Being an early riser, I'm used to waking up before my fellow college students, so I wasn't surprised when 10 AM came rolling around and I stood, fully dressed and starving, before five other very asleep girls. So instead of sitting around, I headed out for my own little Belgian adventure. I bought a one euro waffle and wandered through the crowded courtyard where booths had been set up, selling everything from fruit to dried meat to oil paintings. One particular painting called out to me and I debated whether a painting was too extravagant of a souvenir or not. Ultimately, my heart won out and I bought an adorable painting of a typical Belgian storefront that will forever remind me of this amazing weekend. 
After finding some awakened girls, we all headed out to get some more fries (we're obsessed) before our afternoon guided walking tour. The hostel we stayed at advertised a free tour of the city, so we figured why not? Our tour guide was a very nice Venezuelan guy who was studying here in Brussels and clearly loved his job. He knew the best places to go in the city as well as some really interesting historical facts and legends. One of the buildings near our hostel, in the Grand Market, is where Karl Marx was exiled for writing his Communist Manifesto. There is also a beer that can only be made in Brussels because there is a certain bacteria found in the river below the city that makes the local beer. Our guide says it tastes like what you throw up after drinking beer, but he says it's the pride of the city. I think I'll pass. My favorite story is that of the Manneken Pis, the famous peeing boy statue. It's just a tiny little fountain, but it's completely famous in Belgium. Our guide said that one of the legends behind the statue comes from when Brussels was under siege from a foreign power. The outside forces tried to blow up Brussels' walls with dynamite when a little boy peed on the fuse, putting it out and saving the entire city. What a hero. He also has over 800 tiny costumes, which he wear on special holidays or when a foreign leader comes to visit. 
After a very long walking tour, we sat down for another traditional Belgian meal: mussels and fries. As you walk down the long, crowded street of restaurants, the hosts call out to you, asking if you're english or french and calling you beautiful. It's very close to harassment. However, one guy gave us a pretty good offer: mussels, fries, and a drink for only €12.30. Probably not the best mussels ever, but when you're a poor, traveling college student you have to make sacrifices. We got about a zillion mussels which went really well with the complimentary white wine I ordered. As if I haven't discussed food enough, I'll speak briefly about the wonderful hot chocolate I had after dinner. You could choose amongst a multitude of flavors, like white chocolate raspberry, dark chocolate cinnamon, and speculoos which came as a big chunk of chocolate attacked to a stirring stick. A nice lady steams the milk and then you stir in the chocolate until it melts. It's the richest hot chocolate I've ever had, and considering Brussels was rapidly becoming cold and rainy, also perfectly well-timed. After dinner, we went out to a bar recommended to us by the guide which boasts one euro beer before midnight. It tasted awful, but what can you expect? Then we danced the night away to a mix of French and American music. Me - drinking beer and dancing past midnight. Brussels truly changed me.
For the last few hours in Brussels I had left, I headed over to the René Magritte museum which was very interesting but didn't even include the famous pipe painting or the one with the guy with an apple on his face. I also bought and lugged with me a bunch of chocolate gifts for everyone (which will hopefully not be eaten by the time my family visits...) Then I sprinted to my bus and enjoyed a lovely ride through the Belgian and French countryside. If you're ever in Europe, I strongly suggest you check out Brussels. You come for the culture, stay for the food. I think I found my European home.
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