Some of the stories that grabbed our attention this week: Brussels and Bruges Back from his trip to Belgrade for the Eurovision song contest, Alex of Spendthrift Shoestring jaunted off to Brussels on the Eurostar to see how the city has changed since his last visit in 2002. We enjoyed his musings on the city’s » Read more

According to the experts, Belgians eat approximately 20 pounds of chocolate per year. (That’s the size of our family cat!)There’s no arguing then that we’re far behind on our cocoa intake and must catch up. We’re happy to know that while we’re getting our fix, too, we can also tour many of the chocolatiers (called chocolateries in » Read more

Having read repeatedly that Brussels, as the center of the EU, was more ”political” and “corporate” than “quaint European,” we anticipated streets filled with bankers and void of much character (save for a small central square and a famous statue of a boy urinating). Boy, were we wrong! From the bright, grafitti-lined streets to the yummy, chocolately waffles, steamed mussels, and » Read more

Like us, many of our readers are American. And regardless of nationality, probably all of our readers are aware of the unfortunate exchange rate currently greeting US travelers abroad. Today, for instance, the euro costs US $1.58. Yet we’re still traveling to Europe. Newspapers and magazines have been abuzz lately with articles about stretching the dollar abroad. » Read more

Dear readers, we’re packing our bags for Belgium, where we’ll be adding two new cities to the site! And we’re asking you for your advice! First, we’ll visit Brussels, the bulls-eye of the European Union. Known for its bankers, beer, and chocolate, Brussels is also known for rather expensive lodging, presenting us with both a challenge and an opportunity. Next » Read more