Today I camped out at a nearby restaurant that I found out has a nearby Wifi link. I got here around 1pm, ordered lunch and a Stella and have been slowly ordering things to keep from being kicked out. I found a great table next to an outlet so I'm not limited by battery life. Having guaranteed high-speed internet at home is something that I had definitely taken for granted (although I probably get to sleep much earlier without having it at home). It was rainy most of the morning and overcast for the rest of the day today so it's just as well that I go online and research some of my upcoming travels and what the heck I'm gonna do when I get back to the US (not to mention how to get back to Europe but that's a long story).
Yesterday I did about a 35 mile bike ride on the east side of Brussels. I stopped at a bike shop and picked up a nice regional bike route map of Wallonia (that the employee kindly translated the dutch to English on the map legend). I was glad I wasn't on my expensive road bike after all as I ended up on several dirt tracks (generally smooth) and it added to the experience to be able to just go for it without wondering if I'd end up walking in the tricky bike shoes. But this is my touring/beater bike and I'm rolling with some comfy MTB/commuter bike shoes. It's got slicks but they are a little wider than true road tires and have sturdy 36 or so spoke wheels. The weather cooperated even though the bike shop employee advised me of rain after 1pm, although it did start getting much colder toward the end of my ride. Afterwards I was starving and it was tough to find a restaurant open on Mondays (plenty of "cafes" open for drinks/coffee but not for food). I decided to try out the street just past where I usually take the Metro and sure enough there's a restaurant right there that served up a nice plate of spaghetti. I had my Palm TX with me and decided to go ahead and check for wireless since that's always a desirable thing and sure enough, there were two "open" networks and one let me connect and sync email. The laptop usually has a stronger connection than the TX so I was pretty sure I could use the laptop inside some other time (I opted to eat outside since I was still in my bike clothes even though it was a bit chilly).
Tonight: a croque madame from the same restaurant. It's a fried egg and cheese on toast I think. Plus salad and I asked for some frites as well. They already brought a Heinz ketchup bottle out so I'm excited. There's some big deal about how to eat Pommes Frites in Belgium. I guess the real way to do it is with Mayo, but I don't take that on anything but tuna salad if I can help it. The true Frites stands will charge like 2 or 2.50 Euro for small frites then 0.50 Euro for each sauce, with a surprising variety available. Curry Ketchup is my personal favorite of the usual options. McDonald's charges 0.60 Euro for each ketchup, and 0.30 for the bathroom (WC). An interesting aside, you can buy canned beer at McDonald's in Belgium. OK, on to ticking (Irishism) my checklist.
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