After over a month in England, it seemed like time to try somewhere else. The Eurostar goes from London’s St. Pancras Station to Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels. Since I’ve been to both Paris and Amsterdam in the past, I decided to try Brussels. My daughter joined me about 10 days later.
The Eurostar is comfortable and swift.
… And the Eurostar has fewer emissions per passenger than virtually any other mode of transportation.
The beautiful guild buildings of Brussels’ Grand Place. Did you know that the city is called Bruxelles in French and Brussel (no “S”) in Dutch?
View from my window. I was staying at Citadines Sainte Catherine in the St. Catherine’s area, which has plenty of eateries and easy subway access to the rest of Brussels. It’s also within walking distance of the Grand Place (and all the chocolate shops!)
I can’t see these from my hotel window, but they’re both right outside in the St. Catherine’s area.
I forgot about continental Europe’s penchant for two twin beds instead of one larger one. It makes me feel like I’ve stumbled onto an I Love Lucy film set.
Shelly at the historic Royal Galleries of St. Hubert, a nice arcade with shops and restaurants.
Of course, my first purchase in Belgium had to be a sample of their world-famous Belgian chocolate.
The street leading up to the Grand Place is chock-full of chocolate shops. We thought La Belgique Gourmand was a very cute-looking shop.
As a native comic strip from Belgium, Smurf themed items can be found everywhere including in high end chocolate shops.
Me and Spirou, a bellhop whose comic strip centers around the antics of him and his his family. Did you know that Brussels has two museums dedicated to comics? Spirou graces the entry of the Brussels Comics Figurines Museum, which features figurines from the world of Belgian comics. The museum is located in the HORTA gallery.
Rachelle says “Street art will always have a place in my heart, and of course I have a fondness for cats.”
The Belgian street artist known as Jaune decided to make an ode to the humble street cleaners and garbage men out there. As a former sanitation worker himself, it struck him that even in neon colored vests, garbage collectors are eye-catching but invisible to the human eye. That put him into action.
In 2011, Jaune drafted a character street art series with the concept of little garbage men causing havoc in the city. Jaune’s idea was to highlight these workers and have them emerge as the daily unsung heroes. His art medium is stencils and spray paint on the urban streets of Brussels.
The work shown above is the third in his series honoring sanitation workers. It is located at the intersection of the “Korte Beenhouwerstraat” and the “Grasmarkt” nearby the “Grote Markt” in the heart of Brussels.
The artwork is called “Discreet but efficient” in English. By this name Jaune means that garbage men are modest but do make a real difference. The mural shows the opposite of discreet to make the meaning of the word stand out. The sanitation workers are hunting for garbage bags on the back of wild cats. They are fighting to collect these bags no matter what cost. Using their brooms as weapons, they go on the attack. Miauw!
Speaking of cats, Rachelle was charmed by these cat-shaped coasters that interlock to become placemats. Why didn’t we buy these? They were in a shop called Pylones, which featured many cat-themed items.
We’re in Belgium and my daughter chooses a Mexican restaurant for her 30th birthday dinner. So typical. She did pick a pretty nifty rooftop location, though. We’re at Cantina Valentina on the 22nd floor of the Hoxton Hotel. Shelly’s holding up three fingers with her pitcher of sangria to represent her third decade.
And one of the both of us in front of a cactus.
On her last morning in Belgium, Shelly finally got to try authentic Belgian waffles. She says she’ll miss her mom and our adventures together ♥️♥️♥️… Awwwwww …
NOTE: Don’t think these are the only things to see in Brussels! I have separate articles on the Royal Palace, the Flower Carpet, the Musical Instruments Museum, Belgian Waffles, Mannekin Pis, and the Atomium.