Belgium…
When we first arrived at the Brussels Midi train station Thursday afternoon, we were a little stressed out because the Bundys were picking us up from Central station and things weren’t marked as clearly as in France. We ended up finding a metro map and we took the metro from Midi to Central. The Bundys’ apartment is only a 3-minute walk from Central. It is a really pretty apartment! They had fixed dinner for us, which was delicious! They then took us out to see the famous Mannekin Pis statue, the Grande Place (main town square with the Hotel de Ville, etc), and we got Belgium Waffles for dessert. We went to sleep around 11 and it was still light outside!
Friday Doug and I took a train to Bruges. It was rainy and very cold when we first got there, so we were thankful for our fleeces! It ended up clearing up and although cold, it was a pretty day. We saw lots of neat things in Bruges including:
-The Church of our Lady, which houses a Madonna and Child sculpture by Michelangelo… it his only work to have left Italy during his lifetime.
-The Basilica of the Holy Blood- this was an interesting experience… you could go up and touch a vile that (I’m skeptical about this) holds a remnant of Jesus’ blood, brought back from the Holy Lands during the Crusades.
-The Bell Tower- we climbed 366 narrow, steep stairs to get to the top!
-lunch at Le Pain Quotidien- Mom had told us about this… it was very good!
-Dumon- a family owned chocolate shop… very neat! We ate a box of chocolates before the day was over!
-Canal tour- we took a little boat-ride around Bruges… very fun!
When we returned from Bruges, the Bundys were so generous to take us out to dinner at a yummy French restaurant near the square. Afterwards we walked over to the Grande Place where there was a cultural festival of some sort going on. We returned to the Bundys apartment for espresso and hot chocolate.
Saturday we went to see the Atomium (huge metal structure in the shape of an atom). It turns out that the metro stop is quite a way from the actual attraction. So, we got out of the metro, took a few pictures and then got back on the metro. I told Doug that it was about as much time as Jenny and I had spent looking at the Mona Lisa.
We then went to the Basilica, which is the 4th largest Catholic church in the world. Although HUGE, it is not very decorative.
We returned to Grande Place for lunch at a quaint sandwich restaurant and browsing of more chocolate shops including Leonidas (where Rick Steves says the locals go), Galler (famous for their 85% cocoa), and Elisabeth (we got waffles here).
Then it was back to Lyon… so, our overall impressions of Belgium: dirty, crowded, cold, overcast… but cheaper than France, and interesting history and cultural experiences… and Heather’s parents were wonderful!!! J
Yesterday morning was the monthly potluck at the Lyon church. We brought baked spaghetti and peach cobbler and both seemed to be popular.
Yesterday afternoon we just rested… we have been doing so much so we needed a day to recover!
Not sure yet where our next adventure will be… maybe Geneva, maybe back to Provence (I’ve heard Aix-en-Provence is pretty!).
Liz
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