Life: Idiotropic

Actually, I love Brussels... but I have a friend here who says that she can't go to Aachen anymore because "everybody knows me there" and Brussels is nice, but "I just go there ALL the time." So... it's a little joke now. And, now that I've been to Brussels six times or so, it is all just sooo "ordinary." Not.

I am just now after this last trip starting to feel like I know Brussels better. This time I took Dad and Angie there without any big kids. We just had Elise and although she is fiercely independent, it was a lot easier to do a lot of walking around and see the area more than ever before. I'd known from guide books that there was an "upper" and "lower" Brussels, but I had no idea how close they were or if it was walkable between the two. This trip we walked all over each and saw a lot.

It was the first time I'd driven there and the traffic and parking really were a lot easier than I'd expected getting in. Getting out at the end of the day was an entirely different story somehow, but still, it wasn't scary to drive there. We parked by the Grote Markt/Grand Place and walked through the small outdoor market nearby that they hold each Sunday. One of these days I'll buy a painting there. They have a lot of craft vendors and the paintings of the Markt are very nice and affordable.

We walked through the beautiful glass ceilinged "strip-mall" first to stop into Neuhaus chocolates to pick up a box. It's a must-stop every time we go into town there. The "mall" is called the Galeries St-Hubert. Built in 1847, it was the first "shopping arcade" in Europe. Even now, shopping centers are few and far between seen only in very large cities.

Then we wandered back to the Markt through the street of fish restaurants who were just opening up and all tried to talk us into stopping in for some fine dining. Every restaurant had waiters standing outside trying to beckon in any and all passers by. They were setting out their displays of shells over ice and menu cards displaying set meals - 12 Euro for a three course meal or in some places 20 Euro would get you 5 courses and dessert. Some even included wine. There was no ala-carte available and telling these waiters that we just wanted something small was all I needed to say to decline the invitation. Small is not on the menu there.
Bathrooms are not always easy to find around here, so we found a nice coffee shop on the Markt. The building facades are beautiful and detailed, but the regal exteriors are deceiving. While some of the buildings are very large, this coffee s shop was very shallow inside and the stairs were steep. It extended up a couple floors, but it wasn't nearly as big inside as it looked outside. We enjoyed a nice cappuccino though and were able to take advantage of free (and clean) bathrooms which are quite a commodity. Elise enjoyed playing upstairs with the cusions on some chairs and was very happy - not disturbing anyone.


At the end of a wonderful day we had time to relax and have a little laugh. Our kitchen window looks out the side of our house to the field at our side and the street and bus stop. Cars often stop at the bus stop for quick stops - to grab something from the trunk or look at a map, so we rarely think anything of it. This evening my dad and I were looking out the window when a car drove up. No big deal, but then, in the true style of the Mannekin Pis, the man got out, strode over to the fence, and as Angie and Tiara were walking up to look as well, we all got a very clear idea that he also needed a free bathroom. I pounded on my window hoping to embarrass him, but he didn't hear us. Not the view I'd hoped to see from my kitchen, but it's not the first time I've seen people here use a rather obvious, public area for these means... oh... and you just wait until I have time to write about The Hague!