[Normy]

Happy July 21st!

-Belgium is really the undiscovered country. It is cheap, it is safe, the people are friendly, it is clean, airline tickets to Brussels are usually hundreds of dollars cheaper than Amsterdam or Paris, and to boot you have great public transportation = no need for a rental car.

And of course, the aforementioned chocolates and beer (!). Brussels itself is a culinary capitol- there are 2000 restaurants in this city of 1 million people, and nearly all of them are excellent.

[folks, you can gain some serious weight in that town!]

I lived in Belgium for about a year back in 1999-2000, and really enjoyed the place. The one thing to keep in mind if you go there is the weather- it is very similar to Portland, Oregon or Seattle. This weather is why I call Belgium an "indoor" country, and probably is the reason that indoor pastimes such as food/drink and comic strip art are so popular. Belgians also tend to be quiet, unassuming people who don't care for ostentation. They have a king [Albert], who could probably walk down a street in most US cities and be unrecognized. He parades through Brussels on July 21st down to the Royal Park, where he makes a speech and then goes inside. It is party just like July 4th in the US, the only difference is the color of the flag. Big party and everyone has a good time.

Cool place. Anyone who is considering their first trip to Europe really ought to pick this city. There is plenty to see, nearly everyone speaks passable English, and if you want to see other cities on the continent trains are readily available.

N!