Brussels, Belgium - Day 116 - 117

brussels antique market
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It just occurred to me that i didnt finish writing my blog...and instead of cadding, reading, writing and researching...i'm sitting at the computer lab recalling my last bit of travelling in Europe before coming home. i have an actual journal that i write every night while i was on the road...but i dont have it here right now...i'm testing my memory to see how much details i can recall...

the funny thing about leaving Shanghai was i didnt think i would miss it...but the last few days i was there i was actually sad. I always thought to myself..."this is the last time i..."...etc. so there were many "this is the last time i'm going to see this street on the way to work", "this is the last time i'm going to be buying this matcha red bean drink at this place"....haha! ...and so on....i still dont really like the city all that much but for some weird reason i'm becoming more sentimental about things...so in a weird way...i miss Shanghai...

antwerp train station
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things started off wrong right away...i knew my luggage was heavy but didnt think it was 7 kilo overweight! so at the Swiss counter...the woman told me my luggage is too heavy and if i would like to take some stuff out. i thought she meant throw things away...but i think she meant if i wanted to take them on as hand carry. so anyway i didnt take anything out and found out its 7 kilo overweight. she told me its $40 for each kilo over...so that means $280...ok fine i'll pay! its not $280RMB...its $280USD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG...what have i done? well its too late...the luggage is happily sliding along the many conveyor belts inside the terminal and its too late to fish it out! so i pay my stupid penalty and thought about it the whole time i was on the flight to Brussels...man, i was pissed! but who told me to buy all that stuff? haha as much as i am not a shopper...i bought a lot of stuff! mostly clothes tho...ya and some books :S

ruben's house
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So back to Brussels...i stayed at another area this time. I made reservations at the NH hotel near the Midi station just cuz i knew i was going to be tired after a long flight. the NH hotel is really nice...so comfy! but i ended up with a smoking room with smelly curtains and all...but thats ok still. but the breakfast made up for it...i guess at this point in my travels i really miss western food...especially stuff like bread and cheese! so simple...just feed me bread and cheese and i'll be happy! haha

antwerp old town
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I spent the next day walking around the neighborhood...found some outdoor antique market and a food market near the Midi station (i really should come back to the blog and insert names of places which i wrote in my book but i just cannot recall those names). and then i bought a return ticket at the Midi station and went to Antwerp. I picked a really good time to go...they had some kind of festival and it was really happenin...even for a Sunday.  So when i got to Antwerp...i walked along the main pedestrian walkway which i think its called Zeir or something like that.  for some reason i was following the crowd and didnt follow the main street...i ended up at the Ruben's House which is one of the places i wanted to see. Its so nice inside....but cannot take photos! boo! the garden was peaceful and calm...really beautiful. then i walked around some more and found my way to the old town area.  The place was soooo happenin - it was a festival with lots of beer and food tents, a band playing music (i have no idea what they were singing but people seem to be enjoying it). i bought these ticktes were u can trade in for food and drinks...so i got a Konig (?) beer for 60 cents and some cured meat with crackers for 1 euro haha. Antwerp is famous for "Antwerp hands"...which people make cookies in the shape of a hand...i have no idea why but people were buying a ton of these cookies! Hmmm...what else did i do? i walked around alot...got really tired then went back home to Brussels. OH...i totally forgot...the highlight of Antwerp (for me anyway) was seeing the modern train station. The train station itself is a feature of the city...so modern...so contemporary...so unlike anything else around the city.

"antwerp hands"
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The next day i ate my buffet breakfast at NH and lugged my many bags across the cobble stone streets to catch my train to Bruges. I have to say tho...i really like Antwerp. I knew i wanted to see the city because of all the art history i studied...but to see it in person its so amazing! the city is not a huge city...but something about it was refreshing...oh maybe because i was just in China for 8 months! :P  i like Brussels too...altho i didnt get to see the Brussels' Mini Europe or Atomium...but i was just content with hanging out in the city :)