DAY FOUR:

It was my last moment in my first hotel, and it was a sad moment indeed. It had one of my favorite hotel rooms, though not the best. Not to say the hotels were bad, though. P2P provided almost all good hotels...almost.

I showered, and having near-control of the shower head, I managed to get "cleanish" without spraying water all over the bathroom floor. (Instead of a shower curtain, it had a minuscule glass door) Never underestimate the power of a shower curtain, my friends.

 I stayed behind for room checks while my roommate tugged our suitcases. That's generally how it works. In room checks, our delegation leaders check for broken beds, lamps, trash, dead bodies, etc. Almost all of our hotels didn't have anything wrong with them...almost.
Anyway, our room was clear, so I was free to eat food!

I had bread and ham!

Then we got on our bus!

We departed for Belgium. We probably stayed in Belgium for about 36 hours, so it was my shortest country stay, but I liked what I saw. On our two hour journey, while still in Holland, we saw windmills! That  got me excited, cause, you know, Holland and windmills is like peanut butter and garlic. They just go together.

The majestic windmill in its natural habitat.

Belgium was a 2-hour trip from Holland. When we arrived at a Belgish (no, I'm not saying Belgian) rest stop, everyone magically spoke French and Dutch, so now I had a better idea of what people were saying, since I take French.  I felt pressure to buy something, so I bought a Twix bar. It was the only snack I bought. Same with drinks. I recycled water bottles I got at my lunch by refilling them, so I didn't have to BUY water, no sir. I'm too cheap for that! 

We arrived in Brussels soon after that. I probably won't remember a lot of this day, because my camera ran out of battery by noon, and I didn't write much in my journal at night, but this was one of my favorite days. Brussels is kind of like an American city...maybe Indianapolis? Either way, it's a pretty blend of new and old, and I only wish I had more pictures to share.

The center of town! Surprisingly traffic-free!

First, we had a small tour of Brussels. It's quite a lovely city. We stopped by a shopping district which is like one giant, beautiful alley-way. We were walking, and then a giant hall opened to our left. It was awesome!

Isn't it pretty? We ate on the second level, right about in the middle.

We had lunch in a cool little place. It was a cozy, two story restaurant.

Our table.

Turkey with sweet gravy, boiled potatoes and asparagus, and bread.

Creme brulee -- yum!

We went to Grand Palace next! It's considered one of the most beautiful plazas in the world, and I completely agree. It's beautiful! I wish I managed to get more that one picture, but my battery died after I took it.

Entering Grand Palace. It gets prettier past the turn, I'm afraid.

We had some free time to go shopping, so we did. Two guys from the North Dakota delegation were really sneaky. They took an empty can, placed it near a bench, and then proceeded to lay on said bench. They got 10 euros in ten minutes by looking like homeless boys...or something. Maybe in Brussels if you see a can, you throw money in it. I bought a few things at the market place, and I found something  I really liked for my friend. I didn't get it at first, so I walked back to Grand Palace, and upon realizing that I really wanted to buy it, grabbed a friend and ran back. It was a lot of fun. My best shopping experience. I got WiFi sitting on the steps of a building, so I tried to chat with the people back home. No one was online... *tear*

Next we had the chocolate factory! It was full of chocolate and yummies of all shapes and sizes. We saw a chocolate chess board, chocolate shoes, chocolate letters, the works. Belgish (yup, still Belgish) We had a cool presentation about chocolate making. When the lady asked for volunteers, my hand shot up like a bullet. So I poured chocolate in a mold, shook it to get rid of bubbles, and put it aside. My shaking wasn't up to the lady's standards, so made me do it over.

I bought a few things afterward, but not much because Belgian (fine) is so expensive. It is, for the record, very good, though, so if you ever want some good chocolate, call Planet Chocolate!

We went to our hotel after that. I do not remember what my room looked like -- oh, yeah, I do. It was a pretty good room, small as it was. It had a shower with a curtain, so I can't complain! And beds are the best thing ever invented for human kind after a 16 our day on your feet.

And so that was day four! It was a lot of fun because at the point, everyone was making friends with each other. I liked the things I bought, and the city is beautiful. Until next time!