Brussels

After an excellent breakfast featuring delicious Dutch cheese, I took a short flight to Brussels (30 minutes!). It had been just a short stopover in Amsterdam, and Brussels would be equally brief. I was eager to visit Paris and spend several days there, having purchased a two-month Eurail pass. Given that I was returning home on Labour Day weekend, I needed to activate it soon after arriving in the French capital.

Nevertheless, the Belgian capital beckoned. I found a very comfortable room at a hotel near Place Rogier ($2.80!!), situated between the historic centre and the business district, thus enabling me to visit most of what I wanted to see, given my short time here.

I had an interesting experience during my first and only night in Brussels. My mother and others had warned me to drink only pasteurized milk. As a milk aficionado, I had to be careful about what I chose before ordering my beverage. While walking in one of the city's beautiful parks, I spotted a food cart where a variety of foodstuffs were being sold. On the sign, "pasteurized milk" was inscribed. My eyes lit up, as I hadn't had milk since leaving home. I immediately purchased a glass and, walking away, took an immediate sip. I promptly spat it out. It may have been pasteurized, but it was still warm! And warm milk was not to my liking.

I continued walking to the Grand-Place, or Grote Markt, which is the central square. Opulent Baroque guildhalls surround it. There are two larger edifices: the city's Flamboyant Town Hall and the neo-Gothic King's House, also known as the Bread House building, which houses the Brussels City Museum. And, yes, there actually is a Manneken Pis! - depicting a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. Apparently, this is only a replica since it has been stolen or damaged many times throughout history. The original is now housed in the Brussels City Museum.