Brussels driving

Driving here is very different.

In Ottawa, if you're in a 50km/h zone, traffic will generally be doing 60-70. Over here, you're lucky if you manage to hit 40. I'll do my entire commute (10 km, 30-40 minutes) without shifting above 2nd gear.

There is always traffic. Lots of it. Way more than the streets should handle.

Just stopping in the middle of the street -- to unload a truck or something, blocking a traffic lane is normal. People drive around it.

Pushiness -- pushing into an intersection to make room to turn, or to enter traffic -- is normal and expected. If you don't push a bit, you may not get anywhere, and eventually the people behind you may start honking at you. The people you're pusing into the way of... if you do it slowly enough, you'll eventually be let in, and that isn't a honkable offense. So is crossing a red light late, to get a turn in. Even with a cop around. But, going really late... that might get you honked at.

Motorcycles & scooters casually lane split, often between traffic in opposite directions. On narrow streets. And the streets are narrow, and winding, and the intersections are at strange angles, with varying numbers of streets entering/leaving, and it isn't always clear which way goes where.

I hope this doesn't corrupt my driving practices (even more :).

Nice dinner...

I hope my boss signs the expense report. :)

I went to the Belga Queen restaurant, here in Brussels, which was suggested by the hotel when I asked about good Belgian or French food. I tried two nights, found them full and made a reservation the 2nd time for tonight.

Starter:

Salmon marinated with "Rodenbach" and herbs, mild mustard dressing
-- this was quite nice, given it was uncooked salmon. There were the finest, most delicate, fried onion strands with it which were especiall yummy.

Wine:
Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 - Luc Pirlet Propriétaire
-- a decent Cab Sauv.

Main:
Belgian Charolais tenderloin, sauce of Orval reduction with broken pepper (or beer based béarnaise sauce), cut beans, Enryngii mushrooms, cone of fries BQ
-- apparently even fancy restaurants serve fries over here
-- I ordered the steak medium-rare, but I may have gotten it rare, and I had forgetten that they tend to cook steaks rarer over here than in Canada. It was warm in the middle, and cooked on the outside -- perhaps the rarest I've eaten. (Yes, con_girl, it didn't bleed.) Still, it was a very good cut, very tender, and quite enjoyable. (I had the Orval reduction, not the bearnaise).

Dessert:
Allumettes de choco-noisettes.
-- their dessert menu wasn't online, so I can't cut&paste the entire menu description. A very nice chocolate sauce, with some sharp fruit, and a wafer. Very pleasant, not too heavy.

After dinner drink:
Bowmore Darkest Scotch Whiskey
-- very nice, very smooth yet still with an edge and some smokiness. I should try to find a bottle of this.

All told: 75,50 Euros.