Welkomen to Belgium
I don't know if that is how you spell "welcome" in another language, but it sounds good.
It was a long but fun filled day yesterday.
We conquered most of the older part of Brussels surrounding one of Europe's great squares at the Grand Place. Just minutes off the modern-ish Central Station, as you walk a few blocks toward the Grand Place you slowly get transported back in time to a more medieval feel.
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| I ordered the Liege style with bananas and cream |
But first, we must find breakfast and breakfast in Belgium (or lunch or dinner or anytime between or after or during) means WAFFLES! So we stopped into a waffle shop and heaven awaited us.
The Belgian style vs. Liege Style. Go with the Liege if you ask me. Light but creamy and dense and amazing all on its own... then you add a topping if you so desire. In my case bananas and cream.
The ladies took on the Belgian style - smothered in Nutella.
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| Alyssa ordered a Belgian style with Nutella |
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| Lots of waffles in all style on every street! |
Besides Starbucks, the girls appear to be on a Nutella mission - even going as far as buying matching Nutella sweatshirts in London and wearing them all over Brussels and Ghent yesterday. What goes perfect with your Nutella sweatshirt? How about Nutella on your waffle and then on your mouth, fingers, hands, and a spot or two on your Nutella sweatshirt.
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| Alyssa, Simone, Manniken Pi |
From waffles to boys peeing - just a block away from waffle heaven was the famous statue/fountain known as the Manneken Pi. One of Brussels most famous landmarks along with the nearby Grand Place and possibly the Atomium (the giant atom looking steel structure where the World's Fair was held in the 1950s), the Manneken Pi has been peeing water from a boy since the 1300s. The one you see today is not the original. If I understand it all correct the Pii has been stolen, broken, ransomed, broken again, beheaded, castrated, etc over and over and then replaced. The one on display today is not that old... a few decades. But the boy has had a long, eventful existence in one form or another and today has a spot two blocks from the Grand Place with a colonnade of alternating chocolate, waffle and souvenir shops leading up to him.
I guess in some regard the Manneken Pi can be a tad disappointing. Dude is only about 2 feet tall and is fenced off so you only get within 10 feet of him and his endless stream of pee (water). But like a lot of these things, you walk up, admire it for a few seconds, snap a few photos, get your moment in front of the boy, and off you go. That's what we did, but you know what, I've seen the Manneken Pi, I watched him pee, and I took the photo.
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| Chocolate Pi |
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| Anti-Nazi Pi |
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| Resilient Pi |
And off to the Grand Place we were. All in our own unique form of satisfaction.
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