And so life goes on...

So here I am, writing this blog entry in my hotel room in Brussels! Unfortunately, I can't read or type Chinese on Stephane's laptop, so this entry will be in English only. And because I forgot to bring my camera cable, I have no pictures to share with you for now.

We flew with Jet Airways (an Indian airline) to Brussels since it's the only airline that flies direct from Toronto to Brussels. I have to say I was very impressed with Jet, not only because the aircraft is brand new with personal entertainment system, but the seats are actually quite comfortable and large by economy-class standard! Food was fine and we even got a printed menu.. :) The pilot was awesome with keeping us informed of any turbulance which was great for me. So overall, it was a very pleasant experience.

Our hotel (the Renaissance Hotel by Mariott) is everything a business hotel should be - comfy bed and expensive services.. :) ($7 euroes per hour or 20 euroes a day for internet) The hotel is located in the European Quater which also means the business district of Brussels. Truly nothing exciting, just lots of office buildings. Fortunately Brussels is small enough that it only takes about 20-25 minutes to walk to the famous Grand Place.

Now lets continue on with the more exciting stuff... housing! Yes! We spent the whole day today looking at houses and apartments. We looked at seven properties to be precise. The first three were located in the same apartment building, and all humongous! (about 1800 s.f., 3 bedrooms) but the interiors and fixtures were way to old for my liking. So the first three were definitely no's. The fourth one we saw was a bit nicer, however far from the city centre (ok, you should know that Brussels is the size of Scarborough, so by far I really meant about 20 minutes metro ride to the Grand Place, assuming that's the "centre" of the city).

The next two we looked at were located in an apartment at the Place Stephanie near Avenue Louise. We were actually very impressed with the location because the apartment building is in a quieter pedestrian-only street yet steps away from the big shops like Zara and BCBG!!!!! The only downside would be that it is a little too central that it might be a bit noisy at night, especially in the summer. The units themselves were alright, not as old as the four previous units we saw but not modern by any means - although in very good conditions. The last property we saw was in an apartment building that is again a bit further away from the centre, but close to the Brussels University. The great thing about this particular place is that the whole building is being renovated so everything (I mean everything, excecpt for the building itself) is brand new. The kitchen is brand new, with very modern bathroom fixtures and nice terrace. (p.s. I should note that with the older buildings/units, toilets and showers are separated, they are never in the same "room", and that's kind of weird for me)

So anyway, in terms of location, we definitely prefer Place Stephanie, but nothing beats the layout and the modern-ness of that last apartment we saw. However if we were to choose one right now, I think we'd stick with the Place Stephanie apartment because it is more central and I feel much safer walking home at night (the other one near the university is supposedly a safe neighborhood, but the closest tram stop is at least 10-15 minutes walk away). Anyway, we're supposed to see more properties tomorrow, so maybe we'll find something even better.

Now on to my first impression of Brussels.... before coming to Brussels, I was told that it is a very boring city (in fact it was voted the most boring city in Europe by the UK Times) but the truth is, I am not supposed to be here as a tourist, I am here to look at how livable the city is, and whether or not I would enjoy living here. And the mentality is different when you're visiting a place for leisure and when you're visiting for a potential long-term stay. I have to say that so far, I am liking Brussels. It may not have the most number of museums, but it has good food and lots of nice restaurants. I mean, lets face it, Toronto is not the most exciting city in the world, but it is one of the best cities to live in, in my opinion :) And in any case, there is always Paris ;)