Brussels: Somewhere In Between

7/07/08 Brussels, Belgium

Well, we have begun our downward swing back towards Munich by way of Brussels. We are all tired as we have basically peaked in Paris. So coming to Brussels after Paris really just wasn’t fair to Brussels. Plus, we only spent one full day there.

We made our way to the Grand Platz which is the hub of the city. The city in parts looks French, then in other parts appears German. It truly is a mix of new and old like Paris, but without the glory of Paris. That is Brussels: somewhere in between.

The girls went shopping at the Grand Platz center where their euros stretched much further than in Paris. The boys took a slower pace and made went to museum row in the southern part of town. There we saw a monument erected in honor of Belgium independence in the 1830’s. This structure held its own against French architecture in its beauty and majesty.

Here we visited the Auto Museum, where Rick saw his favorite car in the form of a 1969 Citron. It was part of a very nice collection which featured some pretty rare finds for car lovers.

The city is the birthplace of Art Nouveau, and that movement is featured prominently throughout many hotels and restaurants in the city.
We ate at one such establishment.




The restaurant was in a section we called Little Italy row, where there was nothing but Italian joints. Capitalism was alive and well as the owners each came out to court us for our business. “Kids eat free,” shouted one, “We are a FAMILY business.” You don’t have to ask us twice. Inside our restaurant was a pure European Union style mix: Italian restaurant, Spanish owner, Algerian waiters, a Gypsy King CD playing (incessantly I might add), and three languages spoken. We had a lovely time and a wonderful meal.

As we made our way out of the area looking for a grocery, we discovered that Little Italy was actually Little Red Light District. We spotted V.I.P. clubs, and found two guys checking out Le Val d’Amour Swingers Club.

Smile and wave boys, smile and wave!

The city was definitely more industrial than others we have visited. It was a European Melting Pot of all walks of life. Young things shopped for designer fashions while beggars awaited their scraps on the sidewalk. Street musicians sang songs deserving record contracts amidst graffiti painted walls.
And of course we found the Potty Boy statue. I’ll give you $50 bucks if you can name the artist! I can’t and I studied art in college. This statue is so small you can barely see him let alone his FAMOUS stream.

Tomorrow we arrive back in Munich stunned that we have made it full circle.
See you then!

Gabe