Life in Brussels

In case you didn't know, and many of you might not be keeping minute by minute track of the Tobins (I have a hard time keeping track myself lately), we are in Brussels.

I really like Brussels. Maybe that didn't come through in my September visit here. But that was mainly because I just wanted to get moved to Galway and start 'the next chapter'. Not like me to be impatient or anything?

So we got to Brussels on Sunday night after taking the high speed train from Paris. And when I say high speed, I mean it. 1 hour and 22 minutes, non-stop Paris to Brussels. That is equivalent to going from Seattle to Portland in about 45 minutes. Well, maybe an hour. But that drive would be a minimum of three hours with no traffic and the train is much faster.

You might be wondering what do I do in Brussels whilst Paty is at work. Good question, not much. Yesterday I went on a run in the middle of town. Not the ideal conditions. Lots of streets and lights and stopping and starting. But I did spend a good 15 minutes running on cobblestones just to get my ankles ready for Prague.

The rest of the day I spent mainly wandering around the city.

Okay, so that is a lie. Our hotel had wifi, so I mainly surfed the web and did some reading on the big dance.

WSU a 3 seed? Hell has officially froze over. I just hope my guys from Winthrop can beat Oregon for a sweet 16 berth. Tough draw for the Eagles though, their 11/6 matchup against Notre Dame is going to be good.

I had to check out of the hotel at 2 pm today, so currently I am sitting on the periphery of the 'Grand Place' and writing this blog. I found a building that is shooting out free wifi, so I am stealing the signal from them. It is in the mid-60's here temperature wise, so I am in my full tourist gear. Guinness rugby shirt and all. But no jacket. Of course I do have the requisite Stella Artois in a can beside me. Europe is not so tight on the public drinking as the USA.

No pictures on this post. I actually packed the camera already. How many pics of the Grand Place can you have?

I have 15% left on my battery before I have to find an outlet, going to play a little Warcraft to kill time while waiting for Paty. Our flight isn't until around 8 PM tonight. Brussels-Dublin then Dublin-Galway. No driving from Shannon airport for once. But we only have about 15 minutes to connect in Dublin. Going to be close.

Okay I lied, one picture from the archive:

I am basically sitting right where those people are sitting behind the girl taking the picture. I am currently leaning against the same lamp post. So just FYI, there is free wifi in that EXACT spot if you are ever in Brussels and you are bored and happen to have a laptop.