Brussels, Belgium Part IV

One of the streets that we stumbled upon was the street of seafood restaurants. Several of the restaurants had displays outside their front door. These displays are made only from fresh seafood and shellfish and fruits and vegetables. Really intricate.

Right around the corner from the fish street is a covered gallery. It is several blocks long and was the first of its kind in Europe. The shops in the gallery are rather upscale. I didn't have the nerve to go into this chocolate shop. I think they charge to breath the air. But, OMG the chocolates looked sooooo edible.

And finally here is my favorite shop. Belgium waffles. I can't believe I had spent 9 years in Europe and not had one. The only thing I can think of is that I do not normally like waffles. These are not normal waffles. Totally different. Light, fluffy, a little sweet. No Bisquick involved. I had the waffle with strawberries and whipped cream. I felt that I had gone to heaven.

Brussels, Belgium Part III

Food. Did I mention the food????? OMG I was in heaven. There seems to be a restaurant every few steps. Right outside of the back door to the hotel, not 30 steps away is an Italian place. Starched linens, attentive waiters, good prices and last but not least, really good food.

I started with some wine. All I asked for was some really, really dry white wine. I prefer that the wine is "Sahara Desert" dry. It was. Really good.



Spousal Unit found a beer that he really liked. Leffe. I took a sip and it is really good, but I'm in a wine mode at the moment. That didn't stop him from helping me drink the half carafe though.

For appetizers the waiter automatically put a small bowl of mixed olives and bread on the table. Yummy.

I started with the mixed salad. Huge!!! I ate everything on the plate and then went back with the bread and sopped up the sauce (dressing).

Spousal Unit had the veal and pasta. He didn't have much to say most of the time after his dinner arrived. Just a glazed look on his face. I think I detected a mood of Ecstasy. Hmmm. Maybe I should be a little jealous???

When my dinner arrived, I understood his lust. I dove right in and forgot to take a picture of the presentation. I haven't had shrimp this good since we visited Greece many, many years ago. Well, at least I got a picture before I devoured the whole plate.

I can't say enough about the food/dining experience we enjoyed. This is one of the main reasons for our wanting to return to Europe. It sure beats sitting in a waiting area of a local chain restaurant with a vibrator/buzzer in my pocket.

Brussels, Belgium Part II

Just outside of our hotel, down the street there is a small church. The plaque on the outside stated that the church had been built and rebuilt many times. It is a mixture of very old, old, and new. I found it really interesting that this wood carving is still on the door of the church. We visited the Brussels Museum and saw many of this type of carving. I am surprised that this artwork is allowed to "Brave the Elements."

On this day we went strolling to go see a fountain. On the way there we ran across this scene.

Street statues are every where. This is a statue and a street performer mimicking the statue. If he had stayed still I really would have thought it was two versions of the same man. Oh, by the way that is a representation of Vincent van Gogh.

He was really pissed that I took pictures and didn't feed his box of money. I would have donated if I had my picture taken with him. But I did not.

This is the little fountain of Manniken Piss. I had always wanted to see this fountain. When the guide book said that it was a small fountain tucked away on a little side street, they weren't kidding. You can pass it by with out even knowing it is there. If it wasn't for the crowds and tourists taking pictures.

I think Mannikin Piss is just like Paris Hilton. Famous for being famous. I read that he probably has more outfits than she does though. There is a whole wing in a museum devoted to his clothing.


They also do him in chocolate. Letter openers, bottle and wine openers. Just about anything can become a Mannikin Piss. I passed on the chocolate.

Brussels, Belgium Part I

On Friday, Spousal Unit said that he would be home by 12:00 noon so that we could get an early start. We didn't want to drive in the dark, if at all possible, since he had only been there once. This was to be my first visit to Brussels.

Well the best laid plans, obviously do not get carried out in our house. He didn't get home until 2:00 and had decided that he wanted to drive straight through and not stop in Liege. I had offered up this option to not have to drive in the dark.

So I hop on the Internet and Google hotels in downtown Brussels. Spousal Unit mentioned that the "Grand Place" is were we wanted to be near if at all possible. I checked out some of the hotels and came upon a weekend special. 50% off the Royal Windsor, directly on the "Grand Place." Woo hoo. A Five Star hotel, did I mention that I got it for 50% off?

We finally take off at 3:00 and hit the road. A girlfriend said that it would be a drive time of 3 1/2 hours- MAX. The Google maps said 3 hours. Actually it is more like 4-4 1/2. The directions were really bad, once we were in the city. I didn't have a map with enough detail to really point us in the correct direction. It is really dark outside. Like most major cities, Brussels doesn't sleep. Oh, the street signs are on the side of the buildings, that you can read just as you are going by.

So....... we drove around for an hour and a half. Luckily, Spousal Unit is a Navigator. He always finds his way some how. We finally found the hotel.

It is gorgeous. Very old world elegance. The bell hop comes out for our bags and then parks the car for us.

We are escorted to our room.

The bedroom.

The mini fridge. Even has a French champagne for us to purchase. Not!!!! Not at those prices.

The marble bath room with bidet.

The Grand Casino is right across the street.

The beer that seems to be the national beverage. I didn't like it. The taste is OK, but I couldn't get past the smell. For a bar snack, the bartender served us potato chips.

I was starving, but the restaurant had already closed. I also was too tired to go out and search for something to eat only to go to bed. I ate the chips. They were really good.

More tomorrow.

Food, Beer, Sights, And Impressions To Follow

Updates:

We were able to pick up Spousal Unit's car today. The good news is that we have enough money for food for the rest of the month. Blackie, the car's name, is not cheap to fix. Luckily, the car was free, a gift from Spousal Unit's father. True, 20 years old, but Mercedes tend to last a long time. And are fun to drive.

Our planned trip for the weekend is still on.

We are taking a road trip to Brussels, Belgium. Spousal Unit has a meeting there next week and asked if I wanted to get away for the weekend.

I have spent the majority of the day researching the sites in Brussels. I have never been before.

I really want to see some of the museums, the architecture and the "infamous" fountain "Mannikin Piss" It is a centuries old fountain of a naked little boy. Well, the name of the fountain says it all.

Boo hoo. The Royal Botanical Gardens won't be open until Mid-March. The gardens are a wonder, all iron and glass over more than 6 acres, built in the 1800's. Maybe I can entice the Spousal Unit to return. Hmmmmm.

I am really looking forward to this trip and will keep you posted.

I am not bringing the laptop so this will probably be my last post until this coming Wednesday.

Hey Gal Pal, Sunshine. I am going to try to find a decent Belgium beer. grin grin.

Food, beer, sights, and impressions to follow.

Just Some Random Thoughts Today

• We are still a one car family at the moment.
• I had to get up a little early to drive Spousal Unit to work this morning.
• I then had to hurry home to shower and get ready for a luncheon I was to attend.
• Had to then Google the directions, since Spousal Unit is against me getting a GPS.
• Decided to follow Google directions over the mountain, since I hadn't gone that way before.
• Really enjoyed the scenery, when I could take my eyes off the road, momentarily.
• Didn't see much scenery.
• Mountain roads can be really scary and steep.
• The luncheon was held in an old monastery, church all the way on top of another mountain.
• I had the Pfannkuchen. A tomato-less pizza style dish. Didn't like it.
• Didn't see much of that scenery going up or down.
• Didn't have time to take any pictures because we are still a one car family.
• Went to pick up Spousal Unit so he could take me home and he could keep the car.
• I shouldn't expect Spousal Unit for dinner.
• He's working late and I don't drive after dark.
• I really hope we get the other car back tomorrow and that it will keep all 4 tires/wheels on the axles now.

Anxiety Seem To Follow Me

I have had some really YUCKY stuff happen in my life this past week and I haven't really wanted to share, so I haven't posted or blogged. I still don't want to share what's going on at this point, but wanted to let you know that I haven't abandoned blogging. I will share later, just not now, so don't ask.

So, just some tidbits about life, otherwise, about what's going on today:

Spousal Unit tried to go to work this morning. He does not get President's Day off so needed to work. Well, it snowed again last night and was still snowing this morning. We live on a small mountain. The roads are steep. He slid off the mountain and proceeded onto the next town. He came back 30 minutes later. That scared me. He informed me that he did 3, 360 degrees spin outs and decided that going to work wasn't going to work. He had to walk home because the car wouldn't make it up the mountain.

He's lucky that he can work from home when necessary. Of course, when the roads were a little more clear, he headed out again.

He let me know that he would be leaving the office around 4:30 to come home.

He got home and just wanted a hug. A major big hug.

It turns out that thankfully, wisely, he did not take the Autobahn home tonight and chose to take the streets through the little villages and towns. Slower driving.

By the Grace of God.

As he was driving, the driver's side tire fell off.

He didn't have his cell phone. He couldn't call anyone to help.

Luckily, he was able to jack the car and put the tire back on and come home, with his flashers on to drive slowly.

I am following him, with flashers on, tomorrow to the car repair shop.