Embassy Of Belgium

This was our first stop on the Shortcut to Europe Embassy tour. It’s about a 20 minute walk from Woodley Park/​Adams Morgan metro. Due to the ridiculous amount of delays due to «rebuilding», we ended up not arriving here until 10:40am. Since they opened the gates at 10, we thought maybe we’d wait 30 minutes, but oh no… we waited 2 hours to get in! Yes, you read that right, 2 hours! Since this was my first embassy day having not lived in the area last year, I was quite pleased with the experience at Belgium but could do without the wait (naturally!). Why was it a 2 hour wait? Unlimited beer samples, one free whole beer, a ton of free chocolates and cookies, $ 2 wafels and $ 3 frites– oh and a Smurf you could get your picture taken with outside!
They checked all bags and had you walk through a metal detector so I think that contributed to the wait time too. Upon entering, you go through a cultural exhibit that featured information on WWI and the more recent bombings in Brussels. Then you made your way to the hall of chocolates where we received a mix of dark and light truffles– both individual pieces and a box to take home. In this same area they also gave out Belgian cookies-​2 each. You then made your way up the grand staircase where you received more chocolates and macaroons, frisbee so, bags, and magnets. After you came back down the staircase, you could make your way to the beer table where everyone over 21 could chose a full bottle of beer, all Belgian varieties of course! Outside featured the unlimited beer samples (4 varieties offered), the Smurfs, and the wafel and frites tents. While I can’t speak for the frites (which was the more popular line), the wafel was delicious! It was drizzled with chocolate and gad sugar cubes inside– oh so decadent and delectable! For $ 2 the portion was quite large and reasonable. Although the wait was insanely ridiculous, we got a ton of free samples to soften the blow a tad. While I wont return next year-​I need to make sure I visit other embassies too!- I would suggest making the Embassy of Belgium a stop for you if you’re doing the tour!

What better shortcut to Europe than a stop at the Embassy of Belgium? A tour of the embassy along with Belgian beer tasting, chocolates and best of all the Belgian chefs’ delicious chocolate chip waffles and freshly made Liege style waffles from scratch (7 batches) with fresh yeast. The aroma of waffles attracted over 7000 people for tasting. The fact that some other embassies charged $ 20 – 30 per person made the Embassy of Belgium looked like a saint! Generous and giving to the visitors.

The European tour is always a must stop. Great beers

This was our 6^th and final stop on the EU Embassy Open House tour. The main feature of the open house was viewing the Ambassador’s office. It was plain and modest.
I have to give this embassy extra points because they gave away pralines from Leonidas, Biscoff cookies (which I have hearted since Delta Airlines began serving them however many years ago) and beer! Lots of beer! I don’t drink beer so I gave one away. I did have a yummy, fruity strawberry or apple beer that I couldn’t believe was actually beer. Something tells me the parties at the Belgian embassy are really fun.