Belgium. The day trip that took two days to post about it.
We definitely made the most of this day. We left early in the morning, and we didn't return until late that evening. With no real agenda, we hoped to see as much of whatever, whenever, however. Young Mr. Lee informed us that Brussels was home to a large Art Deco church. Turns out, it is possibly the largest Art Deco edifice in the world. I think it is also among the top ten largest churches in the world.
This is the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The interior is finished in the 1930's art deco style, yet, the building wasn't completed until the late 1960's.
We did a lot of walking. It was really surprising to me that in the middle of December, everything was as green as spring. What's up with that? In our conversation with the kids yesterday, they said the temperatures still had not dipped to below zero degrees Celsius. Between that and the fact that they get lots of moisture, I guess things grow.
Here is an interior picture of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. There were so many different naves, and each one was decorated with a different style of art deco stained glass windows. Not a lot of rhyme or reason. Yet another realm of art of which I have little comprehension.
The Atomium is one of the most recognized and most popular tourist attractions in Europe. Built for the World's Fair in 1958, it is hard to describe. Part sculpture, part spherical, futuristic (for 1958) -- standing underneath it makes the world feel smaller. You know when you have seen pictures and images of scenes and views around the world, then you are there....? I always think, "wow, it wasn't impossible to get here... what else am I missing?"
Full Disclosure Time
When arriving in Brussels, I admit, I had never heard of one of its most visited attractions.
It is a bit hard to find. Standing at only 24 inches tall and placed in the year 1619, this statue of a little boy has so many different legends surrounding it, I am not sure anyone has the real story.
One of the funniest things about this statue, is that several times a week, it is dressed in different costumes. Many pictures are available online, but he has been dressed in everything from a judo uniform, to national dress from visiting expats -- one can only imagine. To elaborate any more about this statue would only take us places I don't want to go. The link above tells almost all. :)
Here in the center of the city are several significant buildings and a large square. Town Hall, Grand Place, Brussels City Museum and the King's House anchor this beautiful area, and no detail has been overlooked. This is such a clean city, and we did a pretty nice job of hitting the highlights in only one day. We took a late train back to Amsterdam in order to enjoy a terrific dinner, and once again, with no advance plans, we happened onto this very old pub in the city square. When we have no idea what we are doing, most restaurants that we select have to do with the number of people we see in the window. This day was no exception. Once again, younger Mr. Lee pulled his French language skills out, and he easily ordered us both lunch and dinner. I didn't mention that the two languages of Belgium are French and German, so we were more than fortunate he was fluent enough that we didn't end up with any surprises on our plates.
So this really cool old pub that we found for dinner was right on the square. I didn't get a picture of it -- what a dork. We were escorted right up to the fourth floor and over to a tiny table by a window that the four of us barely could scoot up and reach. About the time I am going to roll my eyes and ask for "that bigger table over there," this brilliant light show began. What a treat! There is a light show in the square during the summer months, but apparently, they do it during the holidays, too! It was better than fireworks. Brilliant, colored, LED lights, spot lights, all coordinated to music --
now we couldn't get close enough to the window.
From the fourth floor, we had such a great view of the people, and all the buildings in the square. It was unbelievable. Absolutely beautiful!
The light show was every hour on the hour, and enjoying the traditional German fare and beverages in the pub, we were able to see it twice, or maybe it was three times. Kinda lost track. This was such a terrific day. In my head, I often say, "Top 5." I have said it a lot of times in the last few months, but I have decided that LIFE. IS. SHORT. I am trying to do a better job of relaxing and enjoying each opportunity that I receive. Sometimes those opportunities are disguised as, well, things that don't look like opportunities. You never know. Brussels was fabulous.
