This morning we got an early start and had the typical Parisian breakfast on the way to the Louvre. The Louvre opens at 9am so we were sure to be there right when it opened to avoid the long lines. Since we had our tickets we moved through security really fast and were able to get in right away. Kristin and I admittedly don't know a ton about art and since we were limited on time we only went to look at the most famous pieces. The first of these was obviously the Mona Lisa. It is funny, as soon as everyone enters the Louvre they head straight for the Italian paintings. You literally don't even need to read the signs, just follow the crowds and you will end up at the Mona Lisa. It was way smaller than you picture it to be, but it is amazing that it is in such pristine condition. After the Mona Lisa, we also were sure to find the Winged Victory Statue, the Venus de Milo, several Michelangelo statutes and the Egyptian exhibits. It was all amazing, but we both said that if we were to go back and had more time we would take a guided tour. That would help put some of the history behind the pieces in the Louvre because there is just so much there.
After visiting the Louvre, we took the metro back to our hotel to get our bags and check out. Our goal was to catch an 11:25 train to Brussels but we knew we were going to be cutting it close. We took the metro to the Eurorail station but by the time we found the ticket window and waited in line it was too late to get on that train so we waited for a 12:02 train. The Eurorail trains remind me of Amtrak trains back at home - the only difference is you have assigned seats vs sitting wherever you want. Of course we were on the very last car but we did end up in seats with a little table which was a huge bonus. During the 1:23 train ride we pulled all of our Paris pictures off of our cameras and put them on my computer. They will be uploaded to soon!
We finally arrived in Brussels 1:30. It took us some time to figure out where to go and how to pick up the metro here in Brussels but it was much easier than Paris! Also, everyone was very nice, we had several people help us with our bags as well as a few people even ask us if we needed directions! We eventually made it to our hostel and stored our luggage since check in wasn't until 4:00. After storing our luggage, we decided to go explore for a bit. First we went to Grand Place, which is the main square of Brussels. It was certainly grand - both of us were speechless when we arrived. There is a tourist center in one of the buildings right there so we decided to check it out. Both of us laughed when we found the Brussels tourist center with absolutely no issues! The guy there was very helpful and gave us a good idea of what we needed to do in the 24 hours we were spending in Brussels. One of the first things on the list was to get Belgian waffles and fries. We were starving at that point so we set out to find the first waffle stand we could. Let me just say, when we said the mousse in Paris was life changing, these waffles had to be a close second. For whatever reason, the waffle itself tasted way better than it does at home, then when you add whipped creme, chocolate and fruit it is to die for! After enjoying our waffles we also had to partake in one of the frite (french fry) stands. While I'm not about to say these were the best fries I have ever had, I will admit they were pretty good!
After the waffles and frites, it was our mission to find the museum for the Brewery de la Gueuze, which brews the Belgian beer "Cattilon." We took the metro and found the Lemmonier stop easily and navigated our way down a few small side streets just outside the metro to find the museum with two big wooden doors. We entered and the only paid EUR 6 for the grand tour! The museum was cool.....we went on a self-guided tour with a handy pamphlet that described the process for brewing the Lambic beer from beginning to end! There is a whole mixing of the wheat, barley, hops process under particular temperatures and conditions (brewing season is only from October until April each year) with considerable timing for cooling and storing so that the beer can ferment. Lambic beers require the least amount of fermentation and after our tour, we got to try a couple samples from this brewery. We sat down at the beer barrel table and tried the Gueuze beer plus the raspberry/cherry flavored varieties. They definitely had a unique taste and neither Kristin or I prefer Lambic beers, but it was a cool experience to taste them and learn about the brewery. After the tour, we took the metro back to our hotel, checked in, and made a plan for what we wanted to see for the rest of the day. The metro was really easy to follow (since we had become pros from our experience in Paris and Brussels was much smaller), so we followed the station stops to the Palais de Justice. At one time, this building was one of the largest in all of Europe, but now it is just a governmental building and it is currently under construction. We could not go inside because of the construction, but we walked around and ended up finding some pretty awesome views of Brussels! We took some pictures and headed back to the metro so that we could find the Mannequin de Pis (a small statue of a little boy peeing, which has also become the national symbol of Brussels). A few metro stops later and couple walking detours, we finally found the mannekin de pis! It was a lot smaller than we had imagined, but it was cool and all the toursists were there down the small alley-way snapping away photos! Right near by, there was quite a few chocolate shops, so we browsed the windows and finally found some chocolate souvenirs to bring home with us! We then headed toward the Grand Place to find a nice restaurant for dinner. We walked along the small streets that bordered the Grand Palace and Kristin said it was just like South Beach, Miami. The restaurants were all lined up next to each other and all the owners were outside marketing and offering discounts/free drinks for you to come to their restaurant and/or to view their menu. We ended up going to one of them that offered free beers and a prixe fix menu for EUR 12. Kristin had the fish and I had the chicken....overall, not one of the best meals, but we enjoyed our beers and it was definitely what we needed! After dinner, we headed to the Delirium Cafe. Kristin's co-worker who lived in Brussels for two years recommended that we check this out. It was only a 2 minute walk from the place we had dinner. Right in front of the Delirium Cafe was the Jeanneke-Pis....this is the sister statue of the Mannekin pis. It was built as more of tourist attraction, but it was still interesting to see and of course we took pictures (although her water was not running)! We then ventured into the Delirium Cafe. This bar is well-known around the world because it won the Guiness Book of World Records for having 2500 bottled beers available at one time. They have 14 beers available on draft daily and continually rotate. Kristin and I were not too thrilled about the smoke in the bar, but we made our way to the back where the smoke subsided and settled down with our booklet of beers. The menu was really great because it listed a description of each of the beers. We each tried 3 different kinds (and sampled each others) and had a really great time. The bar had a really nice relaxed vibe and we really got a chance to sit and relax with our belgian beers. We met J (an Indian who lives in Brussels) and he offered to cook us some dinner at his place, but we told him no because we need to get some rest for our day tomorrow as we were planning to travel to Amsterdam! As we were walking back the Grand Place (the center square), we were in awe of the buildings lit up at night. It is such a beautiful square with towering buildings on each side......even more breathe-taking at night. We actually ran into a group of Italians and took some photos for them. They were very friendly...in fact...one of the Italians said "I am Luciano and I am a latic lover!" Well, it was very nice to meet him! In fact, the Italians were lovely and we talked them for quite awhile! The older lady in the group was so happy to meet us, in fact, she asked us to write down our names so that we could become facebook friends! Kristin and I really enjoyed meeting our Italian friends and we hope to see them on facebook! After the wonderful evening in Brussels, we were ready to head back to the hostel and call it a night. It was such a wonderful day in Brussels. We really like this city....the people are so friendly and they speak a lot of English! The city has such a laid-back, be-yourself atmosphere and we really appreciate that. We are planning to see a couple more sights in Brussels tomorrow morning before getting on the EuroRail to Amsterdam!
No comments:
Post a Comment