- A lot of PDA from people of all ages
- Bad driving, with most things being ignored by police
- Rude pedestrians, who bump into you without an apology and often will not move out of the way to let another person pass
- Expensive prices in restaurants
- Dining out being a major event
- Paying for water in a restaurant
- Having to dodge dog crap on streets and sidewalks
- A lack of environmental awareness-cigarette butts, etc. just thrown on the ground
- Belgian Radio-stations play what we call the "Belgian Mix"-there are no stations dedicated to a specific type of music-you can be listening to the Rolling Stones one-minute and some techno-jazzy French song the next-it’s weird and extremely annoying.
- Music in general-mostly jazz, techno, and 80’s disco/top 40 from the U.S.
- A strange fondness for Michael Jackson’s music
- Television
- The Weather
- Nudity-let’s just say the ladies locker room at the gym can be very interesting (these women are not shy)
Monday, December 04, 2006
Things Not So Lovable About Brussels
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2 comments:
Looks like the goods still outway the bad.
A lot of the things that suck seem to be issues in most of the world- ie. bad driving and lack of environmental awareness- though honestly Australia's not too bad in those regards (Singapore however...).
And the expensive evening eating out, that's a thing here too. The cost of living's a lot higher here, but the quality of livings better too. It's a trade-off.
Keep focusing on the things you love! You'll miss that bread when you come back (I still fantasize about "brotchen" I had in Germany as a child, and the butter was sooo much better too!!).
-Marjorie
Marjorie-
I agree-There is a pretty high standard of living here and a good quality of life. There is a huge emphasis on eating quality meals and spending time with friends and family. A lot of effort goes into selecting ingredients and preparing meals. Simply taking time out to enjoy life seems to be the way. Don't get me wrong-we love it here. The good definitely outways the bad.
And while I mostly outlined the negatives to dining out in Brussels, there are some good things too. If you reserve a table, it's yours for the evening. Nobody will rush you. Also, you can sit at a table at a bar or cafe for hours and just order a couple of beers without being hassled.
I thought it would be fun to keep a running list of life in Brussels. Not so much as a forum to gripe (although, I think that has its merits), but to inform and have something to look back on later.
-Stephanie
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