Brussels, Belgium - the land of beer, waffles and chocolate!
The train ride from Amsterdam to Brussels was quick. We arrived at Brussels Midi and found our way by subway to the apartment we would stay in for the next two nights.
Everything about all buildings in Belgium appears grand. I thought our front door was grand.
We stayed in the Muslim quarter of Brussels. Fresh produce grocers displayed their wares on the street, butchers with kosher cuts, bakeries with delicious pastries.
Our boys are not cut out for apartment life. With their ability to make noise and constantly wrestle and thump, there is a reason we live on the outskirts of Carman. So far, no complaints from neighbors here.
A chocolate festival was on in our neighborhood the first night we arrived. Chocolatiers demonstrated their craft and showcased their skills, and lucky for us, they provided many tasty samples of their work. Why are Belgium chocolate so good? Belgium, after laying claim to The Congo in the 1880's (not a good thing; watch the movie Tarzan) had access to cocoa from Africa long before any other European nation did. Through engineering they were able to produce machines that could mix the cocoa beans to a thin, smooth consistency.
Apparently Belgium waffles are not what these are called. They are Brussels waffles. The boys thought they were delicious!
Grand Place
Photographs do not do Grand Place justice. I have never seen a more spectacular square. Majestic, ornate and medieval just begin to describe it. We would walk the 20 minutes from our apartment to Grand Place everyday.
What we found yucky was the amount of dog poop everywhere. Near the end of our stay we found a fantastic park to play in. Unfortunately, we had to keep to the gravelled paths as the grass was not worth stepping on! Levi thought if he returned in 20 years there would be nothing to see. The piles of dog poop would block all these beautiful buildings.
Near Grand Place
Manneken Pis. He is in the top 5 most disappointing attractions in the world. None the less, he was a part of our walking tour. He has a wardrobe of over 800 costumes and is found everywhere! From souveniers to graffiti on buildings.
Amazing graffiti around the city.
Hmmmm. I wonder what Levi was up to the night before?
