2013 BRUSSELS

(3) BRUGES*GHENT*BRUSSELS


July 23
BRUGES
Took a day trip outside Brussels and the first stop is the medieval town of Bruges, the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The historic city center is a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO. The city is famous with its canals so we took a boat tour.

Walking tour of the city. Bruges Belfry; the Church of Our Lady, whose brick spire is one of the world's highest brick towers/buildings; the sculpture Madonna and Child, which can be seen in the transept, is believed to be Michelangelo's only sculpture to have left Italy within his lifetime. Lunch was at Brasserie Vivaldi where I had a Flemish dish called Waterzooi and Leffe beer.

GHENT
Back on the bus and on to Ghent. Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium and the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province.

Got back to Brussels in time for cocktails and had Tripel Karmeliet, a perfectly balanced beer. Then on to dinner with Sophie and Olivier at KoKoB, an Ethiopian Restaurant near the Grand Place.











July 24-27
BRUSSELS
Spent the next few days just roaming the city.

Met my new friends (Serge, Heloise, and Namir) from Le Daric for beer and Moules vin blanc for dinner.

Stopped by the Botanique, an oasis in the middle of the city with flowers and other plants. The buildings are now used as concert venues.

July 28
SABLON FLEA MARKET*BRASSERIE L'ENTREE DES ARTISTES
Sunday is Flea Market Day at the Sablon. Saw a lot of nice antiques but a bit pricey so I just enjoyed looking.

Lunch was at Brasserie L'Entree des Artistes and enjoyed a very good Tartare de Saumon aux pistaches with arugula and toasted bread, accompanied by a glass of Bellevue Framboise beer. Later I browsed the beautiful books at Taschen.

August 1
ATOMIUM*CINQUANTENAIRE
Today's destination is the Atomium which was originally constructed for Expo 58, the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and architects André and Jean Polak, it stands 102 m (335 ft) tall. Its nine 18 m (59 ft) diameter stainless steel clad spheres are connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times.

The line was long to purchase ticket to the Atomium so I decided to have lunch at the Atomium Restaurant first. Not only did the ground floor hostess for the restaurant escorted me directly to the elevator to the topmost sphere but I did not have to pay the entrance fee. Seated at a nice table with fantastic view, I enjoyed a Campari and soda and then a superb Magret de Canard for lunch. Aaaah, good life!

Now it's time to check out the rest of the Atomium. Took the elevator down and started the tour which is on 5 of the spheres. Nice exhibits from the original World's Fair in 1958 and some contemporary art. There was also a sphere where people can spend overnight in spherical modules. Mini Europe Park can be seen below and on a clear day until Antwerp.

Took the metro back and to the Parc du Cinquantenaire (French for "Park of the Fiftieth Anniversary", a large public, urban park (30 hectares) in the easternmost part of the European Quarter in Brussels, Belgium. First I stopped at the Autoworld where I saw awesome vintage cars and motorcycles and weird helmets.

Most buildings of the U-shaped complex which dominate the park were commissioned by the Belgian government under the patronage of King Leopold II for the 1880 National Exhibition commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Belgian independence. The present centerpiece triumphal arch was erected in 1905.

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