Today we went to the Atomium, a giant model of a molecule. It was built for the 1958 World's Fair to symbolize scientific progress and encourage the use of atomic energy. We took an elevator to the top and took pictures of the city, then took a series of escalators and staircases to visit a few other bubbles. The other bubbles were like a museum, but uninterested in taking the time to read (I'm not even sure if it was in English) or watch the videos, I skipped through and took pictures of some really cool stuff. They had a chair made of extension cords, another of something that looked like auto-parts, and one that looked like a shopping cart. They also had some blobs made of batteries and shot-gun shells. I took pictures of some neat architectural designs for my Architecture major buddies back home to get some inspiration.
We took the subway to and from the Atomium and every station was totally different. Some were really nice and others were kind-of dingy with graffiti on the walls; several had beautiful pictures on the walls, inspirational words, and encouraging quotes. We took the wrong train for a little while, but it was not detrimental because they move very quickly from station to station. Cultural note: there are alot of Muslims in Brussels, although I haven't seen any veils, just women with the scarves over their head and wrapped around.
Once we got back to our part of town, a group of us went to get lunch at the Sultans of Kebap restaurant; they are everywhere and fairly cheap. They mainly have wraps and pitas. I got a falafel because it was only 3.5 Euros and I ended up taking half of it back with me for supper. I don't think it had any meat in it, but they put something that seemed like hushpuppies in it. Whatever it was, it didn't taste bad at all. I suppose that as long as it's cheaper, I don't mind being vegetarian for a month. We also went to Quick, which is like a Belgian McDonalds to meet up with some friends there. They got a meal for 3.5 Euro, too, but I think I prefer paying for two meals for the price of one at the kebap place.
Afterwards, we went to the grocery store which has the same symbol as Food Lion. It was really a bit difficult to find what I wanted, but I got enough to suffice for a few days. I think the bread is actually cheaper at the mini-mart down the street, so I just got some off-brand Nutella to spread over bread for breakfasts. My total bill at the Food Lion (not it's actual name) was about 10 Euros. Culture shock: you bag your own groceries here. Also, chivalry is quite possibly dead here. No one gets up so a lady can sit on the subway and the ladies gave strange looks to guys from our group who held doors open.
Once back at the hotel, we took a nap...I slept for 3 hours! Later my roommates and I went upstairs, I sipped some cheap wine (I definitely don't want that kind anymore, it was rather off-putting), and played a card game guessing famous mustaches.
We took the subway to and from the Atomium and every station was totally different. Some were really nice and others were kind-of dingy with graffiti on the walls; several had beautiful pictures on the walls, inspirational words, and encouraging quotes. We took the wrong train for a little while, but it was not detrimental because they move very quickly from station to station. Cultural note: there are alot of Muslims in Brussels, although I haven't seen any veils, just women with the scarves over their head and wrapped around.
Once we got back to our part of town, a group of us went to get lunch at the Sultans of Kebap restaurant; they are everywhere and fairly cheap. They mainly have wraps and pitas. I got a falafel because it was only 3.5 Euros and I ended up taking half of it back with me for supper. I don't think it had any meat in it, but they put something that seemed like hushpuppies in it. Whatever it was, it didn't taste bad at all. I suppose that as long as it's cheaper, I don't mind being vegetarian for a month. We also went to Quick, which is like a Belgian McDonalds to meet up with some friends there. They got a meal for 3.5 Euro, too, but I think I prefer paying for two meals for the price of one at the kebap place.
Afterwards, we went to the grocery store which has the same symbol as Food Lion. It was really a bit difficult to find what I wanted, but I got enough to suffice for a few days. I think the bread is actually cheaper at the mini-mart down the street, so I just got some off-brand Nutella to spread over bread for breakfasts. My total bill at the Food Lion (not it's actual name) was about 10 Euros. Culture shock: you bag your own groceries here. Also, chivalry is quite possibly dead here. No one gets up so a lady can sit on the subway and the ladies gave strange looks to guys from our group who held doors open.
Once back at the hotel, we took a nap...I slept for 3 hours! Later my roommates and I went upstairs, I sipped some cheap wine (I definitely don't want that kind anymore, it was rather off-putting), and played a card game guessing famous mustaches.
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