Based on recommendations from our homeowner and our own interests, Bob and I have explored various area of Brussels during our few days here. We poked around the Sabon area and perused the many awesome Belgian chocolate shops. We have browsed a few markets — the Saturday Flagey market, the Sunday Midi market, and the Wednesday afternoon/night market at the Place du Chatelain. We had a great self-guided tour of the Parliamentarium on the European Parliament Brussels campus. (There are also European Union offices in Strasbourg and Luxembourg.). We continue to be impressed by the 8,000 hectares (approximately 19,800 acres!!!!) of green space in Brussels. Some random photos below.
The Musical Instruments Museum — great museum which we toured on our last visit. It holds over 8,000 instruments. This time we just admired the Old England Department store building in which it is housed. Built in the art nouveau style — more on that later.Embassy of Thailand with mourning bunting for the recent death of their long-reigning King.The building housing the Museum of Brussels, one of many ornate former guild halls that surround The Grand Place, Brussels central square.Another of the ornate buildings around The Grand PlaceThere are a number of sites, buildings, and green space to explore on the European Parliament campus. This is part of the Solidarity Esplanade honoring the values and achievements of the Polish Solidarity Trade Union.A statue on the European Parliament campusThe EU flag on the front of one of the buildings. We saw a photo of a girl with a sign reading “You broke my star” following the UK vote to leave the union.We found this to be a good quote though not all would agree. Note the date — we were surprised to learn that European efforts to form a union started much earlier than we were aware.We loved the Gaudiesque look of the wooden fence in one of the parks.Bob and I on a ferry over to a restaurant in one of the parks that can only be accessed via ferry. We had a drink and some nibbles.A view of the afternoon/night market. It had lots of fun produce — including a wide array of mushrooms and other items that we weren’t as familiar with.
Peckish Travels 