A Georgia Girl in Germany

About a month ago, I received an email from a PA friend, Ann, who had just returned from a deployment, sharing photos of her final days downrange. In her note, she mentioned that she was going to be TDY to Brussels, Belgium, for a NATO conference. After exchanging a few emails, we realized that Ann didn’t have extra time to head to Germany on this trip to visit us, so we decided to pack up and meet up with her on the final day of her conference. We only had a few hours together, but it was enough time to catch up on the past few years and to search out some delicious Belgian food -- namely Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolate.There were waffle venders all over the place, just like pretzel venders in New York City! When we happened upon one selling chocolate-dipped waffles, we had to try some! But, our ultimate objective was to find a chocolate store...which wasn’t too difficult in Brussels since the city is known for its chocolate.

During our quest, we ducked inside a small shop for drinks. Ann and MacKenzie each couldn’t pass up having a glass of hot chocolate. Once MacKenzie’s cooled off, it was gone! I managed to get a small sip before she slurped the final drops from the bottom of the cup, and I understand why it didn’t last very long!
As we meandered the streets, we came across this unusual sign on the sidewalk. I’ve never seen one like it before, although it looks like a designated place for pooches to relieve themselves since there’s no slash through the circle. I’m not sure how well canines oblige though since I doubt they’re fully versed on local ordnances (if that’s indeed what it means).

In any case, it was very relaxing to stroll through the streets with Ann. The last time we saw each other, we were walking to and from the Pentagon with our eyes constantly scanning around us since the DC-sniper was still at large. It was definitely much more relaxing this time simply catching up and scanning for chocolate!

Benjamin, being an active three-year-old, opted to take his time, walk on every curb he could find, and meander back and forth across the sidewalks. He definitely reminds me of “Jeffy” in the “Family Circus” comic strips with his ability to find the longest route between points A and B…while discovering C through Z in the process. But, it was time for me to relax and catch up with Ann, so I didn’t mind.

And eventually, we found chocolate! We happened upon an awesome find: “Planete Chocolat” on Chocolate Row! It is actually three stores combined. When we headed inside, MacKenzie quickly began pointing out her preferences for purchase. Benjamin soon realized that I was actually going to do more than just look around the shop, so he began pleading his case as well. Zachary looked around, but opted not to chime in.

This stuff was absolutely delicious! The chocolates here are anything but your basic chocolates. The gourmet squares contain unusual flavorings such as kumquat, cinnamon, thyme, and -- my personal favorite – violet. My friend Carie brought me a box of samples from the same shop when she was there a couple months ago, so I immediately knew to search out the violet chocolates. Added bonus is that this variety is made with dark chocolate (my favorite!), so it doesn’t get much better than that! Of course, I bought a bag!!

We could have easily spent the rest of the afternoon in there savoring the samples. Just look at all the multitude of scrumptious-looking treats! Surprisingly, Benjamin didn’t select chocolate, but instead went right to the gummi’s. These were fruit-shaped, and very soft and delicious -- very gourmet. They were so good, I hardly wanted to let him have many since I don’t think he fully appreciated how delicious they were! But, I relented since they were his choice purchase.

Don’t Benjamin's gummi’s look enticing? They were very soft and tasted just like the fruit that they were shaped as.

After contributing greatly to Planete Chocolat’s profit margin for the day, we headed back to the hotel...again, with the kids meandering along the way. Here they all hopped up on a curb surrounding a dry fountain in front of the Royal Théâtre de la Monnaie. It was a perfect opportunity for them to burn off some energy after the five-hour van ride!

Labels: Belgium, Benjamin, MacKenzie, Travel, Zachary