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Published: June 12th 2015
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Bon jour from Brussels! After a 3.5 hour train ride, we arrived in Brussels at 1330. We continued our theme from Frankfurt and we stepped out of the train station into the red light district. Andrew and I hiked through a number of interesting individuals into a much better area and found our hotel.
And what a hotel! Hotelbloom! (that is the actual name) is a spectacular place that is a work of art. Creativity is everywhere. Each room is decorated by a different European artist, so every one is unique. I have posted a picture of the room but suggest you look up the website for the full effect. The room itself is huge and extremely comfortable.
After settling in, we headed for the Grand Place, the center of the old town and main tourist area. On the way, we stopped for a Belgian waffle with strawberries and hot chocolate sauce -- SO GOOD!! At the Grand Place, we saw the sights: Town Hall, King's House, Martyr's Square, and, of course, the Manneken Pis. (Everywhere one looks, there is a picture or statue of a little boy peeing.) All were absolutely beautiful. Many of these sights originated in
the 11th century and all were in their present form by the 17th century. Once again, I am in awe standing in the middle of history.
Serendipity de jour: Andrew and I were exploring the courtyard of the Town Hall when we saw police cars rush by followed by the sound of someone talking over a loudspeaker. We went half a block down the street to find hundreds of people -- mostly girls -- being directed to step back from the Hotel Amigo (really) by about a dozen police. As we watched them errect barricades and position cars to block the street, we found out that the crowd gathered because it was rumored that One Direction was staying there. The crowd grew and started singing the group's songs, while the police brought in reinforcements. After about 30 minutes, the police announced that One Direction was not arriving until tomorrow, so we left.
Andrew and I wandered the area around the Grand Place, exploring shops and restaurants. Most of the shops were souvenir stores with hundreds of Manneken Pis items, but the array of restaurants was incredible: Belgian waffles, pomme frites, French, Italian, Belgian, Middle Eastern, and Indian. The
Middle Eastern restaurants were particularly tempting, but we wanted authentic Belgian food.
As we finalized our dinner choice, we heard teen-aged shrieks from the direction of the hotel, so Andrew and I headed back. The police had lied! One Direction was at the hotel!! Every so often one would wave from their room, instantly followed by the loudest, shrillest screams from the crowd.
Despite the excitement, Andrew and I were hungry, so we continued our dinner quest. We settled on La Moule Sacree, sharing Flemish Casserol (beef cooked with Dark Leffe beer) and Rabbit Cooked with Gueuze "Belle-Vue (beer). The meal was accompanied by warm bread and salad. It was hearty and tasty.
From there, we walked back toward the hotel, touring the beautiful park next door and the neighborhood around the hotel. Maybe it is because we are further north than Oklahoma, but it stays light past 2230, which makes late night wandering easy.
The day was great fun, but it was not without its losses. I lost my stylin' Euro readers. The much greater loss was Andrew's losing his OU hat. He has had that hat forever, and it has accompanied him on all
of his travels, including his China trip. Much sadness, but we are moving on.
Tomorrow we will hang out in Brussels in the morning, then leave for London in the afternoon.
My text seems so limited. There is so much more going on, but each night it is midnight before I can make entries, so I try to complete each quickly so I can get to bed. Know that this trip is so much more than I had hoped for and that we are having the time of our lives!
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