Sooo.... urinals here are like urinals anywhere else, except for one obvious thing, and a couple special ones I found. These special ones were in an english pub (yes .. went to an english pub in Brussels .. how's that for multicultural? Eh, we were right next to it after visiting a grocery store to buy soap and shampoo.
Of course there was soccer on TV, and of course the beer was warm. Actually, we were given a choice, and my choice was excellent, an Old Ale from Shephard Neame (that is NOT misspelled!) called "Bishop's Finger". It was pretty dang good. Thick, rich, lots of caramel and toffee flavors and a tinge of something else (where DID he put that finger?!?!). Also had a Spitfire (same brewery), and that was like a 'light' version of Bishop's head, finished off with a Aldan's pale ale. All good beer, tons better than BMC.
So anyway, urinals.
This little bar had the CUUUUUTEST urinals EVER! Perched on a tiled ledge at the appropriate height, they were the size of soccer balls! Never seen a smaller urinal in my life! Tried to get a photo, but alas, cameras in bathrooms with other people don't fare well, so I didn't even try (see, I wasn't drunk!)
Next stop was a wonderful Thai place. We walked for half an hour in circles based on seeing it in daylight. Nope, couldn't find it .. until we got back to the hotel and it was right next to it. Doh!
So yesterday for lunch we were at a nice local sandwich shop when I needed to use the facilities. I went downstairs, and into the restroom, and .... um ... there were women in there. Most guys know to look for urinals when they aren't sure if they are in the right place. And yes, there were urinals. And a guy just came out of the stall. Huh ... it was apparantly a multi-person, multi-sex restroom. Eh, when in Rome ... I did my business.
At the client (a large data-center hosting facility) there are multi-person, SINGLE-sex restrooms. But you know how these restrooms have strategically angled doors and such so that people outside cannot "see anything" if the door is opened? Well, that's not the case here. I'm standing at the urinal, doing my thing, and if the door happened to be opened, then, well, I'd have an audience. Ok, no biggie, I do my thing.
Tonight we started at the Monk bar. I ordered a Morte Subite brew based on reputation. What I failed to notice was that it was a "Kriek Extreme". Hm. Too much cherry for me, although there was a nice roasted nuttiness underlaying it. So I gave that to Tim and got a Borales Tripel, which was an excellent brew which I enjoyed much, and returned the filtered H2O back to a urinal. And yes, this dual-urinal was also in public - no door even. I didn't draw a crowd (guess I'm not hung like a horse) so just did my thing, washed my hands, tried to get a photo but too many people around made me feel like a creep, so I went ordered another beer (Burgoyne Flanders ... very dry, brown, seems like it had some fruit flavors once upon a time but they were aged out).
Next stop: Publico for dinner, a French restaurant. I can't pronounce the penne pasta I had, but it had a smoky red pesto sauce with pine nuts. Excellente! And the Ciney Bruin I matched it with was yummy too - a soft, fluffy brown with a hint of tanginess that lingered on the tongue with the roasted barleys aftertaste.
Is Belgium really just about beer, food and urinals? I'll keep researching ...
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