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The minute you get off the train in the train station, your olfactory senses are hit with an overwhelming smell of waffles and Belgian chocolate, YUM! Grand place (the center of the historical area) is so charming, with its narrow cobblestone streets and intricate 17th century buildings right down to little shops and even an accordian player on the sidewalk playing 'la vie en rose'!
We spent the day walking through the flower market, crafts market, and around Grand Place. We also saw the mannekin-pis, which is a sculpture fountain of a little boy peeing, supposedly a huge attraction for some reason. We didn't understand that at all. It was more interesting to know that the original was 'kidnapped' many times, mainly by pranksters who placed the boy in other funny public places, and they now display only a replica. We also visited their largest park, which was comissioned over 300 years ago. It was beautifully groomed, and the fountains were a great way to cool off.
The food here is a vast improvement over the food in London, and everything is much more reasonably priced, thank goodness! We tried the true Belgian Waffles, which were thicker and more bready than the ones at home so not as good, but the toppings they put on them were DIVINE. They don't skimp on the strawberries, chocolate and real whipped cream! Belgian chocolate... what can you say? Deidre's eyes glaze over and mouth starts watering just thinking about them. A taste of Belgian Chocolate can send you into a different realm. You can't walk more than 50 feet without running into a Belgian Chocolate shop! (Not good for the waistline) There's a Belgian lace shop on each block as well, and they have the most beautiful hand-made lace which explains why it is their trademark. The weather has been a sunny and beautiful 70 degrees, a far cry from the cold and rainy London. Overall, WE LOVE BELGIUM!!!
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