So, after the 10+ hour flight(s) we finally made it to Brussels. The walk to the hotel was pretty short, and that's a good thing, considering how much luggage we were hauling.
This particular hotel was an "apartment-hotel", so there was nobody on-site to check us in. Apparently, hotwire doesn't send along the security code for the front door, so we had to be saved by a nice English tourist lady to let us in and allow us to use her security code to get the room key. After that tiny bit of stress, all was well. We fought off the jet-lag and were able to see the little streets with all of the touristy restaurants as well as the Grand Place that they inevitably lead toward.
The plaza was full of groups of kids and other tourists, and it had a huge Christmas tree and a well-secured nativity scene in the middle. It is surrounded on all sides by some amazingly beautiful old buildings, but they were so dark by that time.
After leaving the Grand Place, we found our way to the Delirium Tremens bar. It was full of loud, drunk people, and was not all that pleasant. While ordering our beer, we actually saw a small tower of shot glasses crash over on the bar and leave a few shards on our beer menu. Luckily, this bar is huge, and we were able to find a much quieter area where we could sit and chat. At one point in the evening, Elizabeth did a double-take toward a street-facing window, and said, "That's the peeing girl!" She was absolutely right! We were yards away from the Jeanneke Pis; the second-most-famous tribute to micturition in Brussels. After an awkward photo shoot (drunk kids were socializing and surrounding the statue) we decided to turn in.
The hotel was quite close (thanks Google maps + T-Mobile!!). We made it home with no problems, and were snuggled in bed, asleep right away.
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