Day 5

Trip Start Mar 19, 2008
1
5
61
Trip End Jul 01, 2008


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Flag of Belgium  ,
Monday, March 24, 2008

Day 5: I actually got up early enough today to do everything I wanted to do! (almost). I woke up to a snow blizzard, and it's been snowing/sunny on and off all day today. Crazy ass Belgian weather. I started off by climbing up to the top of the Belfry here, which gave an awesome view of the city and surrounding areas. At 88 meters high, it was good hike, but well worth it. I was lucky enough to get up to the top to hear a song from the bells; the mechanism for keeping time and playing songs is amazingly complex looking, and I couldn't get a picture to do it justice unfortunately. I really want to know how in the hell someone could have designed something so complex hundreds of years ago. Damn. After the Belfry, I checked out a pretty decent display of a bunch of Salvador Dali's drawings and paintings. No ATM's were working for me that I had tried, and I only had 10 Euros, enough for a snack and dinner. I seriously contemplated risked my only cash on the museum, but ended up just using my debit card like a fool. I like quite a bit of Dali's work, but damn that guy is perverted "Governor's Carwash"
"Governor's Carwash"
 . I mean seriously, every other picture of his features a fairly graphic naked body, or body part-mostly women's. I also want to know how many drugs he was on to come up some of that stuff, honestly; overall I thought it was a very nice museum, and worth the money though. I then made my way up to the Church Of Our Lady, a magnificent church just west of the town center. Amazing interior, artwork, and one of the only Michelangelo sculpture outside of Italy. This church was awesome, and I'm so glad I made the decision to come here. This church was nearly as awe-inspiring as the Church Of Our Lady in Antwerp; close, but no cigar. I wanted to tour their vaults, but again, I only had 10 Euros with no prospects for more....I got my first braatwurst from a stand, it was great; down to 6 Euros. Wandering around a square with my food, I came across an ATM that worked! I could actually not have to choose between eating, and attractions! Even though the weather has been changing between crappy, and mediocre all day, I decided to rent a bike and meander through town. I found some windmills on the edge of town, and attempted to ride to the ocean, about 40 minutes away from town, but halfway there, the snow was too damn miserable to keep going, blah. I found a little local restaurant, family owned for 80 years; it was really cool seeing everyone walking in and out, knowing each other. Plus they had a massive bowl of spaghetti for only 3 Euros! Now I'm just hangin out for a couple hours until I get some dinner later. I'm thinking about going to Bastogne tomorrow.
 
I'm just putting up all my pictures on this one.
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