Brussels, Belgium

The high-speed train to Brussels is quick and pulls straight to the Brussels Midi station, where we catch a local train to Gare du Luxembourg, right next to the European Parliament

From the Parliament buildings, we walk all over the Brussels.  La Grand Place, the magnificent main square is about a 25 minute stroll, past the Royal Palace, Place Royal (Royal Square), and the museums, conveniently located on Rue du Musée.  Along the way, 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 an outside café table in the square for a Belgium beer and to admire the buildings that make this square 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 we watch chocolate being made in the back.  We wander from shop to shop, sample, and end up purchasing some for later consumption.

 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 him in Chocolate!

Manneken-Pis in Chocolate

This is turning out to be a great adventure and a perfect weekend jaunt!