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What better way to celebrate below average temperatures than to going running through a frozen forest and then forget your map and wander aimlessly trying to find Art Nouveau sites. And throughout all of this just leave your gloves at the apartment to build character. If that is true, then I built a lot of character today...in fact so much character that I am contemplating sleeping at 830.
Regardless of my stupidity, I feel that the best way to get a feel for the city is to run it. So today I ran down Chausee de Waver/Waversteenweg and went into the trail runners paradise, the Foret du Soignes.  Now, as previously explained, Brussels likes to put things in multiple names. Another thing they like to do is to name a street, go to something else, then go back to that name some time later. NOT HELPFUL. It was a straight shot to the Foret but hey, when that blood is pumping, you're dodging grocery lugging pedestrians, there is not much a runner can do! But from running around the city I've come to the conclusion that there is really no basic overview of what comprises this city. You'll have a beautiful 17th century house, only to have a concrete slab of a place next door. As I surmised today, on a divey, backwater street, a rare, Horta (a big time architect around these parts) inspired masterpiece is just standing there. Then, you'll realize that the streets sometimes end. Yea, that makes sense.....

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But I did get a nice view today. The Foret de Soignes, is just a giant wooded area south of the city. And, luckily, they have each trail color-coded with a many, many signs saying where to go. Normally I run and like to guess where I am at (as a few runs in DC went), but in Arctic temperatures and a crap load of snow, it was much appreciated. Nothing beat running on the firmly packed, slightly icy snow, and it was, and when temps jump, will be a trail runners paradise. Hills, valleys, fields, trees, trees, streams, you name it, and it is there. At first, with my ratty, holey, way-to-worn Pumas, probably should never of let me run safely on the terrain, or the other day when there was just packed ice everywhere around town. No way would be doctor of cleared that one. But I found that if I just keep a slight forward lean, stay consistent, and not make any sudden turns, I'm okay. Of course when in the city, and having to dodge people (better sized than those in DC, so they take up far less sidewalk room) it gets dicey, but after running in big cities for three years now, I'm a pro. Alas two hours came and went, got out of the city, passed a few delectable looking bakeries, and will do it again tomorrow (only minus the trees, and an Abbey and whatever a chambre is).

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Of course what could be any better than after a body devastating run than to go to a museum, then go around for another freezing walk trying to find very funky looking houses in Brussels. I officially started the museum tour. I went to the Horta Museum, the innovator of Art Nouveau. So here is the style in a nutshell (they said I couldn't take pictures inside his house-museum, but like icy running, no mount of tour guide presence will deny me): symmetrically bent and twisted brass and bronze things with steampunk furniture and lot and lots of wrought iron. Its a wonderful style, very functional, very modern, and to a guy who is sometimes pretty skeptical at these types of things, I was definitely fascinated to a T. It's just so...funk-i-ly symmetrical and crazy but yet so in place...

So after that, it was the aimless wandering capturing Horta's places. Took me far to long on tired legs, but I did rewards myself by sampling every piece of chocolate, chocolate covered coffee bean, nougatine, and chocolate covered dried fruit that the chocolatier Zaabar decided to put out. I bet they never expected that one person would actually try every single thing. Well guess what Belgian girls at the chocolatier and factory, I did so, and when I get diabetes in tomorrow, it is all your fault.
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Cayenne, salt-pepper, cardamom, lavender (which was actually my favorite), pistachio, cinnamon, coriander, curry (which was the most interesting and something that I will not find anywhere else), speculoos, lemongrass, some funky red Japanese berry, it was a smorgasbord aided by a warm cup of "Kakau Indian," which was their homeade hot chocolate (which in Belgium in melted chocolate) with spices I would put in my falafel. Awesome. Heavy, smooth, indulgent, and hey I ran two hours today, so I can do that. It was a great way to end a sampling of about one pound of a variety of samples of other types of chocolate. My gorging made the fat German kid from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory look like he was at a salad bar. But hey, I ran right? The key problem is that there are 2000 chocolate shops throughout the country (about 1 shop per 5500 Belgians....) and the fact that there is also over 150 breweries and sooo much cheese to try....

So here is the meal of the week. Well, actually I did end up eating my first European cheesburger (as only they would do it, with gourmet mushrooms, raclette cheese, and organic everything). It was good, but doesn't beat that behemoth I had from the BRGR truck a month back. But I went to L'Horloge du Sud, which specializes in African fair (Belgium quite a few colonies down there). Not knowing African, French, or the Dutch words for African ingredients (Foufou???) I picked one and got a side of gefrituurde plantains. In the end it was grilled lamb in a sort of heavy, rich, pesto-looking sauce that was awesome. And to sound all "cheffy" here, the salad really cut through the heaviness of the lamb and sauce well. Plus I had  warme gembersap, or warmed up ginger juice. Wow, do it right now, find it, drink it, NOW.



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