Brussels (Bruxelles)

Backtracking a little now....we arrived in Brussels on Sunday morning and were treated by Z's cousins who escorted us to his aunt's place. After we settled in and shower after our lengthy journey, we had a lovely home cooked lunch with the entire family. This was the first time in about 20 years that Z's mom and aunt had seen each other and so a lot of catching up followed. This was also the first time I was meeting all of them and the first time in a many years that Z had seen his cousins.

After lunch and to fight off jet lag, one of Z's cousins and his wife and son took us on a little tour of The Grand Place (Grote Markt). There was a jazz festival taking place in the centre of the square and people were just sitting taking in the music and drinking beer. It was really col to see. Getting out and walking around helped keep me away though on the car ride back home, I did start dozing a little. That evening we visited this same cousin's home.

Brussels is another beautiful European city. It's the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union. It's a mix of Dutch and French and in certain Dutch areas, French is not understood or acknowledged.

Because we toured the central square originally without Z's mom, we decided to take her back anther day. We found the bus and tram system quite easy to us and it got us there rather quickly. Grand Place is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Brussels city hall is one of the main buildings in the square and was built in stages between 1401 and 1455. The square has a very rich history which I found very interesting to read on Wikipedia. Every 2nd year in August a giant flower "carpet" is set up in the Grand Place. Too bad we're missing it by only a few months. Z's aunt says this year it will look like a large Turkish woven carpet. Another tourist attraction in the area is Manneken Pis, literally a statue of a boy taking a piss. There are numerous legends behind this statue, but the best one is about a little boy awoken by a fire and he put it out by peeing on it and thus saving the king's castle.

The Adventures of Tin Tin was created by a Belgium cartoonist and so in the Grand Place there is a store dedicated to Tin Tin. We also found a couple murals around town showcasing Tin Tin. I remember reading these comic books in elementary school so it was exciting seeing everything Tin Tin.

After walking through Grand Place and the Gallerias just before the central square, we made our way up to St Jacques Church at the Coudenburg. This is an incredibly beautiful church. From there we made our way to the Royal Palace of Brussels. This palace is not used by the king and his family as their residence. Why would it be. It's only a very huge palace that probably most anyone would be quite happy to live in. I know I would not complain. It's even situated in front of Brussels Park.

After a day of walking and exploring, we joined Z's cousin and wife for a Vietnamese dinner at Le Nenuphar. This is a newer restaurant and quite popular. We weren't sure we'd get in, but luckily they had space and we enjoyed a great dinner with even better company.

We enjoyed our stay immensely and were so grateful for everyone's generous hospitality.





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