Brussels, Belgium........

Friday October 14, 2011

Got up early today, headed for the central train station, and was on my way from Antwerp to Brussels.  The train was to depart at 10:18 AM, and when it did not depart by 10:25, most people on the train were getting a bit confused…….then there was an announcement in French, and everyone was getting off the train.  I had no idea what the announcement said,  or what was going on so I asked someone and was told there was some trouble with the locomotive and that we had to get another train on a different track.  I just followed the crowd and by 10:50 we were on our way to Brussels.  The ride was only about 40 minutes and was rather scenic.  I knew that my hotel was close to the station, so I walked to the hotel, which only took 15 minutes.  I checked in and went to my room…….. all I can say is wow.  I did not expect such luxury.  This is by far the most luxurious & elegant hotel I have stayed at yet, Hotel Le Dixseptieme.  The room rate was not that high, but because it is in the city, there is a reduced rate on the weekends.  I left the hotel shortly thereafter, and walked and walked as usual.  I wondered around the heart of the lower town and made my way to the “Grand Place”. This is the main square in the city and probably Brussels most visited site.  It was packed with tour groups and everyone else. In the Grand Place there are several famous buildings, museums, and many chocolate shops.  From here I made my way over to see the famed Mannekin-Pis statue that Brussels is famous for.  It is a statue of a little boy urinating.  Today he was wearing a costume ……….he supposedly has 800 different costumes, and it is never known which one he will be wearing on a given day.  Much later in the day I went back to see if he changed his clothes, and now he was totally “nude” as he was when I first saw him when I was last in Brussels in 1967.  This costume “thing” must be a new innovation for the statue.  Again, there was a crowd around the statue, and everyone was watching him piss……….very strange.  Nearby there were several waffle shops (they are everywhere in Belgium), and I had a delicious waffle with strawberries, bananas and whipped cream….. a very nutritious lunch.  I now went back to the hotel to get some rest before heading out for the evening.  Again, I just wondered around with my camera, saw masses of tourists in huge groups, and kept to myself.  I stopped into a Lebanese restaurant for a chicken pita and salad and was off again.  As I continued to explore the downtown area, I went into a bar with a rather young crowd and sat down for a few Belgian beers.  It was quite interesting, sitting among all these people that were speaking French, and I had no idea what anyone was saying.  It was fine with me, as I minded my own business, took in what was going on around me and enjoyed my beers.  Here in Brussels, most people speak French, but in Bruges and Antwerp, it appeared that most people were speaking Dutch. About an hour or so later, I was getting tired and went back to the hotel.  

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