Brussels, Belgium

The next stop on our trip was Brussels, Belgium where we went to satisfy our craving for good beer and chocolate, but we were pleased to find that Brussels is a very quaint and cute little European city.  We spent our first day walking around and visiting the historical places that make up the old city center. 

The city is based around the “Grand Place (in French) also known as the “Grote Markt” (in Dutch).  It is one of the most beautiful town squares in Europe. Brussels Town Hall sits at the head of the large public square.  The town hall is one of Belgium's finest civic buildings. Not only because of the numerous sculptures adorning its walls, but also because of its perfect proportions and the incomparable beauty of its tower.

Surrounding the square alongside the town hall are the Grand Place Guildhalls. In the past, each merchant guild erected its own building in the city square, which is named and adorned with gilded statues and elaborate symbols related to its trade. When the guildhalls were obliterated in the 1695 bombardment, the guilds rallied and rebuilt their headquarters using stone (rather than partial timber as before) for the façades and adding fanciful baroque touches to the gables.

Opposite the town hall stands “The King’s House”, another remarkable historic Belgian building.  This neo-gothic style building had many functions since its beginnings in the 13^th century including a bread market, administrative center and, of course, residence for Emperor Charles V in the early 1500’s. 

Because we were in Brussels for the beer, we made our way over to the Museum of Beer where you can learn about the process of making beer and, when it’s over, have a free glass of fresh Belgian brew.

One of Brussels’ most endearing and comical features is the famous “Manneken Pis” (French for, literally:  “Little Man Pee”).  This small bronze fountain sculpture depicting a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin was designed and put in place in 1618.  According to legend, Duke Godfrey III of Leuven ascended to the Belgian thrown while still a baby. In 1142, the troops of this two-year-old lord were battling against the troops of the Berthouts and were badly outnumbered. The troops put the infant lord in a basket and hung the basket in a tree so he could observe the battle. During the battle, from his treetop perch, the boy stood up and urinated on the enemy troops, inspiring his own soldiers who went on to win the battle.

The rest of the day, we spent walking around the city center and taking in the sights.  Brussels was turning out to be a very charming little city.

That night we made sure to check out the nightlife!  Kate's favorite beer is Delirium which happens to have several bars named after it in Brussels.  Kate wanted to visit them all.  This night we went to the Delirium Monastary.  Huge selection of Belgium beers and the largest selection of vodka we'd ever seen!