'A. cat. pooped.' - tribute to c.davis

some chocolates I got from Leonidas (the 'A' was called antionette so I HAD to get it and it was a dark chocolate ganche, the 'cat' was a milk chocolate with cream center (mmmmmm), and then the 'poop' was a dark chocolate truffle (dusted in cocoa just like I like it!)

today (1.26.10) was a later start than the previous day. Everyone slept in to 11:30, although true to form and an obvious fan of consistency my body woke up brussels time at 8:00 AM. Our first trek of the day was to the royal palace. Shortly after making our 20 minute walk there I realized I forgot my gloves and, which was no big deal until I also remembered I didn't wear socks. Soon I was FREEZING. Literally the temperature was in the mid 20's but with the wind chill I would almost swear it was in the single digits.

LOVE the architecture!

my punishment for attempting to play with my camera settings. everything turning blue. me, L.Norton and L. Mikus in brussels.

I quickly learned that if I stuck my hands in my arm pits(thanks Mary Katherine 'Superstar' Gallagher) i could de-frost them . We made it to the palace, and our hopes and dreams (of touring its splendor and get out of the cold) were quickly crushed. The palace is only open for viewing during the summer (guess ill have to come back!). We decided on a museum option, that highlighted the history of Belgium and the royal family- which was very interesting and informative.

fun fact: did you know belgium is famous for the comic strip?
neither did i!

After we finished we wanted to make our way across town to a Gueuze brewery. through the more 'undesirable' neighborhoods of brussels (lil wayne reminded me that I should walk with confidence and 'mean mug' through the rough streets), filled with all sorts of sketchy characters. i think lil waynes advice helped...

would you steal from someone who looked like this?

after an extensive tour of where NOT to live in Brussels we made it to our destination! The Cantillion! Brewing fresh Gueuze since 1900. Great pictures and info about this native beer. Post to follow (when i am done with pre-trip and get better and more consistent internet access).

additional note- i was unsuccessful getting a belgian waffle. apparently ALL the shops/vendors are located by the 'peeing boy' statue. totally missed out on my window of opportunity! better luck next time...