Brussels Break, Part One

We were, as Londoners say, ready for a city break. So we hopped on the Eurostar Friday morning and two hour later, we were in Brussels.
The Eurostar is a fabulous way to travel. From our flat we took the bus (10 minutes) to St. Pancras, a beautiful old station that's been refurbished and has achieved that balance of being very modern in functionality yet retaining its age and character. Even though we were taking a train to a foreign country, the whole check-in procedure was incredibly easy. Our bag went through the x-ray but no shoes off. We boarded about 9:40 a.m. and pulled out of the station about 10 a.m.
Seats were a little bigger than an airline seat but with much more headroom. Plenty of places to store luggage because very few people check theirs. We thought it felt much more spacious than a plane.
Our route to Brussels took us through the Channel Tunnel, into France and then on to Brussels - a trip that took about 2 hours, 15 minutes. Keith said he could tell when we emerged from the tunnel because all of a sudden, it was light. (You're only in the tunnel for 20 minutes.) I will have to trust him on that because I was asleep before we pulled out of St. Pancras and I woke up as we pulled into Brussels. (I sleep like a top on planes - and now, trains.)
So we arrive in Brussels and hop on the subway to get to our hotel, The Hotel Thon City Centre. It's on a busy street, across from a high-rise mall and next to a Sheraton and a Hilton. To get to the front desk we had to walk down a flight of curving marble steps. We were in a room on the 18th floor so we had some nice city views.
Our flat is London is home now, and it is very nice, but the floors are wood laminate and there are no rugs. There are times when I just want to put my feet on something soft and cushy. So I was excited to check into a hotel and feel something soft and warm under my slippers.
The Thon had dark wood laminate floors. Not a stitch of carpet.
The room was small but nice. We thumbed through the channels and found interesting things - French, German, Greek, Turkish channels. "Friends" in English with Dutch subtitles. "The Bucket List" in French. And wonder of wonders, the hotel had an ice machine - this was a big deal. Restaurants in London don't have ice machines!


After a few minutes of R&R in the room, we hit the streets. Our destination was the Grand Place, the must-see city square. The area has been the site of open-air markets since the 11th century but the Grand Place you see today started to take shape in the early 17th century. The buildings are beautiful, the architectural detail is a wonder. The cobblestone square itself is quite large and is strung with wires with lights in them. You really don't notice them so much in bright daylight but as the sun starts to set the lights are lovely.
Shops and restaurants line the square. You can find exactly what you'd expect in Belgium - beautiful lace and lots of chocolate.

We hit the square in late afternoon and we were getting hungry. It had been a long time since our quick breakfast at St. Pancras. Keith - The Guide Book King - had read that a must-have meal in Brussels is moules and frites and he was keen to try it. That's mussels and fries if you're not in Belgium.
I'm not a mussels fan but I figured I'd find something to eat. The Guide Book suggested t'Kelderke right on the Grand Place, so off we went.
Up until I went in this restaurant (very quaint, small, below street level), I considered myself a pretty savvy, sophisticated traveler. Keith spots his mussels - the specialty of the house - straight away. I'm looking over the menu and there it is, under steak: HORSEMEAT.
I couldn't believe it. I look again, under stews: HORSEMEAT.
The whole menu began to repulse me: Pig trotters, Jellied Eel. Black pudding. I had to stop looking.
Keith got his moules and frites and I got fries. That's it. Plain fries, nothing on them. In Brussels, they like mayonnaise with their fries. No, thank you. By the way, if you associate chips (fries) with England, you're off base. Little Belgium apparently devours more chips than any other European country.
I know this is a cultural thing. Horsemeat is on menus all over France, Belgium, The Netherlands and other European countries - and how is different from a pig or cow, right? In my mind it is - and I just couldn't eat it or be near where it was served.
Keith enjoyed his mussels and a new treat for him - kriek. That's a cherry beer and even though I am not a beer drinker, I did taste it and it was quite good. (It did not taste like Cheerwine!)
Before the day ended we had to visit what is perhaps the most famous attraction in Brussels. This tiny statue on a corner was placed on the site in 1619 and was there until 1817 when it was stolen and smashed. The next year, a new statue was erected and this is the one we see today.
The bronze statue is called Manneken Pis and it is about a foot tall. It is a small boy urinating into a pool. He is quite popular. Most of the time he is naked but he does have clothes - more than 650 outfits, all housed in a museum. Visiting heads of state bring costumes of their native land to him. He also has a Santa suit and an Elvis costume (donated by Bill Clinton, perhaps?).
It is a little hard to believe that you're standing in a crowd of about 20 people, all jockeying for position to see this little peeing statue. We started thinking about those decals you see on trucks back home - the little boy peeing on a NASCAR number. Could Manneken Pis have been the inspiration?
We ended our first day in Belgium with - what else? - a waffle. They're everywhere you go, but we sauntered into a lovely place called J. Dandoy to get ours. Mine was so good. It was pretty simple - stewed cherries and chantilly. The small, dark cherries were not sweet, but really not sour. Just perfect.
Keith got a waffle with warm chocolate sauce (a thin sauce, not a hot fudge) with ice cream.
We took the long way home, strolling the winding cobblestone streets. It's easy to imagine yourself in the 1700s as you walk those streets. But not so easy to get horsemeat off your mind.