At this time we decided to celebrate New Year in the administrative capital of Europe (it is the capital of Belgium) – Brussels. Through the German travel agency to book a hotel and train tickets – so the month for two and a half, because the closer to Christmas and New Year, the less the opportunity to book anything else. In total, our trip lasted 5 days and 4 nights – not that much, but not some high-blitz-tour location voiture guadeloupe and “gallop around Europe”.

We left the morning of Dec. 29 from Bremen, the train is 3 hours prior to Cologne, where transplant, an hour before the Belgian border, and from there another hour to Brussels. Total 6 hours. Some say so, the difference between the German and Belgian mentality made itself felt even in the train when the border has changed mashinistsky crew – the Germans came, the Belgians went. So until then, for each stop announced – to which drive up the city, late whether and to what extent any transplant, and from what ways are possible …. After the machinists were replaced – until the Brussels one word from them have not heard, even in French. Speaking of language – in Belgium speak French and Flemish – Dutch version, so I had to learn English before you travel. German hopes were not enough, and as it turned out, not in vain. If Flemish inscriptions can still be something like reading, having knowledge of German and English, the French foreign to our class, and considering that just 70% in Brussels say it in French … Well, at least because you can always poke a finger and gestures to explain. In short, we drove to Brussels – while traveling through Germany and Belgium, the weather was changing every hour in all directions – here it snows, there is rain, then dry, and then winter, and all filled up. Here’s a she, Europe, a small but diverse. This is not Siberia – in all areas by 1000 kilometers frost minus forty.

Brussels Central Station was somewhat surprised her some mild neglect, and a small number of people. Apparently, the Belgians on holiday on trains do not travel, or something. We took a taxi (do not want tired from the road and with a suitcase to deal with the local subway), explain something like a taxi driver (in the sense I told him in English, he told me in French) and got the same to the hotel. The room we got very, very decent, surprising, given that we paid a very reasonable money. Bathroom with bath, two sinks, a TV, a lot of space, air conditioning, sofas, desk and all that jazz. Even the minibar with doroguschy drinks. Even the outlet to the Internet in the room, if someone laptop. Staff in German does not speak, but speak in English. Generally the hotel was very good, almost in the center, but in a quiet place, very traditional kind, very clean, we have in the room, for example, the maid cleaned every day. Deserves special mention breakfast – he represented the buffet with a huge selection of dishes – something for every taste, take it, how much you eat. And your buns and croissants (nastoyaschie! French!), And cheese, sausage, and jam, and yogurt and granola, cereal, scrambled eggs and bacon and sausages, and then just do not have … In short, we are there every morning, eat off, so that missing until the evening, as we did the whole day walking around the city.