The awesome
thing about living in France for a month is that one evening, you can decide
that you will head to Belgium the next day.
The train
journey is only a half hour ride away. Since Kim had lived and taught in
Brussels for two years, we all relied on her knowledge of the city to get us to
where we wanted to go. And where we wanted to go was anywhere that was serving
delicious food or drink! Our day in Brussels was all about eating and drinking.
First stop
was the Waffle Truck. This was literally located at the exit to the metro! Locals
will only order their waffles plain. Apparently, all the toppings that are on
offer are strictly for tourists. €2 gets you the most delicious waffle and
completely explains why the entire city smells so sweet.
Waffles, Round 1.
Brussels is
a very walkable city. The Newberys had visited Kim while she was teaching here
and there were things that they wanted to revisit. First stop was a phenomenal
toy store. This was a toy store for the rich. Beautiful toys that all children
would love to play with and make all adults wish they were children again. It
was so much fun to browse this store.
As we were
walking away from this area of town, I began to recognize where we were. We
approached the Palais de Justice, or law courts, a phenomenal building under
perpetual construction. Directly beside the Palais de Justice is a far-reaching
lookout over the city of Brussels. We paused there and enjoyed the spectacular
view.
Our destination
for the day was the Grand-Place, the central square of Brussels. Anyone who was
unaware would quickly become educated that Brussels and Belgium are well known
for chocolate. It seems that every other store in the city is a chocolate
store. Pierre Marcolini is a favourite of Arlyn’s and we stopped in so the kids
could have some hot chocolate and for Arlyn to stock up on her favourite
chocolate.
The
Grand-Place is a beautiful square. It is traffic free, pedestrian friendly
square surrounded by ornate buildings ranging from the 14th to the
17th century. It is a wonderful place to stand and soak in the
atmosphere, people watch, and appreciate the buildings. We witnessed the
beginning of a march or parade by a moustache appreciation group. One gentleman
was kind enough to allow me to have a picture with him! The Grand-Place is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Summer Sisters.
New BFF.
From the
Grand-Place, there are several road ways or walk ways that exit and enter. We
followed one path toward Kim’s favourite frites place, Fritland. Turns out, it
is not only Kim’s favourite frites place – the queue extended from the
restaurant, across the sidewalk, over the cobbled street, and on to the
property of the next building. To me, the frites tasted like French fries. But
I am not a connoisseur. My travelling companions were in frites heaven.
Apparently, it is the method of frying – double fried accompanied by the
variety of dipping sauces that a customer may choose from that really makes the
frites. They are served hot, fresh, made to order in a large paper cone. And
although I don’t really get the enthusiasm people have for these frites, I can
tell you I was definitely in the minority. Everyone was enjoying their Belgian
frites.
Frites
Tim was
very eager to try a specific kind of beer that had been recommended to him by a
friend. Anyone who was unaware would quickly become educated that Brussels and
Belgium are well known for beer. It seems that every other store in the city is
a beer store. Beer is a big deal in Belgium. In fact, there are more Belgian
beers than there are days in the year. While the long frites line up took
place, Tim went on a hunt for his Trappist Beer. Westvleteren is a brewery
founded in 1838. They are known as some of the best beers in the world. So,
after Tim met us at Fritland and everyone had enjoyed their frites we decided
to head back to the pub that Tim had found. He took us to Au Bon Vieux Temps.
Located at the end of a narrow alleyway, the pub has a kiddie cornered entrance
way. Upon entering the pub, you will notice that there are stained glass
windows and some religious references located around. Everything is old and it
feels like how a pub is supposed to feel. We all ordered and enjoyed a drink,
toasting our wonderful travels and a great day.
Cheers!
We returned
to the Grand-Place to people watch. Abby and I hunted down some delicious
chocolate covered strawberries which we devoured in minutes.
Our final
stop in our day of debauchery was Fanny Thai, a favourite restaurant of Kim’s
from when she lived in Brussels. We enjoyed our dinner on the restaurant’s
patio. So ended a wonderful day in Brussels.
_______________
In planning
for their vacation, Anne-Marie and Sage had expressed interest in visiting
Brussels. So, it was off to Brussels once again! Some similar things occurred
on this visit. A visitor must always have a Belgian waffle. We visited
chocolate shops. We bought chocolate and may have had some chocolate covered
strawberries. Sage and Anne-Marie also tried the frites. We visited the Grand-Place.
New to me, we met up with a free, city walking tour. Tour books and websites
are only able to express so much in writing. It is so wonderful to meet a guide
that loves the place they live and can share the quirky and entertaining stories
of their city. From the door that was build off centre on a building in the
Grand-Place to the questionably famous Manneken Pis, put in place in 1618 to
his modern-day sister Jeanneke Pis, put in place in 1987, our guide took us on
a 2-hour journey around popular and lesser known areas of Brussels.
Waffles, Round 2.
Two busy
and exhausting days that were filled with lots of delicious food, wonderful
beer, beautiful buildings and an education about Brussels.
