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My day began very early since my train left at 6:55 a.m. for Brussels, Belgium. I arrived very early at the train station having left the hotel at 5:30 a.m. I was very tired but my also extremely excited to visit another country, especially on my own. The train ride went smoothly enough and I arrived around 8:30 a.m. I bought a Metro pass at the station below the train station. I took several quick rides to realize that the Metro system in Brussels was not as easy as in Paris. The transfers were more difficult since you had ride much further to be able to change lines. On one of these early, complicated rides (a short distance, mind you) I witnessed a man get his whole hand shut in the Metro door. The doors did not bounce back or anything of the sort. The man continued to yell (outside of the Metro) while other passengers (inside) attempted to yank his hand free. Here I am in English yelling; “Pull the alarm!” but of course the men nearby did not, so it was another minute before they figured out to pull the alarm. They did and the doors opened and
the man’s hand was released. His friend pulled him away from the Metro car very quickly, perhaps out of fear that his friend would attempt to enter the Metro car again. Well the rest of the rides were incident free and I got off in the Louise Quarter to look at the designer stores.
I visited the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudule next, the cathedral looked bigger than anything around for miles. It had statues of the 12 apostles which served as pillars. Smaller chapels graced the left and right of the choir section. Many of the original stained glass windows were still there and reflected the light so gracefully.
I window shopped for a while and then followed the signs toward Grote’s Market. The square was very busy, with many tourists wandering around looking at the architecture. The Grand-Place was a beautiful square, the cities forum. In the square the Hotel de Ville sits across from Maison du Roi (Musee de la Ville). I visited the Maison du Roi first, and was disappointed to learn that you could not take pictures. The museum was quite small compared to most museums with a small ground floor, consisting of
4 small rooms and then moderately sized second and third floors. The museum contained artifacts and models of the early history of Brussels. The last room in the museum contained the outfits for the famous statue, the Manneken-Pis. Dozens of tiny copies of the statute had been made so that displays could be shown of the statute wearing some of outfits. I work in retail, so I thought I had a big closet, this tiny statute has over 750 outfits! There were outfits for all cultures and believe it or not, an Elvis costume! There was a Wild West cowboy suit and a Yankee uniform from the Civil War. I visited the Manneken-Pis later in the day and it was surrounded by a huge crowed of tourists. This statue is about half the length of arm, but is immensely popular and has the wardrobe of a celebrity. I don’t understand what all the fuss was about. A tiny, urinating statue is a big deal in Brussels I guess.
I walked over to the Hotel de Ville but if you don’t have a guided tour you cannot enter. I was disappointed but went through a courtyard in the back which had
a nice, large statue and was a nice quiet square. I had lunch at a small café, and then bought some souvenirs for my parents and myself of course. I set out without any clear indication of what I wanted to see. I tucked away my guide book and just stopped whenever I saw anything that looked interesting. I found some of the original city walls, this way and continued on until I came to Eglise Notre-Dame de la Chapelle. I stopped and looked at the beautiful paintings and statues of the saints. There really wasn’t anyone in the church so I didn’t stay long. I walked around and found a square filled with people selling little pictures and candle holders and such. A few blocks further and I found a large garden with a gorgeous fountain. Statues were set along the bush on their side of the foundation. I sat there for a while, giving my feet a break and then wandered over to Paleis van Karel van Lotharingen (Palais Charles de Lorraine). I’m not too sure what I found but there a large statue of a general on a horse and the walls of the palace were very
pretty indeed.
It began to drizzle so I found the Muses Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique and bought a pass. When you enter into the main portion of the museum you have to walk through this large room that has huge paintings on the walls, and large statues. These large pieces of art and the high ceiling made me feel so small. I spent about an hour and half walking through the various rooms, occasionally sitting for a while to look at the large paintings. Many of the paintings looked at though they had once belonged in private altars, with the donors kneeing in prayer. There was a modern wing of art but I didn’t walk through because it was getting late and I was hungry again.
I ran into ancient city walls again, though this time down an alleyway. There were a couple of intimate couples leaning against the alley walls so I snapped my pictures and continued onward. I walked for a while in a new direction and ended up in a run down section of Brussels. I walked through and saw the small shops but didn’t stop and held my purse rather tightly.
I ended up blocks
from the train station so I started looking for a place to eat again. It’s so funny how you can forget your hungry when there are so many new things to see. Well I saw a neon sign that read “Coffee” so I went inside. I didn’t see any coffee but I pointed at the chicken dish I wanted and had to wait as it reheated in a microwave. The server was really nice and gave me a basket of bread to eat while I waited for my food to heat. The food was pretty good which I would have hoped considering it hadn’t been cheap and then I set off for the train station. I was much too early to catch my train so I bought a cup of coffee and read my book that I’d bought at Shakespeare and Company on a previous day.
When it was time to board the train I found it busier than my train ride that morning. I found a seat in an empty compartment which didn’t remain empty for long. Two ladies and their children found seats opposite of mine. The children were loud and the little boy climbed the seats and
kept putting his seat on the door of the compartment. The women carried on long conversations in French and I just continued to read. After the train left it was only a matter of minutes before it stopped. Apparently there were technical problems and so the train remained stationary for a long time. The children continued to be quite obnoxious. When the train fining began moving again, it was dark outside and the ride lasted much longer than on the way to Brussels. The train pulled in and I caught the Metro back to the hotel. Of course by then it was after 12 and the professors were all waiting up for me in the lobby. They had been worried but I was fine. I went off to bed feeling relived and excited that I had made it one my own in another country.
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