Ooh, was I sleeping on Belgium.  Brussels was my first trip in Europe as a kid (from my then-new home in Germany), and though I have fond memories, I really didn’t crave a return.  I did, however, crave those waffles – the one thing that stood out after all those years.  So after discovering that the train ride from Paris takes under 2 hours, I bought a ticket and was on my way.

The waffles were just as good as I remembered them, as were the pommes frites, as was the chocolate.  What were better, though, were the sights.  I hung around with new friend Goele, a super-fun Brussels native, who literally took me to town for sightseeing, and something else I couldn’t enjoy on my previous trip there: beer.

And boy did she deliver.  In less than 12 hours, we visited a few of the incredibly diverse cultural neighborhoods (Brussels has a 56% immigrant population count!) and covered all of the following:

• The Grand Palace
• The Brewery Museum
• The Royal Palace
• The Infamous Manneken-Pis (and his girlfriend… it’s what you think)
• Rue de Bouchier
• Delirium Bar (home to 2000+ beers)
• Parc de Brussel
• Parc de Sablon

We also fit in dinner in the Sablon District, followed by sunset over the Palace of Justice (with a view of the Atomium, Brussels’ “Eiffel Tower”), and washed it all down with a nightcap of cherry beer in Place St. Gery.  Nice.

The next day I hit up Bruges, made popular by the recent Colin Farrell flick “In Bruges” (which I haven’t seen).  Bruges gets a bad wrap sometimes because it’s been intentionally redesigned in order to capture its historic appearance, but whatever they’re doing, it works.  The town captures your heart with its colorful buildings, horse-drawn carriages (and well-cared for horses!), stone-walled churches and swan-garnished lakes.  The window-shopping is ridiculous; unbelievable apple tarts, angelic, hand-sewn lace, great clothing boutiques and all sorts of Belgian trinkets are all over… but tastefully, quaintly, sweetly.  I could’ve easily spent a few days here, but Ghent was waiting.

Yes, Ghent – the forgotten stepchild of Belgian tourism.  People focus on Brussels, Bruges and Flanders, but Ghent – a university town – is slowly getting a little more play these days.  I had plans to check out this underdog for lunch and then hang out in the historic center, maybe pose with a few of those historic figures immortalized there in stone.  Unfortunately, I had a strict train to Paris to catch, and only got to dip my toes in.  Lunch was all I had time for, but it was just long enough to know that this is one laid-back, funky place I definitely want to return to, maybe for a jazz concert or something.  That’s the initial impression.  Chill.  Easy.  Cool like that.

And altogether, that’s the feeling I got from Belgium.  Bruges was definitely “dollhouse,” in its charm, but in the best way.  The people in all three towns are notably easy-going.  The sights are much prettier than I remember.  The calm and collegiality of the towns puts you right at ease.

And that’s not just the beer talking.  *smile*

In Bruges

"Nutritional" Equivalents of Beer

Cherry Beer Makes Me Cheery

With Goele in Grand Place