Food! Glorious food!

The eyes may be the window to the soul, but food is the key to the heart. I've travelled the world eating all the delicious dishes everywhere I've gone. In Italy I tasted the world's sweetest peaches. In London I ate fish and chips from a rolled newspaper. In Paris I sampled the cheeses and breads. In Georgia I lived on khachapuri. So naturally, when I got a craving for waffles while in France, I took the train from Paris to Belgium.

We were probably the only people trying to leave Paris on Bastille day. It was a last minute decision, fueled by a desire to try something new, a Leslie-Knope-esque love of waffles, and enough cash for a round-trip ticket. We left early, and arrived in Brussels within two hours.

We had no guidebook, no map, and no idea where we were. We went down to the metro and bought day passes so that if we ended up in the wrong place we could always try again. After selecting a metro stop, we got on a train and went to the Grand Place.

People everywhere were wandering the square eating waffles from paper trays. We followed the scent of fresh waffles, and found our way to a storefront. Inside, a line had formed, with people from all over the world waiting to place their orders. The couple behind us were from Australia, while the family in front of us was from Japan. We waited for 15 minutes to tell the server what we wanted.

I ordered a Belgium waffle with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. The woman behind the counter scooped fresh batter and pour it onto the waffle iron, closing the lid and locking it in place. The batter bubbled out th crevices, and dripped down the side of the iron. When it was done, she cut the excess material from the iron, opened it, and slid the fresh waffle onto a paper tray. After adding a scoop of ice cream and chocolate drizzle, it was finally mine.

It was so delicious. Hot, sweet, fluffy yet crunchy, it was the best waffle I'd ever had. Until I had another a few hours later.

Some people might think traveling to Brussels for waffles is a bit much. To those people I say you only live once, and what is a life without a true Belgian waffle? Plus, I didn't just go to Brussels and have waffles; I had Belgian chocolates, mussels, and some astoundingly good beers as well.