There are no Brussel Sprouts in Brussels!
A short 4 hour bus ride from Amsterdam and you are in Brussels. I dont really have many exciting things to say about Brussels. They have chocolate, waffles and good beer. I did meet a man who was 6 foot four and full of muscles while in Brussels, that was exciting. I spent about 2 days here. The city is really nice. There are some really beautiful buildings and one of the most beautiful squares that I have seen in Europe. I went and saw the movie Borat again…spectactular the second time around as well…Very Nice…High Five…Wawaweewah! I found a sports bar that showed some NFL games and that was a nice little treat.
The hostel in Brussels was about as nice as a Lions Den. It had a pillow that was made out of rubber or something so due to that I didnt get much sleep. I had a wierd old guy who sat on the side of his bed staring at me while I was sleeping with a wierd grin on his face as he was eating…I wonder if his name was Buffalo Bill, like in the Silence of the Lambs. As he kept staring at me I got a wee bit scared and pulled the covers over my head. All I could think of was the scene in the movie where he has the girl in the well and he screams at her:
“It puts the lotion on its skin, it does what its told.” Yeah, this guy freaked me out a bit.
That is the extent of my excitement in Brussels. I actually bought a book called “Kite Runner” and had that to entertain me while in Brussels. Never in my life had i got so into a book. I crushed this book in a matter of a day or two, it was fantastic. I highly recommend it to anyone as it is one of the best books I have read on my trip. I believe I am now into my 13th book on my trip. Here is a little book review so that I can fill up some space. I am quite proud of myself that I have read that many books in 8 months. I hadn’t read 13 books in my entire life up until this point so it really is quite an accomplishment. Without further adu here is the list in order of when I read them.
“On The Road” by Jack Kerouc. I enjoyed the book. Some of it skips around a bit and it can be hard to follow but for anyone who likes to travel or is spontaneous it is a good read.
“Whale Rider” by Witi Ihimaera. I really enjoyed this book as well. Learning about the Mauri Culture of New Zealand was quite fascinating. I would love to watch the movie as I hear that is good as well.
“Into thin Air” by John Krakauer. This was a fantastic book. I picked it up at a used bookstore and was deep into the book in no time at all. Great writing and very detailed. I give him credit for being able to write the book, don’t know if I could have.
“They Killed my Father” by Loung Ung. If this book doesnt bring you to tears then perhaps you are more manly than me. It is an account of the horrible genocide that took place in Cambodia during the late 70’s. The story is a young girls account of what happened to her and her family. It absolutely blew me away and I learned alot about something that never made it into any of my history books in school…Wow…go and read it. The author is now an advocate for helping to remove landmines in Cambodia and countries like it.
“Vietnam Now” by David Lamb. David Lamb is from Boston and during the Vietnam war was sent over as a correspondent worknig for a Washington Newspaper. He has now returned after almost 30 years to be a post war correspondent for the LA Times, I believe. He goes and reunites with people he worked with during the war and meets with war veterans both from vietnam and america and gives his perspective on how war has changed Vietnam and where it is heading. I liked the book but didnt agree with all he said. It was good to learn about the war and get a first hand account of what happened.
“Seabiscuit” by Laura Hillenbrand. I loved this book. I learned more about horse racing than I ever thought existed. I actually got a little teary eyed at the end…wow! Not sure if I want to see the movie but I probably will. I cant say enough about this book, fantastic. If i have a kid i am gonna name him seabiscuit.
“A Beautiful Mind” by Sylvia Nasar. This book was a little out of my league but I still enjoyed it. There is alot of technical science and math information and historical information about mathemeticians but once you get passed that and into the real story about John Nash it is quite remarkable. I did see the movie after I read it and was quite disappointed. It was one of the harder reads I chose but I would still recommend it.
“Veronika Decides to Die” by Paul Coelho. If you want to turn your world upside down grab any book written by this guy. I am sure most of you have read “The Alchemist,” if not, read it. I dont want to give away what happens in this book but it left me thinking and still has and I read it about 3 months ago. It was only about 200 pages but I finished it in less than a day…I loved it!
“Notes from a small Island” by Bill Bryson. If you want a good laugh Bill Bryson is always good for that. I read it before I travled to the UK and it was quite entertaining. You can never go wrong with a Bill Bryson book. Informative, opinionated, and always a few out loud laughs.
“Bio-Strike” by Tom Clancy. This is your classic world ending fiction book. I read it cause I needed something to read and it was all the book exchange at the hostel really had. It was entertaining and I cant say I didnt enjoy it but not really my cup of tea.
“Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien. I cant say I enjoyed this book that much. How someone came up with the stuff in this book is beyond me. I picked it up because everyone raves about it and thought I would give it a chance. There were some parts where I could not put it down but other parts where I was struggling. I went to the place in South Africa called Hogsback where supposedly he got the inspiration for writing the book. This place is beautful and it is what I thought of while I was reading the book. I may pick up the others eventually just to finish the story but I am not sure yet.
“Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. Like I said, this is better than good. I was a bit disappointed once I realized it is fiction, someone correct me on that if i am wrong but I dont believe it is true. Either way this guy has a gift for writing and what an amazing story he put together.
Right now I am reading, “Angels and Demons” by Dan Brown. This book has been staring me on the shelves of bookstores my whole trip and I finnally decided to buy it. You know what you are getting with Dan Brown. A very entertaining and readable story that will keep you flipping from page to page. In just one day I have read almost 200 pages so I am really enjoying it. I am hoping to pick up at least one more book and finish that before I come home…that would give me about 14 books which isn’t bad. I hope you like the recommendations and go and pick some of them up and read them if you like.
Tags: Belgium, Borat, Brussels
Gagnonius
Haven’t been to Brussels, but have been to Brugge. Loved that city, and hope to go back soon. In fact our trip spawned two websites.
I have to say that I am very impressed with your reading list. I know you were never a big reader and I hope that you will continue this hobby after your trip.
Are you still looking at taeching in Korea?
koreapot.com And worknplay can
see you through NEW VISA regulations
James
and IM IN KOREA and missed my brussel sprouts this christmas !!