Mmmm Belgium...

Hello!!! We arrived in Brussels, Belgium yesterday from Paris and so far we are absolutely loving it here. Brussels is a million times cheaper than Paris too which is a huge plus!!! The city is just fantastic - it's so compact and European and quaint and full of activity. They have this spectacular square in the centre of the city which is surrounded by these incredible old, old buildings. Behind that square are tons of winding little pedestrian-only streets full of cafes and restaurants, all serving up tons of Italian, seafood, and other kinds of deliciousness (although I don't like seafood!!!) This place is just bustling and it's very eccentric, which I love.

Our hostel is absolutely fantastic. We've been really lucky since we arrived on continental Europe in terms of the quality of our hostels. The one we stayed at in Paris was actually a budget hotel, but it was great, clean, and 500 metres from the Louvre! It was extremely cheap too and we couldn't believe what a deal we got until we realized that the place must be haunted! We had a bunch of really weird experiences in our room, including the door swinging open all on its own, and the toilet flushing on its own followed by the bathroom door opening when no one was near it. We also all experiences strange hot and cold flashes in the room which disappeared when we left. Veryyyy weird!!! We figure that that's what accounts for the cheap price!

In Brussels, our hostel is a 5 minute walk from the centre of town. Our room is clean with extremely comfy beds, nice clean puffy duvets and real pillows (versus the flat nasty ones at other hostels), and a private ensuite bathroom which is very clean and lovely - it's very much like a hotel!!!!! We love it here and don't want to leave! Our plan was initially to spend 2 nights in Brussels then one night in Bruges and then onto Amsterdam, but we found out yesterday that we can't take the train to Amsterdam from Bruges, so we decided to just stay in Brussels for one extra night. Fine by us! We need a few days of relaxation after the insanity of Paris. There's so much to see and do in Paris and it really takes its toll on your poor feet!

Haven't seen any museums and whatnot yet in Brussels but may do so tomorrow - today I spent the day walking around alone, relaxing in cafes and taking in the culture! I highly recommend Brussels as a vacation spot and if you want to go the hostel route, check out the 2GO4 Quality Hostel - it's where we're at and we love it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Will post again soon - hope everyone's doing well!!!!

Love,
Emily