Belgium is constructed of bricks- held up with beautiful moldings, and unique with their iron works. As I walked through Brussles I felt like Alice entering Wonderland for the first time, or Wendy as she encounters the Neverland of her dreams.
My first Belgian meal was a Luiksa waffle in the train station-a very
fitting experience for the country! After which I set out into town.
That night I was feed a classic Belgian dish- shrimp stuffed tomatoes
via Daphne's fantastic mother.
The morning of the second day we woke up to blue skies and
warm sunshine. All the bread here is fresh from a local bakery and
therefore spoils quickly. We made the short trip to their towns bakery
and came home with rolls and croissants- my roll was topped with Nutella
and homemade melon jam.
Around two we went through the lung of Belgium, which is a
stretch of woods, and entered the French region. Belgium is not big on
recycling like America and therefore does not offer many opportunities
for resale. However there is a market in which people can set up an area
to display things they wish to free themselves of. 
The entire organization is done through bargaining. While I
am horrible at it Daphne's father could bring someone down from €10 to
€3. I manage to get everything for under £6 and come home with a bag
full. In Belgium, unlike America, things loose their value very quickly
and the market for re-sale is small. I recommend a trip to the market
for any native and tourist. Good quality laces (a Belgian specialty) and
dishes can be found at beyond reasonable prices. The most I payed was
€2 for a real ostrich leather purse.
While Daphne's
father prepared is dinner we went to the local pub so I could taste a
popular Belgian orinial- cherry beer. It was a delightful experience to
sit in the heat of the setting sun, surrounded by bricks and stone
streets, chatting and learning French with a lovely friend. After
hearing that I was American- the Barman/owner gave me not only 1 free
beer mug, but a total of four glasses (every style they had) as
souvenirs!
Back at home Vincent, Daphne's father, had
sweated over dinner and we came back to smoked salmon and goat cheese
stuffed peppers appetizers with mussels and fritts as a entree. I was
truly blessed to have such a wonderful family welcome me into their
home. Oh, and Daphne's father make wonderful homemade cream puffs.
There is truly nothing like European bread.
Much love from Belgium-
xxxx
Chey
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