We're back from a fun weekend in Brussels, where we learned a few things:

• Even if the forecast for Brussels on Friday says it will be 68 degrees with 0% chance of rain all weekend, you would be wise to pack an umbrella, warm jacket, gloves, and scarf;


• French fries (or "frites") with mayonnaise taste a lot better than they sound;


• We really don't tend to like places that are overly touristy, and Bruges is the epitome of touristy, but despite the mobs of tourists it was utterly charming and beautiful;


• Brussels would benefit from the free dog-poop bag distribution program they have here in Basel--if we had a euro for every time one of us said "watch out!" while dodging canine (or human?) deposits, we could have paid for our trip;


• If we lived in Brussels, we would immediately gain 10 pounds each--not only are there a lot of excellent restaurants, but Belgian beer, chocolate, and waffles all lived up to their reputation;


• If Brussels is any indicator, unisex bathrooms are the wave of the future;


• There's purgatory, there's hell, and then there's Brussels Centraal train station; and


• If you have a chance to drink beer that has been...ummm...peed into a cup by Mannekin Pis, you should by all means partake (more on this later)...