#I love a good cursed duck adjacent bird

[adventuresdownabbeyroad]

Tuesday, July 10th~ Brussels and London

Atomium: We naturally woke up kind of early and got ready. Out by 9:15, we took the tram to the Atomium. The ride was about 35 minutes and we observed lots of unique station art. Almost every station had a theme (ours was under construction). Some stations were way nicer than others. Disembarking the tram, the Atomium was a short walk and even visible on the tram. It is a rather weird looking structure. Each metal ball has a different exhibit, although you can’t go in each. There’s one small elevator all the way to the top that used to be the fastest in Europe. Constructed for the Expo in 1958, the building was an impressive exhibit to everyone except professional architects. On the highest ball is a restaurant on the upper level and a 360 viewing platform on the lower level. Even though it was kind of overcast, we could still see a lot of the city. Mini Europe, similar to a Legoland, was right below, adjacent to ADAM, a design museum. Stuck between elderly tour groups, we managed to sneak some pictures in. To travel to the rest of the balls and exhibits, you needed to take the elevator all the way back down and then escalators back up. The first ball was an exhibit on how the Atomium was built and the Expo. Going up a very long escalator, the Atomium had a temporary Magritte exhibit. It was actually really cool with some 3D versions of his work and little blurbs about each piece with interpretations. Overall, very worth it. The way back down had more stairs and the whole structure took about an hour to explore. We hopped back on the tram (accidentally going the wrong way when we transferred) back to our Airbnb area. Dora recommended Friteland, so we waited in a long line for some fries. I ordered the Dallas sauce and Melina ordered the Andaluce. The Dallas was a little spicy and had a nice kick. After devouring the fries, we walked to the Starbucks in Grand Place and I purchased my mug (they don’t have the app!). 

Brussels to London: We retrieved our bags to catch our train to London and witnessed everyone displaying their Belgian pride for the World Cup match against France later that evening. At the train station, we went through security and I got a Belgian passport stamp and a UK stamp within 5 minutes of each other. The train ride was extremely smooth and we made one stop in Lille, France. I slept for part of it until I had the pleasure of eavesdropping on a talkative American mom. We arrived in St. Pancras Station and I bought another tube day pass. 

London: Taking the Central and then Hammersmith and City line, we made our way to Porchester Square where we were staying for the night. The flat was on a super cute street that reminded me a lot of South Kensington. The area was kind of posh and near Notting Hill and Hyde Park. The Airbnb we stayed at was pretty tiny in the basement. We only had a room and shared it with the hosts and their family? more Airbnb guests? Quickly settling in, we walked around Porchester Square and the Bayswater Area. Melina and I made our way to Kensington Gardens and the Serpentine Lake. There were a bunch of birds, ducks, and geese. We also stopped in to see Harry and Meghan, Kate and William at Kensington Palace, but they weren’t home. Making our way back to the tube station, we took the Hammersmith and City line to Tottenham Court Road. This area is lovely with theatres (playing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Chicago to name a few) and bookstores. Tempted, we stopped in Foyles and window shopped at other used bookstores. Our reservation was at 7 at the Porcupine, a traditional English Pub. We met my teaching friends from London, Zohura, James, and Peter. I also brought them some American candy to try. I ordered a Mortimer cider after the bartender told me the original one I requested wasn’t very good. Peer pressured into getting something British, I tried the ham, chicken, and cheese pie with mashed potatoes, gravy, and greens. We had some good laughs and kept updated with the France-Belgium game (France won). They actually had work the next day, so we all headed home. I had to use another bag because of all the mugs I bought. 

#Atomium #Magritte #Brussels #Belgium #London #United Kingdom #Europe #Europe 2018