I was happy that I drove back from Basel yesterday evening because the weather looks a lot worse today; well for driving - not if you are a boy a like to fight with. Today has been weather to stay indoors. Here in Brussels the grey clouds has been hanging over us all day and there has not been a glimpse of sun.

I went to the market early this morning and the vendors were freezing, no doubt. I bought some flowers to get some kind of a summer feeling in the apartment. Fell over some fresh fruit and some great bread as well, but winter had come to Brussels.

Tomorrow is going to be hell on the roads; The Belgians don’t have tradition of driving on winters tyres and especially the busses will have huge trouble in getting up the hills of Brussels. When you see Brussels from the outside it seen quiet flat, but when you walk it or as tomorrow drive behind a buss, you will see; the hills of Brussels.

Café De l’Opera is situated on the Place de la Monnaie or Muntcentrum in Dutch and next to the city Opera. The cafe is a very nice and cosy, it is both bar and restaurant and the service is good; often with a smile and a sharp remark. They serve here as almost all places in Belgium a very good beer. In this place I prefer the large Carlsberg and they dont mind that you order the last one a couple of times :) They also serve very good food here for a reasonable price. Inside it can be crowded and the low ceiling ads to the cosines. The tables are small and the chairs are in old Vienna style. In the summer you can sit outside and enjoy the people walking by because the cafe is overlooking the main square where there often is entertainment.

Arrived in Brussels, found a quiet street with a few other campers parked there, so parked up, and ended up staying in there for 3 nights.  Sampled the Belgie beers, and chocolates, the chocolates were delish, and the beers were strong!  12 percent, compared to the normal 4 or 5 in Australia!  also saw the Atomium, a gigantic molecular structure consisting of nine shiny metal balls apprently left over from the 1958 World’s Fair.

As we were about to leave, realised we had a flat tyre, we had a spare so managed to change that, and even though it was a different size to the rest it was still fine to drive.  Then headed off to our next destination, Bruges, the only reason we wanted to head there, was because we watched a movie in London called "In Bruges" and looked like a pretty cool town, with canals and nice old buildings!

Brussels is the de facto capital city of the European Union (EU) and the largest urban area in Belgium. It should not be confused with the much smaller City of Brussels (founded circa 580) within it, which is the capital of Belgium (and Flanders) by law.

Brussels has grown from a 10th-century fortress town founded by Charlemagne's grandson into a metropolis of more than one million inhabitants. The metropolitan area including the outer commuter zone is today covering a total area of 4,127 km², covering the Capital-Region and 103 surrounding municipalities, and has a population of almost 2.7 million.

After the end of World War II, Brussels has been an important centre for international politics. It hosts the main institutions of the European Union, and the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Thus, Brussels is the polyglot home of many international organisations, diplomats and civil servants. Brussels is the EU's third-richest city in terms of per capita income.

Although historically Dutch-speaking, Brussels has become increasingly francophone. Today most inhabitants are native French-speakers, although both languages have official status.This process has led to a longstanding conflict between the French- and Dutch-speaking community, reflecting the situation in Belgium at large. Brussels is the capital of Flanders and of the French Community of Belgium.

The Brussels Capital-Region is one of the three regions of Belgium, while the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community do exercise, each for their part, their cultural competencies on the territory of the region. French and Dutch are the official languages; most public services are bilingual (exceptions being education and a couple of others). The Capital Region is predominantly French-speaking - about 85-90% of the population are French-speakers (including migrants), and about 10-15% are Dutch-speakers. In January 2006, of its registered inhabitants, 73.1% are Belgian nationals, 4.1% French nationals, 12.0% other EU nationals (usually expressing themselves in either French or English), 4.0% Moroccan nationals, and 6.8% other non-EU nationals.

Because of how the federalisation was handled in Belgium, but also because of the fact that the municipalities in the region did not take part in the merger that affected municipalities in the rest of Belgium in the seventies, the public institutions in Brussels offer a bewildering complexity. The complexity is more apparent in the lawbooks than in the facts, since the members of the Brussels Parliament and Government also act in other capacities, e.g. as members of the council of the Brussels agglomeration or the community commissions.

Brussels serves as capital of the European Union, hosting the major political institutions of the Union. The EU has not declared a capital formally, though the Treaty of Amsterdam formally gives Brussels the seat of the European Commission (the executive branch) and the Council of the European Union (a legislative and executive body, the main institution). It locates the formal seat of European Parliament in the French city of Strasbourg, where votes take place, however meetings of political groups and committee groups (where most work takes place) are formally given to Brussels along with a set number of plenary sessions. Three quarters of Parliament now takes place at its Brussels hemicycle. Between 2002 and 2004, the European Council also fixed its seat in the city.

Brussels, along with Luxembourg and Strasbourg, began to host institutions in 1957, soon becoming the centre of activities as the Commission and Council based their activities in what has become the "European Quarter". Early building in Brussels was sporadic and uncontrolled with little planning, the current major buildings are the Berlaymont building of the Commission, symbolic of the quarter as a whole, the Justus Lipsius building of the Council and the Espace Léopold of Parliament. Today the presence has increased considerably with the Commission alone occupying 865,000m² within the "European Quarter" in the east of the city (a quarter of the total office space in Brussels). The concentration and density has caused concern that the presence of the institutions has caused a "ghetto effect" in that part of the city. However the presence has contributed significantly to the importance of Brussels as an international centre.

The architecture in Brussels is diverse, and spans from the mediaeval constructions on the Grand Place to the postmodern buildings of the EU institutions. Main attractions include the Grand Place, since 1988 a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the Gothic town hall in the old centre, the St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral and the Laken Castle with its large greenhouses. Another famous landmark is the Royal Palace.

The Atomium is a symbolic 103-metre (338 ft) tall structure that was built for the 1958 World’s Fair. It consists of nine steel spheres connected by tubes, and forms a model of an iron crystal (specifically, a unit cell. The architect A. Waterkeyn devoted the building to science. Next to the Atomium is the Mini-Europe park with 1:25 scale maquettes of famous buildings from across Europe.

The Manneken Pis, a bronze fountain of a small peeing boy is a famous tourist attraction and symbol of the city. Other landmarks include the Cinquantenaire park with its triumphal arch and nearby museums, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels Stock Exchange, the Palace of Justice and the buildings of EU institutions in the European Quarter.

Cinquantenaire triumphal arch

Cultural facilities include the Brussels Theatre and the La Monnaie Theatre and opera house. There is a wide array of museums, from the Royal Museum of Fine Art to the Museum of the Army and the Comic Museum. Brussels also has a lively music scene, with everything from opera houses and concert halls to music bars and techno clubs.

The city centre is notable for its Flemish town houses. Also particularly striking are the buildings in the Art Nouveau style by the Brussels architect Victor Horta. In the heyday of Art Nouveau new Brussels suburbs were developed, and many buildings are in this style. The architecture of the quarter Schaerbeek, Etterbeek Ixelles, and Saint-Gilles is particularly worth seeing. Another example of Brussels Art Nouveau is the Stoclet Palace, by the Viennese architect Josef Hoffmann. The modern buildings of Espace Leopold complete the picture.

The Atomium in Heysel Park

The city has had a renowned artist scene for many years. The famous Belgian surrealist René Magritte, for example, studied in Brussels. The city is also a capital of the comic strip; some treasured Belgian characters are Lucky Luke, Tintin, Cubitus, Gaston Lagaffe and Marsupilami. Throughout the city walls are painted with large motifs of comic book characters, and the interiors of some Metro stations are designed by artists. The Belgian Comics Museum combines two artistic leitmotifs of Brussels, being a museum devoted to Belgian comic strips, housed in the former Waucquez department store, designed by Victor Horta in the Art Nouveau style.

The King Baudouin Stadium is a concert and competition facility with a 50,000 seat capacity, the largest in Belgium. The site was formerly occupied by the Heysel Stadium, which in 1985 saw one of the worst disasters in European football, when 39 deaths and over 400 serious injuries were suffered after English hooligans fell on Italian football fans, sparking a mass panic.......

So while I was in the hostel in Brussles I thought it was a little strange that every night, it was just me in a room full of guys. Well as I was booking my Iceland hostel last night I realized why... my profile on hostelworld.com has me listed as male !! Lol   I just switched it, not that I am complaining, I met some cool guys :o) But I just thought it was funny.

I cannot recall the exact travel time we did from Zurich to Brussels, but I can remember that we had to regrettably drop-off of our itinerary the city of London, which we really would have loved to visit after Switzerland. When we bought our Globalpass, I was into the assumption that we can practically travel to any European city we choose. It was essentially right, but not in a case going to London, for example. We needed to pay 500 plus Euro (on top of what we paid for the pass) for both of us to experience bulleting through the English tunnel between mainland and London. We opted out. 

It was a rather quiet evening ride inside our TGV train cabin. Only muted soft-pitch sound of steel wheels grating against a kinky rail was the occasional nuisance. There was no trip sightseeing that happened in that particular train ride. Remindful of mischieivous fireflies fluttering out in the darkness of summer night were those seemingly flickering lights from far villages that we passed by, had become our consolation against the night's black tinted sky.

Soon, we arrived at Brussels station late in the evening. The train's customer service centre was the only one open with an employee at the counter talking to couple of passengers, in between them was a glass window. I was a bit surprised at the early absence of activities at the station. Eventually, I came up to and asked one of the three gentlemen busily replacing poster from an advertising board at the station's concourse wall; shortly, I went back to my wife which was nearby, smiling, I pulled her close to me and whispered, "We disembarked too early, ha ha! This is not the main station; this is why it is eerily quiet!" We were two stations shy from main terminal of the city. We continued to find the exit and left the station.     

From the ground outside, I could tell that rainshower had just abated. The light drizzle was above our heads. Several puddle on the street our feet and our hand-carry's casters had to avoid were like patches of mirror reflecting weak gleam of light from city lightposts. It was short-lived though, as the drizzle darts it way down through it, the reflection muddled abruptly.

An east indian restaurant we found nearby was an answer to my late craving and our refuge to our tired feet. While sipping tea and while waiting for our dinner to be served, I pulled out my travel guide and started flipping its pages to find a place to stay.  I wanted to find a budget-friendly accommodation yet decent enough to sleep in. I found Les Bluets Hotel. It was close to our modest expectation. 

"I have one remaining room available, but can only accept guests until 9:30 in the evening!", says the lady on the other end of the phone. It was past nine when I checked the local time.

"Well, we're actually in the middle of our late dinner right now. If you would be so kind to expect us no later than ten in the evening, it will be much appreciated. You see, our train just arrived awhile ago..."

"Not later than ten, then!" she interjected firmly without a perceived willingness on her voice to entertain further any negotiation for the extension. "Fair enough!" I said to myself. After my exchange of information with her, my wife and myself tried to finish our dinner without much rush, but still mindful of the time.

Soon, we braved the drizzle for the second time and walked out to a closeby main street where several cabs were in their queue ready to take in passengers. To be continued...

November 1

The hitching went finally well, despite the hard time to leave the spot I was outside Cologne. I had to walk some km randomly as I knew there was a Gas Station along the highway, so that was a bit of a trek through the woods and such but I made it. On November 1^st it was also a holiday for Belgians especially and there wasn’t that many cars on the road or they were quite packed. After some time (and being annoyed that dusk was arriving) I went to ask a Belgian car, it turned out to be a tourist (from Israel) that was bringing the car back to Brussels Airport and accepted to take me over so I could as well help him with the way.

That was cool and about 2h later I was in Brussels and managed to catch a bus into Brussels and made my way at Ingrid’s place… finally a bit late.

-----------------
November 2

Today was a calm day for most but we were bringing all the tam tam from Ingrid’s to Aagje’s place for a special tam tam night and gathering. I cooked some food (couscous) in the afternoon and later we all went there joined by other CS members in this tiny Schaarbeek flat off Josaphat Park. It was a nice evening with lots of noise and lovely food too.

The evening went on a bit late and Ingrid and I, got a ride with Gregoire back.

November 3

I spent the day shopping on Rue Neuve shopping for clothes, a thing I had hardly done in the last year, so I bought a new pair of corduroy and shirts. It was nice; of course the weather was a bit rainy so I stayed inside the malls and shops longer before making it to Ingrid at dusk and have some fries. Then we both left to Botannique for a meeting in which we were the first arrived and waited having some beers. Finally quite a crowd arrived, mainly all people living in the surrounding of Schaarbeek.

I got to talk with some more CS local members whom I got in nice contact.

November 4

With the previous night and the actual weather, it was not much of a great day so I started trying to work on my paper, job application, CV and all other things I would need for either Belgium or England. Of course it was not an efficient day so nothing is ready. That is a bit annoying so I had no idea on what to do.

Ingrid also had a rough night and has the mood that goes with it, I know that in such situation the fact that I am in the house does not help so I make myself little and try not to disturb.

November 5

I went for a drink at the monk with the CS group again, as they were coming from the cinema. It was nice and I got to talk to some more people, Achim came over too and we talked long as it had been a bit of a long time we hadn’t see each other.

November 6

Today I moved to stay at Achim's place, I made some grocery for the house and for myself and in the evening there was another CS party near Place Ste Antoine, which I managed to go on my own by foot, it wasn’t that far. There was again plenty of people but not that many that I knew so it was more or less interesting for me. The evening went on and I walked back enjoying the cold wet evening to go to sleep.

November 7

A fully shower rain and stormy thunder day. So I did not move out of the house at all, not that I really had anywhere to go and that it would have been worth so.

November 8

Another dead day for me, I tried to work on my job application especially at the EU and other agencies but nope too slow and nothing valuable came off then.

THON Hotel is located right in the center of Brussels along Avenue du Boulevard, just a couple of steps from Gare Du Nord Station and about 12km away from the airport. In fact, Grand Place is only 8 minutes away which makes it an ideal hotel location specially for travelers on the move. The 3-star hotel is big (the 2nd largest hotel in Brussels according to their website, not surprising at all!) with spacious lobby area and hallways. The red-colored room was appealing to me and in comparison larger than other European hotels . The amenities are modernly-equipped and the facilities are of standard. The service was nice and warm, except that there were not too many staff around. Talk about the downside. Some unnoticeable parts of the hotel were falling apart with some cracks visible and wallpapers coming off. And although the general sorrounding was fine, it wasn't so clean for most parts (like dark rug areas), which I guess was reflective of how many people had come and gone. At least the beds were made and the linens were new and clean, that was the most important. Right outside the hotel are several other cafes and retaurants serving traditional belgian fare with optional belgian beer of course. The hotel offer special rates depending on the time of stay so it is recommended to check their website for specifics. I remembered paying less than Euros100 per night. Still recommendable for business and leisure.

Brussels was really nice. Royal Place is pretty amazing. I spent two hours sitting in a bar, just down from the boy-fountain, watching people walk past. The dodgy-restaurant area of Brussels is something to see; just don't sample it. They all look really poor quality.

I thought I was going to have my hostel ( http://www.laj.be/ ) room all to myself until 9pm, then a nice Korean bloke turned up - but he was pretty cool, so not too bad. The hostel was pretty well equipped, padlock lockers, laundry, nice breakfast, friendly staff and a bar.

We were in Brussels to visit my sister and see a bit of the city while going out for dinner in the evening. 

So I arrived at the Airport at 8:30 AM super excited to see Brussels ! The train station is right downstairs from the airport ! So convenient, you don't even have to go outside ! I got my luggage and went down to the train station. I bought a ticket for 2.90 Euro and asked someone which platform I needed ( they said to look at the monitor but it didn't help because it just said the name of the end of the line and didn't list individual stops). I took the train for about 10 minutes to the Brussels North Train Station. It was a bit cold and rainy (definitely colder than NY was when I left it) so I asked a cab driver if he could take me to my Hostel but he said it is right around the corner 500 meters ! (Or that's what I surmised he was saying as it was in half French half Dutch). I kept walking but was a little doubtful that I was going in the right direction so I asked the first man I saw, but he was also a tourist and from Argentina ! I brushed up on my Spanish with him, we spoke of our trips and then I continued on my way. I finally asked a police man and he told me I was going in the right direction. I made a left turn and I see the name of my hostel on a sign. You know in the movies when people are walking in a desert and they come across a source of water and it is almost glowing they are so grateful, that is how! The sign was glowing to me :o)  I had just come off of a long flight and was cold and wet and not sure I was going in the right direction, so seeing the sign was a nice relief. I dropped my luggage off at the hostel ( check in wasn't until 4 but they said I could check in at 1 if I wanted) I changed into clean dry clothes, got out my umbrella and headed out again. I was so anxious to explore Brussels ! It was only drizzling now so it wasn't too bad walking. My first stop was to head over to the Comic Strip Museum. It was not too far from my hostel and indoors ! :o)  I saw Giant Statues of Tin Tin, Tin Tin's Rocket etc..., Lots of Stuff on the Smurfs and many other Belgian comics that I am not too familiar with but were still cool to see. There were lots of groups of children on field trips, they were all so cute. I wandered around here for a while, then went to the gift shop to buy some Tin Tin Memorabilia and a stuffed Smurfette for my niece. After the comic strip museum I headed over to the Grand Place. I wandered through some streets in the direction of the Grand Place and just by pure coincidence found myself in front of Le Mort Subite, a famous bar that was mentioned in my Frommer's Guide :o) I took some pictures, and I was going to go in to have a drink, but thought it a bit too early for a beer and continued on. I walked through the Galleries Royales St. Hubert.  This is a covered shopping street. There is a street that intersects this with lots of restaurants and outdoor seating called Rue Bouchers. I wandered down here to check it out and was accosted by lots of men standing out of the restaurants trying to lure me in. Each asked where you from?? Oh beautiful come in here, it is cold, free drink, don't go, why you leaving ??? Etc... I told them I would be back and hurried off. (Although I did come back at night with a friend from the hostel and we did get a free drink and yummy mussels !) I headed over to the Grand Place, WOW what a sight.  Each building is soo intricate ! I stood here in awe for a bit then kept walking to see the Manneken Pis peeing boy statue. He is pretty small ! After here I started heading back and it started to rain again so I took cover in a little shop and had my first waffle. YUMMY ! I am instantly addicted ( though I later learned the ones from the yellow waffle trucks are even better !) After the waffle I headed out again to explore some more. It was rainy and I was getting hungry for an actual meal, so I checked my book for a good spot to try mussels, one of the recommended restaurants happened to be on the corner of the Galeries Royales St. Hubert & Rue Bouchers (the street with the guys trying to lure me in) but this restaurant didn't have anyone outside doing any luring. After the meal I realized why! The mussels were insanely delicious ! I never liked mussels, but I figured I have to try them in Brussels. I am sooooo glad I did ! The waiter brings over a big pot filled with steaming mussels. He walked away and I just sat staring at them. Now I don't have too much experience with mussels so I wasn't sure of the proper etiquette in eating them. Do I just grab it with my hand? Do I try to get it on a spoon and use my fork? Finally the waiter, noticing my apprehension, came over. He said, "May I?" I said, "Of Course!" And he took one emptied out the inside with a fork and told me to use the empty shell as a device to pluck the insides out of the rest of the mussels. What a great idea ! It worked like a charm. I thanked him and got on with enjoying my mussels. They were soooooooo delicious !  I sat, enjoyed my mussels and frites and checked the book to see where I should head next. After my scrumptious lunch of mussels I jumped on the Metro and headed over to Rue Royale. Here there is a lovely park in between the parliament building and the Royal Palace. I walked through the park and was taking some pictures of the palace when a guy stopped me to ask where I was from. He insisted that I had to see some other buildings and was very persistent so I finally said ok, we walked down Rue Royale towards the Beaux Arts Museum. I wanted to go in but it was almost 4 and it closed at 5 so I decided to go when I had more time I also wanted to head back to the hostel to check in. The guy ( whose name I know forget now) walked me towards the Justice Palace, showed me some other interesting buildings and then started insisting that if I lived in Brussels I would be his girlfriend ! He told me how he never had a real girlfriend, he usually just puts on some Wu Tang Clan for girls and they make out then leave !  Then he blurted out "I love you, you know" and then asked if I liked Wu Tang Clan, then he told me my dark red nail polish was too flashy! (um... I thought to myself,  maybe there is a reason you never had a girlfriend) I started getting weirded out, told him you don't even know me but he insisted, "Yes but if you lived here you would be my girlfriend." I told him I had to go but he was like no no you must see the le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie (The Royal Theater of the Mint, called this because it used to be a bank) now it houses the National Opera of Belgium. The guy was starting to really freak me out and it was past 4, the time I could check in to the Hostel anyway so I insisted I had to go. He finally headed off and I realized I had no idea where I was ! I checked my map figured it out and headed to the hostel. (I eventually saw the Monnaie the next day on my own) I got my sheets for the bed, got my luggage out of the storage room, went upstairs to my room to make my bed and took a little nap.... to be continued :o)

This Hostel was perfect ! It is in walking distance of everything and in a very safe area. You get a key card to open the 2 front doors of the hostel & your room. It is a 5 minute walk from the Brussels North Train Station. The rooms were very clean, the bathrooms and showers were also very clean and there was never a wait for a bathroom or shower. The Hostel is very modern, it almost seems like a boutique hotel, but with dorm style rooms. They also offer 2 and 3 bed private rooms with their own bathrooms. I stayed in a 6 bed room, 3 sets of bunkbeds, the room was huge ! High ceilings and a little area with 2 sinks and mirrors to brush teeth, do makeup etc. It even had a little balcony overlooking the street! My bed was so comfortable. Next to every bed is a little nightlight on the wall and a plug to charge your phone etc... There is free internet in the common room. There is cool music playing in the halls. There were always lots of people in the common room, but it closes at 11:30 so it is never too loud to sleep. There were free hot drinks in the morning from 7:30-10:30. The staff is very nice and helpful and they give you super helpful maps and tips on what to see and will even call cabs for you (though everything is in walking distance so I never used a cab). There are lockers at the end of the hall for personal stuff you don't want to leave in the room. I will definitely stay here again ! I met some cool people from all over the world sharing my room as well.

We finally get oriented with the map and go look at some of the sites. We went to the Atomium, which is like the Eiffel Tower of Belgium.  IT's was really neat, I love places where you can see the whole city!  Then we went to Grand Place and saw the pissing boy and ate a belgian waffle, mmm tasty!!  We went to the museums but we didn't read any of the information plates, I tried to read some but it was no use.  So we took some pictures, and got ripped off by a guy who beaconed to you so you could take a picture with him and wouldn't let you go until you put  2 Euros into his bowl..... lesson learned! 

Now John is a french fry whore, to say the least.  We found EVERY site on the map that suggested it had the best fries and ate them.  If we hadn't walked everywhere I would probably be 800lbs.  Also if we ate in a restaurant we would choose something safe, that we knew we would like and then something that we had no idea! It was lots of fun, the most suprising thing we got though were meatballs.  They were very tasty.  I wish I could remember the names of some of these places. 

At any rate, we had a wonderful time in Belgium, but the next time I go I hope I'm more out going a meet new people.   

We got to London around 9 pm to minimize our jet lag.  I bought the Eurostar tickets online and didn't realize I had picked a specific time that our train left... oops.  It left at 6 am the next morning, and we stayed next to the airport, which if you've been to London you know it's HUGE, to say the least.  Thank goodness the conciege was nice, they were very helpful and arranged for a cab to come pick us up at 5 in the morning, so 42 pounds lighter we get to the train station.  Eventually we get on the train and finish sleeping, where we arrive in Brussels 2-3 hours later.  When we get off the train we are, naturally, instantly lost.  We're looking at the trains and trams that are leaving and this sweet old Flemish man comes up to us.  He starts talking to us and it takes me a second to realize that he's talking to us and when I figure it out John is already nudging me to speak to him.

"I speak French, and not even well!! What do you want me to do??"

"I dunno, talk to him"

So I try to sign what we are looking for, and I'm frantically looking through the french phrases looking for something, anything about "hotels."  He sees that I don't speak Flemish and takes me to a woman that translates what he's saying to us, and pleastly surprised in English.  She tells us to get on tram 55A. I see a sign that says information, get out my french phrases book again this time marking what I might need to say to her, and we ask for some information, she points us in the direction of the tram.  We get on the wrong one, of course, and end up in the wrong part of town I guess, go in the first shop and he tells us to go back to the train station because our hotel is right outside the train station!!!! 

That night looking for some grub we get lost in the red light district... eventually we find sustanance and the hotel. 

Brussels was a very small city, totally see-able in 1 day. Just hit the major sites around the old town.  Before we headed over to the Grand Place, we had to try a belgium waffle. The waffle was good, I should have splurged a little and added some toppings. We walked to the Grand Place and the buildings were quite magnificent.  There seemed to be a stage set up for a concert that night, which totally blocked my pictures. After gawking at the Grand Place, we went to look for the Mannequin Pis around the corner.  They`ve totally exploited this little fountain of a boy peeing, with a bar named after it on the corner, chocolates, candies, and cork screws in the shape of it. It`s a pretty funny statue, that has several different costumes that they dress him in every year. We actually saw some of the costumes on display in the city museum. There`s an Elvis, Samurai, Mickey Mouse, and a lot of other costumes. After the Mannequin Pis we went to look for the girl version, Jeannke Pis. It`s a statue of a little girl squatting into the foutain, however the fountain was gated up and not working so it wasn`t as nice. Then we went to the chocolate museum and learned the secret to Belgium Chocolate. Had some free samples of chocolate and they showed us how to make prailines. Just wandered around the city, walking through the streets. Ended the day with some mussels and beer at one of the restaurants.

*I`m so behind on this blog and none of the computers will let me upload pictures. Sorry.