brussel sprouts

just because it isn't fun...doesn't mean it isn't fun

so what if i stole lance's jersey and ate his bike

emil says:


things i knew about belgium before our trip:  good beer, good chocolate, good fries, good waffles. things i know about belgium post trip:  substitute the word "great" into all of the above. delirium tremens is the best beer of the trip thus far and the bar environments throughout  brussels have some proper drinking vibe to them ie loud, woody, sawdusty, sweaty, yeasty, and tasty. side note: fries with mayo somehow disturbingly work together. from there we headed to the tour de france for the opening prologue time trial in a small town called liege. what a scene. dollar beers and great proximity to the riders and all the hoopla. it's fun to watch athletes suffering while one stands in the shade with a liter of cold beer.  lastly, the fairy tale town of brugge is pretty special. plenty of tourists but plenty of hansel and gretel type flair with beer and waffles to mark our trail to the hotel rather than plain breadcrumbs.  nice little surprise was belgium.

george hincapie

david zabriskie

brussels main square

grand place

eastbound and down does brussels 

guildhalls

gotta love a country who uses this as its symbol 

brussels by night

in brugge

gretel looking for hansel

laurel says:


belgium was a surprise little treat.  we came here to see the start of the tour de france and wound up seeing much more than we had planned.  we homebased in brussels- drinking delirium beer on the square, eating cones of french fries drenched in mayo (sounds gross, tastes great), buying overpriced belgian chocolate and nibbling on belgian waffles.   the day trip to leige for the tour was a breeze and in typical buonpane/wolmut fashion we managed to squeeze into a vip area where we got up-close and personal with the riders.  it was a blast to be a part of a world class sporting event that does not charge any entrance fee and allows/encourages maniacal fans.  we wrapped up our time in belgium with a day trip to gorgeous brugge wandering the canals lined with picture-perfect houses.  it is still a gem of a town, despite the hoardes of tourists.  

canals of brugge

out of a fairy tale