I set out Monday from NYC with a Jansport backpack on my back, and a messenger bag over my shoulders. That's all I have with me for the next 2 weeks. In fact, when I arrived at the check in desk at the airport, the lady even asked me where my luggage was! I have a towel, 3 dresses, 1 capri, and 2 tanks, 3 days of underwear, a sweater, flip flops, closed toes shoes, and pjs.
All I brought with me fits in here
When I arrived in Brussels early Tuesday morning, most stores were still closed. I had no map on me and no guidebook but the nice thing about European cities is that everything is in the city center. So I followed the English signs marked to the city center, asked a stranger for help purchasing a bus ticket, and made my way to the bus stop. It was fairly chilly as the sun wasn't fully up yet, probably in the mid 60s. I saw a good mix of people on there way to work, mostly whites, but quite a bit of blacks as well. As we got out of the suburbs and closer to the city, I started feeling weary about traveling through another European city. "Where's the challenge?" I thought to myself, remembering how chaotic and adventurous it was to even cross the road in Manila, Philippines, when I then squashed into a jeepney, knees touching the person across from me, and face covered by a surgical mask. Now I was on a air conditioned bus on beautiful streets and to be honest, I really didn't feel much excitement.
I had to wander around some roads a bit when I got off the bus before i found the Grand Plaza. By now it was about 8AM, and except for a large group of Chinese choir members, the tourist had not yet arrived. It is a beautiful plaza, a bit smaller compared to the one in Madrid, but on the 4 sides has an impressive city hall in Gothic design, and 2 museums gilded with gold.
Grand Plaza
I kept wandering and eventually found an internet cafe where I sent a couple of emails. I then bought a phone and SIM card. Then it was time to for me 11AM tour with
Sandemans which offers great quality donation only walking tours around Europe and even NYC. My tour guide was Senna, like the laxative, and I was lucky because he is a Belgium native. He grew up in the north of Dutch Belgium, but just along the French speaking southern Border. His mother makes chocolate for a living, and his grandmother makes waffles.
The most anticipated landmark for me was Manneken Pis, the peeing boy statue. I remember seeing a picture of it when I was growing up. The statue is really small, maybe 2 feet long. And just when i was thinking that I was surprised it hasn't yet been stolen, Senna told us that it had it fact been stolen 7 times. And right next to it is a sign that says "Camera Surveillance" but has no camera, because that too has been stolen. And a hilarious story is that once the statue was stolen by a French person. The Belgium people became furious and the king of France made amends by actually knighting the statue. After that, every time a French solider walked by, they had to salute the statue! I would be really PISSED OFF (get it?), ahahaha.
Manneken Pis!
The meaning of the statue is unclear. One thought is that the boy saved the city from seize by peeing on a lit fuse that would have lit explosives. And thus the statue was ERECTED to commemorate him (ahahah, I know, I know). Another myth is that the boy went missing and the father said that he would make a statue of whatever the boy was doing when he was found. And there is actually a female version which was made.
I made a new friend on the tour, Ashwin. He started talking to me and I was really happy to listen to all of his stories. I really think in this way traveling has opened my eyes to what is is possible to do with your life because what people in my family and friends circle consider extreme is nothing compared to what people I meet do. To me, couchsurfing is nothing, I consider it lower risk than staying in hostels! I feel like I can really vibe with travelers because they feel like my people, and we understand each other.
Ashwin is going to Slovenia because he saw a picture of Lake Bled and it looked really beautiful. In fact, his whole face lit up when he described to me how a church lies in the center of the lake and you have to row a boat to get to the church. Now that's something I would do. I went all the way to Laos just to go to a herbal sauna that I saw on Samantha Brown. So it was really nice to meet someone as passionate about traveling inspired by a photo as I have been.
The next fascinating thing with Ashwin is that he's planning on traveling across Italy by hitchhiking. His plan is to write where he wants to go on a pizza box, and stand along the highway. I told him I was just talking about hitchhiking with a friend of mine about hitchhiking, and even though I've personally have hitchhiked (allbeit only about 15 miles) with a hostelmate in Crete, I still admit that it was a pretty crazy thing to do. Then he told me that Utrecht, Netherlands has whole designated stations where people looking for a ride come and people who want to offer a ride purposefully drive by to pick up hitchhikers. It is carsufring!
The other crazy thing he told me about was his own CS host in Budapest, a guy from the Congo who since joining CS in Aug 2011 has hosted 462 people! He lives in a penthouse and has 2 extra rooms which currently Ashwin and a family with a 14 year old is staying in. Ash told me he made him breakfast this morning before going to work at 6am. His profile says, since he's not able to travel, he loves hosting people from around the world, and got "addicted" to CS as a way of meeting and helping people. One day he hopes to meet someone from every country! Ash told me he has made an photo album of everyone he has hosted.
After the tour, Ash and I went to get waffles at a place recommended by our guide. The most authentic waffles are always 2 euros, because the ones that cost more do so for their extra topping. But the real authentic waffle has just whipped cream on it.
Guide to waffles
Actually, waffles come in 2 forms, the Brussels waffle, and the Liege waffle. The Brussels waffles rectangular shaped and has sugar added on top. The Liege waffle is the one that I had, and looks, and I iterate, only looks, like the ones served in the NYC food trucks in Columbus Circle. That all the similarity. I hate to say it but the Beligum waffles sold in NYC taste so much worse than an actual waffle! The ones in NYC are hard, crispy, and thin. The actual waffle is soft on the inside. and the Liege waffle has sugar lumps baked into the dough so when you bite it, you actually see sparking sugar on the inside of teh waffle. The there outside is a little crisp, but more caramely, while the inside is soft. Even the whipped cream tasted better.
Me and my waffle
So now that's one more thing I can no longer eat in NYC, in addition to the dosa's. Its just not the real thing!
The other thing Belgium is famous for are its fries. French fries actually originated in Belgium! And the secret to their fries is that they are double fried, first at 140 C, after which they are cooled. Then they are re-fried at 180 C which gives it an extra crunch. Some frites stores come with over 20 different types of sauces. Ash and I got fries after our waffle and I got the American sauce, which I can't really describe.
Frites store with sauces in the background
After this it was 3pm, just enough time for me and catch the bus going to the Charledori Airport to catch my flight to Budapest. We exchanged numbers since we may both be in Venice at the same time.
Ash with his Frites
When I landed in Budapest, I quickly found out that though part of the EU, Hungary uses its own currency. I withdrew some money and got on bus 200E as Judit, my CS host said. I told her I would text her when I landed, and get off at Kobanya Kispest where she was going to meet me. Unfortunately, my phone wasn't able to send the text. I tried to using the phone of a really nice Dutch girl sitting behind me, but it didn't work either. I told her about all my CS hosting experiences, in Asia and in the US and she said it sounded so dangerous. The hilarious thing was that she and her friend (also female) hitchhiked from Holland to Brussels! I told her that that sounds so much worse than CS! But deep down inside, I'm a bit jealous of that experience and hope that one day get the chance to hitchhike again!
As we got off at the bus stop, I started to wonder how i was going to meet my host. The Dutch girl I met asked me the same question, and I said, she has an online picture so I at least know what she looks like. Then I heard someone say, "Is that her?" I turned around and it was my host with her friend! I was soooo relieved! I was in a place I didn't know in without internet, late at night. The funny thing is that I wasn't even worried. Something about traveling in places like Manila, or Guayaquil makes Budapest feel like my backyard. I knew that if I needed to I could always take a cab to the city center, and walk around until I found a hostel. Or just go back to the airport and spend the night there.
Judit was so extremely kind to come all the way to the station to meet me and take me to her house. We didn't reach to her home until about 11pm. Her home is absolutely beautiful. She has a gorgeous staircase, which a large tree in the center. I have my own comfortable room upstairs. We chatted a lot on the bus, and then over dinner which she served me some of their rice and chicken that her dad had made earlier.
My comfortable room!
Again, such incredible generosity. They made a bed for me, gave me their food, and asking nothing in return. Couchsurfing is an incredible thing but its only because there are incredible people in the world.
