Bruxelles

After the long drive - we made it to Belgium, more specifically: Brussels. Before heading to the conference in Antwerp, I had a couple days to explore the city. I was staying pretty centrally located, not far from the Palais Royal.




I was also right across the street from a park that had an amazing fountain. The sunlight shot through the trees before soaking the water.




Brussels seemed to be a city full of construction. A lot of the city has been torn down and rebuilt to accommodate all the EU folks that work there. The old parts are not pristinely clean, which adds to a certain charm. But indisputably, a beautiful city.




Apparently, this passage was closed because of "vandalism and for a lack of civic-mindedness and public respect." I guess the graffiti still won in the end:



My kind of city. I did have beer while in Belgium. And fries. And waffles. And chocolate.




Photos from la Grand-Place. Take a virtual tour here.






I was lucky with clear skies and great weather while I was there. The cathedral had a great way of capturing light, both inside and out.

(Note the woman at the pulpit - she was reading welcome messages in all sorts of languages when I first arrived. I am still not fully convinced she was supposed to be reading things...)

And who can't love a city that has a Mannekan-Pis. A statue that sometimes pisses out beer:



And that frequently is dressed up: