The Mannequin What?!

My last full day in Belgium, and I spent it well! This morning Lutgarde and I headed to Brussels, a little less than an hour drive from the house. We started out at the Atomium, a monument built for the 1958 World Expo. It's a 335-foot high structure made up of 9 huge 'spheres' interconnected with tubes that represents a cell of iron; it's actually a cube but is tilted up on just one of the spheres so it looks like it's standing ont the corner of the cube (yeah, even I didn't understand that explanation). Either way, we went up to the top of it and started off the day with a great view of the layout of the city.

We headed to central Brussels then and, after scoring what may or may not have been a slightly illegal parking spot, started walking. We did lots of wandering around the old part of the city, walking on cobblestone streets, down small streets lined with restaurants, through the royal shopping center (because I'm SO sure that's where the king and queen head when they're out of toothpaste) and to the famous Grand Plaza. We walked some more to see Royal Palace and we even made one of the normally very stern and serious palace guards laugh. Lutgarde was cracking me up about something so I was laughing and laughing (and we all know my laugh isn't exactly quiet) and I guess, no matter how serious they're paid to be, even palace guards are human.

For lunch we stopped at a traditional Belgian restaurant on a charming little street where we could sit outside. I don't remember the name of what I had but I took Lutgarde's suggestions for what would be something very traditionally Belgian on both the food and the beer... they were both good choices!

We also went to the Bier Tempel which is, as the name implies, a store with nothing but beer. Dare I say that, after my many years swearing off beer, I have become a convert. I should have come to Belgium years ago!

Oh, and no visit to Brussels would be complete without a visit to the Mannequin Pis. Yep, it's pretty much like it sounds. There is a legend about a little boy who saved Brussels from burning by, well, pissing on it and so there is a famous statue of him near the Grand Plaza. He's become a bit of a symbol of Brussels so there are lots of variations of him on just about everything imaginable throughout the city. I got my picture taken next to the life-size one randomly holding a huge waffle.

Speaking of which, as I simply had NO choice, I had a Belgian waffle. In Belgium. How cool is that?!

In the evening we went to dinner with the whole family and afterwards they all kindly obliged me in a photo session. They've been so kind in so many ways, sharing their home with me (especially poor Laurane who gave up her room!) and giving so much of their time to tell me about their country and to show me around it. I have appreciated it greatly, far more than I'm sure I've shown. I truly enjoyed my time with them and I look forward to seeing them again on my next trip to Belgium!