Brussels

Monday Brussels

A relaxed catch up day after nine frantic days in Paris and London. Made the train to Brussels with little time to spare as the metro ground to a halt several times on the way. The train under the channel was an anti-climax -- boring and dark like all the others. By the time we got to the hostel, our room was ready. We dumped our stuff and walked into the city centre and looked around the Grand Place and close by lanes for a while. Lovely architecture. Walked back via the shopping strip and relaxed and slept in the room for the rest of the afternoon. There was a kitchen so we went to the supermarket to get some fresh food, fruit salad for tea and lazed about the room in the evening trying to get the Wi-Fi to work.

Tuesday Brussels

Not quite the day we expected. Didn't open our eyes till 10:30am! Walked into the city to the Mannekin Pis statue. Today he was dressed up as Elvis. Then through Grand Place to a bus stop and up the hill to the king's palace. Not anywhere near the tourists or interest like London. Mandy and Ashley visited the Museum of instruments -- very extensive but not incredibly well displayed, while I had coffee. Then a quick view of the European Parliament, and a walk through the Parce De Bruxelles before heading out to the Atomium on the Metro. Really interesting huge steel sculpture of a lead atom made for the 1958 World Expo. Each ball holds an exhibition. Went up the lift to the top for a nice view of Brussels and surrounds, then explored the four pods that were functional. Next door to the food area for lunch, then by a convoluted route to Gare Midi to catch a train to Waterloo. Would have been better to catch the bus as we had to walk 1 km from the station. Wandered up and down, and saw Duke of Wellington's headquarters during the Battle of Waterloo. Had Pizza Hut for tea as not much in Belgium seems to be open. Didn't dislike Belgium and Brussels -- just found it boring with not much to see or do. By the way, Belgium really stuffed up its former colonies -- Congo and Rwanda -- both just left to rot when the Belgians pulled out.