Brussels and me

These days I have travelled to Brussels. It has been the third time I have visited the heart of Europe, and, as usual, something unusual happened to me.

First of all, I would like to say that as I want to be as neutral as possible regarding languages, I am not going to use French neither Dutch, but English, in order not to favour any community.

Then, first thing I saw when I arrived to Brussels was snow. Snow everywhere. However, the taxi driver did not seem very concerned about it, because he drove as if the road were dry. I could not tell how many cars we passed. But I can state that the ESP of his car worked properly and I thank God for it. In this short trip, I also waited in the longest traffic light in Europe. More than an euro, waiting for a light to turn into green.

Talking about snow, it was quite weird not to see salt on the street. Here in Spain, every time it snows (not very often), the Town Hall drops salt on the street, in order to melt the snow. Belgian authorities did not seem to care very much about this fact, and I could see some people skating on the streets of Brussels.

I had to go to the National Bank of Belgium. The bank is quite similar to a James Bond's film; one walks through corridors, without knowing exactly where he is. I even had to walk through a tunnel under the street. True! What a nice place for a movie about the 50s and the 60s, about Soviet and American spies. One is expecting to meet James Bond or whoever any time it opens a door.

On Tuesday, my last day in Brussels, my patience was sent to an exam. I had to wait for more than 30 minutes for the train to the airport (but in the meanwhile, I learn a lot about Belgian trains. Once in the airport, I found queues for the security control, for paying the chocolates I bought for my parents, for paying the gift of a friend who is getting married, for boarding the plane,... In conclusion, a long day of patience.

As previously stated, that was my third time in Brussels. The first time, I spent a weekend with Julia, under the rain of July. I visited most of the places that I have also visited this weekend, but alone. Actually, it was quite a nice weekend, with quite a nice company. The second time was one year ago, just a few days after the death of my grandmother. For the first time in the history of my family, one of its members was hosted in Sheraton Hotel.

In a few days, I am coming back to Vienna, for the second time in my life. First time was unforgetable. Let's see what happens in the second...