Saturday we went to Brussels, Belgium. Unfortunately they were erecting a very large stage and tent in the main square so it was difficult to get a good picture of the incredible buildings surrounding the square. We managed a couple pictures. I don’t know what buildings they are. Most had dates from the 16oo’s.
No trip to Brussels is complete without a visiting Mannekin Pis. He was in all his glory while were there. The challenge here was getting close enough through the crowd of tourists. I had to crop out some random guy’s head.
We also visited Mannekin’s little known little sister Janneke Pis. She is not mentioned in many tour books and certainly not in the ”official” tourist information put out by the city.
Finally every kid’s best friend is their dog and is Mannekin and Janneke’s dog Zanneke.
Brussels definately has a zany side and some large instruments.
Most European cities have a problem with dog owners not picking up after their dogs. Brussels is trying a new strategy-poop corrals. Some even have extra posts in the the middle for the dogs to mark. I’m not sure they help that much.
Things I learned in Brussels:
1) I am a tourist, no use hiding that fact. I need to have my map out to find my way.
2) People will ask for directions even if you are sitting on a bench studying a map in a guide book.
3) There are Jehovah’s Witnesses around the world and they will approach you even if you are sitting on a bench studying a map in a guide book.
4) My husband is incredibly patient and I will keep him.
We also got on the wrong part of the train coming back to Maastricht. The train split and some cars went one way and some went another. We took a side trip to Hasselt that night coming back. It was a little nerve wracking since the trains start running less frequently, it was dark and hard to see the signs at the stations and they apparently stop announcing the stops at 7pm. There were some very nice people on our trains who spoke wonderful English and helped us identify our stops.
I will never make it as a tour guide, all my clients would get lost.
