Our first night included a great meal at a local Vietnamese restaurant where we feasted on soups, hearty entrees of rice and noodles, rose wine, and great conversation. We retired at a decent hour to recharge our batteries for the full day ahead.
A cup of coffee started our morning on the right foot and Jeff graciously directed us to the must see sights that the city had to offer. A short ride on a tram similar to those found in San Francisco dropped us just north of the main attraction for the day, the Grand Place. The walk down the hill to the infamous square was a great build up. Brilliant architecture, beautiful gardens, and a vivacious street market were all stops along the way. We wish our walk into the Grand Place could have been captured on video from all different angles. Close up to see our expressions, 300 feet above from the Town Hall spire for a bird’s eye view, and across the square from one of the many cafes. We walked the perimeter to window shop the multiple gourmet chocolate stores that line the square. There is nothing like Godiva from the source. With museums, chocolate, cafes and people from all around the world we concluded that the Grand Place is exactly that, grand!
Making our way out of the square, we followed the crowds to see the Manikin Piss. On our way, we stopped by a waffle stand where we had a true Belgium waffle which was absolutely delicious. It was crispy on the outside and gooey in the inside YUM. We arrived at the Manikin Pis at the end of the block and were surprised to see that he wasn’t as big as we expected him to be. He was dressed in one of his 700+ outfits made by visitors from all around the world.
We walked back down to the square to continue window shopping and stopped by to browse what the street market vendors had to offer. To end our day in the Grand Platz, we each enjoyed a Belgium beer at Le Cirio, a 1880s pub that has kept its environment the same.
We had a great time with Joanne and Jeff at their home for our last night in Brussels. They were so generous to make a delicious dinner for all four of us to enjoy. We started dinner with a yummy salad (greens, garbanzo beans, sliced green olives, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, and slivers of red hot chili peppers in mine – thanks Jeff!). Also, Jeff made awesome sangria to accompany our dinner. The main course was a large portion of mussels served in two different broths/sauces. One was prepared the traditional Belgium style – leeks, white wine, garlic, and a fresh sprig of thyme. The other was prepared Italian style – roma tomatoes, diced onions and garlic, basil and red wine. We were stuffed silly by the end of the night. What a great and fulfilling meal and evening!
A special thank you goes to Jeff and Joanne for a wonderful time in Brussels!
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