9:27 am:
Today will be a bit of a travel day . I am
heading back to Bucharest via train. The plan is to then get to the airport
via shuttle bus (780) or a taxi and then fly to Brussels. I am flying Ryanair for the first time, and hopefully that will be ok. It's Ireland's major budget airline, and when I say major, I mean that my flight was $25. They do nickel and dime
you for everything else, so I had to print my boarding pass before leaving home, otherwise it's a charge for that at the airport. I'm fine with all of that stuff as long as it's cheap, and I know the rules. Give me a seat, get me there safely, and I'm happy. I don't need a glass of water or a bag of crappy pretzels.

I might try to shut my eyes on the train. There is one woman in my car, and she is near the window. She is keeping to herself and listening in her headphones of what sounds like a Romanian poIka. I actually slept pretty well last night. The medicine I was given does seem to help. It's a powder that, from what I can tell, you are supposed to mix in hot water. I haven't had access to that, so my water has been room temperature. So it works, but it is NASTY. I would compare it to drinking that awful flavor of Halls drops in a liquid form. But I will drink it if it makes me feel better.

9:50 am:
Guess I'm not going to try and sleep. Just saw the guard walk by. What is it about train conductors that scare the dickens out of me? All of them have actually been ok, but maybe it's the fact that they wear a hat and look like they would have no issues tossing me off the train if I didn't have the correct ticket? Hmmm . I'm glad I have always had the right ticket and got on the right train. I must say that it was really nice to be able to book my train tickets online (in English) and print them out ahead of time. That way I didn't have to try and figure out how to buy one from a machine or stand in line at the train station.

11:39 pm:
In a cab on the way to the station. Couldn't find where the 780 bus loads or where I could buy a ticket. One last said she didn't know and the other said I couldn't buy one. OK. Decided not mess with that, so I found a cab from a trusted company, Meridian, and he quoted me at 50 lei. Seems fair enough.

3:54 pm:
On my $25 Ryanair flight headed to Brussels. Everything is going well, and i might even splurge on a snack. I am excited to see what Brussels and Belgium has to offer, as I'll be there until Sunday when I fly home. Beer, chocolate and waffles are in my future.

9:29 pm:
Made it to Brussels ! The Grand Place of Brussels is stunning! I can't believe how beautiful it is . The main building is the Town Hall, which was started in 1402. The place/market itself started in the early 1100s. At one point in the late 18th century, some of the place was destroyed from revolutionaries and it sat in bad condition. Finally, in the 19th century the area was restored and rebuilt. It has been named "Europe's Most Beautiful Square" in 2010.  

 For dinner, I had the 'carbonnades a la flamande,' which was Flemish beef stew with onion and beer. It was soooo tender and just melted in my mouth. Of course, it came with a side of frites, to which I added mayo and sea salt. Yum!

I'm excited to see what else Brussels has in store. Thanks for reading!
Jamie