More on Brussels

Brussels didn't really impress us, though I am trying to decide if that is really Brussel's fault! You know how it is on a vacation, when you know that you are at the end of it, you start to wish for home--and if you knew that you still had three or four weeks left, well, somehow that's okay? That, and spring break, may have accounted for some of our frustrations with the city.

But not all.

Probably the thing that frustrated me most was the overpowering um...smell...at some of the street corners. I think that possibly, the mannequin pis has been used as permission to do like the locals. It's also necessary to really watch where you walk--both because of what you might step in, and so that you don't break your neck on the loose and uneven cobbles. Brussels has a much higher proportion of beggars than did the other cities we visited (but even so, could not rival the number on Bank Street in Ottawa alone), and there were enough "beware of pickpockets" warning signs and displays to make us a bit uncomfortable. And last, our hotel choice was practical for the train station--but far too industrial to be charming. It also had some very quirky things--like a bathtub that was only a scant 4 feet long, and a half door on the shower so that no matter what, you had water everywhere. The tub/shower also looked really deep, but it was raised for some bizarre reason--making it a treacherous affair altogether.

On the other hand, there were some terrific smells in Brussels...the waffle stands, french fry stands and chocolate shops are quite enticing. We ate french fries with mayonnaise--the Belgium way. I've done that for years; in college I had a Dutch roommate who did that and I came to enjoy it far more than ketchup! Brussels fries are really good. We shared a waffle with chocolate--only to learn that it is just the tourists who ask for something other than sugar! Oh well, it was good. And of course, we went to Mary's--choosing to spend a relative fortune on the craft of good chocolate rather than buy the 'walmart' bundles of 8 or more boxes that would have cost about the same.

Brussels is also a place where you can buy wonderful lace or tapestries. I would have liked both, but we were a little short on space and we had already purchased quite a nice souvenir. So, I took the card for the tapestry shop, and next time will have a particular place and size in mind so that I can choose something appropriate. We did however choose two handmade lace place mats, which are now proudly displayed under our stemware.

I'm sure that we will go back to Brussels--it would be interesting to see during the Christmas festivals, or when they have the flower show, and people watching can be fun. Also, I want to get some tapestries and more lace eventually. But, I can't imagine spending more than a day there next time.

My new best friend?

Meet my new friend, Mary.

Mary's place was a little hard to find. It isn't that it is difficult, it's that this entire city is placed on an axis that doesn't quite make sense. I never thought that I had a built in north/south axis, but apparently, I do, since everything here is sort of oriented northwest!

After the issues with the museum, we tried to find her anyway. And we did.

She's divine!

Music interruptus

Well, it was a good plan.

Today we went to the Museum of Musical Instruments. This was very promising, an audio tour that changed tunes every time you got near an instrument, featuring five flours of instruments, two just of pianos and clavichords.

It was a good plan!

When we got in the door, there was a lovely wooden carved display of a jazz band, and I went over to look. M of course followed. And in that instant, 937 brilliant examples of raging teenage hormones came in behind us and more or less, stormed the entrance. We thought that we could just wait a few moments, and then go behind them. Unfortunately, they were followed by 1013 of their friends.

Oh thinks, us, lets go to the cafeteria on the top floor and order coffee, and wait them out. Which we did. But, before long, streams of teenagers-feigning-interest-in-a-field-trip came traipsing through the coffee shop. We thought it might take a bit longer, so we aske dif we could order lunch...it was 11:45 so it seemed sensible.

No, we could not. They didn't take orders till twelve.

Okay, I got mad. I admit it. We tipped them nothing for the overpriced coffee and started back down the stairs, dodging kids as we went. And at the entrance, we then had to squeeze past the groups of tweens that were also spending the day there.

So, no lovely music to muse over, instruments to idealize. Nothin.

I don't think I like field trips!

Mussels in Brussels

Well, it's been a very long day. In order to drive into Stuttgart, return the car, have breakfast AND catch the train that we didn't know where to find, we had to get up very early. At least, early for holidays--though rather regular for work. I confess, I find the holiday time-to-get-outta-bed much easier than than the work-time-to-get out of bed!

The train ride seemed very long. This is, I think, because my leg hurts, and there doesn't seem to be a really comfortable position except for sticking it straight out in front of me. Of course, there wasn't much opportunity for that to happen. Also, during the first part of the trip from Stuttgart to Koln, we were in a seating area with two men, one of whom was far ruder than he needed to be. He was sitting in the wrong seat, it wasn't convenient to move (but we actually wanted to face forward) and in the end he wouldn't move, and instead took over the car table with all three of his laptop computers. That was frustrating. Then, we had all of nine minutes to de-train, hobble down the stairs, across the station, up the stairs and re-train. To top it off, once we got there, someone else was sitting in our seat, and the train was really crowded....so that meant that our luggage was scattered all over the place. It was a wee bit exhausting.

So, tonight is a quieter night. We spent the late afternoon roaming around Brussels, and of course, I ate mussels. M did not--he has no such liking--but the place we went is popular and was suggested by our tour book, the hotel, and the tourist office. We decided to give it a go, and I was quite happy with them. It was a VERY ample portion. The place was entertaining enough, but M's meal showed that really, the place is designed for mussels. After that, we topped things off with Haagen Daz!

We're also being a bit lazy. This computer is at the hotel, and we didn't search out a charming little place. We went straight for something close to the train station, because when we leave on Wednesday, that too is an early train. The internet here is relatively expensive, but then, it is right here....and today, there is far more appeal in that.

Tomorrow, I hope to go to the Museum of Musical instruments, and to visit Mary's chocolates. It's a bit out of the way, and it is supposed to be hand made, family run. I think that sounds like a place I shan't miss!