Filling in the Blanks: Bruges and Around Brussels

As Dan had previously mentioned, his brother Larry’s visit coincided with my friend Cristin’s visit and we all worked it out the night before to head to Bruges with the girls on the Tuesday of their visit. We arranged to get an earlier start as the girls would be up anyway and Cristin it turns out, was up early (jetlag issues) which gave her plenty of time to get ready and check out of her hotel as she was staying the next couple of nights at the apartment. After packing the backpack and rousing Larry (who also had sleep issues it turns out) we were off to the Central train station along with Naomi who would take the same train and get off to go to work in Gent. The train took about an hour and was pretty packed...it was making one more stop after Bruges and it was still pretty full when we got off! Who knew it would be such a busy line on a Tuesday morning!! We had guidebook maps and after being pointed in the right direction we were off, walking towards downtown. We wandered our way through the deserted and quaint streets and eventually made our way to the main square.
Along the way we pondered a possible boat or carriage ride as we saw tours taking place in the canals as well as horse drawn carriages being pulled through the streets. The various guide books stated that the view from the belfry in the main square was quite exceptional and since it was a great day in terms of weather we decided to give it a go. The line wasn’t overly long and we weren’t sure what the problem was when after standing there for about 10 minutes and it hadn’t moved! The line finally started moving when a group of people came down and out of the belfry tower so we figured it had something to do with only allowing so many people up the tower at one time. With about 366 steps up the tower it was no easy trek, especially not for Amelia’s little legs. Luckily there were several levels where you could stop and take a break on the way up the tower so Jojo made it up the tower just fine (with breaks) and Amelia only needed to be carried for the last couple of parts. With the very narrow and winding stairs closer to the top, the trek wasn’t the easiest I had done but the views were quite wonderful! It was fairly close confines at the top with the bells so after snapping some photos we headed back down to the level below and decided to wait for the bells to ring and watch the mechanics on display at that level do their thing as it rang 12 o’clock. The bells were quite sizable so I was glad that we didn’t stay on the bell level as they were loud enough a level down for me!
While one would think that going down would be easier, it was still slow going as it was tricky to let people coming up pass as you went down and Amelia was very unsure of going down the steep stairs and only holding hands (I can’t say I blame her as I too was a bit worried about the trip down) so I ended up carrying her down the tower as well! I hadn’t communicated clearly that we were going to stop and listen for the hour to ring so Cristin made it down before the rest of us but luckily she knew there was only one exit we could come out of and a street musician had set up in the belfry courtyard and started playing some music. As entertainment, it was pretty cool as he was playing what looked like an inverted tin drum as well as an instrument that looked like an Australian didgeridoo. After a potty break and taking in the musician for a few moments we decided to grab something to eat at one of the nearby bar/cafes. We decided on one that had outdoor seating that was just a bit off the main square that had some more reasonable prices. There was still a great view of the Belfry (as seen in the photos) and we had a nice lunch while still enjoying the great weather!
We wanted to still do one more thing before I had to leave with the girls and unfortunately for the adults, there was an area in the center part of the square that had some fair type rides for children. The girls were given a choice of doing one thing (kiddie ride, carriage ride, or boat ride) (by their Uncle Larry) and surprise, surprise, they chose the kiddie ride. So for 4 Euro, they were able to ride in a little car and go around in circles for a few minutes while the adults stood by and watched. Amelia unfortunately didn’t fully understand that when she agreed to go on the kiddie ride (as Jojo had pretty much chosen and Amelia followed suit) that she wouldn’t get to do a carriage ride and afterward she kept asking about the horses and going on a ride! I explained the situation as best I could and she seemed to understand a bit better though she was still sad. I definitely emphasized with her as I think that a carriage ride would have been fun even though at that point both girls may have fallen asleep during it! Oh well, Amelia soon fell asleep in the stroller and as Cristin and Larry didn’t have anything else that they felt they absolutely had to see (and were also tired after their respective sleeping issues) we were all off to the train station to catch a train back to Brussels. We didn’t have to wait long and we all got seats as the train wasn’t quite as crowded as the previous one. While Jojo colored and I held Amelia while she napped, Cristin and Larry eventually dozed off for a cat nap while we journeyed back to the city.



After arriving back in Brussels, Larry was off to the apartment to meet Dan and let me in (as Larry had Dan’s set of keys) and the girls, Cristin, and I stopped at le Parc de Bruxelles so that we could grab a snack and the girls could play a bit before we headed back to the apartment. I figured that they had been very good sports and had behaved quite well that morning so they definitely deserved a bit of time to run around and do as they wanted for a bit! After a snack and walk through the park, Cristin went off to explore the shops on Avenue Louise. This is a street with many high-end designer type shops and if nothing else, it is a fun street to walk down and do some window shopping on a nice afternoon! Amelia, Jojo, and I finally made our way back to the apartment for dinner time. Larry had gone out for a run and hadn’t planned to eat with the family (as he initially wanted to get mussels) and I was waiting to see what Cristin wanted to do as we didn’t make plans before she left.
When she arrived we decided to go out to eat and since we were thinking about going out to a bar that Cristin had heard about afterwards, Larry decided to join us. We ate at a lovely little Thai restaurant that is a couple of blocks to the apartment and luckily we timed our arrival there just in time to get in out of the rain that was starting to fall! We ate dinner, trying some new (Thai pork Raviolis, soup) as well as usual sorts of things (fried rice, mixed vegetables and rice) and since the rain had stopped, we decided to walk to the Grand Place. Larry hadn’t seen it yet and I thought it would be fun to see by night, and we were all glad to see it as the city has the buildings nicely lit around the square and it was fun to see! We then tried to head to the bar that Cristin had heard about that supposedly had 2000 different kinds of beer, The Delirium! The street we needed wasn’t on my map but we knew it was in the neighborhood so after asking a couple of times for directions we made it to the right place…it was quite hidden away on a back street. We went and grabbed a table at the already busy downstairs portion of the bar. The building had two levels and we later discovered that the lover level catered to a more mature crowd while the upper level served a younger and noisier set!
With so many beers to choose from we didn’t quite know where to start but luckily the first menu we saw had a smaller collection printed on it and so our first round were all fruit beers. I had a Cherry, Cristin a Raspberry, and Larry had a mixed wild berry. Each were good in their own way but being so sweet they were quickly polished off! The second round didn’t quite have theme but Larry tried the chocolate flavored beer, I had a strawberry beer, and Cristin…I forget, she may have had another fruit beer as well. For the third round we moved upstairs and quickly realized that it was not only louder but we were the oldest ones there! I always forget that the drinking age is younger here than in the U.S….I don’t know the exact age in Belgium but places are usually more lax about beer consumption anyways. We asked the bartender for any 3 beers as I had suggested a surprise round since we couldn’t decide and ended up with a beer that didn’t taste stronger than water (but had a strange aftertaste) another light Belgian beer, and a nice brown ale of some sort. So many types of beer to try and so little time…since it was getting late, we didn’t quite finish this round and headed out intending to head back to the apartment.
Before we even left the street though, I looked up and there was a sign for the Jeanneken Pis!! This is a statue of a little girl peeing that a nearby restaurant owner had put up in response to the Manneken Pis. It wasn’t on my map of Brussels and while I had been out looking for it before I had been unsuccessful and although it seems odd, I was quite thrilled that I was finally going to see it! We went and of course took pictures and then since Larry hadn’t seen the Manneken Pis, we went and saw the original inspiration! All in all, a great, but long day!

On Wednesday we (the adults) all got off to bit of a later start and headed out to the Atomium. The girls weren't really interested in going up but Cristin and Larry were curious about the view since it was once again a beautiful day in Brussels! I hung out at the base with the girls while they did their chalk graffiti thing for awhile. There was a bit of a wait for the trip up to the top and through the exhibition as it was a holiday week still for most Europeans so when it got to be lunch time I headed off with the girls in search of food. For the Atomium being a tourist sight it isn't the type of neighborhood to have a good selection of restaurants in close proximity so we had to walk for a bit before we came to a nice little brasserie where we had a light lunch of soup and salad.



While I headed back to the apartment with the girls so that Amelia could take a nap, Cristin and Larry decided that since the couldn't get a hold of me (as I didn't hear my phone evidently) to head out to the Neuhaus (a very yummy Belgian chocolate artisan) chocolate outlet. Here three decent sized boxes (think boot shoebox sized) of chocolate with 3 layers of chocolate pieces (pralines) can be had for 20 Euro which is pretty much a bargain basement price for such good quality chocolates! There are smaller gift wrapped boxes as well in addition to bags of different kinds of chocolates! Everything that is for sale can be sampled before purchase (since you are buying in such large quantities) which is quite dangerous! At the time I hadn't been there myself but it is like a mini heaven for both chocolate lovers and bargain hunters! The rest of the afternoon was leisurely spent by all lounging around the apartment and making plans and preparations for the weekend. Cristin and I were off the next morning for Paris, Naomi was leaving early for the Netherlands, and Dan, Larry, and the girls were following Naomi later that morning. After a nice dinner we were all able to sample some of the chocolate that Cristin and Larry brought home before they sealed it all for their trip home...yum, yum, yum is all I can say and thank goodness they were willing to share their finds!!