Brussels and the Inevitable

Jeni shipped out this week. Part of her new position requires her to periodically travel to a part of the world going through some tough times right now. In this blog I am not allowed to say where of for how long, but suffice it to say she's in a rough neighborhood. She will be safe, and no < Jim > she's not a spy!

Speaking of my Bodacious Brother-in-Law, this next photo is for you! Jeni and I spent our last weekend together (for a while) in Brussels, Belgium. Just a two hour drive away, Brussels was a destination that offered so much more than we ever anticipated.

If you ever want to be asked for directions in Europe, walk a dog or wear purple pants. Just for the record the trousers are Levi's and the Green-Goblin shoes are Merrel's...both US companies. Euro-Brian in full-effect! Quoi?!

The weather was cold and gray, as you'd expect in this part of the world in early March, but at least it wasn't raining! We left snow covered Luxembourg behind for a few days, and put the dogs up at the Doggy Palace - a pension for pooches! This being their first ever experience with a kennel, we opted for the more comfortable 'Chambre Confort'. They had a low couch, their beds from home and even a TV to provide a bit of background noise. All things being equal I think they did rather well...considering how completely spoiled they are ;-)

Our hotel - the Aloft.

Nice size room - rather comfy.

Brussels is know for its chocolate, its frites and for its vast variety of beers. The good people of Brussels did not disappoint on any level with these. We really did pack in a lot for a two day trip, so I'll have to split this little jaunt into two posts. We arrived at our hotel in the Etterbeek district which is about a 30 minute walk to the Grand Place, and that's where we'll start our walking tour of the Old Ville. We got a great deal on this place...mostly, I think, because of its 'do-it-yourself' policy.

To paraphrase the note card: 'Please go out and gather items for your room'

Our hotel was just next to Parc Leopold which just so happens to abut the campus of the European Parliament. We cut through the campus just to stay off of the busier roads. Not a Gothic masterpiece, but a pretty impressive set of buildings nonetheless.

...really don't have a comment here.

From the Parliament we traipsed uptown by way of...wait for it...Rue du Luxembourg! Where we passed this geezer all done up for St. Patty's Day.

They have a thing about dressing up their statues.

We ended up going around the back side of the Royal Palace and wound up in the Museum District and on the uphill side of the 'Mont des Arts'. The back of the palace is really not worth mentioning, but our little navigational detour took us right to a commanding view of the Grand Place and the Old Ville surrounding it!

That huge spire is the Hotel de Ville - or the old City Hall - at the Grand Place.

The Place Royal (Constitutional Court) - If you look real hard, you can just make out the sun to the right of the cupola.

Walking the narrow cobblestones of Old Town Brussels.

The Galleries St. Hubert - A covered promenade full of great shops...and a pay-phone?

This is the grand spire of the Hotel de Ville at the Grand Place. I tried using my fancy iphone feature 'Panorama' to get a 360 degree photo...mine didn't turn out so well. But I'm not alone :)

Just around the corner from this is a monument to Everard 't Serclaes. He apparently died defending the city a long, long time ago. It's said that rubbing the statue brings good luck...especially his knee. In full disclosure, we originally thought this was a rendering of Jesus in the crypt because the surrounding monument is not visible. It's behind a temporary wall while it's being restored. I wondered why Jesus had a dog lying at his feet?!

I rubbed his nose too!

On our travels through the great city of Brussels we, of course, sampled many of the cities offerings. I shall post again later to share the culinary delights and other interesting bits of culture we came across...stay tuned!