Finally we come to the Royal Palace in the center of Brussels. It seemed pretty dead inside the grounds so I'm not sure anyone is actually living there.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
The Real Day 10: More sights in Brussels
Friday, June 26, 2009
Day 10: Antwerp
Above and below we see statues commemorating the key folktale of the city. According to legend, Antwerp got its name after a diabolical giant named Antigoon who exacted a toll from anyone who wished to cross the Scheldt river. Antigoon supposedly chopped off the hand of anyone who refused to pay the toll and tossed it into the river. However, a Roman soldier named Brabo fought Antigoon and chopped off HIS hand instead. Hence the name: hand werpen (hand to throw) which gradually became Antwerpen. It's worth noting that this story is completely mythical and linguists have other theories about the name involving silt and rivers and such. But Antigoon and Brabo are much more exciting! Check out Wikipedia if you want more details. Check out Brabo tossing the giant's hand.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Day 7: Brussels' Mascot - The Manneken Pis
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Day 5: Turkish Pizza in Little Anatolia
This actually works out great for me because my room is in a heavily Turkish neighborhood in Schaarbeek called "Little Anatolia." There are literally dozens of Turkish restaurants that cater to an actual immigrant community. Competition is fierce and prices are MUCH lower than their Belgian competitors.
Tonight, I had my first lahmacun. For 6 euros, I got a giant boat-shaped pizza cooked in an actual wood-fired oven. The menu was enormous with dozens of topping combinations so I opted for a basic pizza split between minced/seasoned meat and cheese. As an added bonus, I got some Turkish sausage on top. The lahmacun arrived with a sizeable plate of lettuce, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and a lemon. I mistook this for a salad before I noticed all the Turkish diners topping their slices with the mix, sprinkling on some lemon juice, before folding it all in half to consume. Next time, I'll do it right ;) Needless to say, this meal was perhaps the best I've had yet in Brussels.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Day 3: Ridiculous breakfast
Friday, June 19, 2009
First Dinner in my Room
First Day at the Archives
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Brussels Day 1: Final Report
Hmm....
What could it be?
I've only been here one day and this was supposed to be a major accomplishment.
I don't get it.
We'll have to take a closer look
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IT'S WESTVLETEREN 12!!!! The supposedly impossible to get best beer on earth. This beer is supposedly only available directly from the obscure monastery that brews it. When the rare illicit bottle appears in the U.S., it often fetches upwards of $50! And here I found it in the Brussels Bier Tempel!!! The woman behind the counter spoke English but was quite evasive when asked how her store is able to carry this "holy" brew. As for the hype, it is dead on. This beer is among the richest most complex liquids I've ever consumed but still retains a 100% beer feel.
First Day Scoping Out Brussels
After getting my stuff settled, I hit the town. I wanted to scope out the State Archives before I bumble in there tomorrow but my #1 goal was scoping out the food and beer scene. Low and behold, I found two wonderful stores with hundreds of different beers each. You'll be getting more updates, I promise.
I finished off with a little touristy site-seeing. Enjoy!
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