As we passed into Belgium the landscape changed in that there was a lot less water to be seen and many more trees, not as much farm land. It is a small country nestled in between Germany, France and the Netherlands with 10 and a half million people.
Arriving at the rain station was chaotic as it was poorly signed, the information booth was closed, and no one spoke English ( wish we could speak French). We finally got our Metro pass and then got stuck in the gate because it wouldn't work! Here we were stuck in between two glass doors with our luggage and no one else could get through. A kind young man saw us struggling and came back through with his metro card and got us unstuck. After that we made our way to the right stop, found our place around the corner.
We were met by a lovely young man who showed us our place, so we dropped our stuff and headed out to explore the neighbourhood. Found some street food...esgarcot.
Dropped in for a Belguim beer and a tea for me then made our way to the supermarket to pick up a few supplies. Supper was bread, cheese, olives, sausage and chocolate. Very tasty.
Belgium is divided along linguistic, cultural and political lines between Wallonia in the south where they speak French and Flanders in the north where they speak Flemish.
Though most people speak French, Belguim's capital, Brussels, is officially bilingual. Because of Brussels' international importance as capital of the European Union, more than 25 percent of its residents are foreigners.
We are staying at a little apartment aptly called La Petite Maison. It is located on a little side street in the Center of the city and is a very modern apartment in an historic building. It is about 10 x 12 ft and is on five floors. There is the entrance, then the kitchen, then the living room, then the bathroom and finally the bedroom in the attic. Each one on a level connected by steep stairs. The finishes are all wood , glass and stainless steel. A very unique place to stay!
Check out the rental at http://www.booking.com/hotel/be/la-petite-maison-brussels.en.html
Brussels has a very different feel than Amsterdam. It reminds us of other European cities like Vienna and Prague. It has wide boulevards, grand architecture and lots of squares that remind me of the ones in France.
Sunday was a beautiful day to explore so we started off with Mass at St. Michael's Cathedral which sits on a hill overlooking the city. It was built between 1200 and 1500 and is the most important Catholic Church in Belgium. This is where royal weddings and funerals take place. It is built from white stone and is quite impressive.
The catheral with a food truck outside. Waffles anyone?
We then strolled to the larger than usual crowds since the Brussels half marathon was being run through the city. Just down the hill is the Grand Place, a colourful cobblestone square, which is the heart of Brussels. It has been the town's main market for over 1000 years. The grandest building is the Town Hall which dominates the square with its 300 foot tall tower topped by a golden statue of
St. Michael slaying a devil.
Opposite this is another impressive building, The King's House.
The area was filled with people including lots of tourists as well as locals enjoying the day, sitting at the many cafes drinking the local beer and watching the world go by. Belguim has the most beers of any country in the world so naturally these are beer drinking people.
We tried a few today,Don likes the Trappist beers originally made by the monks and I like the lambic are often fruit flavoured. I also think it is neat that each type of beer is served in its own shaped glass. I guess the Belgians take their beer seriously.
Back to the apartment by dark as sleep eluded us last night and we were done in by all the walking and for me the strong beer at 9% alcohol!
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