It was a sunny spring day of 2010 when I arrived for the first time in Brussels. As a Master student in European studies studying at a Canadian university, I was offered an internship in the Belgian capital for four months. During the time I was there, I had the chance to experience Brussels not only as a tourist, but also as a resident.

From a visitor’s perspective, Brussels is a beautiful city and offers many things to see. Aside from the parks, souvenir shops and markets found around town at different times of the week, Brussels is also home to some interesting museums and several EU institutions(indeed, Brussels is known informally as the EU capital).

You can also dine at one of the many restaurants that offer the Belgian specialty of moules et frites (mussels and fries). For dessert (Belgian waffles of course) or a wide selection of Belgian beers (the Belgians are famous for their beers), the Grand Place is the place to be. This large square in the middle of the city has been designated by many as the most beautiful square in Europe.

Getting around the city is very easy as the subway and bus lines are very accessible. Although nobody checks your tickets when getting onto the metro platform or on the bus, do not be fooled! Many times you will see controllers checking tickets when you exit; no ticket means a 150 euro fine, if not more !

The experience of actually living in Brussels offers you the opportunity to see the ‘details’ that one would otherwise not see while visiting for a short time. For starters, Brussels is similar to Toronto in that it is a multicultural city. The EU institutions, NGOs and international businesses bring together people from across the EU and world.

Perhaps because many are here on a temporary basis (away from families, etc.), you will often see people get together for drinks after work. This offers the opportunity to meet and network with many people.

It’s interesting to note that while Brussels is actually in the Flanders, the large majority of people speak French or English. Particularly in the city core, you will rarely hear people speak Flemish/Dutch. Oh, and a word of advice I learned on my own: do not try to practice your French outside of Brussels in the Flemish cities. They will not be impressed ! Stick to English, even in situations where minimum English in spoken.

I have lots of stories about the quality of services in Brussels. Restaurant service is usually slow. Time is not of the essence. Sometimes this is justified. European usually prefer to sit down for a coffee or dinner for longer periods of time than North Americans do. And indeed, it’s nice not to have your waiter bring you your bill even before you have finished eating, as it usually happens in Canada.

Nonetheless, waiters in general are not very friendly. I once argued with a waiter about what a ‘cappuccino frapé’ is supposed to be like. I was expecting a slushed cappuccino (similar to Tim’s iced cappuccino or Starbucks frapuccino). But no, I got bitter coffee … over ice. After about 15 min. of exchanges, he finally took away the drink in disgust and brought me a water I ordered instead. Perhaps I come from a place where service is based on time efficiency and client satisfaction. Canadians are indeed people pleasers and sometimes overly enthusiastic, but Europeans can also be rather uncaring in their more direct communications styles.

And speaking about slow service, let me tell you my story about my trip to the post office. It was about noon when I went to the bank to ship a small package to Canada. It was my 1 hour lunch break, so I thought I would have enough time to do my transaction and even squeeze in a little bit of shopping. Boy, was I wrong !

After waiting about 50 min, in line, the security doors suddenly began to close. As I followed the crowd who started to rush out the door, I heard one of the cashiers yell that they were having computer problems and had to close the post office. Want to know the funny part? All my work colleagues were not one bit surprised when I told them what happened.

Since I mentioned shopping, I must say that buying clothes, shoes, etc. can get relatively expensive. The ‘regular’ shopping street in Brussels is called Rue Neuve, a pedestrian only street with a large selection of shops and a large shopping mall called City2. I found out that many locals go to Antwerp (1 hr train ride) or Lille in France for more variety and better bargains.

Overall, Brussels is one of those cities that is worth visiting at least once in a lifetime. In my experience, it also happens to be a place that you either love or hate. I personally fell in love with the size of the city, it’s history, architecture and culture. I cannot wait to go back, and the first thing I am going to do is have some real chocolate and a waffle with ice cream!

(For a list of things to do while in Brussels visithttps://cris2travel.wordpress.com/europe/belgium/bruxelles-brussels/)