This morning after breakfast we began a walk around some
other parts of Brussels, not directly near the hotel.
But, it was bitter cold today and there was no sun and total
overcast.
We did venture out for a
while, explored some interesting areas, but due to the cold weather we headed
back to the hotel to warm up.
After a bit of warming, we were off again to the central part of
Brussels near the Grand Place and Manneken Pis.
When we arrived at Manneken Pis, it appeared that they were
preparing the little boy for some type of ceremony.
The immediate area around him was roped off, a worker was
dressing him and hooking up some hoses and what appeared to be some dignitaries
were near the statue.
What we soon
found out was that a minister of Hong Kong was here, the statue was dressed in
some Hong Kong colors of clothing and some speeches were forthcoming.
Soon, there was a small band playing
music, a few speeches were made and then Manneken Pis was actually pissing
beer…….. he was hooked up to a small keg of beer.
A few of the workers were filling up cups of beer and giving
them out, first to the Chinese delegation and then to the crowds watching the
ceremony.
It was rather fun
watching the whole event and Gail and I even had a cold beer, directly from
Manneken Pis.
Being among a large
crowd kept us somewhat warm at this point.
After the event, Gail and I picked up some lunch and
returned to the hotel for a good portion of the afternoon to stay warm.
We eventually wandered out again and
found ourselves back at Chez Leon for dinner.
Since we really enjoyed the mussels last night, and were not
ready to explore in the cold weather to find another restaurant, we settled in
at Chez Leon.
The salad, mussels,
fries, bread, beer and wine were excellent.
Once we completed dinner we immediately went back to hotel
to get out of the cold.
We
expected weather in the Brussels area to be about 50 degrees, but for most of
the day the temperature was in the mid to high 30s.
Tomorrow we leave Brussels to spend the next four days in
Bruges, Belgium, one of my favorite stops on my 2011 trip.
Bruges has great museums as well as
great food and chocolate.
 |
| Manneken Pis, pissing beer! |
 |
| Our dinners tonight ..... superb! |
 |
| Grand Place after dinner |
This morning after breakfast we began a walk around some
other parts of Brussels, not directly near the hotel. But, it was bitter cold today and there was no sun and total
overcast. We did venture out for a
while, explored some interesting areas, but due to the cold weather we headed
back to the hotel to warm up.
After a bit of warming, we were off again to the central part of
Brussels near the Grand Place and Manneken Pis. When we arrived at Manneken Pis, it appeared that they were
preparing the little boy for some type of ceremony. The immediate area around him was roped off, a worker was
dressing him and hooking up some hoses and what appeared to be some dignitaries
were near the statue. What we soon
found out was that a minister of Hong Kong was here, the statue was dressed in
some Hong Kong colors of clothing and some speeches were forthcoming. Soon, there was a small band playing
music, a few speeches were made and then Manneken Pis was actually pissing
beer…….. he was hooked up to a small keg of beer. A few of the workers were filling up cups of beer and giving
them out, first to the Chinese delegation and then to the crowds watching the
ceremony. It was rather fun
watching the whole event and Gail and I even had a cold beer, directly from
Manneken Pis. Being among a large
crowd kept us somewhat warm at this point. After the event, Gail and I picked up some lunch and
returned to the hotel for a good portion of the afternoon to stay warm. We eventually wandered out again and
found ourselves back at Chez Leon for dinner. Since we really enjoyed the mussels last night, and were not
ready to explore in the cold weather to find another restaurant, we settled in
at Chez Leon. The salad, mussels,
fries, bread, beer and wine were excellent. Once we completed dinner we immediately went back to hotel
to get out of the cold. We
expected weather in the Brussels area to be about 50 degrees, but for most of
the day the temperature was in the mid to high 30s. Tomorrow we leave Brussels to spend the next four days in
Bruges, Belgium, one of my favorite stops on my 2011 trip. Bruges has great museums as well as
great food and chocolate.
Enjoying your gastronomic travels with relish [pun intended] :-)
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