July 20 Travel to Brussels

July 20

We leave Paris for Brussels. By high speed train, the trip is one hour 20 minutes. We had a great B&B in the centre of Brussels, Chez Dominique. After checking in, we head out to check out the city.

This Mall, actually a roof covered street is less then a block from our B&B.

One of the many chocolate shops in Brussels.

A small square, also close to where we stayed.

We were just 2 blocks from the Grande Place, considered one of the most beautiful squares in Europe.

The square is always full of people, both tourists and locals.

One of the many restaurants in the square.

There are a lot of shops, including this plant store.

Even the manhole covers are unique.

This is the famous Mannequin Pis. Basically a small fountain shaped like a small boy having a leak. He is dressed in a different colour everyday and the small square where he is located is always full of people taking pictures (like this one).

A less touristy but interesting street in Brussels.

Brussels is full of cyclists, and the city seems bicycle friendly. Many of the women have baskets in front of the handlebars, like we used to have in the 50s and 60s.

This is a beer hall near where we stayed called Mort Subite (Sudden Death). We went there a few times to try out the great Belgian beers.

The best reason for going to Brussels, to try out as many beers as you can. Belgium has over 400 breweries, most of them small but traditional beer makers. Many of the beers are made by monks, including the Trappist monks, who are considered to make some of the best beers in the country.

Cheers!