9.27.21

Since getting to Brussels, I haven’t yet had the opportunity to walk through the main city center, so that was my plan for the day.

Waking up in yet another empty hostel dorm, I filled up on the free hostel breakfast and set off. It looked to be overcast and rainy all day, so the morning was, for lack of a better word, glum. I got some coffee and sat outside to read, hoping that the energy of the city would soon pick up. I then started deeper into the city and saw some beautiful street art and graffiti. Ive been doing my best to limit my spending but I could not resist when I saw a sign for Pylones- a European store Ive always loved. I walked a lot all day, going from store to store and just following the busiest streets, so I was relieved to find the Muse de Arts- a beautiful garden. I was in the capital of Brussels, surrounded by many elegant capital buildings and beautiful gardens. I went from one garden to the next, resting and reading until I was ready to continue onward. I really wanted to see an art museum, but they were all closed on Monday so I headed to the next best thing- the chocolate museum!

It basically followed the process of chocolate making and the history form cocoa bean to refined truffle. It was pretty cool and informative- even included a live chocolate making demo. I would rate a 6/10.

I decided to have an early dinner and stopped at a random patisserie where I had a mozzarella, ham (my new favorite food), and tomato panini. (It was a lot better than it looked- and cheap!)

Making my way home, a man walked up to me in just about the same manner as the man from yesterday. This time, I had learned my lesson. I didn’t stop walking, shook my head, ignored him. He promptly left me alone and I proudly continued on my walk.

It had been cloudy and dark all day, rained lightly for a couple hours, and was windy. I personally like this type of weather but it definitely changes the mood of the city. However, on my walk back to the hostel, skied began clearing and the sun shone brightly. I knew I had to make the most of this beautiful weather so I stopped in a park near my hostel to write this journey entry of day 5- hope you enjoyed 🙂