20151022 Iceland with its famous Blue Lagoon

When I was little, I wanted to visit Iceland because I thought it was a land full of ice. Ironically, it is quite a lot greener than Greenland while Greenland is quite a lot icier than Iceland.

Iceland is the land of fire and ice. What does this mean? It means that there are many geothermal spots and many hot springs, the most famous of which is the Blue Lagoon. As with most things in Iceland, it is not cheap to visit the Blue Lagoon so you've got to plan your day well. Our friend told us we could get the tickets at the counter when we reach so we didn't bother booking online. We were lucky because we went during an off-peak season and we went in the morning. Another friend went during Easter week and was told that the earliest entry time was 7pm. It was 2pm when they reached. So yes, I would recommend booking your Blue Lagoon package online. 

We booked 2-way transport from town to the lagoon via Bustravel Iceland at around S$72 for two. The price did not include entrance to Blue Lagoon. Being the kiasu people we are, we took the 8.45am trip and the journey took about 45 minutes. 

The thing about Iceland is how it manages to surprise you. I thought the Blue Lagoon was just like another other hot springs. Boy, was I wrong. 

As the bus meandered down the road into Blue Lagoon, we saw fields and fields of lava. According to the driver, they are pretty young lava fields. I guess this means that they were formed more recently; "recent" being a relative term. 

When we alighted, the driver informed us of the timings available for the return trip and we could hop on to any.

Since we were still feeling warm from the cozy interior of the bus, we decided to explore the lands around the Blue Lagoon. And what a treat it was. 

There's blue and then there's blue.

You'll see these gorgeous beds of blue water and if you're lucky, the sun will be peeping out while you take all those selfies.

The contrast of the blue against the dark lava field is quite spectacular. 

The unexpected photo spot at the Blue Lagoon

Gotta take me one of those contemplative floatfie shots

Marveling at the lava fields

The weather in Iceland can get a bit kooky. When you see the sun out, do as much exploring as you can because it may start pouring after 5 minutes. And with the long hours needed to travel from Singapore to Iceland, it's not very likely you will plan a return trip soon. Oh, of course you'll be quite pok (read: broke) after a trip here. 

Depending on the ticket you buy, you may need to bring along towel and slippers. You can be a Singaporean and wear slippers there instead of covered shoes. Then I salute you. 

I expected the Blue Lagoon to be similar to our local public swimming pools. You know, water to wade in, a small cafeteria and a small shop to sell some essentials. Maybe coin slot lockers, a filmsy entry ticket and basic shower facilities. 

WRONG!

The Blue Lagoon is definitely a 5-star wading pool. Water to wade in? Yes, but it's mineral-rich water that makes your skin so soft and supple. Small cafeteria? Yes, but it's with awesome smoothies and there's an amazing restaurant, Lava, which served us the best meal I had in Iceland. 

Here's proof:

Amazing warm bread served with a blob of ??

Arctic char with fennel, pearl onion, cucumber, toasted bread aioli

Langoustine soup with garlic-marinated langoustine, white chocolade, seaweed

FRESH Cod, sunchokes, almonds, grapes, brown butter sauce

Rack of lamb with cabbage, smoked onion, lemon, green cabbage, apple 

“Ástarpungar” & caramel with caramel chocolate mousse, vanilla ice cream, salted caramel

There was a hiccup with serving our desserts. They got delayed and they served us the same item even though we ordered different sets. We didn't want to make a fuss so we tried to eat them. Not our cup of tea. 

It's important to travel with people with similar taste in food. If you are a foodie and will die without trying new things, then travelling with a picky eater will be quite a challenge. Of course you can eat everything yourself but you'll be too full to try more or you'll be wasting food in order to try more. 

A small shop to sell essentials? Yes, but they also sell high-end Blue Lagoon spa products. A hand cream sets you back a pretty S$55. The shop also sells swimsuit but fugly ones so bring your own. 

Yes, you need to wear swimsuit. If you are conscious about your body, don't be! Firstly, the steam at the lagoon makes it hard for anyone to really see your cellulite. Besides, if Kate Moss has them, us mere mortals should be ok with ours. And you can wear a t-shirt and shorts over your swimsuit. Secondly, the water is opaque so once you're in the lagoon, people don't see the parts of your body that are submerged. You are encouraged to tie your hair up and not go underwater water because the high silica content will tangle your hair like mad and sting your eyes like crazy. And finally, once you disrobe in the 4 deg.C air, you will be rushing into the water so whatever body hangups you have will last 10 seconds at most. 

So long as you don't slip and fall. x_x

If you intend to take photos, bring your weatherproof camera or casing. My brother's trusty Olympus weatherproof one worked well. I saw someone trying to use their iPhones for a selfie while they kept it inside a water-proof bag. Too much work.

Coin slot lockers, flimsy entry ticket and basic shower facilities? Wrong! 

These are our entry tickets:

We tapped the electronic wristbands to buy stuff, lock lockers, exit and make payment.

The shower facilities came with high pressure water, big cubicles and toiletries. You can also find cotton wool, cotton buds and hairdryers. Be warned though that some cubicles do not have doors and some body-confident people do use them. Don't worry, ladies and gents have separate areas. We had a shock though because a nude old lady used one of these cubicles facing out instead of the wall and was happily grinning at everyone who walked by. 

I had visited hot springs before and I can't say I'm a big fan. I prefer the cold and being hot makes me pekcek. 

Blue Lagoon changed my mind. The water was a balmy 30+deg. C and the contrast with the cold air was just nice. If you're too hot, you can stand straighter to cool down and vice versa. 

This is an underwater shot. See, it's really opaque. No need to hold your stomach in.

Yes, steammmmy...

You can buah as much of this on your face as you want. It's free! 

The landscape was not as ideal as we would like it to be. There were a number of cranes as they were building the Silica Hotel.

There's a bar there so you can order drinks (yes, alcohol) as you wade in the pool. You can also go for spa there. I'm not sure how long you can stay inside the water. I think we stayed until our fingers became pruney. And that was just about right. Because it started pouring after we showered.

Great time management. Just enough time to claim our complimentary drink as we looked at the  pouring rain. Yes, I bring rain on all my travels. 

We had rescheduled our aurora tour after the Blue Lagoon trip.

Guess what? It was postponed again. :(

20151020 Iceland with its brutal cold and series of unwelcoming events

I'm not sure how we decided to go to Iceland. Iceland is one of the countries I wanted to visit since young. The reason? I wanted to see if it's all ice there. So you can guess why I was keen to go to Greenland too.

We booked our flight for Singapore-Amsterdam-Singapore because Singapore Airlines was having a promotion. When it came to planning our itinerary, we toyed with including these countries:

1. Germany
2. Paris
3. London
4. Spain
5. Greece
6. Norway
7. Sweden
8. Scotland 
9. Switzerland 

You can tell that our geography is not very good. >_<

We ruled them out, very systematically:

1. Didn't feel like it.
2. I went there before.
3. I went there before. Twice. 
4. Far from Amsterdam.
5. Far from Amsterdam.
6. Mac meal costs SGD17.
7. The only Swedish things we know are IKEA and meatballs. Not really. It was expensive too.
8. Not sure what we need to get around.
9. Expensive.

We figured that since we were going to one of the cities in the northern part of Europe, we might as well visit Iceland. Who would reject the chance to see the aurora or pretend to be Ben Stiller in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty?  

So Iceland it was.

We considered, very briefly, to do a self-drive. The gravel protection insurance made us drop the idea. And the fact that I am a driver on paper only. :P

We were fixated with airbnb. We didn't even consider staying in hotels or inns for the trip. I think we thought we would cook a lot. It wasn't that hard to choose our accommodation in Reykjavik because of its description.

Let's go back to Day 4, the day we flew from Amsterdam to Reykjavik.

A few airlines offered flights and we chose Icelandair. Remember to verify the check-in baggage the flight includes to avoid getting rude shocks and exorbitant surcharges when you reach the airport. Icelandair allows 23kg check-in and a handcarry. It costs around SGD600 for the round trip, which is not cheap.

We bade Amsterdam goodbye. As usual, when the two of us travel together, we reach places way too early. We checked in with more than enough time for a meal and a kopi and repeat.

Caffeine fix.

Burger with fab chips.

Chicken sandwich with yummy mayonnaise. 

Actually, our timing was just nice. Do not underestimate the time needed to cross customs. Besides bag scans and body scans, they also pat you down. Give yourself ample time. Ditch the jewellery and boots if you don't want to be holding up the line at the customs.

If you are on Instagram, you would likely have seen many cool things Icelandair posted. It's destination marketing at its finest.

Sadly, the flight is not the best. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing terribly bad about it. It was just underwhelming. The 3-hour flight included free drinks which is not very clearly stated in the menu. We thought we had to pay so we dished out some cash. The stewardess gave us a "huh" look when we passed her the money and a curt "you don't need to pay", Nary a smile in sight. It wasn't very clean. Comfort level was so-so. I guess they tried to make you excited with aurora wannabes emitting from the roof:

Excited much? 

Hello Iceland, I brought rain!

To clarify, Iceland is a pretty rainy place. "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes" is something we see on a lot of their souvenirs.

What's your usual sequence after you have disembarked from the flight? You go to the loo, whip out your passport, head for the customs, pray you still look like the photo in your passport, grab your luggage and clear security, no?

Well, in Iceland, no. You can completely bypass the steps from whipping out passport to clearing customs/security. Coming from clean and proper Singapore, we were bewildered by this and sought out an airport staff.

"Nobody gets stamped here." she said.

Ogaaayyy... So, that's that.

The most convenient to travel into town is via Flybus. We booked prior to the trip and you can find the counter at the airport, located near the exit. Customer service in Iceland is not unlike Singapore, efficient and generally unsmiling. Most Icelanders we encountered spoke perfect English but Icelandic is still very much alive here. No need to fear communication problems at least.

Up next, SIM card.

Síminn provided us with very reliable services. 

The Starter Package cost around S$20 and included voice and data. A very pleasant surprise we discovered about Iceland is that it's a very well-connected country. This seems to contrast with the fact that the wilderness is the main draw of Iceland. Imagine trekking on lava fields, taking a selfie and uploading it onto Facebook in seconds. I went for walk at MacRitchie Reservoir once and could hardly get 2G. Gah!

The ride into town took 45 minutes and for the first few minutes, we saw nothing but lava fields. It was a very surreal feeling to be inside a bus with free WIFI and travelling along a road that is flanked by miles and miles of lava fields. No houses, no buildings and generally, no cars. The sun was going down and the only lights we saw was from our coach. I think there were street lights but they were not as densely placed as what we city kids are used to.

Then, the series of unwelcoming events started. We booked an apartment, not a hotel and the drop-off point was a hotel. After alighting, we were "welcomed" by the howling wind and it started raining. Not a mist, but real rain drops.

Luckily, our host posted lots of photos of the apartment's surroundings and I am not completely hopeless with navigation.

Sadly, the walk was down a steep slope.

Steep considering that the burger and sandwich from lunch were well-digested and that we were lugging our 20kg luggage. Oh yes, please do get a 4-wheel luggage if you are planning a free and easy trip. No porters or tour guides to help you with them.

Hoods on, heads down, luggage firmly in hand, we braved the rain. Half way down, a loud whistle pierced through the howling wind. Come on, already miserable enough. Don't ga jiao, ga jiao leh.

Opps, it was our very nice host, Bjorn, who had been waiting for us at the drop-off point. Sort of in the rain too. x:

It's apparent that Bjorn is a honest man. The apartment looks exactly like the pictures on his airbnb listing.

The beautiful living room where we spent more time than expected.

The huge telly with an extensive media library that perked up some of our sad nights. (You'll see why in subsequent posts.)

More than enough room for 2.

Nice, cosy bedroom. 

Simple, functional kitchen and dining area with a very important piece of equipment: Nescafe Dolce Gusto (comes with capsules)

Bathroom the size of a bedroom here in Singapore. At least the size of my 2nd bedroom anyway.

Unless you have no nose, you would smell the sulphur every time you run the hot water. And it's completely normal. Not the most pleasant, but normal. Rotten eggs shower. 

By then, the afternoon's burger and sandwich had completed disappeared from our guts and we needed to refuel asap. Knowing not to expect shops in Reykjavik to open as late as the ones back home, we geared ourselves to brave the rain and wind and off we went on our little trip to Kronan. Although we were in a city, this city is a lot darker when it gets dark.

The white building is a church and the supermarket is about the 4th lamp post from there. (Taken from the apartment's balcony.)

By the way, here's a good article that breaks down the supermarkets in Iceland. 

The wind hit us as soon as we left the safety of the building. It was around 4°C but the wind and rain made it feel much colder. Actually, I wouldn't know since this is the coldest place I've visited. Heh. 

They drive on the left side in Iceland so many of the road directions seemed 'off' to us. To adapt on an empty stomach is hard. To do it in the howling wind and rain with the hood blocking your vision is harder. 

We planned to pretty much eat all our breakfast and dinner at the apartment and here's the total:

That's about S$90 worth of groceries for 2. Oh, and beer is about S$1. 

They charge if you need plastic bag so bring your own if you have them. I always travel with my trusty Environsax and it has never failed me although it is getting old (about 5 years now). I do have other recycling bags but their quality and size cannot make it. I can't find Environsax in Singapore now so please, please let me know if you know where I can find them at around S$15. I know they're available via Qoo10 at S$26 but they used to sell for around S$10 and I am a cheapskate. =_=

Why did I say that we experience a series of unwelcoming events? 

1. Strong wind and real rain when we alighted = cold
2. Haven't eaten since 1pm = hungry
3. Braved the wind and rain to the supermarket = colder and wet
4. Carried the groceries back to the apartment = tired
5. Couldn't open the door = &*QBj(&!#@

Yes, the door was jammed. We turned the key this way and that. We used brute strength, we whispered pleas. We inserted the key partially, we jammed it in forcefully. Nothing worked. After calling Bjorn, we were advised to jimmy the lock a.k.a. wiggle the keys a lot. 

Finally!

Although Day 2 was the worst day of the trip, I had something good out of it. 

Instant noodles.

When you're cold, hungry, wet and tired, pipping hot and spicy instant noodles are a godsend. That and

Almondy Toblerone chocolate cake with

John Wick.

We learnt a few things from Day 4:

1. Allocate more time to clearing customs at Amsterdam.
2. Pour over the photos of your accommodation surroundings prior to your trip so you can run towards it in the event you arrive during adverse weather.
3. Bring along a recycling bag when grocery shopping in Iceland or prepare to fork out some moolah for bags. I recommend Environsax.
4. Get ready for the sulphurous smell from hot water in Iceland.
5. Make sure you have wet weather gear, a padded jacket with a hood, non-slip shoes when packing for Iceland.

Before I conclude the day, I would like to share an image of Icelandic Krona. Just because.

We changed our money at Schiphol airport. I doubt you can find many money changers in Singapore that carry Icelandic Krona.

On Day 4, we finally took a break from self-navigating and left it all up to the tour guide. At last, the famous Golden Circle Tour of Iceland!

Day 1: Amsterdam with the sombre Anne Frank House and delicious Screaming Beans 

Day 2: Brussels with its pissing boys, street art and French architecture
Day 3: Amsterdam with its red lights and pale brew

20151019 Amsterdam with its red lights and pale brew

Day 3 started late.

We were supposed to catch the walking tour around the city but the residual headache from Day 2 forced us to stay in bed. That's the thing about free and easy trip, isn't it? You have the freedom to do what you want or don't want, stay as long as you like at one place, eat when you feel like it and sleep in if that's what you prefer.

Well, we missed the tour and it didn't cost us anything. Why? Because it's a free walking tour where you pay what you think your guide deserves at the end of the 3-hour journey. This (likely) gives the guide more incentive to do better, be more engaging, share more interesting tidbits of information as it relates closely to what they get paid. I tried this when I was in Paris and I found it to be a very informative introduction to the city. They will cover the popular sights, tell you the stories behind each, share juicy details of where which blockbuster was filmed and give you suggestions on where to go if you are looking for the most "authentic bar/restaurant/cafe/[fill in with whatever interests you].

Ok, quiz time!

Guess where we went for brekkie? Hint: We needed kopi!

Frothy, whitey 

Goaty, quichey

Porky, eggy

To give the most genuine review, we returned to Screaming Beans to make sure the first kopi wasn't a fluke.

It was't.

And it got better because the quiches were awesome too!

Prior to the trip, we were concerned about the cost of eating out in Europe. Turns out that the prices are similar to what you pay for hipster food and drinks here in Singapore. A latte is around 3euro while the quiche was 8euro. No additional charge. Yippee! If this is a price you are ok with paying and if you don't fancy your own food, your airbnb accommodation can omit the kitchen.

We experienced nothing but friendliness from the service staff at the places we visited. From the simple sandwich shop, to the more high-end Chanel, everyone was the epitome of friendliness. It may also be me choosing to remember the good bits of the trip. Selective memory. No, not really. I have a few friends who really, really like Amsterdam and I have no doubts that they will migrate there if they can.

With time to kill till the next planned activity, we walked around the city of Amsterdam, our self-serviced tour.

Note: Don't use H&M as your landmark as there are many H&Ms. Walk down this lane, there's two. Turn the corner, that's one more. Brands that are more "up there" to us are common there. Samsonite? Check! Ecco? Check! Oh yeah, these are Western brands and I'm in Europe. Meh.

Day 1 taught me an important lesson. Try your shoes before your trip, especially if you expect to wear thick socks. My shoes are my exact size and with thick socks, they're not. Being the miser I am, I thought long and hard before I decided to buy this pair of Ecco shoes to make the rest of the trip easier:

Behold! Ecco Intrinsic 1.

You know what the best part about this pair of shoes is?

It is 30-40% cheaper than the price in Singapore! Shiok until ah!

Actually, I lied. The best part of the shoes is it's non-slip soles. You will learn why when I reach the Iceland posts.

The 2nd tour of the day was supposed to be the Alternative Amsterdam tour. Noticed the words "supposed to be"? 买个关子. Tell you more later.

We were at the meeting point, National Monument at Dam Square, too early and decided to recce the area. There are lots of restaurants. bistros, cafes and souvenir shops here. And hence, many tourists.

These started calling out to us...

Pastries, cakes, breads, doughnuts, sandwiches

These, my friends, are not cheap. They are around the price of a Starbucks in Singapore. Hmm, judging from the queue at the Starbucks near by workplace, it might not be that expensive after all. Sorry, not a Starbucks fan.

Remember how I said Day 3 was supposed to be a chillaxing day when I posted about Day 2? It wasn't because our tour got cancelled!!! The guide was sick and we were left stranded. What to do, what to do? The dilemma of travelling.  You want to take it easy and just enjoy your time there.  Yet,  your time there is limited so you want to make sure you've covered the worth covering bits. Twiddle thumbs, twiddle dee.

When life hands you lemons, make lemonades. When your tour gets cancelled, you get...

Drunk?

That's us at the Heineken Experience. I don't drink so don't ask me what I was doing there. Nevertheless, we expected to spend 1 hour there and ended up spending over 2 hours. Each ticket costs 18euro and you can buy them online at 16. There are many tour desks in the city where you can also get your tickets at a slightly cheaper rate. This means that you can head straight in upon arrival, without needing to queue for tickets.

At the brewery, you learn about how beer is made (duh!) and the history of Heineken. We expected all these. What we didn't expect:

Old skool posters

Stained glass windows

Horses (see top left corner) 

Free beer and pop quizzes where you get, you guessed it, free beer

You can learn how to pour an e-beer or pour a real beer.

The tour came with 2 tokens to exchange for 2 beers. I don't drink and Peiying only drank one. We had 3 tokens to spare and we passed them to 2 guys who looked like that could handle more. Other freebies included in the tour were the digital booths where you can take digital photos and videos, which will be sent to your email.

According to JT, she was in a rush when she visited Amsterdam and her only to-do at Heineken was to engrave the glass for her husband and 1-year-old. 1-year-old with a beer glass? Hmmm.. 

The lady was very pro. So pro that I shall let the video show you her skills.

No hesitation, right? 

The glass is sitting somewhere in the house. Great for beer drinkers, not so great for people who don't drink in their own houses.

We were reminded by JT to try Kantjil & de Tijger, an Indonesian restaurant. Our next tour will start at 7pm and it was 5:20pm by then time we were done with Heineken. Knowing that we'll need to eat before we embark on the 2-hour tour, we started our mad dash a.k.a. speed walking. You know how Google map gives you ETA and you sometimes think "where got so long"? 

Sadly, Google is a smart one.

Luckily, we reached before the Friday crowd descended upon the restaurant. We managed to get a table promptly and almost immediately started ordering. We told the waitress that we were rushing for a tour and they also helped us chop chop curry pox. Even so, we only had a quarter of an hour to complete the meal. 

The very rushed 15-minute meal. 

Soto Ayam came with nasi which we didn't know. So we had 3 portions of carbs.

Some funny fried rice 

Dumplings with cannot-remember-what fillings

I don't think I have completed a meal that fast in my life. Practically shoved the food into my mouth and swallowed straight. 

Oh, since we are talking about restaurants, I should share about tipping. It is not essential to tip in Amsterdam. They don't give you the stink eye if you don't. My uncle is in the F&B business and when we met on the first night, I asked him about the Dutch tipping etiquette. The reason why it's expensive to eat out in most of Europe is because the wages are high. A server gets around 2,000euro monthly salary so tipping is not a must. This comparatively high wage is reflected in restaurant prices and also how the server-to-table ratio can be 1:10. I'm sure a generous tip is always welcomed though.

We walked/ran to the National Monument, almost puking our dinner out in our haste. After all the rushing, we were there too early. ("">_<) This is a crowded area at all times of the day, perhaps in part due to this:

A carnival!

For the last tour of the day, I spy something red. Can you guess? 

Red lights, XXX. What can it be? 

It's the Red Light District tour, of course. 

My friends said it's quite safe to walk around the red light district by yourself. Without a guide, you probably would not know the fascinating tidbits like their working hours and that the average number of customers is 8 per shift. The ladies have to rent their windows from landlords and the rates vary based on the time of day and also the spot. There are lanes for bigger women, transvestites, and an elite ally. You'll get to know about the Fokken Sisters, the 69-year-old twin sisters who were still earning a living in the trade. There was a documentary made about them a few years ago and you can take a sneak peek on YouTube. 

The rates start from 50euros for something simple and the girls can negotiate with customers who want "extras". Interestingly, they can refuse to serve customers and we actually witnessed one of them doing that. The man was already hopping on one foot, ready to unbuckle his belt. 

It was a tragic sight. 

At the start of the walking tour, we were introduced to the oldest condom shop in Amsterdam, Condomerie.

Quite a few of their condoms are just for display so read carefully in case you 闹出人命.

What do you think this shop sells?

It's not an Apple store.

Since I've shared some titillating information earlier, you probably zoomed in on the photo and saw the high-tech adult toys. There is a movement to clean up the red light district and this also means that window displays cannot be too explicit. In our walk around the neighborhood, we also saw that the ladies covered their bits up although there was little left to imagination. 

If you expected them to be working hard to entice you, you expected wrong. Many of them were using their phones, no doubt chatting on Whatsapp and updating Facebook status. By the way, you're not allowed to take photos of the girls although you can capture signs and shops. 

It was a rather strange experience to be in the neighbourhood. You see scantily-clad women alongside well-lit houses that were hosting dinner parties. Perhaps I expected the place to be a lot sleazier but I was surprised at how well-behaved most people seemed to be. Our guide shared that the girls are generally safe and crime rate isn't that high. However, you still need to be alert. One of the girls in our tour was wearing a tight-fitting bottom and was groped by a man who immediately ran away. So, watch your backs and asses and still be vigilant, ya'll hear? 

Think that there is nothing that exciting to see if the windows are kept 'clean'? You can go for the peep shows. At 2euro for a 2-minute viewing, it is probably the most affordable introduction to the pornographic world. Instead of me explaining it, you can read more about the Sex Palace peep show.

Day 3 has taught us a few important lessons:

1. Don't fret if tours get cancelled. Something better will come along.
2. Give yourself ample time to sit down and eat. Or risk puking when you walk/run after.
3. Tipping is not compulsory. 
4. While it's not dangerous to walk around the red light district, it pays to be vigilant.
5. Don't taking photos of the working ladies or they might whack you. 

While there was quite a bit of hurrying in the evening, Day 3 was way better than Day 2 because we went back to our studio with our heads full of information on beer and prostitution instead of pain. 

Before I end this post, here are more long kang photos to share:

Long kang with flowers

Long kang with boats

Long kang with an outdoor toilet along its banks 

(that's the white tube-like structure on the middle left of the photo)

Long kang at night

Long kang with houses that have doors that lead straight out to long kang

On Day 4, we bade Amsterdam farewell again because we were flying to Iceland! 

Day 1: Amsterdam with the sombre Anne Frank House and delicious Screaming Beans 

Day 2: Brussels with its pissing boys, street art and French architecture