Travel| EuroTrippin Part 7: A Day in Brussels

I woke up bright and early to the gray overcast sky I had begun to get used to in Europe. I showered and since I'm a fast learner, I put on almost all the clothes I had in my backpack. Leggings, 2 pairs of jeans, long-sleeved shirt and 2 sweaters. My host evidently felt bad and she printed out the email to prove she did send me the right address. I didn't feel the need to hash everything out again.

view from my window

I left, desperate for a cup of tea and found it close to where I was staying.
The pain au chocolat was Heaven and this other pastry...I forget the French name was light, flaky, sweet but not overly so....it was perfect.

Of course, I bought Belgian chocolates.

whatever chocolate you want, they had it...crazy!

Travel| EuroTrippin: Awake in Paris, Asleep in Brussels

I went to bed relatively early on my birthday. I felt the roots of a head cold settling in. My throat was sore and in the middle of the night, I woke up congested, coughing and sneezing. My host gave me some pills and told me to get some more from the pharmacie next door. Sadly, I needed to be on the train to the Porte Maillot Coach Station at the same time she opened. I hit up another pharmacie next to the train station but the attendant didn't speak English.

Under stress, my lifeboat French becomes Franglish...a new breed of French, Spanish and English.
Our conversation went something like this.

Lady: Bonjour
Me: Bonjour. Parlez vous Anglais?
L: No
M: Tiene este? (Spanish. Do you have this? I handed her the pills my host gave me. There were only 2 left.)
L: No.
M: Je suis (I am in French) *cough cough* and *sneeze sneeze*) I.actually coughed and sneezed. She gave me some lozenges.

I left Paris for Brussels at 11am on my friend, the Megabus. Paris was cold and gray but had enchanted me with its wine and desserts.