Day 11 – A Walk In The Forest

Date: 6th of July 2015

Sightseeing: Brussels

I let myself sleep longer than usual that day. The meeting for the participants of the "Vulcanus in Japan" programme (in which Maia participated) was going to be held until 5 p.m., so I had a lot of time to rest.

Laurie had to prepare for her Dutch lesson, which she was going to have in the afternoon, so I decided to walk alone to a forest which was very close to her flat. I was wandering there for almost two hours, breathing fresh air, and enjoying the nature. I definitely needed some peace and quiet, after listening to sounds of engines near motorways and noisy people in big cities for more than a week.

In the forest I found peace and quiet

On the way back to Laurie's flat I went to a bakery to buy a roll. It turned out that no one spoke English in the shop (just to remind you: I was in Brussels!), so I caused a commotion. Nevertheless, a merchant and I managed to communicate somehow, using hands, a piece of paper and a pen.

After I came back to the flat, Laurie and I went by bus to the city centre. We said goodbyes on a bus stop, and then I started my traipse around Brussels.

A park in the centre of Brussels

I had a lot of time before my meeting with Maia, and didn't have to hurry anywhere, so I was just wandering around and observing people and places. I walked along many streets, rested in a few parks, and checked out buildings of the European Parliament en route. The first two things that you could notice in Brussels were its multiculturalism, and white-red vehicle registration plates ;-)

At 5 p.m. I joined Maia and the other participants of the meeting, while they were coming back to the hotel. Then all of us went to a bar; we were talking about their future travel to Japan there. Some of the guys ordered beers for themselves, but then the owner came (after half an hour or so) and said (out of the blue) that the alcohol was not sold in that place. That was pretty weird...

Participants of the "Vulcanus in Japan" programme

Maia and I came back to the hotel earlier than the rest of the group. As expected, I managed to enter her room unnoticed by the staff.

Not only did I have free accommodation there, but I also ate (for supper) a few rolls that Maia had grabbed for me from the breakfast smörgåsbord. We're sooo bad! ;-)