Once again, I have been doing a horrible job of maintaining my blog...I apologize to those of you who have been waiting on a new post! I'll get better about this, I promise. :)
So about a month ago, I visited Brussels, Belgium for a weekend (the capital of the European Union!). Margie and I had actually planned to meet there and check it out together, but unfortunately she had to work at the last minute and couldn't come. So, I ended up just going myself, and everything went fine...after a few initual difficulties.
My first impression of Belgium was one of chaos. The airport in Brussels seems to be huge, although it's possible that it really isn't....I was just extremely lost. First of all, I had no idea which direction anything was from where I entered the airport. There were NO SIGNS ANYWHERE, not even one of those little "YOU ARE HERE" maps. So I took a chance, and walked to the left. Eventually, I wound up in a line, which I assumed was customs (I didn't even consider the fact that when traveling within the EU, you don't need to go through customs). After waiting 15 minutes in a line of many "ethnic people", I got to the counter. "Boarding pass, please," the man said. I was confused, and gave him the one I just used to get to Brussels plus a confused look. He said, "I don't think you want to be in this line, Miss. These people are all going to Africa." lol...nevermind!
I was looking for the train that was supposed to connect the airport with the Central Train Station (Centraalstasion), but there were NO SIGNS ANYWHERE about trains!! Wtf? I literally walked around for an hour, until finally I gave up all hope and asked someone. I finally found it, and then had to wait 30 minutes in line to buy a stupid ticket.
With the airport ordeal finally behind me, I rode to the Central Station. I was prepared with printed out directions from Google Maps that would take me to my youth hostel. I made it to my metro stop (subway) with no problems...however, that was where my luck ended. From there, I tried to find the street where I was supposed to walk to next. First I walked in the wrong direction until I realized I was backward. Then I went back, found the street, and turned right, just like the directions said. However, then none of the directions made sense any more! I found myself in some sort of Middle-Eastern district where no one spoke English. I'm sure I looked like the best mugging target ever with my laptop, purse, and backpack swinging off my every limb. Well, at the very least, I was obviously very lost, and a man came up to me and asked me if I needed help. I said yes, I was looking for Rue d'Elefant, where my hostel was. He told me I was definitely in the wrong area, and that I should go back the way I came. So I did, more confused than ever.
Now, I had absolutely no sense of orientation, and just started walking down a random street. I was looking for a public map, like at a bus stop or something, but there weren't any. My next idea was to go to the bank and ask there (the only place that seemed safe in this area). However, it was closed. Instead, I went into a Pakistani grocery store and asked a worker for directions. He also didn't speak any English, so I attempted the little French I knew. "Oú est Rue d'Elefant?" Luckily, he understood me, and knew where I wanted to go. He drew me a small map that took me right there. Thank God!
So, I finally made it to the hostel, and got checked in. It was now 3 hours since arriving in Brussels. Thanks, Google Maps, for totally screwing me over.
More to come.
