Electrolux Pop-Up Restaurants

Sadly Nomiya, the instillation restaurant atop the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, is closing. We were lucky to visit twice - once for Stefan's surprise birthday and to celebrate the 1.1.11 New Year. Both were unforgettable experiences.

Electrolux has started The Cube, a new pop-up restaurant venture in Brussels, which will run until 3 July.

After that it appears Stockholm and Moscow will be added to the mix.

(photos courtesy of: Electrolux)

Senator's Lounge

We are currently sitting in the Lufthansa Senator's Lounge in Brussels. It's always fascinating the kinds of characters we see here. And it never fails that we are the youngest couple.

The reason we get this privilege is because Stefan flew over 100,000 miles last year, and he is now a 'Senator' for two years. Most of the travelers are here for business. We come waltzing in with our backpacks and look somewhat out of place. It's funny to see the reactions of the women who check our tickets and card. They always eyeball us, probably in disbelief we are requesting entry. I find some kind of solstice seeing other wives there, who I assume are with their frequent traveling husbands... even if they are 40+.

I also love comparing the selection of foods and drinks. There is a self service bar, that is typically fully stocked. Munich has a great lounge, Stockholm also has a nice one. Brussels has a small selection. There are English newspapers, often British ones, which have random British gossip, that I don't understand. Regardless it's nice to be able to read the news.

The bathrooms are also greatly appreciated. They are always clean, and I figure with less people using them, there are less germs.

And so we sit here for a couple of hours. Fortunately it is quiet and there is internet so I can bide my time.

Bruxelles

We made it to Brussels, early this morning. As soon as we bought tickets for the train and subways we noticed how inexpensive things are in comparison to Scandinavia (48 euros for tickets into the city and back vs. 12 euros!). I also first smelled something that reminded me of baby powder and then urine. Interesting.

Then we went to catch the 'tram' - it felt like we were in the subway, but then this tiny tram thing came and took us into day light. We figured out we were going the wrong way because the subway maps ended at one place, however the tram kept going. Once we got off there was a man peeing on a bush. Also kind of strange.

We got our bearings and were able to get settled in our cute hotel, called Bloom, (right next to the botanical gardens), we knew things were going to be OK.

We stopped for some drinks and a quick lunch at the mini grocery across the street. Stefan was excited to see Canada Dry Ginger ale - in a can! He said it reminded him of my parent's house and the US. We walked into town and stopped for chocolates at 'Mary Chocolatier' on the way. At every turn there was something beautiful and exciting. The Cathedral of St. Michael was enormous and ornate. The architecture was an interesting mix of modern and old. I loved to stumble upon things and constantly be surprised.

The typical tourist sites were great - The Grand Place, Manneken-Pis, The Royal Palace, and Atomium, which twinkles like the Eiffel Tower. Just wondering around town was fun. We even stopped for the essentials... a divine waffle, covered with chocolate and strawberries, and some unique beers - a chocolate beer, a peach beer, and something of a surprise with a beautiful little pink elephant on it. I have a feeling we'll be sampling some of the other strange flavors while we are here.





Dinner was also terrific. We went to Bazaar, a restaurant that I had read about. We each got a 'menu' which was 3 courses, (mine was tomato + ricotta salad, coconut curry chicken, and a chocolate bombe dessert, with a glass of cava). I would definitely recommend this place. It's very unassuming and the interior is beautiful. The food is really simple, fresh, and delicious.



Tonight we will be celebrating with our chocolate beer. I'm doubting we are able to drink much more after such a long day of walking around town. Brussels is a fantastic city.