We spend a weekend in Brussels, staying at the Renaissance across from
the European Parliament buildings.
The high-speed Thalys Train up from Paris is only an hour and twenty minutes, straight to the Brussels Midi station,
where we catch a local train to Gare du Luxembourg, next to the hotel (our
train ticket from Paris
provides the connection at no additional charge). What a convenient way to arrive.
From the Renaissance, we walk all over the Brussels.
La Grand Place,
the magnificent main square is about a 25 minute walk from the hotel, past the Royal Palace,
Place Royal (Royal Square),
and the museums, conveniently located on Rue du Musée. And, we pass through a great small park by
the museums, the Jardin du Monts des Arts, with a view of the Brussels Town Hall
in the distance.
Jardin du Monts des Arts
At La Grand
Place, we first settle at a café table outside in
the square for a Belgium
beer and to admire the buildings that make the La Grand Place a UNESCO World Heritage
site.
Two beers in the square
But, very importantly, in some of those buildings are
chocolate shops and they give free samples to enjoy while you watch chocolate
being made in the back. We wander from shop to shop, sample, and end
up buying some also.
Chocolate Shop windows
Of course, no discussion of Brussels is complete without a picture of the
famous Manneken-Pis sculpture, in place since 1618 or 1619, a few hundred
meters from La Grand Place.
Manneken-Pis
But, this being Brussels,
we also have it in Chocolate!
Manneken-Pis in Chocolate
This is turning out to be a great adventure and a perfect weekend jaunt!
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