Chronicles of the trimester - Part 3

Took the Thalys train to Brussels. Paid a lot more than I wanted to because the smart “me” didn’t book the tickets in advance. And because I am a “sheikh”, I took first class which would have made sense if the distance was like 4-5 hours. It was just an hour to Brussels. I made myself believe that it was worth the money paid until the bank statement came through at the end of the month.

There isn’t really much to do or see in Brussels, except the gothic style city centre. That too is just a few hours of visiting and then it gets boring. Trying out different types of waffles was an experience. I did eat a few chocolates but kept my appetite for them until the next day. I took a cycle tour of the city which was good because there were people to meet from other countries.

I was treated very well by the hotel staff.

How? Because they upgraded my room without me asking for it.

So? It was a bit of a surprise because:

Reception guy: “Sir, have you been our guest before?”

I: “Here, no, but I always stay in the Accor group of hotels. I was staying in Ibis in Paris before coming here. It’s the budget hotel chain in your group of hotels. I am a privilege card holder as well”.

I said this with so much confidence, that he actually believed me, and smiled. I realized only a few minutes later that I was standing in Intercontinental which is a completely different hotel chain.

Bruges:

Took the train to Bruges. Yes, VIP again.

My idea of Bruges was that of a fairytale town after watching the movie “In Bruges”. It definitely lived up to the expectation. The air, the buildings, the chimes, the canals, the streets, the shops, the river, everything seemed like the inspiration for the “land far far away” in Shrek.

The streets were filled with chocolatiers. I bought some for family and friends. I asked the lady at the counter if she had any without sugar for diabetics and she was happy to help. When asked if she had something without alcohol she gave me an uncanny stare and was silent for a few moments. She was really nice after the first hiccup and was able to mix some chocolate pieces. I was not really bothered what she was mixing as I knew she understood. After coming back home I realized why was she not happy with the entire non-alcoholic idea – choice was limited. I bought a 1 KG box of non-alcoholic chocolates that had only 4 types of truffles and some black/white chocolate. The best ones had the heavenly drink.