Following my impromptu 44-hour Air Travel Adventure Tour courtesy of WOW Airlines, I arrived in Stockholm with about 15 hours to spend there, as well as a LOT of determination to make the most of it. I was really excited about my accommodations, which were in the Loginn hotel, that was actually a boat! Turns out there are several ‘boatel’ options in the city and although I have not been to any of the others, I highly recommend mine. I mean, the fact that my little room (adorned with two portholes) held both me and my copious amounts of luggage, with some room to spare, was impressive by itself. 
After I checked in, the boatel proprietor (captain?) directed me towards the Old Town area and assured me it was perfectly safe to wander about in the dark. Love that! And I was off… 
The ice and snow crunched beneath my feet as I made my way along the river and over the bridge. I passed many locals running through the elements in what appeared to be their commutes home from work. Such an efficient way to fit in a daily workout and I would expect nothing less from the Swedes (one word for you: IKEA). I explored the quaint Old Town hood until the cold and my hunger got the best of me and I took refuge in one of the many cozy restaurants/pubs.It was lucky for me that Thursday is the night the Museum Fotografka is open until 1 am (as it was THE museum I really wanted to see and most museums in the city have one night a week they are open late- what a fantastic idea!) I’ve been passionate about photography ever since I took classes in high school (complete with actual film) and I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits. 
I returned to the boatel that night, thoroughly exhausted and vowing to come back to Stockholm! 
The next day I took a ridiculously cheap flight to Brussels… I’m telling you, if you don’t mind some cold and darkness, January is the time to bop around Europe! A friend from my Flash Pack tour of Vietnam and Cambodia lives about an hour outside of the city and was kind enough to pick me up the next day and show me his city (his name is Jacques but I re-named him Jacky early on in the tour and he didn’t seem to mind too much.) 
I have to say that having friends to meet up with in various locations has been an unexpected perk of all the tours I’ve been on! So, Jacky gave me the full Brussels experience, complete with historical sites (including a tiny statue of a little boy peeing that tourists flock to, for some unknown reason) and, most importantly, the deliciousness the city is known for…mussels, waffles, frites, chocolate, and beer. YUM! All surpassed my already high expectations. 
I’m not a big beer drinker but Belgium beer is more flavorful than the beer I’m used to (with a flavor that isn’t just hops) and Belgians have respect for their beer that is reflected in how it’s served. All beers have a designated glass that they are served in and you NEVER see someone drinking straight out of the bottle. I can’t even imagine!
I also learned a lot about the Belgium culture from Jacky, who speaks French in a country where there are three official languages (Dutch and German are the other two). There are also tons of different governments in the small country (six currently, each with it’s own Parliament) and it’s all kinds of messed up in how it works- everyone seems to agree on that. Yet, somehow, it does even in 2010 when the country was officially without a government for over a year and a half. That’s right… a year and a half with NO government. And there was very little difference in the day-to-day lives of Belgium citizens during that time! I’d definitely be in favor of trying out this ‘no government’ approach in the U.S… until about 2020 or so 🧐
Other fun facts I learned about Belgium- chocolate there really is that much better (I consider this a fact), and in large part because the country got a jump start on chocolate R&D way back in the 1880s when they had a hook-up (from their frenemy, Congo) to cocoa beans from Africa before anyone else. Also, the culture of beer runs so deep in the country that in the 1970’s it was standard issue to serve children a beer with their school lunches. In fact, when I was a smidge dubious about this and googled it (sorry I ever doubted you, Jacky!) I discovered that not only did it happen in the 70’s, but in 2001 there was another effort (and even a pilot program) to serve beer at schools! Don’t worry, this was “only” 2.5% alcohol beer and it was clearly a “healthy alternative” to soda and sugary drinks. The leader of the initiative was quoted in an article in The Guardian saying, “It’s good for their figure and very healthy as well.” He also dismissed the idea that the little kiddos may become intoxicated, “You’d have to drink five or six litres of the stuff to get drunk and these will just be 25cl or 33cl bottles. I used to drink it when I was just six years old and I still do every day.” Somehow the effort never made it past the pilot stage. I spent my last day in Brussels exploring the city on foot (you may have noticed I’m a big fan of this touring method) and I left the city fully satiated by everything I had been able to take in.
Next up…Prague! I had heard a lot about Prague from friends and family alike and had wanted to check it out for a while (although on the flight there I realized that I didn’t know exactly what it was that I had heard…nothing like a quick little Google-action to get up to speed!) I stayed in the Old Town section of the city (I highly recommend my hotel for location, value, and THE BEST scrambled eggs I’ve have EVER had) and it was the perfect jumping off point for the many miles of exploring that I undertook. My dad ran the Prague marathon several years ago (why anyone would want to run a marathon on cobblestone is beyond me) and I covered as much ground in 2.5 days. 
It’s just such a stunning city to take in, with breathtaking architectural phenomena on both sides of a beautiful stretch of the Vltava river (don’t ask me to pronounce that). 
A free walking tour on my second full day put some context to the city I had already fallen in love with (LOVED this tour company, btw, and will seek them out in future European travels). On the tour I learned more color behind Prague’s often tumultuous history. I also learned that the reason Prague was pretty much untouched during the European demolitions of WWII was NOT because Hitler thought the city too beautiful to blow up (I’d read this fallacy somewhere.) In reality we can thank their diplomatic strategy of “rolling over” right away and capitulating before any damage could have been done (in the words of my tour guide.) I also learned that Prague was bombed by the Americans during WWII! This was by accident when us dummies mistook the city for our actual target: Dresden, Germany. I guess both cities had a castle, lotsa churches and a river. Huge whoopsie daisy 😬
Before leaving Prague, I randomly bought a ticket to tour the library. Of all things to do and see in the city I’m not sure why I chose this one exactly but I’m glad I did! (I think I’d read something on Trip Advisor about what a hidden gem it was and it stuck with me, as random things do sometimes.) The actual library is amazing with 77,000 books and ornate gold stuff everywhere. No photos are allowed but my phone must have gone off by mistake during the tour. Hate it when that happens! 
The best part, though, was the views from the top of the library- a ton of spiral staircase steps later, it was well worth it and the perfectly stunning farewell to a stunning city that I hope to return to.
Next… Austria 🇦🇹(Vienna and Salzburg) and despite being in Salzburg already I’m going to save Vienna for an Austria post. Stay tuned!