Brussels - full day

 

Hostel lesson #1- At breakfast choose the end table seat or you can find yourself surrounded by a table of large, loud German men recapping the night before (even though we couldn’t understand them, it seemed like a wild night). We were smashed in between either a dutch or german rugby team (or something similar). They were laughing and telling stories and we were surrounded. Haha

After breakfast we made the long hike to Cirquantenaire Park. It houses a couple museums – Autoworld, a History Art, and a Belgian Army/Navy. A fountatian was near by.

 We briefly walked through the Army/Navy because it was free. In the main room, there was about 50 planes. Most were fighter pilots but there was a few classics thrown in there.

 

Next we made our way to a local market area and ordered fries from Masion Antoine. They are supposedly one of the best in the Brussels. We didn’t have anything to compare too, but they were very tasty. Listed on their menu was over 10 different sauces for the fries. The favorite seemed to be mayonnaise, we weren’t quite ready for that yet so we opted for “curry ketchup” it was delicious!

 

Once we got back into the main city center, we stopped by the Royal Palace. Not sure what it is, but it was a nice building at the end of nice park. When we arrived a band was doing sound check and vendors were setting up for the Concert in the park. That was new news to us. There were kid games, mini concerts, and the whole Brussels city was out having fun on the sunny Sunday afternoon.

 

To enjoy our afternoon, we headed to Delerium Tremans – a bar with 2000 beers on their menu. Due to the support of Steven’s Mom and Dad, we purchased two light refreshing Belgian beers. Amanda got a light Wit, while Steven opted for the another lambic. Both were great. It was nice to relax in the alley. It just happened to be on the same alley as Manneakin Pis sister, Jeankin Pis. A restaurant owner had her put there to attract people down the small side alley where his restaurant was. The restaurant is gone now but it did bring swarms of people down  the alley to take a look.  

 

Once we finished those, we moved on to the next highly acclaimed Aux Voux Temps. This bar is hidden from the tourist stops and is Brussels hidden gem. We printed off detailed directions on how to get there and followed the map to our treasure. Once there we sat at the bar and gazed out at the religious themed. There was numerous statues and stain glass windows. When we looked at the menu, Steven’s mouth dropped. The long and awaited “best beer in the world” was on the menu. This is not your ordinary beer, this brew is the product of Belgain trappist monks. This particular monastery does not distribute their beer. The only way you can get your hands on their beer is by going to the Abbey and getting it. They strictly tell you that you are not allowed to sell their beer. How it got on the menu, is probably illegal. Oh well. The name by which this beer goes by Westy 12. It’s a 10% beast, brown in color and tastes of deep dark fruits, raisons and hint of bready taste. They brew was magical. It might not be the best tasting beer in world, but because it so hard to get, the anticipation builds it up. To finally have had the “best beer in the world,” Steven feels that with this beer his geek status has gone up a level (like Zelda).

 

After the great experience with Westy 12, we went to the supermarket and got a loaf bread, salami, and gouda cheese. We took our food and sat smack in the middle of the Grand Palace. As we ate, we stared up at the details on the building. It was a humbling experience to see the fine work of people hundreds of years ago.

 

Following our picnic, we got a Belgian Waffle with nutella on it. Simply beautiful. It had a elephant ear dough taste but was very crispy. The nutella brought it to a whole new level. Our Belgian cuisine was complete.

 

Before we headed back to our hostel for another great night of sleep, we stopped by the concert and saw a reggae band play for a bit. We were engulfed in the Brussels culture with thousands of locals hanging out on the lawns, dancing and celebrating life.