The Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries

We walked by and through these beautiful galleries not far from our hotel on various occasions during our stay in Brussels.

Designed as a connection between two commercial areas near the Grand Place, these covered galleries were one of the first of their size constructed in Europe.



Built in the Italian Renaissance style, the monumental structure bears witness to the prowess and innovations of steel and glass architecture. It was inaugurated in 1847 and the galleries designed in 1838 by J. P. Cluysenaar to include shops, as well as housing, and two theatres.

On our way home from the group dinner this evening, we strolled through here again... peeking into all the colorful shop windows. And avoiding all the temptations. There will be plenty of time for "winkling."

Group Introduction Dinner

We met Hilbren and our new tour "buddies" in the lobby at 4:00 PM and walked to a pub, La Becasse, to have an introductory meeting and enjoy some Belgium Lambic beers. One of the oldest in Brussels, the pub turned 100 years old in 1977 and the grandfather of the current owners was born in the corner of the upstairs room (where we met).

Although Hilbren was born in the US, he was raised in Brussels and speaks French, Dutch, and English, of course. He is a newlywed and his wife is French (we met her in Bruges). After Hilbren's overview of the tour and information about the beer-tastings, we went around the room and introduced ourselves. Most of us made notes on our rosters next to each person's names so MAYBE we'd remember something about each other the next day.



Believe it or not, Sam and I actually enjoyed the Lambic, which tasted more like a carbonated soda than beer to us. Proost (or "Cheers" in Dutch)!

After a walk through the city center, introducing us to some useful city landmarks to get our bearings, we ate our first group dinner at Aux Armes de Bruxelles.

I enjoyed poached salmon with béarnaise sauce; the other choice was Belgian Waterzooi (which is a chicken breast sitting in a vegetable stew).

We finished up with a very delicious and intense chocolate mousse (which was probably why I didn't sleep that night!).

 

Whoops! I forgot to take a photo before I dug in. Chocolate, you know... I couldn't wait!

Brussels' Famous Boy

Manneken-Pis is the symbol of Brussels. A few blocks from the Grand Place, this very small (under two feet) bronze statue of a peeing boy is tucked into a corner. You could almost miss seeing him if it weren't for the crowd of people gathering in the street and getting their photos taken with him.

The birth of Manneken-Pis is said to date back to the 8th century when a visiting bishop was asked to stay in the home of a Brussels lord who did not have an heir. The legend goes that after the bishop promised to intercede with God on his behalf, a child was born nine months later--one whose first act was to pee so high that he splashed the bishop's beard. When the lord ran away with the lady who conducted the baby's baptism (leaving his wife), the bishop declared his punishment: "Your only son will grow no bigger and never stop peeing."



That's just one legend about the peeing boy. Believe it or not, there are five additional legends throughout the centuries which tell other stories of his existence! The current statue was made in 1619 to provide drinking water for the neighborhood. In fact, at that time, because Manneken-Pis was knighted by the occupying French king, Louis XV, French soldiers had to salute the continually-pissing child every time they passed.

Although he was naked when Sam and I accidently stumbled by his location on the first day, it is a tradition for visiting VIPS to bring the statue an outfit. Also, he often dresses up in a costume for special occasions. A room in the City Museum contains many of his 800+ outfits--for example, those of a cosmonaut, a sultan, a musketeer, an Elvis Presley impersonator, various military uniforms, etc., etc..

And of course, there are all sorts of "takes" and souvenirs in Brussels depicting the famous little boy.

Long story short, Manneken-Pis has always been--and still is--a fountain, even if the monument which visitors admire today no longer fulfills the role it once had in Brussels' former water distribution system.

Despite all the legends behind the reasons for the little boy, in the end, the city commissioned it to show the freedom and joie de vivre of living in Brussels--where happy people eat, drink...and drink...and then, of course, pee. However, I noticed on the day we took his photos, he wasn't!?

Belgium Food

After leaving the City Museum on the Grand Place, we walked as long--and as far--as we could on our arrival day. Here's Sam resting as we made our way on the climb to the Upper Town.

Since Sam must eat "three times a day and have MEAT for supper," we stopped to eat (again) on the way back to the hotel. I had roast chicken with fries but Sam tried the traditional Belgium carbonnade, a rick beef stew flavored with onions, beer, and mustard. I wasn't crazy about it but I think she liked it.

And then we finally fell into bed by early evening. The problem--we didn't set our alarms for Wednesday, the 28th. After our typical awake-in-the-middle-of-the-night multiple times, I finally woke up at 11:30 AM and Sam at 12:50 PM! We couldn't believe it. And of course, that really shortened the time we had to explore before we met the tour group at 4:00 PM.



Sooo, we might as well eat (AGAIN!) at the corner café. How about some hearty sandwiches for a combination of breakfast and lunch? That's St. Michael's Cathedral in the background.



We didn't have mussels on this trip but they're everywhere in Belgium. I really like them but the servings tend to be huge and expensive and I can't eat them all.

The fries, however, never get old; they're called frites here. They are usually served with mayonnaise--which Sam loves--but I can do with a little less of that. I wasn't quick enough taking this photo! (Frankly, they're too messy for me.)



Oh, and the waffles! As you can see, you can get them with many different toppings--and then all the whipped cream and chocolate you can stand. Only one euro in most "to-go" places. Yes, we did...

And an iced latte, of course, at the deli a few doors from our hotel. At least we were well-rested as we headed back to the hotel to get ready for meeting our tour buddies.

First Lunch in Brussels and the City Museum

After checking into our hotel around noon, we walked back to the Grand Place to find a café in Agora Place for a hearty meal. We were obviously hungry--because the bill was 41 euros. But neither of us took a photo or remember what we ate! It was fun to sit outside though, relax, and enjoy interesting street scenes and people-watching.

After lunch, we returned to the Grand Place to visit the City Museum. I especially wanted to see the room full of costumes sent to and worn by the world-famous statue, Manneken-Pis (separate post).

Other floors in the museum contained tapestries and paintings; stained glass; maps and models of 13th through 17th century Brussels; sculptures, finely-carved altarpieces, and porcelain.



This small altarpiece from the 15th century--labeled as "Life of the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus"--was used in a private home for family devotions. Amazing detail and coloring in this intricately sculpted and painted wooden three-dimensional work.

The bombardment of Brussels by the French, as depicted in this massive and realistic painting, occurred in 1695. The fires that followed were fanned by the wind and subsequently destroyed nearly 4,000 buildings in the city.

Since it was so beautiful outside and temperatures were mild, we didn't want to spend too much time inside. So we pulled out the Rick Steves' book and made our way to the Upper Town. We would see much of this on the following day with our group but we wanted to keep moving. Even though we were wearing down from jet lag, it was only mid-afternoon and too early to throw in the towel!

Room #409 in Hotel Scandic Grand Place

Wow! Fancy. Our large--by European standards--room resembled a typical American business hotel, except that the windows opened (onto a very busy street, of course, running along the front of the hotel).

What happened to the Rick Steves' "back door" hotels? Although we're not complaining...

We eventually learned from our guide, Hilbren Buys, that it is harder and harder for Rick to find family-owned hotels in large European cities anymore. And many of our tour members were to agree during this trip that they preferred this little "problem."

Another Rick Steves Tour!

Time to travel again! This time, Sam and I chose Rick Steves' "Heart of Belgium and Holland in Eleven Days" tour, even though we have been to some of these places before. After all, this is my fifth and Sam's sixth Rick Steves' tour. But we always enjoy learning and it's fun to get away. Our trip and arrival in Brussels was on time and uneventful, exactly as we like it when beginning a tour.

Our first tourist site upon arrival from the airport and train station into the city center was the Grand Place (we arrived a day early, Tuesday, August 27, 2013). It was easy to find because the Town Hall's spire in the 1,000-year-old main cobblestone square is the tallest. This is where Brussels was born--at a strategic spot on the banks of the Senne River which crossed the main road from Koln to Bruges and is today completely bricked over.

As seen in the photo, there are many things going on here at all times during the day: flower markets, concerts, souvenir and art stands, and endless people-watching. Sitting among the museums surrounding the square are cafes and shops selling beer, mussels, gaufres (Belgium waffles, of course), paintings and drawings, chocolates, fries, flowers, and dentelles (lace).

It was a beautiful day and temps were climbing into the 70s. But we were eager to check into our hotel and get something to eat before exploring some more. Sam had to study the map before we found our way to the Hotel Scandic Grand Place.

It was time to check-in, drop off the bags, freshen up, and head back out again to enjoy the day!