I be glum in Belgium

9/20 Arrival in Belgium-first stop: Antwerp

We arrived in Antwerp around 3pm and were told repeatedly by the locals that we would have a lot of trouble getting to the center of the city since it was always shut down on Sundays... If this info(which ended up being completely wrong) was a portent of things to come in Belgium, then we were off to an ominous start!

Lunch at a local bistro left us wondering what all the hype was about food in Belgium...

We slowly made our way to the center of the city eventually finding our hotel after a few fits and starts. For those who are wondering why we don`t have a car navi, the reality was that the rental car agency wants you to a pay 9o euro return fee , this on top of the 14 euro a day charge for the shipping of the car navi back to Amsterdam(assinine I say- I could buy a brand new one for 150 euro).

Getting back to Antwerp...we got to the Radisson Blu and dropped off our luggage and decided to do a quick walk around the area, even though all the shops were closed. Eventually, hunger pangs set in and we stopped off at a bistro recommended by our hotel. This is the moment in our trip when we got our first introduction to service Belgian-style. First off, the food was horrific(shrimp scampi tasted like something 2 days old and Marie`s wok veggie dish was a joke-noodles soft and the veggies even softer). We were already getting a little antsy before the food arrived, given that a group of Muslim women at the bar started to scream obscenities at the bartender(had to be something that the bartender said to offend them). We asked our waiter about it and he mumbled something under his breath about Muslim people.... Later, when we complained about Marie`s food the waiter replied "Maybe they serve it differently in YOUR COUNTRY". The waiter was obviously a bigot along with his colleague tending bar. If our son was not with us, I would have acted belligerently toward the guy, but I couldn`t...so we left after paying for my crappy shrimp scampi. Oh another wonderful thing about Belgium I forgot to mention- they do not serve tap water...they say the water quality is horrible, so you must order water off the menu. Is that just unbelievable? For the rest of the trip 4 bucks a pop for a half liter of bottled water...what a freaking j0ke...Belgium - a third world country with no water filtration system?

Belgium...I have a new anagram for your country - IBEGLUM I became glum while we were in Belgium...starting with Antwerp. Got back to the hotel and had a quick bite at the bar-once again, very average food for a 4 star hotel. I felt like I was time warped back to the Soviet Union pre-perestroika...

9/21 Burnt Omelette and Crap Service at your service

Had decent breakfast buffet except for the egg white omelette(the only thing that they had to make to order). It was the worst omelette I have ever seen(burnt black on one side and raw on the other-bordering on a joke...I laughed when I looked at it).

Left our bags in storage and went shopping/sightseeing around Antwerp.

Marie managed to find a great scarf for herself and otherwise not much else. We stopped to get a sandwich at a local deli and once again felt the curse of crap service in Belgium. We ordered a panini with some veggies and the wench..I mean lady behind the counter couldn`t have been more unpleasant! I mean...we wanted a little extra tomato and it was like we were asking her to sell her soul...the attitude was appalling. I`m thinking that they all go to the same training seminar: "How to annoy and anger customers 101!!!"

I could go into the minutiae of things in Antwerp, but all I can say is that you can skip this place since there is no redeeming qualities that we found whatsoever. Off to the town of Ghent, which will astound you with its beauty, but leave you aghast with stories regarding the service...tata for now.