Ted. It only took us 40 years, but we have returned to a country that we enjoyed with our kids once before.
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| Bruges, 1984 |
Belgium is a small, densely populated country. In contrast with Sweden, from which we have just come, it has a million more people but is 1/14 the size.
The country is known for its incredible art and complicated history. Its cuisine is impressive too. In my humble opinion, they have the best chocolate, frites (not "french fries" please) and mussels in the world. They also make some right tasty beer!
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| Belgian stew for me and mussels with frites for Judy |
About 60% of the population, the Flemish, speak Dutch while the rest, the Walloons, speak French. We find that most folks are willing, if reluctant, to speak the others’ language but they all seem comfortable with English.
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| Multilingual park rules |
For the next month, we have based ourselves in Brussels which is a great city with lots to do. Plus, it is a wonderful transportation hub allowing us to take day trips in the area.
We have quickly established ourselves in our apartment in the working class neighborhood of Koekelberg and figured out how to use the public transportation system. Since then it has been a case of exploring the city, finding a church and a place to volunteer. Our wanderings are now guided by a book we found at our apartment called The 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels. Here are a few snapshots.
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| Rabbit in beer sauce |
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| Peter Pan statue and Lost Boys |
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