Maintaining diplomacy during Eurovision

Not that this is turning into some kind of guide to food in Brussels but I'm happy to report the culinary part of this experience is getting increasingly more rewarding.

The rule is: supermarket food = bad, restaurant food = good.

If you're in Grand Place, the most touristy area of Brussels, there is a Thai place worth checking out in the Saint Gery area, just north of the main square, called 'Fanny Thai'. Don't worry I'm not trying to send you into any dodgy red light area, it really does good food. Generally Grand Place is a bustling place and there are plenty of cool hang outs.

The other cool destination seems to be Place Chatelain, located in Louise, which again has plenty of relaxed bars and restaurants to keep you busy. Try Mama Roman, an Italian pizzeria, and definitely try their buffala mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes slice.

Anyway that's enough about food. Last Friday night was my first proper stagiaire party, eight hundred people rammed inside Autoworld next to Parc Cinquantaire. You would think they might have discounted drinks for us trainees but instead we were forced to pay seven Euros just for a mixer.

My mistake was to walk in, see two Polish girls from my football team that I play with on Wednesdays, be the true English gentleman, and offer them and their friends drinks. Needless to say it was my last round of the night. The frolics didn't finish until the sun came out, which was the same theme the following night at Ethnic bar in Louise (fast becoming my favourite part of Brussels), where two American girls on vacation, friends of another stagiaire, paid witness to an act of gratification between two lovers that would get you arrested in any part of England.

I don't think it is a general phenomenon in Brussels, probably just a spontaneous reaction to the 'I'm so excited' song that was playing, although some people have already black markered it into their diaries to return there same time next week.

Work has been getting busier with my boss involving me more and more. It really depends on where you are placed as to how much responsibility you have, but you can always ask for more, they are more than willing to give it.

Finally the real weather is turning up here, so an umbrella becomes part of your anatomy every time you step out of your apartment. The worst thing is the humidity, although not approach Amazonian standards, is definitely on the muggy side of life and doesn't make metro travelling that pleasant, although it's about thousand times more comfortable than rush hour London, and they even have music on the platforms, normally a mixture of pop and classical.

Now that is one thing they should adopt in the English capital, but seeing as they haven't even got AC I expect asking for a sound system would be like asking for a Brit to take the Eurovision song contest seriously.

Talking of Eurovision, it was unfortunately the case that some groups of stagiaires had the audacity to hold a Eurovision evening, crowded round the box, glued to proceedings, almost verging on outbreaks of tears after the final results. I shouldn't name any names but the Greeks felt particularly hard done by as apparently they had sent their 'best' singer to take part, and still managed to come third, which probably doesn't say too much about the quality of their audio talents, although I managed to retain my Eurocratic diplomacy and refrain from saying that out loud, lest I be disinvited from the forthcoming Greek party.

I read the next day that Wogan can no longer tolerate all of the chicanery and bloc voting that goes on and will henceforth refuse to comment on proceedings, which drew a huge amount of joy from myself, something which was not understood by my Wogan-less Euro colleagues. I look forward to seeing the BBC take this international talent contest more seriously in the future, and getting Zippy and Bungle do the commentary. 'Oh Geoffreyyy!'