Brussels

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 14^th to the 17^th 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.

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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.