Belgium

Belguim is a pretty city, very small so it is great to walk around. Definatly don't need more than a day or two here though, you would run out of things to do. The town sauare or what-ever it is called is beautiful with georgous neo-gothic steeples, and 15th century buildings accented in gold and filled with high priced shops and cafes. The buildings here are beautifully decorated; windows with tall arches and outlined in stone, stone balconies trimmed with latice worked iron. Statues, gargoyles and cherubs fitted in every available gap, and more latice work or beautiful stone trim everywhere else. There is so much work in one square foot of building side it is mind boggling.
I have tried a belgian waffle, and am going to work on the beer situation tonight. So that just leaves chocolate for tomorrow, then off to Amsterdam!!!

My only complaint about this city is the men. They are disgusting and not easily refused. I learned this last night when i went wandering after i arrived just around my neighborhood. The prelude to the creepy men is I found an open air concert that was just setting up so grabbed some side walk to wait to see what they were playing. For a while I watched a eclectic group of people dancing to techno music being played from the cocktails tent. A thirty-something man dressed to the nines, a preteen girl, and a late 50's early 60's woman was dancing away in the square. It was three of the most random people givin' her on the sidewalk. And i never thought i would see the day when a woman who was too old to be my mother was raving to some techno music. The 30something man was mastering the "ball" technique but she was right along side of him actually probably showing him up in style, (it may have been that she had the keen sense not to hold the imaginary ball which he kept trying to pass to her)
Finally the concert started and i got halfway through the first song to realize that it was Horrible. A strange mix of a DJ scratching, a french rapper, who was half rapping Eminem style, then switching to an almost old school Backstreet (think no diggidy) slow ballad style rap. Just to throw into the already interesting vibe, the band (with an electric keyboard which did 80's style music plus a keyboard saxaphone) played a strange 50's jive meets Latino music. It was the most random combination of music, which i hated, but the crowd loved. I tried to give it a chance but by the second song i realized it wasn't going to get better. Possibly only worse.

So onto the creepy men. Thank GOD for my imaginary fiance! The men here will actually stop their cars in the middle of the street and come and try and pick you up. Getting out of their cars and holding up traffic. They are not deterred by the fact that I speak english and they do not. Because they have learned the important phrase of "we go!" and then point in which ever direction it is that they want to take you. I say NO... point to the ring and then walk away. Some, when they find you on the street, will follow you like a lost puppy looking for some scrap of attention before they pounce with "We go?" So i have now learend that in Belgium never answer a nod or a smile or a Bonjour, never make eye contact and ignore all forms of attempted communication. In total be a complete bitch and they will just follow you like a lost puppy until some other unsuspecting female makes one of these fatal mistakes.
Parents who are worried do not worry. This only happened when i was walking through town. Never too close to the hostel. Lots of people in the vicinity. And my new found method of bitchiness works well.
My new theory is to just start muttering to myself and talking in a made up language (double dutch anyone) and act crazy. Or just turn around and start screaming and waving my arms. This should scare the poor puppy away.
I will keep you posted on my crazy lady attempts!
So in total Brussels is cool. Supposedly has a good nightlife, but limited supply in the daytime. Females dont come alone unless you are prepared to become horrendously rude, or have no problem acting insane. I feel that i will put my psych nursing into play and try and adopt my best schizophrenic with auditory and visual hallucinations tomorrow. Hopefully my next post will not come from the local mental care facility!
Love you.