Brussels

We spent the evening back in Brussels where the capital’s energy was a relief after spending an afternoon in slumbering Bruges whose quaintness stunk of artificiality rather than careful preservation. For dinner, we had typical Belgian fare at Chez Leon in Ilot Sacre, a busy set of side streets off of the Grand Place. The universal appetizer, we learned, was a baked tomato stuffed with baby shrimp and topped with mayo. For our mains we had the oysters and steak accompanied with pommes frites we drowned in a mixture of katsup and mayo, the best unlikely food combination sine moussed liver and crackers.

After dinner, we explored the Grand Place (UNESCO WH). The buildings overlooking the plaza were lit up like Christmas trees. Tourists were scattered around the plaza, many in large groups, freely drinking alcohol outdoors, a sight I am still unaccustomed to even after living in Europe for eight months.

For breakfast we had Belgian waffles topped with chocolate sauce and bananas sprinkled with powdered sugar and chocolate crepes at the Galeries St.-Hubert. The gallery is an open air, upscale shopping center with a long skylight for a rooftop. Brussels’ city center is divided into the Lower Town, made up of the Grand Place and its surrounding area, and the Upper Town. After briefly visiting the Manneken-Pis, we took a short walk to see Brussels’ many churches and cathedrals– St. Catherine, St. Nicholas, and Notre Dame de la Chapelle are just a few of the Gothic-style churches sprinkled throughout the city. In the Upper Town, we visited the Royal Quarter where we saw the Palais des Congres, Royal Library of Belgium, and Museum of Modern & Ancient Art. For our last meal in Brussels we returned to the Ilot Sacre where towering mounds of oysters and lobsters are a common site among the restaurant storefronts. For lunch we enjoyed a paella crowded with oysters and mussels as well as grilled salmon simmering in a thick cream sauce. Brussels, although not as jam-packed with cultural sites as Paris or as sprawling as London, is great for gourmands eager for a relaxing weekend punctuated with delicious meals.