A (Chocolate) Kiss from Brugge

oh lordy, we are here in Brussells, our FAVORITE place. it is beautiful, just like a real live Disneyland. Met up with the Other Mia last night and had fun, my Mia had escargot for the first time and loved them. We ran into some trouble (not too much) with the train this morning — direct to Brussells was about $400 so we went via Lille, which is semi-Dutch — it’s actually Flanders. Then got on the train to Brussells and suddenly we are in the Dutch world. No need for French, everyone speaks *perfect* English. We had a waffle with butter and sugar and “milky coffee” that was heavenly, Unbelievably beautiful here. Chocolate boobies (really) in the shop windows are the Dutch mixing of two favorites – sex and chocolate. Can you blame them? Also got lace hankies for the girls, lots of lace but it’s so expensive that I would be afraid to ever use a tablecloth. And we have no more need for baby bibs and booties.

This is an English keyboard; Mia and I got the only two here. Everything else is Dutch. I had about an hour of panic on the train as I realized I could understand NOTHING the PA was saying, and where we were going, no idea. Dutch is not French nor even a Romance language (can’t fake it) and my German doesn’t help either. We walk around trying to pronounce the signs and it is too funny. There are way too many consonants. I saw a real wooden (Don Quixote-type) windmill, then the kind that we have on the Altamont Pass (modern), lots of canals, and the strangest thing — a sign forbidding hunting with a crossbow. Hmm, never thought to put up a sign for that. Longbows are permitted, I suppose?

Last night all the crazies were out, drunk and stupid in the streets of Paris. Coming up the escalator from the Metro my skirt blew ALL THE WAY up and you can just call me FreeShow. Of course there was a gentleman standing right there. It was quite a moment. There’s a pack of schoolkids on a trip in our hotel = fun for everyone. I enjoyed hearing them come in at 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 a.m. Then I particularly enjoyed making my morning shower loud and long in the hallway shower. (gggrrrr @#%^!$!^% kids!)

We have another two hours or so here (we came in to SIT DOWN because theres no place to sit outside without buying more food, urp). Tomorrow we jam to the cemetery then to the train station to catch Eurostar to London. By tomorrow night we’ll be eating curry at Camden Town.

We have seen no Brussells sprouts but you can get fries (Belgian, not French) at a stand in the square with about 10 choices of sauce — curry, cocktail, mayo, butter…haven’t seen ketchup.

Gotta run, Internet cafe not free, and how to keep track of euros, ack, ack, ack. I am innumerate. Sad but true.

Tomorrow London. 😉

Advice, etc: Waffles. Yum. I’d even eat Brussells sprouts here.

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