After a rainy trip, we visited the European Commission in Brussels and afterwards wandered around the city center.  The lectures reminded me of the TWC Congressional Speakers Series in the summer.  We ate at an Italian restaurant and later saw the Christmas tree which was beautifully lit up!

I truly loved Brussels.  I have never experienced a city like it yet.  It was so international and diverse. 

There is an “EU” section where all the buildings are government buildings, other sections where the embassies are located (and I saw the US embassy with it’s flags at half-staff for the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day), plus it also has an old, historic center where everything was laid brick (hard for my dress shoes!).  We really didn’t get to see everything so I am looking forward to visiting again. 

The city is officially bilingual (all streets and announcements are in French and Dutch) but just about everyone knows English as well.  While eating at the restaurant there were people next to us who were talking about North Carolina and Duke in English.  What a town!  It is said that Brussels has 20 different languages alone from the different EU governments!  And with the entrance of two more countries into the EU community, two more will be added!

Brussels is also amazing because of the French influence on the town.  After visiting Paris and then going to Brussels, I recognized many different monuments and buildings that were very similar.  For example, there is a church we drove past that looks exactly like the Notre Dame Cathedral.  It was a great beginning to a four-day weekend.