Paris/Brussels Day 7

Day 7, Wednesday September 1^st

Women are from Mars – well, at least Chris is.

Today it was off to Brussels via the high speed Thalys train.  We arrived at the Gare du Nord, or North Train Station in plenty of time to find our way to the correct platform – another fortuitous thing for us, because there were young people all over the place handing out free Mars candy bars along with a coupon for a discount on your next purchase of Mars bars.  Chris found out that each time she passed one of these nice young people they were more than happy to hand her another candy bar and coupon.  She snagged 6 or 8 candy bars before it was time to head to their platform.  Jane was appalled.

All the pre-recorded announcements on the Thalys train were given in 4 different languages; French, Dutch, German and English.  One particular English announcement struck us as pretty funny.  We were told that this train was equipped with ‘weef’.  After cogitating on it for a bit, we decided that what they meant was WiFi.

I had hoped to see more of the countryside during the train ride, but the Thalys track is  bermed pretty heavily on both sides.  That, and the fact that it was - after all - high speed, and zipped past the scenery, gave us less of a view than I had hoped for.  C’est la vie.

Still, it was so nice to be travelling sitting down and not on our feet!  We relished the entire 90 minutes of that before we got back into our walking shoes.

Jane took the opportunity to catch une petite sieste.

Welcome Hotel

Our two nights in Brussels were spent at the Welcome Hotel.  Located in the part of Brussels known as the ‘Lower Town’, it is situated in what was historically the fish market district.  It’s a cool, kitschy hotel with only 17 rooms; each named after an exotic locale and decorated in the theme of that locale.  We were in the Tibet room which featured a nice, small balcony.  They offered a fairly good breakfast, but nothing to write home about.

http://www.hotelwelcome.com/gb/index.html

After stowing our luggage at the hotel we made our way to the Grand Place, a square which our guidebook calls ‘the geographical, historical and commercial heart of the city’.  It really is something, I must say.  Brussels is known for its Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture, and the Grand Place is awash in it, as you can see below.  

Veteran's Day
We lunched at one of the many outdoor cafes that surround the square.  While lunching we heard the sound of brass instruments and looked around to see a small parade making its way around the square with a few dozen old soldiers in uniform, several flag bearers and a small brass band.  We asked our waiter what the occasion was and he told us that this day was the 66^th anniversary of the liberation of Brussels during WWII. 

One of the old soldiers and his friend sat down at the table next to us.  We planned to go over and speak to him, thanking him for his service during the war, but Chris had to find a little girls’ room first.  When she got back, the old soldier was gone and Jane said that she had gone over to thank him herself when she saw that they were leaving.

Well, not to be outdone, Chris was determined to find her OWN old soldier to thank.  So we walked over to where some of the soldiers were still standing – parade being over at this point.  We decided to approach one particularly dapper old soldier and asked if he spoke English.  He did not, but one of the friends with him did.  So we asked his friend to tell him that we wanted to thank him for his service during the war.  So began a very nice visit, and a great surprise.

It turned out this old soldier was the oldest living WWII Belgian soldier.  His name is Josef Deschez and he was 92 at the time of our visit.  He was with the Belgian 3^rd Lancers and fought at Antwerp.  Meeting Mr. Deschez was one of THE high points of our entire trip.

Remembering Belgium's liberation from Nazi occupation 66 years ago.

Mr. Josef Dechez - 93 years old - oldest living Belgian soldier from WWII

Cheers to the Victors!!

Sampling the street fare

Among the many things Brussels is known for – beer, chocolate, lace – are their Belgian waffles and frites, or French fries, which are both sold in abundance by shops open to the streets.  We tried a waffle and were not that impressed.  Maybe we just picked the wrong shop.  Then we tried the frites and, as Mr. Keillor would say, ‘Heavens they’re tasty!’  They are hand cut and double fried and served fresh out of the deep fryer in a paper cone topped with the condiment of your choice.  We had the mustard which was very thick and creamy – I suspect it’s mixed with mayonnaise.  It was superb! 

Art nouveau and beyond

We spent the rest of that day roaming the city, admiring the splendid architecture and the various statues, monuments and parks we came across.  Because of our limited time, and the spectacularly beautiful day (which, we understand, is not guaranteed this time of year in Brussels), we elected to enjoy the outdoor attractions vs go inside the museums.   The pictures below represent the highlights of that days roaming.

I just loved this building's facade - see close up below.

Memorial to Everard 't Serclaes who was murdered defending Brussels in the 14th c.

Touching the bronze arm is said to bring good luck.

Memorial to Charles Buls and the builders of the Grand Place by Victor Horta and Victor Rousseau

We paid the obligatory visit to Mannekin Pis, the statue of the little boy taking a leak, and we found it to be – not all that,frankly - compared to the other wonders of the city.

 I want her.  Yet she does not know I exist.

An example of the beautiful statuary you find in even the smallest of city gardens

I love the various architectural styles in this picture.

One thing that always strikes me is finding structures that are many centuries old, since we don’t have places that old in the states.  One such place is the Tour de Villers, a tower and remnant of the city wall from the 12^th c.  I also found it interesting juxtaposed near a bowling alley and graffiti laden walls (Brussels sported lots and lots of graffiti).

Old meets new

We toured Notre Dame de la Chepelle which had a wonderfully ornate wooden 'Chair of the Truth' which I tried to capture in pictures, but truly has to be seen in person to be appreciated.  It's richly carved surface included so many small living creatures it was hard to capture it on film in the dim interior of the cathedral.  

The cathedral’s literature describes it as follows:  “ The Chair of the Truth, or place of the preaching, was sculpted in oak in 1721 by Pierre-Denis Plumier. [It] was bought by the Order of the Carmelites in 1772 and placed in the ‘La Chapelle’ church.  It marks an important stage in the evolution toward the exuberance, the proliferation of the plant motives:  you will notice… the palm trees which frame the chair, symbols of the tree of paradise, the tree of life.  We see under them two people: the prophet Elias and the angel who brings him his food.”   It was very impressive, I will tell you that.

Notice he stairs leading up to a door where you gain entrance to the 'room behind the curtain'.

One small example of the living creatures carved into the wooden structure.

This side of it was magnificent!

This was an interesting, albeit macabre, memorial inside Notre Dame de la Chapelle.  

Among the many beautiful park areas in the city, we were captivated by one called Place du Petit Sablon.  Quoting from our guide book, ‘On top of the railings that enclose the gardens are 48 bronze statuettes by Art Nouveau artist Paul Hankar, each one representing a different medieval guild of the city.’  I recommend this garden park if you visit Brussels and will spend more time there if I ever go back.

The Musee Instrumental is housed in a building called the Old England, touted as one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture in the city.  The façade is entirely glass and brought iron.  Really a gem!

A picture of the front facade of the Old England building, and some details of it below.

We walked past the Hotel Ravenstein (below) which was designed at the end of the 15^th c, and in 1515 became the birthplace of Anne of Cleves.

The carillon clock on the arch of the Mont des Arts is a cool attraction.  On the hour, figures from Belgian history move in and out of their cubby holes.  That, and the gardens of the Mont des Arts are worth a visit.

The Mont des Arts garden - pretty great view from this hilltop

There were a couple of sights that defy description.  But have fun with them.  We did.

This outdoor art was in the process of being set up at the time we walked by

I'm pretty sure they didn't intend to turn it right side up.

Hmmmm........

Scallops in the roadway

Along several sidewalks we noticed brass scallop shells embedded in the walk.  We were told it marks the Road to St. Jacques took to Spain.  I did some looking on the internet and found very little. But one fellow says they are part of a network of routes throughout various countries in Europe that mark the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain - Santiago being St. Jack in Spanish St. Jacques in French.  The fellow also says the French call scallops St. Jacques, hence the scallop shell motif.  Just a bit of trivia, but we were curious about them since we saw so many of them.  And hey, they were pretty!

Here's a picture of one I found on the web.  Any that I found without little furry creatures in it were copyright protected.  So enjoy the little furry creature also.  I think they call  him Beanie Mouse.

La Villette

We had a wonderful culinary experience on our one night in Brussels.  We wanted to eat Belgian fare, and since we were in the old fish market area of the city, now home to many eateries, we thought we’d go to someplace near the hotel.  Our desk clerk recommended a small but good place just around the corner called La Villette.  They advertise ‘Cuisine belge’ of which we partook, and ‘Specialites a la biere’ or ‘special beers’ of which we did not partake, opting instead for vin blanc. 

Small was not incorrect.  It was quite literally shoulder to shoulder with one’s neighbor, but the food was outstanding.  Chris had a fish chowder type dish that was amazing.  I forget what Jane had.  I’m sure she remembers, but since she dissed me on writing her part of this narrative, I will let her meal go unexplained.  So there. 

But seriously, it was wonderful food!

http://la-villette.be

Hey, when a guy’s gotta go, a guy’s gotta go.

On the way back to the Welcome Hotel, we walked past Ste-Catherine, a mere block from our hotel, and Jane was appalled to find old fellows urinating in the - very old I’m sure – public urinals.  These were early public potties, built onto the sides of the cathedral and separated by a stone wall to give some privacy, for Heaven’s sake.  Of course there were not doors, but hey, it was a start. 

So Jane thought it was terrible.  Chris thought it was nice of the church to provide a place for folks to do their business in an urban rather than on the street (as we actually did see in Paris.  Ewww!)

After dark the Grand Place becomes beautifully illuminated!