Brussels, Belgium (2007)

Dryw and Jennifer were visiting and wanted to check out Belgium. I called upon my Belgian friends, Ingrid, Lionel, Nicolas, and Terry (American in Belgium). Carmel and I arrived into England from California and took off to Brussels 3 days later with Nicolas, who had returned to England from Brussels 1 week prior. We met with Ingrid, who arrived that day from Haiti, and Lionel. Terry was in the Congo.

We had a checklist of things to do, in order of importance: 1) Beer, 2) Chocolate, 3) Waffles, and 4) Culture. It just so happens that there is a brewery in the family of Nicolas’s wife, Florence. The brewery used to have a long French name, but was re-named relatively recently to the town that the brewery resided in, called Silly. So we all headed to the Silly Brewery to have some Silly beer. Too much Silly beer makes you act, hmm, what’s the word, funny? Nicolas set us up with a full private brewery tour and plenty of beer tasting. We had a catered dinner at the chalet and played water polo in the indoor swimming pool.

The next day Ingrid and Lionel took us to fulfill the next 3 items on the checklist. When we finished the checklist, we started over again…

UPDATE 2007: I stopped in Brussels once again 11 months later to visit Ingrid and Lionel (Nicolas was in France) with Aaron, Matt and Melanie at the tail-end of our road trip.

Starting the tour.

Fermentation vats.

Don’t fall in!

The keg lifter.

Bottling machinery.

In a Silly pub trying all the Silly beers.

Dryw and I study.

Silly warehouse where I bought 2 cases of beer to take back by hand to Oxford.

Free shirt!

Water polo!

Dryw zaps the ball with his finger.

Je-pais serves her master serve next to Zryw and Zshosh.

Brussels neighborhood.

Next day in Brussels. Here is Lysander’s castle.

Drywpa’s breakfast at Liogrid’s.

Carmel feels at home next to the palm.

The stupid mannequin piss with all its adoring paparazzi.

Walk through a city park on a chilly afternoon.

Beautiful art or pimples on the face of the city?

Goodness gracious great balls of steel!

The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.

Chocolate alley.

The expensive stuff.

The Americans are sad to realize the pitiful chocolate existence they’ve been living in.

Mmm.

This reminded me of the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. It’s so annoying when other places rip off ideas from Vegas.

Given that we had finished our checklist, we started over with Sudden Death beer.

Walking along the crowded streets.

It’s the Mussels from Brussels!

Fritland, where we got French Fries, I mean Freedom Fries, I mean Chips, I mean Belgian Frits.

Niiice.

Roving gang of frit eaters.

Last stop, La Grand Place for dinner!

La Grand Place is grand.

Tower at night.

Group shot (missing Nicolas and Florence).

Road trip 2007

Ingrid, Matt and Aaron in front of some tasty Belgian cuisine.

Yum.

We are all happy with public transportation. It was a quick stop in Brussels before heading to Bruges.