Although people call Brussels the "capital of Europe", it is not because the city is huge enough, in Europe, London, Paris, Berlin, Munich, Madrid, Rome, Milan, Stockholm and other cities are all bigger and more prosperous than Brussels. Strictly speaking, Brussels is a small city with such an area and population, and it is a walkable city that can walk all the main sightseeing spots in the city center just by walking on your feet.

For many, Brussels is one of the most exquisite cities in all of Europe, perhaps without the bustle of Paris, the poise of Berlin, or the heritage of London, but its architecture and museums are unique, with skyscrapers and medieval buildings complementing each other.

The whole city is centered around the Royal Palace, built along the "small ring", the upper/municipal area is built along the slope, mainly the administrative area, the main attractions are the Louis XVI style royal palace, the royal square, the Egmont Palace, the National Palace, the Royal Library, the Museum of Modern and Antiqual Art, and the lower / city is a bustling commercial center, with many medieval Gothic buildings standing around the main square in the city center, and the town hall is also in this area.

It's a city that makes it easy to fall in love, and it's also a city full of cultural collisions.

Lu Li didn't like the pile of guano piled up in the square next to the train station, obviously, the cleaners didn't have time to finish their work, and the cloud-covered pigeon once again claimed his ownership of the city, of course, every city in Europe was plagued by pigeons, but Lu Li liked to go down the downhill road, Gothic buildings, Victorian buildings, The classical architecture is so beautiful and dazzling that when you suddenly open up, you can't help but stop and breathe in the sight of the golden splendor of the Grand Place in Brussels.

The quaint and winding alleys, the historic buildings, and the people of all shapes and sizes make up this unique city.

"I'm pretty sure it's not Paris, it's not London, it's not Barcelona. This is Tony's assessment, which is difficult to explain, but it is clear. In the glimpse, European cities seem to have countless similarities, those familiar buildings, those ubiquitous churches, those alleys with similar styles, visual fatigue will always give people an illusion, but slow down, you can savor the difference and uniqueness of each city and each town.

Fred smiled, it was originally a very ridiculous sentence, but after thinking about it, he couldn't help but agree. Perhaps, this is the most accurate evaluation. "With my lens, I can capture the different aspects of the city, and then we'll see if we can find more accurate adjectives. ”

It's only been two days of browsing, which is still too short a time for Fred.

"Let's go, we can wait a little longer, we still have work to do today." Tony tapped Fred on the shoulder, signaling that they had arrived at their destination and could step out of the taxi.

Outside the car window, an antique building appeared in front of you, which looked like the place where the ancient Roman parliament was held, and the bustling crowd was pouring in, as if most of the city's population had gathered here, the only difference was that they were not wearing ancient Roman burqas, but suits and leather shoes, and even reporters with cameras and TV cameras on their shoulders.

There were no banners, no plaques, no leaflets, and no sign of the wine contest could be found from any corner, as if it were just a lively rally, which looked not formal at all, and even made people wonder if they had gone to the wrong place. But it is precisely this low-key and restrained, without the slightest publicity, that shows the pride and pride in the bones of Europeans to the fullest-

They have always believed that true art will not disappear and will play an extremely important role in life. Therefore, they refused to compromise with business, and they refused to lose their elegance, even if they were for show, and they had to maintain the demeanor of literati and art.

This is where the Brussels International Wine Competition is held, and it is also the place where the top of the clouds first stepped onto the world stage. The wine competition was the most important task of their trip to Europe rather than sightseeing, and after the competition, they still had a lot of time to take their time sightseeing.

Not long ago, the organic farm of Cloud Top Ranch made a huge breakthrough and reached a cooperation agreement with Whole Foods Market, which earned more than $25 million in just one signing, and became the core pillar of Cloud Top Ranch.

Now, the vineyard is about to come to fruition.

Compared to the kale on an organic farm, Pinot Noir is delicate, troublesome, and toss-up, not only does it take all the effort, the slightest negligence can lead to a whole year's efforts in vain, but also depends on God's meaning, "do your best, obey the destiny of God", this sentence is the best description of the wine industry.

What's more, even if everything is perfect, the price of the finished product will not soar unless the best wine is produced. Especially for the new generation of wineries. In other words, after all the hard work, the vineyard may not be able to burst into the same amazing profits as an organic farm.

However, the charm of wine lies in the precipitation and polishing of time. Not only the region and the vintage, but even the same vintage in the same region, the wines in different bottles have completely different flavors. Only those who are truly attentive can make truly excellent wines, and only those who are truly attentive collectors can taste the true value of wine.

Kale may be the biggest source of revenue for Cloudtop Ranch, but vineyards, like stables, are an integral part of Cloudtop Ranch.

With a sigh of relief, Lu Li raised his voice and said, "The long journey has finally reached the end. Now, let's take a look at the scenery of the destination!"

In the surging crowd, Lu Li, Fred, and Tony are just a drop in the ocean, and the noisy scene of shoulder to shoulder, crowds of people, has not yet officially entered the building, and you can already feel the atmosphere of the red wine competition, the air is wafting with a faint aroma of wine, a little sweet, a little jerky, a little spicy, and a little intoxicating, people can't help but want to open their arms and wander in it.

This is paradise.

In the midst of tension, the pace can't help but be cheerful, competitive, and at the same time a challenge, which makes people's blood surging.

Walking into the lobby, you can see the reception desks on both sides at the entrance, the surging crowd stays around the reception desk, all of this is new and unfamiliar to Lu Li, and he doesn't know what to do, "I think, we should go over to register and sign in first?" The group walked forward, waited in line for a while, found a free receptionist, and reported his name, "Yunding Winery." ”

The receptionist immediately skillfully typed his name on the computer and began to inquire about the information of Yunding Ranch. Inexplicably, the nervousness calmed down, and Lu Li gradually adapted to the atmosphere here, and joked again, "I thought this was still the way of the roster." ”

The roster, the kind of paper list, arranged in letters, can only be consulted manually, and the work efficiency can only be said to be average, especially on such occasions, when thousands of contestants gather together, even if the list is arranged according to the alphabet list, the workload is still very large, and it can not be completed in a short time.

Now in the 21st century, computers have become completely popular, and even become a basic skill for many jobs, which seems to have become the consensus of the whole world. But in fact, in many government departments in Europe, traditional paper-based document work is still the mainstream.

Not only because many elderly people are still not very comfortable with the work of the computer, and it is not easy to keep up with the progress of the times, but also because a large number of old files are piled up, all of which are reproduced on the computer is a big project, and in terms of the efficiency of European governments/governments, it has not been completed in ten years.

So strictly speaking, Lu Li's ridicule is not a joke, but a fact.

The receptionist shrugged his shoulders and replied, "That's what we were going to do. ”

After this sentence was spoken, not to mention Lu Li, Fred and Tony were both frightened, with a choked expression, Tony laughed dryly, "Are you joking?" The receptionist looked up, glanced at Tony, and didn't say anything, but the most serious expression said everything: he wasn't joking.

Tony couldn't help choking up, and made up this picture in his mind: all the winery representatives gathered at the entrance, waiting in line to sign in. The long queue for the waiting pass was enough to last for hours. That picture, it's really ...... Unthinkable.

Fred and Tony turned their heads to look at Lu Li, who spread his hands and said with a smile, "Welcome to Europe." "The medieval kind.

"Top of the Clouds Winery, Texas, USA. After the receptionist checked the information, he couldn't help but be stunned, and confirmed again, "Texas, the one above Mexico?" He raised his head and looked at Lu Li and the others, and cast a verifying look.

This time, it was Lu Li's turn and the three of them shrugged their shoulders slightly, without saying a word, but the sincere eyes were enough. The receptionist opened his mouth and took a deep breath, "Okay. A simple "OK" means a lot, "Then it's Texas." ”

Regardless of the quality of the wines at the top of the clouds, it's safe to assume that the other wineries in attendance heard about a winery from Texas in the competition, which is sure to be the most interesting anecdote of this year's competition.

"Here's your badge, good luck. The receptionist handed the admission card to Lu Li, and after bidding farewell to the three people, the receptionist began to receive the next group of participating wineries.

The three of Lu Li took a step forward and entered the competition hall.