Brussels

DAY 2: Brussels - We arrived in Brussels at about noon ready to tackle the list of things to do provided by our Brussels acquaintance Loulia.  @loulushka.  It was a long list that could occupy us for days but we chose highlights to fit in 1 day.

Belgium is home to both Tintin and the Smurfs.  It is also know for its clash between the Flemish (variant of Dutch) and French languages.  That being said,  we found Brussels to be predominantly French.   

Top of the list: CHOCOLAT!! Our first stop was Place Du Sablon, a part of town with countless chocolate shops and to a smaller extent many antique shops/markets.  The companies that appeared most popular were Pierre Marcolini (with a Victoria Beckham collection), Neuhaus and Frederic Blondeel (Chocolatier of the Year!) Keri's new favorite is any Chocolat with raspberries.  Also, note about chewing into the ones with the Kirch and Cherry inside...they explode. The architecture was very much European but the high peak of several storefronts seem to be a common feature.  There were several big churches around some dating back to the 14th century.

Before this trip I would have thought the Atomium (which we only saw from a distance from the train) was the most popular Belgium site but I stand corrected: The Manneken Pis is their "National Symbol" and people swarm to go see it on an unexpecting street corner.  Such a small statue for something so popular?!?

We continued our walk to La Grande Place, a large square filled with tourists surrounded by many gold-trimmed buildings.  We did notice that one of them was the Beer Museum.  We quickly moved on to find warmth and did just that at "La Moule d'Or".  We ordered the famous Mussels, Frites with a side a mayo (and ketchup) and a local beer.

We finished our tour of Brussels with a "green" break to Bois de Cambre, a beautiful inner city park only a short Uber ride away.  We made friends with a few geese and enjoyed more heat a Chalet Robinson.