I think that winter has come to Sofia.  It was rainy yesterday when I landed and today I had to wear my winter coat to school.  The air is damp and it's been a little bit windy making it seem colder than it actually is nonetheless, it's officially winter coat weather.  There was a chance that I was getting spoiled by the extended fall don't worry--baby, it's cold outside. And I think it will only get colder. Maybe it's better this way: fall when I fly out to visit a FISI friend in Brussels and winter when I return.

[caption id="attachment_385" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Grand Place at Night"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dsc04409.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-385" title="Grand Place" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dsc04409.jpg?w=225" alt="Grand Place at Night" width="225" height="300" /></a>[/caption]

Anyhow I had a great time in Brussels.  The city is beautiful and it was great to see my friend. I thought that I would write about the visit yesterday but I had a hard time getting all of my thoughts in order.  The challenge is I think not sounding like a Lonely Planet guidebook.  It's easy to say wow the city is wonderful--in this case, I think it is but it's hard to know what a place is really like if you only spend a few days there.

So if you want the Brussels highlights go to Lonely Planet or even wikipedia but if you want my impressions well lucky you because I am about to share them. This said I am not a very worldly traveler so I won't be comparing Brussels to other European capitals or anything.

In a nut shell, Brussels has good energy.  The city is lively and even in late fall/early winter there were lots of people out and about.  Public transportation was easy to use (well minus the time I was watching the metro doors close and I was in the train and my friend was on the other side of the closing doors but some quick thinking lead me to pull her into the train. phew).  The Belgian waffles: yum. It made me think that we could really use a Belgian waffle stand over a new Starbucks here in Sofia.  All of this is topped off by really beautiful architecture. The Art Nouveau homes sprinkled throughout the older neighborhoods were also a treat (but not as tasty as the waffles). Oh and the Grand Place was a treat at night, the Belgian beer was better than the Bulgarian beer I've been drinking and all sorts of people stopped me on the street to ask me directions in both French and Dutch.

Funny no one ever asks me directions in Sofia.<!--more-->

[caption id="attachment_383" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Carolyn, her friend, a waffle and Brussels! "]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dsc04421.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-383" title="Waffle" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dsc04421.jpg?w=300" alt="Carolyn, her friend, a waffle and Brussels! " width="300" height="225" /></a>[/caption]

So the waffles: great! Now however I must admit something that is kind of embarrassing. I grew up
with my dad making waffles with our Belgian waffle maker but I never knew that it was actually a dessert-street food in Belgium.  I guess that I thought it was just a way to describe the bigger waffles.  Sure the bigger holes, when compared to regular waffles, are far superior when it comes to conveying strawberries or blueberries, syrup and whipped cream but I never connected the waffles that my dad made to the county of Belgium.  (Sorry Belgium.)  This said, the street waffle was kind of a revelation to me--crispy, warm and sweet and served with almost anything else you can imagine.  I ate mine plain and am dreaming of getting back to the states and making up a batch of these waffles.  Maybe I'll start my own street stand--watch out Walla Walla, watch out.

[caption id="attachment_384" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Art Nouveau Door "]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dsc04460.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-384" title="Art Nouveau Door " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dsc04460.jpg?w=225" alt="Art Nouveau Door " width="225" height="300" /></a>[/caption]

One of the other pleasant surprises was the architecture.  My parents own an antique store.  I like old things (and I guess I probably would have whether or not the owned an antique store) and the old homes were simply a treat.  In Sofia, most of our architecture is based on concrete--my building included.  There are some places that have older looking window frames and stucco exteriors but even these buildings are showing their age.  The Art Nouveau homes however still look new and fresh.  They are clearly treasures and the home owners have taken good care of them.  The wrought iron was well made, the stain glass windows appeared original and the design of the windows and other exterior elements really set these Art Nouveau houses apart from their neighbors.  They were like little treasures sprinkled through each block.

My friend tells me that regularly there are architecture students camped outside some of the homes in her neighborhood sketching, taking photos and otherwise studying the homes.  I can see why.  The lines are beautiful and the homes appear graceful.  I of course didn't get to see the inside of any of these homes but I can only imagine how beautiful they must be.  I don't think that homes like this are regularly made or designed these days.  Simplicity seems to be king--exposed brick, high ceilings and open spaces and Art Nouveau doesn't

[caption id="attachment_388" align="alignright" width="225" caption="Another Art Nouveau Door"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dsc04461.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-388" title="Another Door" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dsc04461.jpg?w=225" alt="Another Art Nouveau Door" width="225" height="300" /></a>[/caption]

seem to have a place in this kind of design.

I guess it might seem fussy to others or it might appear pretentious but me, I am in love.

I also got a big kick out of the Grand Place.  It's the beautiful square in the very first picture of my post.  At night, the lights made everything look dream like.  I've got a lot of great pictures which I'll post shortly to my Flickr account so that you can see some of what I saw.

So, Brussels, Bruxelles or Brussel--depending on what language you speak--was a great time.  I realized there that I actually know more Bulgarian than I thought and it certainly helped that I didn't understand French or Dutch to make me see how much Bulgarian I know.  I got a kick out of being able to puzzle my way through written Dutch--I guess speaking English and studying German for four years of college played an important role in this.  All of this aside, the trip also made me appreciate Sofia.  Sure the sidewalks are uneven, public transportation is dirty and old, I haven't seen a fresh spinach leaf in a salad since I arrived in the country and garbage pick-up is hap-hazzard at best but this is my city and while it may seem strange I like it for all of those reasons.  Oh and it doesn't hurt that the cost of living is much, much lower here in Sofia than Brussels.