All things Belgian

Brussels:
For a start, Brussels was not what i expected it to be. Not necessarily a bad or good thing. Considering it to be the headquarters of the European Union (which i visited), i imagined it to be rather modern in its architecture, and clean more importantly - none of which was the case. It looked a little more run-down than permissible. Since French is the spoken language, you can imagine we didn't get around too efficiently. There were many Muslims around the area of the hotel (some sort ghetto, almost) and tonnes of Halal butchers, cafes and etc. Noteworthy, is the Grand Place (Grote Markt) which was full of old buildings, standing with such character and opulence. And the pubs were such a joy! Of course, i had to have the Belgian waffles, the super expensive Belgian chocolates that were so divine and i had to visit the offices of the EU (which, sadly, weren't spectacular). Ohh, and if you do find trash all over the road, it's pretty normal.




Antwerp:
Take a peek out of your window, and all you will see below are skullcaps - Jews on every corner. That was weird. I didn't know it was a predominantly Jewish city, or at least around the central area. That explains the abundance of Kosher cafes. Safe to say, i enjoyed Antwerp more than i did Brussels. 40minutes away from Brussels, it was quite the opposite. No high rise modern glass-window buildings, only low-rise old ancient architecture. The people were very friendly. And cos Dutch was the spoken language, it was easier to get around cos i was more familiar with the words. The hostel we stayed at was very pleasant and cheap! Sad to say, Friday night was apparently NOT the night to go out and party cos the streets were pretty empty. I don't have many photos of Antwerp cos i just felt it was tiring to carry the camera 24/7, so you gotta make do with these. The first photo on the left is my hostel - doesn't look like it at all, from the outside! Pretty.

All in all, definitely an experience of a kind! Though i'd say one visit is enough to get a feel of Belgium!