Friends in Brussels

Sunday was an extremely exciting day! We drove up to Brussels to meet up with friends who were on their way to Rwanda. You heard me right. Rwanda. And not just for a visit; to stay. For 2 years. The visit was special for so many reasons: 1) We hadn't seen each other in years.2) We'd never met their son 3) They are embarking on this incredible adventure in Africa!

It was perfect that they had a stop in Brussels. We had 2 great days with them. We didn't really *do* anything. Oh sure, we laughed at Mannekin Pis, drank lots of Belgian Beer (mostly the Trappist variety,) a few of us had mussels. The visit was not about Brussels. It was about being together. And that we did. And then we sent them off with love and good wishes.

This is the Atomium. It was built for the 1958 World's Fair. We didn't go in it, but did enjoy seeing it.

Free face painting in the park at the base of the Atomium. My girls will never say no to that!

You can follow the Rwanda adventure here (ahem, as soon as they have connectivity.)

Eating Through Brussels

Waffles? But of course. Both Belgium and Liege were available. I think the consensus between us all was Liege was the way to go!

Frites? What, are you kidding me? With a little fork. In a paper cone. With a hot dog. For lunch we ate at this place that sold huge hot dogs with a pile of frites dumped on top of the bun. I asked Bryce to order it for lunch just so I could take a picture of it. No go. He didn't feel like a heart attack on a plate. Guess I can't blame him.


Chocolate? Um, Yes! Eva's treat of choice was a skewer of Strawberries dipped in Belgium Milk Chocolate.

We also tried some Australian Ice cream. Catherine suggested this when we went to Bastogne the first time. Unfortunately it was closed then. We couldn't pass it up this time in Belgium. I'll tell ya, it was the richest ice cream I have ever tried. You could almost taste the egg yolks. It was custard like. Pure decadence!

Not surprisingly I ran into a macaron shop. Can't remember the name and deleted the picture I took of the awning. Boo! Bought one for a euro. It was passion fruit and chocolate. A tasty combination but not nearly as fresh and delicate as the macs from Laduree.

La Cure Gourmande. The coolest artisan sweet shop. Caramels, lolly pops, bon bons, cookies. I bought a tin with a variety of treats in it. The store was as gorgeous as the candy.

What about you? Any food stories from Belgium?

Brussels

The last time I was in Brussels was 1996. Honestly, I don't have very fond memories of it. It was gray, foggy and rainy and there was an incident with the clerk at the Tourist Office. I have vague memories of a row of restaurants serving paella and mussels. I remember being shocked at how small and unassuming the famous Manneken Pis was. Mostly I just remember it being gray. After Bryce and his friends spent an evening there this spring, I became interested in giving it another try. I'm so glad I did. We drove from Ghent and headed straight for The Grand Place.

The Grand Place is the most amazing collection of buildings. The buildings are incredibly ornate, Gothic at it's very definition. Every available surface being gilded, textured, decorated or adorned in some way. It would be enough to examine each of them for a day. The square in the center of the buildings holds a small flower market and a variety of artists selling paintings of Brussels.

We had to visit this little guy. We told the girls all about Mr. Pis before our visit. They really got a kick out of it. Perfect little kid humor. Interesting fact: He was stolen in the late 1800s. The thief was apprehended and Mr. Pis was shattered. He was recast and still remains to day.

Brussels is also chock full of museums and other cool attractions. We drove past a flea market on the way out that left Emily and I wishing we'd seen it sooner. Unfortunately this visit we didn't venture very far from The Grand Place. We did stroll down the row of seafood restaurants. Someday Bryce and I will return and have a romantic dinner there. . .

There are souvenir shops, chocolate shops, sweet shops, lace shops, cafes, bars and restaurants surrounding the square. Clearly you could shop or eat your way through Brussels. We chose the latter. A whole post is devoted to "the latter." I'll just leave you with a quote from Emily: I'm just going to eat frites and waffles (tomorrow) and be okay with it.

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Real Time update: I'm so back logged with travel posting, that you're missing some great real time stuff: Our wonderfual day on Sunday at Park Merveilleux. My obsessive attempts at making a Mirabelle Tart - 2 attempts. Today I "researched" by buying a tartlette from the best bakery in Luxembourg. I think more "research" may be in order. Today we cracked hazelnuts open in the backyard with a hammer!! Okay, my goal is to be caught up by Wednesday evening. Um. That's just a goal. Often times goals aren't reached. Just keep that in mind.