Jennifer's Travel Adventures: Brussels, Belgium

I absolutely loved my time in Brussels, Belgium!

Impressions:

For me, Brussels was a blend of all things a city could offer. The city landscape varied from rich historical cobblestone streets, business districts, and urban living. I thought the city was very clean and technologically savvy. The metro system was completely electronic with TV screens on each train, everything in multiple languages. Brussels still had a very old feel and although it had every large retailer it still retained the small independent businesses. The range of diversity of the people surprised me. I saw a large Muslim and Asian population, something I didn't expect. I would have never thought as Belgium as an international hub, though I honestly didn't know anything about Belgium before I came. I now know that it's the home of the European Parliament with a fantastic range in culture. Locals primarily speak French, but they also know Flemish and English. Overall, the people were very friendly and helpful. We received the best service in restaurants than in any other European city we have visited.

Chocolate and Beer:

Belgium is famous for many dishes. The two things I was excited for were chocolate and beer. Both of those things can be problematic as a celiac. Matt and I stumbled down the streets outside of the Grand Place and wondered into Ilace Sacre. I had researched gluten free beers in advance and one location in all of Brussels came up, the Delirium Café. Sure enough, we ran right into it without even looking. With a menu of over 2,400 beers. Delirium has won awards for having the most beers available of any location in the world. The atmosphere of the pub could not have been better. It reminded me of being in a brewery in Portland. A mix of ages, great music, and no pretenses. Of the 2,400 beers, they had two that were gluten free. I really liked Mongozo, it was the best beer I’ve had in my life (granted, that is a short list). Matt really liked their cookie beer---it smelled like candy.

More notes on Brussles later...