A Weekend in Brussels – Home of Chocolate, Beer, Moules & Frites, Day 2

After our arrival and initial walk around Brussels, sampling the beer and chocolate, we get to the important task of choosing a spot for dinner.

We head over a few blocks from La Grand Place to Rue des Bouchers, a pedestrian street jammed with restaurants, where we walk the street, perusing the menus and forcing ourselves to choose from the many great options.  Any, of course, as soon as we choose, we start with another beer and get right down to business with moules frites.

 Pick any one for dinner

After dinner, on the way back to the hotel, we pass a frites stand and, for desert, have frites with mayonnaise.  It takes a little getting used to, but we like it!

Mr. Frites outside the frites stand

We walk all over Brussels during our short stay.  The second day, we wander through the European Parliament buildings near our hotel - very impressive.  Then, only a few blocks away, across from the Royal Palace, the Parc de Bruxelles offers paths, gardens, and sculptures.  We enjoy the change from the city streets, but eventually head back to La Grand Place and take the tour of Le Musee du Caocao et du Chocolat, down the Rue de la Tete d’Or from the square. 

There we start with a demonstration of chocolate making, samples, and a tour with the history of cocoa, chocolate, and, particularly, Belgium chocolate, on the upper floors.  

Chocolate-making machine

We then head over to the indoor shopping arcade, Les Galeries Saint Hubert, with indoor restaurants and shops, perfect for the sometimes-gloomy Belgium weather.

 Les Galeries Saint Hubert

After this, it’s time for another beer and consideration of the important choice of where we'll get our moules frite tonight.

The next day is for a quick day trip up to Bruges (more on that later).  We barely scratch the surface of Brussels and tell ourselves that we have to come back soon!