Didn't find brussel sprouts in Brussels

For this weekend's adventure a group of us decided to travel to Brussels.  To be honest I had no idea what to expect from Brussels.  I had just decided to go because a good amount of the group had decided to go.  All I knew was that in Brussels I needed to try the fries, the beer, the chocolate, and the waffles.  The journey started by boarding a 7:01AM train to Brussels.  This would not have been too bad except for the fact that I went to bed at 2:30AM the previous night due to being at Henning's concert.  We all got up Saturday morning though and boarded our train to Brussels.  There was no time to be tired while we were there since we would only have one full day.  After dropping off our luggage at the Airbnb we headed out to go have our first meal in Brussels.  This first meal ended up setting the tone for pretty much the entire trip.  I had pasta carbonara and a waffle with chocolate and banana on top.  I have eaten some very good food since getting to Europe but this first meal in Brussels definitely stood out.

The pasta carbonara had really thick pieces of bacon and was covered in a delicious cream sauce.  I poured melted chocolate on top of the waffle and it was pure chocolatey deliciousness.  After this first meal I knew that Brussels was going to be an eating trip.  There were definitely things that we wanted to do and see but the number one thing on my mind was just to eat as much delicious food as possible.  After lunch we looked up some things to do.  We ended up finding a beautiful park.  

After having filled ourselves with pasta and waffles we decided that the park would be the perfect place to take a nap.  We proceeded to just lay down in the grass under a tree and sleep for a couple of hours.  Since we did not have a lot of time in Brussels it was important that we made the most of the trip.  That being said sometimes it is nice to be able to just lay down and relax for a bit.  I have been having an amazing time in Europe but we have been going full speed pretty much every single day.  Being able to take it slow and just enjoy what was around was really nice.  Just laying in the grass was really peaceful and a really positive experience.  After waking up from our nap it was time for more food.  

Our after nap snack was fries.  It is pretty obvious that fries are a big deal in Brussels just based on the fact that each stand offers at least 20 sauces.  I got curry ketchup  for my first round of fries and it did not disappoint.  After fries we headed to the Grand Place, essentially the town square.  The Grand Place is a perfect example of the beautiful architecture present in Brussels.  The buildings are extremely detailed and many of them are trimmed in gold.  We branched off from the Grand Place and explored the shops in the surrounding area.  While exploring we sampled lots of chocolate and went into a record store where I was able to pick up a Jimi Hendrix record for my dad.  After making a few purchases it was about time for dinner.  We had already eaten a lot at this point though so we decided to find a nice bar, have a drink, and maybe have something small to eat.  

At the bar we shared stories and laughed together.  This was one of my favorite nights so far.  It really feels like I am forming friendships that are going to last a life time.  We stayed at the bar for a while and then finally went back to the Airbnb to sleep.  We slept in a bit on Sunday morning, thus continuing the relaxed vibe of our trip.  We went and got breakfast at a restaurant in the Grand Place to start our day.  I had an omelette that had really thick cut bacon it.  It was a great way to start my morning.  After breakfast we toured a beautiful church and were able to hear the organ being played.  Listening to the organ in such a beautiful church was an very awesome experience.  After the church we headed to another park where we all relaxed for a bit.  There were a few museums surrounding us that I would have really liked to visit but we were all pretty low on cash at this point.  We finally left the park and got one more serving of fries.  This second batch was a lot better than the first so we were all happy after our snack.  We finished our fries and then headed back to the Grand Place to do some last minute shopping.  I picked up chocolate, and what I believe to be, a really good Belgian beer for my mom.  After shopping we headed to the train station and made it just in time for our train!  The only problem was that our train had been cancelled...  After talking to people working at the station we finally figured out what we needed to do to get home.  The first step was to board a train to Aachen.  After that we thought we needed to hop on a bus to Cologne, but this turned out to not be the case.  Once we arrived in Aachen we went and asked about where our bus was.  The lady at the information desk then informed us that a train to Cologne was leaving in three minutes.  Juliette rounded up everyone and ran to the platform while I waited for the tickets to be printed.  Once the tickets were printed I sprinted to the platform and made it to the train.  The train we boarded was a Thalys train so seat reservations are compulsory.  We were allowed on the train anyways though since our train had been cancelled.  That being said we had no seats.  At first we were all wedged in one of the spaces between cars.  We decided it would be best if we spread out.  I ended up sitting on a luggage rack which was not awful.  Upon arriving in Cologne our train was initially delayed and then got moved to a different platform.  Once our train got there we all boarded and so many people got on that we were all packed in like sardines.  There was no room and no AC.  We finally made it back to Bonn where amazingly I was able to board my bus without any trouble.  Overall I really loved Brussels but I could have definitely gone without all the travel difficulties.  I guess they do make for a great story though.  Next stop, Norderney!