Brussels

On Thursday, Jed and I needed to give our nice hosts a break so we went to Brussels for the day by ourselves.  The weather forecast was not promising, but we had already walked around in cool rain for days without melting so we decided to risk it.
Jed has been counting world capitals that he has visited, and this makes his fourth.  He has now been to Washington, Paris, Rabat, and Brussels.  He has also visited Canada so that makes five countries before the age of nine.  Not bad!

My little world traveler

 I left the country for the first time at the age of fourteen when Mom took us to meet her family in London.  Because of my fabulous job, I have been lucky to travel quite often since then.  Brussels was my sixth world capital, and I think that it is one of my favorite places that I have ever been.  When I dream of leaving the US now, I think that Brussels will be the backdrop for my fantasies instead of Montréal.  

La Grande Place

La Grande Place

La Grande Place

A side street

A mural about AIDS

There are patios like this all around the Grande Place.  If it had been sunny, I would have had a Belgian beer out here.  Instead, I was forced to eat a Belgian waffle in a coffee shop. 

Brussels is known as a capital of Art Nouveau and comic books.  Guess which one Jed wanted to explore? 

Not far from the real thing, there are replicas of the Mannequin Pis.  I didn't want to fall in love with him, but fall in love I did.  I am really drawn to kitsch so it shouldn't have come as a surprise.  I had to stop myself from buying everything in the gift shop with his image on it.  I did buy lots of postcards, a pocket knife for Jed, a bottle opener for me, and chocolates for our friends.  

The real thing is not very big, but everyone wants to see him.  We didn't need a map.  We just followed the crowds.