Sunny Brussels...

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Imagine, we have now been in Europe for a good 13 days....few of them on the road...and few of them, finally relaxing, enjoying great food and family time back in Luxembourg. And tomorrow morning, I'm back on...a plane!



But before this, one more blog about Brussels. Little reminder...Leslie and Tiffany do have a Belgian passport. They may have never lived here...well...not anymore as we are spending 2 months in the country next door. So my aim is to give them as many "roots" I can from where their Dad is from. So in a few days....and there are more to come, I'm giving them all the school trips they would have done over 12 years at school in Belgium. Trust me, I don't know who has more fun...them enjoying those things for the first time...or me, being throw back between 30 and 20 years to my own past!



So we spent a Thursday, Friday and a Tuesday in Brussels. I should have taken many more pictures...but a lot of time was actually spent having lunches, dinners, drinks with friends of mine...back to my university time...but also current ones from Africa...Brussels...great meeting point for nice drinks....



This time, we stay in Ixelles, around the Chatelain area. Not the best hotel ever, but 58 euros for a good 3/4 stars hotel...did I tell you how cheap Brussels can be! I love the area...nice little restaurants everywhere...nice bars...and friendly people all over. This is far away from the tourist trap of the Grand Place...wouldn't mine living around here one day!



So we had the waffles, I had few Hoegaarden...and way more obviously. We even had lunch at Bruxelles les Bains...aka Brussels beach with few friends.



On the program, first the Atomium...if you have been to Brussels, you may have seen this weird building. It's basically the trophy left by the Universal Exhibition back in 1958. The last time I visited that place...was long time ago.



Next, the Musee de la Bande Dessinnee...Tintin, Spirou, the Smurfs, Bob & Bobette, Lucky Luke, Boule & Bill....yes, they are all Belgians. Sadly if Belgium has been on top the second half of the XX century, this glorious past has slightly fade the last few years. Still, this place is amazing...in a pretty cool Art Nouveau building. Oh, and if you didn't understand, Musee de la bande Dessinnee is the Cartoon museum of Brussels.



Our last cultural stop for a while, the Museum Magritte. This is one of the main Belgian painter, and the Museum is less than 10 years old. It is my second visit here, and a first for Tiffany and Leslie. It is also a first into the surrealism for the kids. Tiffany was not really impressed...Leslie found the place...something completely new for him.



This is the last entry of our little Benelux trip. More of it to come the second half of August, and in September. But for me, time to go on a little trip...with few more discoveries...in places and countries I've never been....so more blogs to come...

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