Brussels, Belgium

Thanksgiving Break was a time for pre-approved travel. The joy of a study abroad program: You ask everyone where they are traveling for Thanksgiving and this is what you hear in response, "I'm going to Prague" "We're thinking about Scotland, probably to Edinburgh" "Ireland" "Spain" "We were thinking north a little bit, Brussels and Amsterdam". I was lucky enough to tag along with a group going to Brussels and Amsterdam for the holiday. We left London on the  morning of the 24th of November and traveled by train. I had always wanted to take the Chunnel to Europe's main land and was bummed that we hadn't traveled under the English Channel when we went to France. This was my time to experience it. These travels to Brussels and Amsterdam was also a good preparation for the travels I had planned for after the study abroad ended. 

 

The first night in Brussels, Belgium we went to the Grand Place Grotte Market in the middle of the the square next to the City Town Hall. All the Christmas decor lined the square and surrounding markets. We found a pub-like restaurant to eat dinner at and the window next to our table was straight across from the glorious City Hall building. To our surprise while we were eating our Belgium soup and fries we were able to watch the light show that would be projected up onto the building during the holiday season. It was great- dinner and a show. 

City Hall from the 15th Century

Lit Up In Holiday Design  

Manneken Pis

Brussels has a sense of pride for the small statue of a peeing boy, Manneken Pis, and see it as an ideal national symbol for a country that is so very small and absurd. There were a few different stories that explained how this statue came about. One story was during the origination time of world exhibitions that would take a couple months involving all the people of Brussels to host. The City Mayor had lost his youngest son in the commotion of booths and presentations one day. All the people of the city searched for the little boy and finally after a few days someone found him with out any clothes on just watering the nearest wall with his pee. The statue could represent the Mayor's son or perhaps the artist had intended it to be a different little boy.

There was a lot of hype about the statue, so I had imagined it to be larger. It was indeed the size of a small child.

Belgium Waffles

Words can't describe the fantastic, mouth watering taste of Belgium waffles.  In the middle of the waffle dough there is a layer of crystalized sugar. The simple powdered sugar covered waffle had me wanting one every day for breakfast.