2013 Belgian Invasion, Brussels and Antwerpen Day 2

The 2nd day in this voyage, and technically the first full day of the trip as I had a good nights rest the night before thanks to all the beer consumed and the convenience of being a elevator away from my room. This day would be a heavy dose of what being a tourist is all about... a Metal Tourist \m/

My first stop, Brussels Central Train Station. One thing that can be said about my 2nd visit to this city is some of what I remember is coming back, and just by getting off the station I already knew a certain bar I hold dear to my heart was very close, but today was not the day to visit the bar. More on this bar at a later post. The reason for the visit to Central Station? Take the City Sightseeing Bus Tour to visit some of Brussels infamous attractions.

If you look closely on the back of the bus chairs, they had the prerecorded messages in 6 different languages about Brussels attractions and their history.

One benefit of taking the City Sightseeing Tour Bus were the coupons on the maps they provided. These came in handy later on. Another benefit is the ability to hop on & off the buses

My first stop, Rogier, was definitely not a attraction (unless your into shopping), but to visit one of the supermarkets, called City, to pick up some gifts for friends and family. This Tour Bus Operator definitely had the convenience in mind when planning these routes.

They also had something I never thought would ever be united, but low and behold, here it is, lemon and Coca Cola, together at last. From this day forward, I will have lemon as an alternate to Jack Daniels (or Early Times when I feel like a cheap bastard) for those moments I want to feel Belgian (or European).

One point of interest the tour bus passed was the residence of the King and Queen of Belgium lived. To say visiting this place was tempting, but it was also tempting to conquer their throne and declare myself King. Of course, this also meant all beers manufactured in this country would be confiscated to my royal throne, making me a very unpopular King.

Here comes one of the main events for today's trek into Brussels, and one of the City Sightseeing maps finest hour.

Next stop, The Atomium, one of Belgium's well known attraction. Its an Iron Crystal Enlarged 165 billion times, meaning, what is usually nothing more than a molecule has become its Godzilla equivalent. I am awaiting the day this atom grows angry eyes and storms off in a rampage.

The obligatory reverse camera shot of individual with smug look on his face.

The scenery towards the Atomium was majestic as the forestry was thick and manicured, and the weather definitely gave it an additional touch with its gray atmosphere.

The Atomium trying to hide behind a tree. This would be like a Blue Whale trying to hide behind a bush.

Adolphe Max, former Mayor of Brussels in the early 20th Century, hero to many.

Just like being under Devastator.

Enter the Atomium, and on your way to a molecular death.

Going to the brain of the Atom Monster, destroyer of Brussels.

Seeing through the eyes of the Atom Monster, and eyeballing its potential victims.

The Atom Monsters easiest way to conquer Europe. All it needs to do is step on it.

The road to the Atom Monsters lair.

The Atom Monster checking itself out.

Inside the belly of the monster, with unexpected victims of its wrath and even a dining outlet.

All jokes aside, the Atomium itself and the surrounding area serves as a expo center, as well as the inside of the Atomium has a number of models, paper articles and/or replicas/originals of objects when the Atomium first opened. As much as I want to post all of the aforementioned pictures, it is just impossible to do so due to numerous photos. As a result, I am only going to post one picture and that it :::SURPRISE::: the Atomium in a smaller scale. The Atom Monster is pregnant.

Navigating inside the Atom Monster required the use of its limbs (aka the tubes), and thankfully the Atom Monster provided escalators to show its not such a bad monster.

Aside from escalators, it also had stairs, and it was definitely fancy looking.

Going up...

...going down.

The Atom Monsters size shows no restraint.

The obligatory "Danger" sign found in sci-fi flicks.

Time to take the tunnel to the "New Frontier".

One more "under the Devastator" shot before moving on to the next attraction.

As you can imagine, there was a mob of kids all over this sign before the pic was taken. Patience is a testament if you want a good pic.

This what going to the movies is like in Brussels, very artsy. Note the Smurfs 2 movie poster, this will be an omen for a later post.

Right next to the Atomium was Bruparck, a place that looked like a village. As tempted as I was to explore deeper into its vowels, I was unable to do so due to time constraints, but at least a pic of the entrance should give you an idea what its all about. From What I managed to see, it had a lot of restaurants and bars. Such shame I couldn't go in and take a couple of swigs, but this will be compensated later on.

Mini Europe, the perfect way to explore Europe's main attractions without having to resort to lengthy train rides, airplane trips expensive hotels/inexpensive hostels.

Before going forward, it should be noted like with the Atomium, a lot of pictures were taken, but due to the numerous pics, I am unable to post all of them here. For Mini Europe, I made the decision based on the countries impact on the world of Heavy Metal, my prior visits to Europe, and just some random pictures that accentuate this attraction. So for the countries that didn't make it, nothing against you, just the long storied history of Heavy Metal and geography.

What's a Metal blog without a mention of Vikings...

...or where they are from \m/

Can't forget their neighbors, who gave birth to some Dino's that can blast Barney out of its happy land with pitched harmonics, the blast beats, the low end of a bass, and the screech that shake Jurassic Park to it's foundation.

The beer capital being represented.

What do a medieval torture, a evil priest and a crankhead have in common? This place.

If there's one place that is the center of the Heavy Metal Universe, and I say this with as much respect as I can possibly muster, it would be Germany \m/

This place has a Brutal history within the confines of my brain.

Alive in Athens.

A6W6W6W!6!6!6! THE ATOM MONSTER!!!!

The exit, for some reason looks like the Atomiums inner limbs.

Surprisingly, they had schwag fit for Metal Legions. More on this at a later post.

With the Atomium Monster slain and Mini Europe Conquered, it was time to get back to the City Sightseeing Tour Bus stop and move on to the next attraction that is also Belgium best known, the Mannekin Pis.

My sentiments exactly.

If you have to wonder why these pics are on this blog, than the classic 2 + 2 = 4 equation won't make sense.

The halls of eternity (at least within 250 bottles).

The mob basking in the glory that is a statue urinating. Very Metal \m/

The Mannekin Pis.

The Mannekin Pis bigger, orange, and fake twin cousin, although serving some tasty waffles.

With the Mannekin Pis etched in my mind, it was time for some chow, and thanks to the recommendation Dennis, the City Sightseeing Tour Bus driver, he recommended Le Lombard, a restaurant near the Mannekin Pis. A HUGE discovery was about to be made.

Whomever the interior decorator was, he definitely had the right idea, especially the Galaga aliens in the Belgian colors \m/

Since I had some Rock N Roll Ribs, it was only fitting to try some of Le Lombards Ribs. I will say this, it was definitely "cleaner" the Nicko's Ribs, and I mean it in the lack of marinaded sauces clean.

Like with any meal, a good beverage to wash down the chow is a definite must, and this would be the HUGE discovery mentioned earlier, and aside the other beverages that didn't make it on this blog, one from this establishment was worthy to grace the halls of Metal Trek. Introducing Goliath Beer (I told you it was :::HUGE:::), a tripel beer with a 9% ABV. For a name like Goliath, I was hoping it would break the 10% barrier, but this will do. So why does Goliath get a spot on a Metal Blog like Metal Trek and Channel 13? For starters, it shares the name with a very Metal Disney character. The giant is also wearing a helmet with a bird of prey (species undetermined) on top of it. The font style definitely helps the beer case for its Metalocity. The taste is very malty, but clean, deceptively clean.

With the meal and the 3 beers consumed, it was time for some dessert, and considering the city I was in, it was time for some Belgian Waffles.

It was a given I ordered the Dark Chocolate Belgian Waffle, considering this is one of the few countries that can give the Swiss Chocolate (my personal fav) a run for their money.

With Brussels now said and done, it was time to head off to Antwerpen to go to the De Rots Metal Bar.

The beer menu, with a omen from the Australian Metal Gods.

Looks like the first contender has been announced.

The legend and the myth.

Beers aren't the only beverages that have the touch of Metal.

Another contender announced.

How many Lemmys have I had in my lifetime? Too many to count.

If there ever was HEAVY way to end a story, this is it \m/

Judas Beer, a Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 8.5% ABV. A decent heavyweight, it definitely has a noticeable kick with a bit of clout and the taste is hoppy. It's credentials for being a Metal beer? Take a good long look at the name and tell me if you don't notice a missing word? Hint, think holy man, father, rabbi, shaman, etc (at this stage, if you haven't figured it out, you have failed as a Defender of the Faith). Aside from the obvious references, the name and aesthetics of the drink are definitely in League with Satan, and can guide one to a Heavy Place \m/

The Slayer Cocktail. Take some Eristoff Vodka, Tequila and Bols Blue, mix 'em together, and you got a War Ensemble of a beverage. The taste is a harsh sweet that goes down smooth, but it will knock you on your ass on the first strike.

Grimbergen, a beer I only had during my first visit to Belgium. a Belgian Pale Ale, this beer stands at 6.7% ABV, and while it isn't a heavyweight, as a middleweight it can still deliver a heavy blow, and it is a beverage not to be underestimated. The flavor has a smooth texture with a touch of sweet bitter. The Phoenix Rising is definitely a Deströyer 666 approved Metal rating, hence allowing the beverage entry into Metals equivalence of Valhalla \m/

This last pic marks the end of the visuals, but the story doesn't end there. During my visit to De Rots Metal Bar, I got smashed as if Thor's Hammer itself struck my skull. Keep in mind I have never been to Antwerpen before, and maybe (more like I should have) booked a hotel in Antwerpen for the night, but instead, tried making a dash for the train station, which I managed to make it. However, it was late (about 10:30PM give or take), and by the time I got to Brussels, the train dropped me off at Central Station, which was the last station the train was servicing as the conductor indicated. It was far away from where my hotel was near the airport. Since I was intoxicated (I drank A LOT more than what the aforementioned pics shown so far), I had to do the one thing drunk people do when lost in a foreign city; get a taxi. This would be a costly mistake (not getting out of Antwerpen in time), and I had to pay €50 (Euros, converted in American dollars, approximately $70!6!6!6!) for the ride to my temporary home. The trade off, lost some serious money, but a funny story to look back on (and a lesson I hope all of you will learn the easy way).

To be continued...