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Saturday, June 5, 2010
Brussels, Belgium
We took the train from Bruges to Brussels rather than navigate the vehicle traffic and parking issues associated with a large city. The train has its disadvantages but many advantages especially in Europe where it goes almost everywhere and is clean and efficient. On a Saturday morning the train was almost empty without the normal business commuter. The trip from Bruges to central Brussels takes about 1 1/2 hours. We disembarked at Gare Centrale which is the closest station to Grand Place. We followed the crowds from the station to Grand Place to know where we were going. My impression of Grand Place from one who has been there before (but it's been 33 years) was it was not as big as I remembered but it was just as grand. Over the course of our several visits to the square we saw two weddings which take place at the Hotel de Ville -- the tallest building in the square. There is a wedding room there for civil ceremonies. I went to the Tourist Information office to find out where the city bus tour could be found and the direction to Mannekin Pis statue. She
gave me a map and directions and off we went. It was a very hot day. I recalled Colleen and Melanie's visit to Brussels was on an unseasonably warm weekend. The bus tour was most enjoyable as we saw several cathedrals, the royal residence, the glasshouses, the Japanese Tower, before getting off for the first time at the site of the 1958 World's Fair. The Atomium was the signature symbol of that fair and remains at that site today. It was gleaming in the day's sun. On a Saturday morning the grounds were occupied with children's rides and food booths. I'm not sure if they're there all the time. We were not enamored with the atmosphere so did not see mini-Europe. None of the food tempted us so we just had some liquid refresher. We got back on the bus after some wait and there was no more room for us on the top. The bus tour went downhill in my opinion after that point. We picked the wrong company because we saw another company's busses more often. Pick the red bus company not the blue! After some more time around Grand Place where Tricia got a paper cone filled
with chocolate-covered strawberries from Godiva and we witnessed two parades and another wedding, we finished our tour. We got off at the second to last stop which had a delightful panorama of Brussels over Grand Place before heading to Gare Centrale. We had to only wait 10 minutes for the train to Bruges. We ended our day with a nice meal outdoors at Simon Stevin square followed by dessert from a waffle stand near the Markt. What a pefect way to cap off the day!
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Jeanne Krug
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Comments
Great photos once again, CE. I like the matching shirts of you and Dad. What is on the agenda for your last day in Belgium?