Coffee and the last of my macarons for breakfast this morning as others indulge in hard-earned sleep; the snoring is very telling, the reason I’ve failed to make up for the tiredness from the Belgium drive. It could have been ‘waffles and coffee’, but once you’ve had the famous Belgian delicacy, its beautiful sweetness is enough tried so- only once.
Two days in Antwerp, primarily to visit friends based there, so we did a bit of Antwerp by night, where I fell in love- with a combination from a place called Amadeus. All-you-can-eat ribs and a jacket potato served with a sort of curry sauce wrapped in foil- I’m salivating hard from the thought of the taste. Good food in good company, what’s better than that in the world we live in? The next day was dedicated to Brussels, only a 45 minutes train away and 3 hours to explore it while my friend was at work. Certain places can’t be done in a day, so what are 3 hours when you didn’t run into the Mannequin Pis statue, step into the city’s art museums or walk around until your feet were so sore? Well, it’s an excuse to go back or like us, follow the road to the highest monument within view from the station exit (whichever one that may happen to be). Brussels is pretty straightforward, from the train station’s main entrance, a few steps away, you’re right in the heart of it. The Architecture itself is an art that fills up the whole grand square with delight to one’s eyes among the many chocolate shops where I might add you’ll come across a tasting tray. It’s filled with stylish clothing stores, cafes and Paris- style restaurants with heated terraces (one may argue if you came to Belgium first it wouldn’t have to be a “french thing” ).
What really stood out, were the long queues for frites! Of course, we also partook in the tourist tradition after coming across the chips on wheels stand on Rue Charles Buls. You could say ketchup and mayonnaise truffle is simple, but name me a better sauce. I’ll wait… After this built-up fantasy altered from Youtube vlogs, Frites really are what they are- just fries. I’m sorry Belgian people!
Checklist: stopped for chocolate and macarons, walked around the grand square where thousands of tourists and ourselves took selfies and content, a walk around the market with our ‘2€ refund if cups are returned’ mulled wines as we started to see similarities of Paris structures over Rue Antoine Dansaert where we sat down for a drink. One of us of us was curious about Belgian beer known for its high percentage in alcohol but frites being the only substantial meal of the day since breakfast- I’ll let you do the math. I quickly grabbed a caramel and cream waffle which I devoured without inhibition walking through a packed and also stunning Galeries Royales St Hubert. What did Belgium teach me? My Afrikaans clearly needs revisiting but the difference to Dutch is obvious. There are vibrant cities out there and there is so much more to know than their chocolate. Having friends in different parts of the world is so amazing, our late 20s and 30s where platonic and romantic relationships come together with travel will be the best memories in the late years to come. To me the idea of couple friendships making efforts to commune, host in the their homes with kindness and love being the foundation of the bond, healthily inspiring one another, is an ideal relationship for the photo album and years to come. I also learned that driving around Europe isn’t as terrifying as it seems and it could be so much more affordable and flexible for two people plus, than a flight or Eurostar.
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