Brussels...mmmm chocolate!

The train from Amsterdam to Brussels Central Stn was about 2hr50min long and went by very quickly.

I had been in Brussels about 13 or 14 years ago, but Mark had never been and I remember loving it. It ended up being much nicer than I had even remembered.

Belgium is known for many things, but they're famous for chocolate!! Mmmmmmm! This is heaven on earth for Mark - the true chocolate-lover in the family.

Of course our first stop would have to be the Museum of Chocolate and Cocoa. We heard that between certain hours, the master chocolatier would be there providing a demonstration and offer testing...so we were not late!!

Next up, a tour through Grand Place - absolutely stunning! Some Christmas decorations were still in place and the square was bustling.



We made sure we ventured outside this main square so that we could see the Manneken Pis (statue of a little boy peeing). This is a well-known statue, but what most people don't know is that it is a very small statue and comes as a surprise as you round the corner at a small intersection of narrow streets - and there it is.



While Belgium is predominantly made up of French and Flemish-speaking individuals, Brussels seems to be French-speaking for the most part. Thankfully, we can get by with the French vocabulary that we manage to remember.

But back to chocolate...or chocolat, I should say! We began having some fun with the camera and the photos began! Photos of Mark trying the local chocolate...everywhere! We had so much fun today - lots of laughing.

Just a few shots of Mark satisfying his chocolate craving:




We grabbed a quick sandwich and were on our way to the Museums of Fine Arts - Ancient and Modern Art and took in the exibits on display.

Then, back to chocolate...we now had to buy some to take home. After all the shops we had seen (and there are many!), Neuhaus was the final choice. Not inexpensive, but yummy!

Oh did you think the chocolate stops ended there? Not really...we still had to try the huge Belgian waffles smothered in chocolate, strawberries, bananas, and confectioner's sugar!! I was afraid to know how many calories we might have eaten today! But they were so good...and so worth it!



We picked up some fresh bread and local cheese for our train ride home and made one final stop at a beautiful cathedral a couple of blocks from the train station. I always find it amazing how these structures were built by hand without the modern tools available today. And, our buildings today are just not built to last hundreds of years like these ones are. Truly remarkable.

What a fantastic day in Brussels!