Day #107 - Brussels, Belgium

Grand Place

Mary Chocolatier

Cool hike

End of Hike - Parc du Cinquantenaire

Ommegang Pageant

Tuesday, June 29th

Today I took a 6:20am train from London to Brussels, Belgium -- arriving at 9:45am (Belgium is 1 hour ahead of London - about a 2-1/2 hour train ride)

I don't know too much about Belgium. It's a country about the size of New Jersey located between France and the Netherlands. I've heard good things coming into today. After touring around - I would have to agree. Brussels is a great place to visit. Because of it's size, a good day or 2 could do the trick. Maybe a relaxing stop through as you work your way from Paris to Amsterdam.

Once checked into my hotel, I spent the day walking the streets throughout the city -- easily walkable in a single day. One of the big highlights is the main central square - called Grand Place (Grote Markt). It's one of the most unique squares in all of Europe. I was lucky again today as there was a festival planned for 9pm tonight in the square. This is called the Ommegang Pageant. It's celebrated each summer on 2 separte days. This year, the dates are today and Thursday, July 1st. This celebration reenacts the 1549 procession honoring the Holy Roman Emperorer Charles V. I went back down to the square tonight to see this show. Pretty remarkable. Supposedly, more than 1,400 performers are involved in helping relive the oncoming of Charles V. This is a very important event in Belgium culture - something taken seriously by all. This is a night to remember their history. Horses, dancers, flags, costumes, smoke filtering the air, and crowds of people made this a site to see.

Belgium is known for it's great beers and world's best chocolates. I visited a shop called Mary Chocolatier (in my 1000 Things Book). This place is world renown as the best of the best when it comes to chocolates. An autographed picture of President Bush and wife Laura was hanging in the shop. Belgium is proclaimed to have hundreds of beer breweries, producing some 300 varieties within its borders. Brussels is also known for its parks. There are parks scattered throughout the city.

After checking out the main city area, I took a hike recommended by the visitor center. It went through some of the outskirts of town, travelling through many parks, and ending up in Parc du Cinquantenaire -- where the military museum and art hisory museums are located.

Tomorrow I'll take a train to Bruge, Belgium and possibly Antwerp to checkout what else Belgium has to offer.