Day 2 (technically speaking...)

I say technically because Day One hardly even happened.

I arrived in Brussels safe and sound, minus one suitcase. Apparently Air Canada decided it would be better for one to stay in Edmonton and send the other with me to Brussels. Luckily the suitcase that made in was the one with all my stuff! (The other was packed full of Canadian goods such as salt and vinegar chips, clamato juice, cookies and deodorant) So while I was relieved to have all my things I was also slightly terrified that I was about to be arrested for smuggling Canadian goods into a foreign country. Luckily, chips and deodorant are the least of their worries, the customs guard I attempted to throw myself at the mercy of informed me. Apparently they have other... ahem... stuff... to worry about. Whoopsie.

So an hour after arriving in Brussels, I left the airport. With promises to send the bag (with NO chips and cookies missing!) to the address I provided, the customs guard was finally rid of me. I met Catherine once I left customs and she was relieved to see that I hadn't been arrested or kicked out of the country already.

We took the train to Catherine and Kevin's apartment in Saint Gilles. A cute area of Brussels with parks to walk in, cafes to drink in and hair salons to NEVER go in (a fate Catherine had to learn the hard way a few months ago.) So, after reuniting with Maddy, unpacking and having a drink in Cath and Kev's cafe below their apartment, I fell into a deep coma that lasted until Kevin came home with dinner (pizza) and resumed immediately after. So ended Day One.

On to today! or Day Two...

Started out the day sleeping in, and so unfortunately we missed the Sunday market (good thing I'm here for two more Sundays...). So after having a quick coffee at a cafe down the street (the only one open near by on Sunday) we headed off to the park to walk Maddy. The parks here are amazing... they remind me of what I imagined the forest being like in the story of Red Riding Hood. Huge and green with amazing paths, trees and bushels of holly everywhere. We walked for over an hour through the parks and then stopped in a very "hip" looking restaurant for lunch. It apparently becomes a club at night so it was very interesting looking in its restaurant form, purple walls and silver chandeliers all over... not quite the usual look of a lunch spot.

It feels very strange to me every time I come here (or any other European city) to walk around on a Sunday when nothing is open. A cafe here or a laundry mat there, but really everything else is completely closed for the day. So after a stop at the local butcher for chicken and a little shop for some veggies, we are back at the apartment cooking dinner. (Catherine is cooking roast chicken, potato's and veggies... I am just drinking wine and pretending to help while "blogging" away). And now its time to finish our Harry Potter marathon.

Good night!

xoxo

Kat