I got there late on the 15th. Ine was there at the airport to meet me and it was great to see her. It was a little strange having her drive me around now. She's a good driver though--sort of. (Just kidding Ine!) When we got to her house, I met her parents, then went to bed. The next morning I slept in while Ine went to school. We rode bikes and got lunch when she got home, but it was a pretty lazy day since I had just spent a day traveling. Taylor was supposed to be there between 8-10 p.m. so we stayed up waiting on him. However, when he didn't show up by 11, we decided to go to sleep and just listen for the doorbell. Well, he finally made it sometime around midnight--I think. I'm not real sure what time it was because I was totally asleep when he got there, but I woke up and we talked a little, then he said he was going to do his homework. In actuality, he didn't do any of his homework and we talked more until finally falling asleep.
So, that was my first full day in Belgium. The next day, Ine, Taylor, and I headed to Brussels, the capital of Belgium. First we went to the Atomium. What's that, you ask? Well, it's this:
It was built for the International Exhibition of Brussels, that took place in 1958. We went up to the top. This was the view:
Ine and I with some old cars in the Atomium
The one of the left is the Urkel-mobile.
After we toured the Atomium from top to bottom, we took a tram downtown.
(sorry for the blurry picture, but I still thought it was fun)
First things first--Ine and I really needed to find a bathroom. So, we casually walked into a nice hotel and found their bathrooms. Taylor was waiting for us and got a great idea for a picture while waiting. There was a big mirror so we wanted to try and take our own picture in the mirror.
Here's a test shot. We were really focusing...
The result--we're complete dorks
The King and Queen's house
A statue of one of Belgium's most famous poets--don't ask me his name, I forgot.
New York has the Statue of Liberty, Copenhagen has the mermaid and Brussels has the... Manneken Pis.
A closer look
There are many legends about this statue, but the one I like the best is the one Ine told me. It is said that a general in a war was about to attack the city, but was peed on by a little boy. The general took that as a sign that he shouldn't attack the city, therefore he saved the city. Umm, yeah...He is dressed as a soldier here, but he has many outfits--over 600 according to one website.
In Belgium they don't call them "Belgium waffles". They call them "Brussels waffles". This is quite possibly my favorite picture from the day.
Ok, no laughing this time
A courthouse and church
A group picture--since Taylor jumped in without us noticing.
Taylor and I, while we were waiting on Ine in the information building
Pictures of the square
A few random pictures
Of course I'd never have taken this picture if I didn't live in Japan. It was funny to me because this is quite possibly the dumbest name for a Japanese restaurant.
Of course I'd never have known that without living in Japan.
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