Brussels Day 2

 Groaning when I heard the alarm sound on Bob's phone, I wished for just a bit longer time to sleep even after logging ten hours through the night. Maybe it was because my body was saying it was only 1:30 AM at home. Our Hilton breakfast was more than we expected. All sorts of eggs, sausage, breads, muffins, etc. as well as the trademark waffles. I wondered how many people actually got waffles there for breakfast when we were surrounded by the delicious Belgian waffles in the shops and restaurants nearby.

Our plan for the day was to start with a walking tour following the GPS My Walk app for Brussels. Love this app that not only gives you commentary on the sites but leads you by GPS to each spot and talks to you to keep you on track. 

First up was the Grand Place, again. It is the central point for all tourists. What we didn't count on was all the early morning delivery trucks in the square. Not only did it make picture taking a challenge but you had to watch that you didn't get in front of a moving vehicle. Most of the buildings in the Grand Place were built in the 1860s. and are old guild halls along with a town hall. Each seems to be very unique in design. 

The thing we have loved most about Brussels is that no matter what side street or alley you wander, you will find unique shops and restaurants and of course numerous chocolate shops. The most unusual one that made us chuckle was a Graffiti Shop, "All the supplies needed for graffiti." And then there was the mall we happened upon that was filled with only nail spas, at least 25 of them plus one unique clothing store that featured clothes neither of us would wear even when we had younger bodies.

The Neuhaus chocolate shop opened 1857

We walked past the Boutique Tintin which is supposed to be a gallery and store for all things to do with the comic strip character Tintin. Since we weren't familiar with him, we didn't feel we missed out when we discovered the gallery closed. 

Our tour took us to the Royal Galleries of Saint-Hubert which is one very long arcade with shops and restaurants. It's in two sections, the King's Gallery and the Queen's Gallery. Each is about 700 feet in length with an arched glass ceiling. Reminded us of the arcade in Cleveland except that there were more people here. I took a picture yesterday before I knew what it was called (see previous post).

Mr. Neuhaus in chocolate

Next up was a stop that would explain all the little naked chocolate boys we'd seen in the chocolate shops, the Manneken Pis. Basically it is a small statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain. There are lots of stories behind the figure, mostly heroic actions by a little boy like peeing on a fire to put it out. Whatever the truth, the statue has become iconic and very famous in Brussels. Later we would see a female version of the statue, a little girl peeing into a fountain. I'm guessing it's something you wouldn't see in the States.

The Stock Exchange Building was interesting but under renovation. Near it was the Saint Nicholas Church which was a nice respite to sit and wonder at. The foundational elements of the church date back to the 11the century covered by a 14th century facade. The church completely burned down in 1695 during the French bombardment of Brussels. A cannonball is still lodge in one of the pillars that survived. Near it sits a painting by Rubens of The Virgin And Child.

Cannonball and painting

While the Saint Nicholas Church was interesting and beautiful in its own right, it in no way could compare to the majesty and wonder of the St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral. We walked into an expansive sanctuary that took your breath away. Huge pillars extended up to vaulted ceilings In addition to the amazingly detailed stained glass windows, there is a huge wooden sculpted pulpit that features the original downfall of Adam and Eve. The cathedral is where all of the royal weddings take place. 

By the time we got to the Royal Park and the Royal Palace, we were running out of steam and looking for a place to sit and get some coffee and tea. At this point we were no where near as many cafes as there are near the Grand Place. We trudged on through the park, took a picture of the half covered Royal Palace which is not a residence but rather a seat of government, and stopped to evaluate the other two stops on our list. One, a museum, we scratched and the other, the Mont des Arts, we had seen the day before. It was our scenic view that overlooked a pretty garden (see picture in previous post). 

Cathedral

Determined to get a break, we went back to our hotel, refreshed and decided to forage for lunch. We found a Frite place (French fries) and since they are large orders, we split one and indulged in two Belgian beers to see what they tasted like. The fries were amazing but the beers were a bit different. Lots of vanilla in them. It is said that there are around 300 different Belgian beers. I think two were enough to try.

At breakfast we had decided to buy tickets for the Hop On Hop Off Bus for the afternoon. There are two lines, a red and a blue. The red stays in town and took us past some of what we'd already seen but it was nice to see the rest of the bustling city that is Brussels. Lots of traffic unlike the area where we had been exploring on foot. The full red route took a little more than an hour and when we got off, we hustled to the nearby stop where the blue line began. 

The blue line takes you out of town a bit along a canal and up to the area where the 1958 World's Fair was held. It is now a lovely wooded area with a few leftover buildings from the fair but the centerpiece of the area is the Atomium, a huge structure that resembles an atom with nine spheres. It is 335 feet tall and you can take a very fast elevator to the top sphere where windows allow you to view the surrounding area. There is also a restaurant there above the observation area. Had we been there earlier, we would have had a snack there at least but we were concerned with getting back before the bus stopped running. 

Once back at the hotel, we took a few minutes to refresh again. (Amazing how just washing your face can help.) The night before we had decided that today we would get mussels at the Brussels Grill. It was a neat place with sidewalk tables and indoor tables. Since a chill wind had started up, we chose the inside and sat near a lovely fire that was a centerpiece of the dining room. The mussels were wonderful and more that we've ever eaten in an order. We probably could have split it.

After a little more walking in another pedestrian area we hadn't found before and with dinner settled, we decided on a waffle for dessert. I had one with hot melted Belgian chocolate and strawberries as a topping. Yum!

The challenge for the evening was to stay awake long enough to make another attempt at seeing the lighted buildings in the Grand Place. We managed to stay awake until 9:30 and walked the short distance to the square. It was worth the effort. The buildings were lit just enough to make them look like sparkling jewels. Bob did a Chevy Chase nod of the head and said, "Let's get to bed."

On our way back, we saw a small group of police who were interviewing a couple of shop keepers. It's the first time we'd seen any kind of activity of that sort. Must have been shoplifting or robbery. We heard them describing someone. We have never felt uneasy or less than safe in the city that is quite clean. A few beggars here and there and a small homeless encampment near the church by the hotel but actually mostly out of sight and the rest is an area of tourists, business people and what appear to be lots of students.

Ah, yes, there's the step count for the day, 16,900+. I'm sure we've worked off those waffles.

Brussels, Day 1

Leaving CLE on Sunday afternoon, a bit of a nail-biter connection in Washington Dulles and a crowded overnight flight to Brussels but we survived. Weary and excited about beginning our travel odyssey, we purchased train tickets and found our way to the train station in the Brussels airport. It was a twenty-two minute ride to Brussels-Central station.

We stood for a long moment trying to decide which exit to use to get to our hotel which was within a short walking distance from the station. Yup. We took the wrong one. When the Hilton Brussels Grand Place hotel showed on my phone map, we realized we had only to walk around a short block and we were there, well, at the back of the hotel. When we walked to the front entrance we looked across the plaza at the train station and realized our mistake. Probably only one of a few we will make along the way and it was easily corrected.

The receptionist told us the room Bob had checked into was not ready yet but he had others that were comparable and available. Were we interested? You bet. It took great restraint to not do a Snoopy dance right there in the beautiful lobby.

Neither of us had slept on the plane more that a half hour and our time back home was still in the middle of the night. Breakfast had been less that satisfying on the plane (a biscotti and Greek yogurt with a cup of coffee) so we promised ourselves a nap after getting some breakfast. Since our “included” breakfast did not start until the next day, we stopped in at a little boutique place in a corner of the hotel that featured all sorts of porridge. Not what Bob was looking for exactly but the porridge bowl, Oat Skool, had apples, nuts, raisins, honey, and a few other healthy grains tossed in on top of the oatmeal. I loved it—not so much the espresso coffee which we shouldn’t have had.

Back in the room, we tried to nap but the enticement of the city outside the hotel and the caffeine kept us from falling asleep. We gave up and started walking around. The planned walking tour on my phone was for the next day since this day was gray and sunshine was promised for the morning. Oh yes, the temperature was only around 50 degrees F to start so it was a bit chilly.

I had mentioned to Bob that I’d thought about buying Apple Air Tags for our luggage and backpacks but forgot to follow through. He found an Apple store and we made that our destination for the morning. It wasn’t that far but it was all uphill—thankfully a gentle climb. Along the way we passed chocolate store after chocolate store and between them were waffle shops. It reminded us of Makinac Island in MI where all you see are fudge shops.

As we started back we passed an area that appeared to be government buildings and found ourselves almost in the middle of an organized demonstration. We had been curious about all the security and police we had seen and soon a group all dressed in green marched down the street on the other side of a small park. I’m going to use the excuse that I was tired when I tell you that the back of the police jackets had what looked like “polite police” written on them. Actually in Flemish, police is politie. Close.

At one point I mentioned to Bob that we had climbed enough there should be an overlook somewhere as a reward. On our way back to the hotel, we happened upon a wonderful view of the city and a beautiful garden.

Bob was in need of protein. We found a fast food hamburger place called Quick and were they ever. By the time you ordered at the kiosk and it spit out the receipt, they were calling your order number. I sipped tea while I watched him eat a burger and fries that had no resemblance to either BK or McD.

Back at the hotel, we were now tired enough to be able to nap for an hour, just enough to refresh but not enough to take care of sore legs and feet. We sat and surfed the internet and watched the International CNN for some time until the cobbled streets of Brussels called out again. Outside was a beautiful city full of all sorts of new things for us to see. We couldn’t sit in.

At a waffle place not far from our hotel, we enjoyed a true Belgian waffle. Mine at home could never compare. Crispy and light, they serve them with all sorts of toppings. Bob’s was plain and mine was topped with bananas. Next time I go for the chocolate. As we sat and finished our tea and coffee, we located a restaurant for dinner that was recommended by TripAdvisor. Turned out to be a great recommendation, Pasta Divina. I’m guessing it was the patriarch of the family owned business who went to each table to check on his guests.

 Back in the Grand Place square, we found a Starbucks and got decafs as we sat and waited for the sunset. It got a little too chilly and I suspect being tired made us feel colder so we walked back to our hotel and waited out the sunset. The buildings are supposed to light up at night in the Grand Place but when we returned shortly after sunset, they were still unlit. We watched an acrobatic performer for a while and then decided to make it an early evening. I'm always afraid a jet-lagged Bob will fall asleep standing up. He's done it to me before. All told, we walked over 16,000 steps, about 8 miles. We earned an early bedtime.