a beautiful weekend