Bananas.. Falafels… Yeah I’m in Belgium. Where are my waffles?

June 19: 
First of all, Happy Fathers day!! Wish my dad were traveling in Europe with me on Fathers day, how amazing would that be!!

Took the tram to Central station and bought snacks for the train as always! I'm sure I've said it before, but I love the fact that I arrive at the train station twenty minutes before the train leaves, get snacks, and then board the train. Simple simple simple! I hope airports are one day like this, or at least easier! Makes traveling that much more enjoyable!

On the train to Brussels, listening to some great tunes with my new WESC headphones!! My iPod/iPhone headphones barely work and manage to  have quite an attitude with me. Good quality headphones now!

Oh and I failed to mention how amazing this pastry is that I'm eating. And I found Acai Vitamin water! Not the exact same brand though, unless they changed their packaging! Excited nonetheless. 

My host/hosts are amazing!!!! Waffles within ten mins of being in their nice apartment.

Great great vegetarian dinner, eight of us total.

Main Square

 Then went to a club and danced the night away.

I am DYING to know how he chose his outfit that night.

My new famouse rap: "Bananas falafels... Yeah I'm in Belgium! You wanna waffle?!?"

June 20:

Honestly can not believe it. I have exactly one month left in Europe. Seriously though? Is that true? Please please explain to me how that is possible. Yes looking back at February and flying on the 777 felt like a long time ago, but how could this experience have passed by so quickly. I have major mixed feelings. Basically if my friends and family were in Europe with me then. I wouldn't want to travel back. I've fell in love with Europe even more so than when I can in '07 and '09. Being here for a long time. Actually living here makes it that much better. Okay I won't go on and on, but I definitely could! T-minus one month.

Woke up, went to lunch with the guys. We went to a place called Mr. falafel!! Hah, I so wanted to ask the guy I'd he was THE Mr. falafel! Walked around the city together, explored, had the typical Belgium dishes: chocolate!!! And waffles!! I got a plain Waffel and really enjoyed it! The chocolate was of course delicious as well, has white chocolate, coffee, and caramel chocolate pieces.

Main Square during the day

Cathedral

Apparently a cool museum, I didn't go in.

View of Brussels

Nice buildings

Garden

At a cafe now, relaxing and trying to officially wake up! Plan to meet with another couchsurfer tonight too! In case you didn't know, I love meeting ew people. Oh and my latte here came with a piece of chocolate :

WAFFLES!

White Chocolate Waffle. Start drooling now.

Pieterjan and Hilde's flat!

And Belgium doesn't have the best reputation, everyone says Brussels is boring, ugly, people are rude etc. Didn't stop me from coming here. And I haven't felt that way at all since being here. It's the people you are with, not where you are. I always say that because it's so true. The waitress at the coffee shop is extremely nice! I'm liking Belgium.

June 21: 
Woke up late, explored the city. Bought a bar of chocolate and walked around. 

Awesome

Tourist street

Laughing

This is somehow famous in Brussels, don't ask me why.

Went to the top of Parking 58, great view of the city.

Overlooking Brussels

Yum!! Dark Chocolate Ginger!

Panorama

Back to the apt and Heldi and Peterjan and I went out to dinner. Very good, just the three of us which was great. And be prepared, they officially introduced me to planking. It's quite popular now, where you just act like a plank on random objects in random locations. Let's just say I like it a lot.

First plank ever

At dinner!

Hilde and I

And again

Second plank... not as easy!

Sunset!

 

Gorgeous

Then we met more of their friends, went to a GIANT concert. Thousands of people in a park. Bob Marley’s son was playing, Martin Solveig, and more!! Walked around, they ran into a million people they knew!

Everyone who performed at the concert that night

Crowded park!

Group photo!

This guy was just hanging out on this statue. Loved it.

Jumping photo!

Chocolate in every language.

One of my favorite planks so far!

 Got some chocolate again… it’s good okay?
Walking home we saw this man entertaining a large group of people!

Found this in some random store!

 Tomorrow we will go to Ghent! Happy first official day of summer!

June 22:

Pieterjan and I took the train to Ghent.. but while waiting on the train..

Waiting on the train

Met up with some of his friends for lunch and then went to explore more of Ghent with Tessa ( I call her Tella.. mainly because she LOVES Nutella!)

Tella and PH took a roadtrip through the states last year. Found out they went from Chicago to Springfield to St Louis! Aka, they went right through where I grew up in the middle of nowhere!

Tree hugging

Window says it all

Interesting architecture

The line!

Awesome view from the bridge

Being silly

Canals in Ghent

EU flags!

Nice houses

DOUBLE PLANK!

Castle

USA!

Random statue

There is a street called graffiti street, and it is legal in this one area of the city, mainly to prevent graffiti in other areas of the city! Good idea!

Graffiti street

Being cool

Don't mess with me

Planking

Graffiti for my first time!

Success

Ghent is famous for these candies, not sure what they are called but deals with the nose because of their shape.

So we put them on our nose!

Balancing act!

So basicaly, what I kept saying when we were leaving was that "I would like to go to Ghent aghent. It was really nice."

Took the train back to Brussels and I had dinner with another couchsurfer in Brussels, Alex. He is from Vienna actually but works at EU Parliament now. He's been to Innsbruck and is a sporty guy so we talked all about that and traveling the world of course.

European Parliament

People protesting

June 23:

Had intentions of going to the flea market in the morning. I awoke at 9 am, my dream was too good, I was on a cruise with the family so I went back to sleep to continue that dream. When I did awake, I had a relaxing day. Three of us had coffee and breakfast outside, then went to the top of the building to see the view! Overlooked the train tracks so we saw a million trains go by which I loved. Even saw an Austrian train all the way in Belgium. I think it was lost

Actually spent time on a little project, made a poem for Pieterjan and Hilde. After finishing that, I put it onto a poster and cut out pictures and words from magazines and newspapers! I'm not artistic at all, but put it in a frame and bought a rose plant and a cool pot to put them in! The least I could do for two amazing Couchsurfing hosts!

My masterpiece

Here is what it actually says: 

Dear, Hilde and Pieterjan

Even though I didn’t sleep on that (insert adjective) yellow couch

I went planking in Ghent and broke some skin and then said ouch.

I must say, I fit in with the Belgian culture very much

Although, there is one problem; I don’t speak Dutch…

But I can if you like… OWWW!

Mijn naam is matt

En heb met jullie een leuke tijd gehad

Please keep back your tears

As we will stay in contact for years

Dank u...Merci beaucoup!

-Matt the Couchsurfer

Group photo

That evening we had pancake night with their friends and even ate Turkish delights from their last trip! Wow do I love being in Europe. Amazing random nights like these. Getting to know other cultures and new people. Couldn't get much better.

June 24:

So you would be proud to know that I did eventually make it to the flea market!! And look at it...

Flea market.... what!?!?

Haha just kidding it was really cool though.

Okay this is a bit more like it.

Wanted to buy this amazing very very blue coffee mug, but decided I shouldn't buy anything for luggage space/weight problems. So I let that pass me by, then after thinking about it, I decided I wanted it, went back and it was gone. Wasn't meant to be I guess! Had breakfast/lunch with Pieterjan. Then eventually went to explore more of the city on my last day in Brussels. Rode a random tram through the city, got off and found an amazing cafe with another large community table. In case you don't know, I have a mild obsession with public transportation and cafes.

Natural Cafe

Random art. I wanted to yell into is so badly!

After I was back, it was time to head to the train station and say my "see you laters".  After a few photos of course!

Couchsurfing!

Pure art.

And one last amazing amazing photo... get ready for this.

TRIPLE PLANK!

 You would be amazed where I spent most of my time Friday night... No not at a club or anything of that sort. At the airport actually. I intended to do this. Didn't want to couchsurf for just one night, that's not what it's about. I could have gotten a hostel in Amsterdam, only to have to wake up at four am. So I decided to take the last train from Brussels to Amsterdam. Got to the airport around eleven at night, been walking around, exploring. Found free wifi, the Starbucks is 24 hours, and they have this Running wheel outside to raise money for preventing cancer. They want to make it continuously run for 365 days! Wish I could partake in it! 

365 Running Wheel

Anyhow, I have a very very early flight tomorrow straight to Innsbruck. And this just checks off another thing I wanted to do someday in my life, sleep in an airport. But get this, I've been hanging out in a Boeing jet engine. No joke. They have one inside the airport and aircraft wheels so you can see the magnitude of how large airplanes really are. 

My free hostel?

Hanging out in the engine

Someone offered to take my photo!

Can you see me?

Well you would be happy to know that I comfortably fit in it, plus my giant backpack, computer bag. I have my book and music sitting in an aircraft engine. Hmm.. Maybe I should stay in airports more often! :) Managing to put smiles on quite a few people walking by. Amazing design beoing, perfect for a nights sleep on the airport. 

Back awake and off to catch my flight. After the important stuff of course... coffee. 

Goodbye Belgium and Netherlands