We had breakfast in the hotel. Lots of good stuff to choose from the buffet, and there is plenty of it. There are also a lot of odd things like sushi, salads, etc. Not sure who eats stuff like that for breakfast. I think I’ll stick with my bacon and eggs and enjoy the pastries as well. I did see that they had baked beans available, which was reminiscent of England for me. (sigh!)
At 9 AM, the Brussels Vantage group all piled into a bus and went on a city tour with Catty. Our drive started out with rain, which was disappointing. It’s hard to take pictures through a bus window, but it’s even more difficult when it is raining…but I still managed to take a few shots. We drove past the NATO headquarters again on our drive. Brussels is home to the headquarters of both the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
We stopped at the Atomium for pictures. It is a model of the atom, which was constructed for the 1958 World’s Fair, and the people of Brussels liked it so much that they left it standing.
We also drove by the official royal palace, which is in the heart of the city, but the royal family does not live there. The building is merely used for royal affairs such as visits from other heads of state, official royal functions, etc.
We stopped at thefor more photo opportunities. We stopped near the Manneken Pis and walked to visit the statue of the little boy peeing into a fountain. It is a very small sculpture. Seriously, if you didn’t know where it was, it would be easy to walk right by and miss it.
We then walked to the famous La Grand-Place (or Grand Place). It is really an amazing square full of old 16th and 17th century buildings. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it is spectacular. The architecture is lovely, and the gilded buildings are quite amazing to see. I was delighted to learn that Victor Hugo once lived in one of the upper floor rooms above the café with the red awning (Neuhaus) for 7 months during his political exile from France in 1852.
My Mom and I went to the Brussels Expo, which was hosting the King Tut exhibit – the same exhibit I had missed while it was at the Children’s Museum in Indy. I wasn’t sure if Mom would enjoy the exhibit or not, but I should have realized that since I am my Mother’s daughter, she would love it as well. We both love museums!!
Once we had our tickets in hand, it only then occurred to me that the exhibit might not be in English. We walked in and discovered that it was not in English, BUT our ticket price included English headsets, and so we were well able to go through the exhibit, and when we had questions, my rough French came in handy. HA! I was delighted that I could take pictures without flash in the exhibit as well. YAY! I loved that. The exhibit showcased the discovery of the tomb, and then had displays set up with the items exactly as they were found in the tomb. The golden sarcophagus and the mask were more beautiful than I had imagined them. And most of the items were not encased in glass, but just neatly displayed on platforms. It felt surreal.
After our ice cream dinner, we took a walk to the Palais de Justice and captured some nice shots of the city below. It was a deliciously cool evening after a warm, hot day in Brussels.
Favorite Thing or Funny Moment
- Aunt Peggy: collecting (aka pilfering or stealing) Meli chocolate from the breakfast buffet
- Mom: the King Tut exhibit and our contrasting taxi rides to and from the exhibit
- Dad: the Market Square or La Grand Place
- Me: the King Tut exhibit, finally emerging from the subway, discovering later on that Louise was the right subway station after all, and getting to practice my French with Catty and at the Tut exhibit
- FEELING: Exhilarated
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