After landing, and taking a bus from the airport 1 hour away by a driver safely driving way under the speed limit, I was deposited at the Brussels rail station-from here I was able to find the metro to the hostel. This went pretty easily-as the directions we're as said, and we're pretty easy.
I reached the hostel around 4:00 pm-and this place is a pretty basic affair. Nothing fancy, plain rooms, and not enough lockers. I had to keep my stuff in the "staff" locker-which means someone from the reception desk has to open the locker every time I want something. I wasn't happy, but that is what had to be done.
In Spain, my little Spanish and the general speaking of English made it easy to get around. Here in Brussels, French is a main language-but no worry if you don't speak French-Dutch is also spoken. I didn't even know it was Dutch originally, I thought it was German-so here I didn't even know what language some we're speaking.
After a lunch of pasta and four cheeses (three cooked well-pate avec cat fromage), I decided to do something I haven't done in weeks-laundry, as a laundromat was across the street from the hostel (I have been washing my clothes in sinks using soap, shampoo, and occasionally, detergent). I went to this unmanned laundromat, which had change machines for 5, 10, and 20 Euro bills. I only had a 50 Euro piece. So I went to a nearby magazine store to buy a chocolate bar for the change (I didn't want the chocolate)-he didn't have any change for 50.00 Euros. So I put the chocolate bar back on the shelf and went to a used-clothing store next door. The truth is, I needed a new coat. I had my leather coat-but left it somewhere in Seville when I was trying to find my hostel the first night. This wasn't altogether disappointing-I was tired of carrying it around-and it was hot there.
Anyway, it wasn't hot here-I found a leather coat-which was 25 Euros-too expensive for something which wasn't exactly what I wanted. But I needed the change for the laundromat-So I bought an old hat that looks like an old man would wear. I don't need this either-but it was just 3 Euros, and would provide me with change.
I then went back to the laundromat, and put a 5 Euro piece in the change machine-didn't work. Kept being spit back.
I then put a 20 Euro piece in the machine. This did work-but I also received 20 Euros worth of laundry tokens (not the Euro change pieces I was expecting), and to make matters worse-they we're only for the washer-not the dryer.
So I did my expensive wash, enjoyed my expensively-washed clothes for once, came back to the hotel, and took the metro downtown to wander around downtown.
Downtown is beautiful. I ate a few belgium waffles, had a beer, watched homeless people attack other homeless people in the metro, and got back to the hotel.
