Follow me as I navigate the world, one step at a time.

Saturday, December 25, 2021

Brussels at Christmas

Day 1: I boarded the train from Paris and traveled into Brussels. I’m not sure if it was the early start, the gloomy day or because I was tired but my off-the-train impressions were “bleh.” However, i regrouped and found my way to the older part of town, got a warm waffle in my tummy, and started exploring. By nighttime, when every street was covered in lights and the holiday markets were kicking, I knew I’d found my groove.

  
Christmas Markets
Lights in Brussels.

Grand Place in all its glory.
Street art at one of the metro stations.
Warm Waffle in front of the Atomium.
The Atomium is 102 meters tall (330 feet) and was built for the 1958 World Expo. It wasn’t meant to last this long and only 5 of the 9 spheres are accessible to the public, for safety reasons. Each sphere is connected by stairs/escalators.

Day 2: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, my friends. While it was interesting to be out and about seeing the sites and visiting Holiday Markets with tons of other people, I definitely miss MY PEOPLE. The weather was cold and misty today so I’m looking forward to the warmer climate of the Canary Islands tomorrow.
Mannekin Pis is festively dressed on this Christmas Day. Yesterday he was not in his Santa suit so my mom and dad were shocked and I was disappointed. But today, he was and a huge smile filled my face.
Belgian Waffle with strawberries and whipped cream. Perfect start to my day.
Christmas lunch was Flemish Stew that melted in my mouth and warmed my soul…. 
and those fries… 
All over the city, you can find these comic style murals.
I think I’ve visited the Grand Place over a dozen times in two days; I just love it. Yesterday, at the top of the hour, the Christmas Tree lights would turn red for 5 minutes. Today, bells chimed at the top of the hour. It sounded magical ricocheting off the buildings.
Famous street artist from Paris, Invader, designed this tile work.
Back to Paris to catch my flight to Canary Islands tomorrow. 

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