Arriving in Brussels - Belgium.

Arriving in Brussels-Belgium.

We really enjoyed our time in Brussels. We had the total of 5 days, the final two days of our Trafalgar Tour and we had 3 days just us - to do our own thing and to see what we wanted to at our own leisure.

Do you know what Belgium is famous for??? Over 700 boutique beers that have to be served in their own particular shaped glass, mussels, waffles and frites (chips) served with mayo.

On our way to Brussels our tour group called into the beautiful Town of Gent. It is just so picturesque and our tour director Patrick, took us on a walking tour of the old area and down to the canal. We also stopped at a little restaurant and Patrick treated all of us to one of Belgium’s treats – waffles  with butter and cream. Served with coffee they were great.

 

General view of Gent.

Enjoying waffles in Gent.
 

We then went into St. Baafskathedraal, Gent’s magnificent Gothic Cathedral which dates back to the 1200’s and was completed over several centuries. The main attraction here is a magnificent multi-panelled work by early Flemish artists, Jan van Eck’s and his brother Hubrecht - The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb which is housed in a side chapel and is one of the greatest cultural treasures of northern Europe. It is large piece of work, exquisitely painted with rich glowing colours and meticulously depicted details. Most of what is on display is the original and it is just beautiful.

 

 

The small Chapel and the painting of the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.

When we arrive in Brussels the capital of Belgium, we all went on another walking tours of the old medieval city area and to see Manneken-Pis which is an unlikely attraction. It is a small statue of a small boy, only two foot high reliving himself into a small pool, but it is as famous as the Trevi Fountain in Rome. It has been in place since 1619 and everyone who goes to Brussels goes to see this statue. It must also be the most popular souvenir as there is a copy in every size - small, medium and large in every tourist shop, there are cards and posters and every restaurant has a copy of the famous peeing fountain.

 Manneken- Pisa. Legend says that this little boy extinguished a major fire in Brussels.

We also walked through the Grand Place, which is a beautiful large city square surrounded on four sides by ornate buildings with 17^th century architecture. This is said to be the most beautiful square in Europe and it is the geographical, historical and commercial heart of the city of Brussels. It is most probably the most ornate and beautiful city square that I have seen.

The Grand Place - Main City Square Brussels.

 

We then ventured to the Galleries St-Hubert which is a grand shopping arcade built in the 1847 and we also looked around the major alfresco dining area and the restaurants along the cobbled lane ways of the Rue des Boucher. This area abounds in 17^th century stepped gables and decorated doorways and is full of people all enjoying a wonderful meal (mainly mussels piled high) and beer together.

Farewell dinner with our fellow travellers.

The restaurant.

Brussels is a hub for trade and politics and has international prominence but it also has glorious architecture and gilded spires rise over the old city. It has a large business district and this is where our hotel is.

That night (Saturday) the tour group all met together for a final farewell dinner. The restaurant it is held in, is a lovely old building which is a renovated hardware store. It is sad to say goodbye to our new traveling companions but we are looking forward to doing some sightseeing on our own and to our next stop - Paris.

The next day we got early and we walked and walked, seeing as many of the attractions, buildings and monuments as we could. We saw the Gardens, the Palace Royal and the wonderful Museums. We went into every church that we came to and just loved the main Brussels Cathedral and all its magnificent stain glass painted windows. We walked up to The Palais de Justice with a magnificent monument to soldiers of the 1^st World War out the front. We then headed back into the old medieval area and spent some time in the grand place. In the afternoon we also mastered the metro train system and ventured to the Parco de Cinquantenaire with a magnificent triumphal arch which was built in 1905. This is on the outskirts of the City Centre.

 

The area around the main Museums and Galleries.

 

The beautiful painted glass windows in the Cathedral.

Cathedral Sts Michel et Guddle in Brussels.

The next day we went by regional train to Antwerp-I will do a separate blog on Antwerp.

Our final day in Brussels was spent at the magnificent Musees Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique or the Museum of Ancient Art. There are two eras covered in two beautiful galleries in this building, ancient 15^th to 18^th century and the modern 19^th century to present day. The Museum of Ancient Art opened in 1887 and has the finest collection of Flemish Art in the world.

The main entrance into the two art galleries.

One of the Brueghel paintings in the museum.

I have always loved Middle Age Flemish Art for their use of blacks, browns and reds and how they dress their subjects and depict everyday peasant life of their time. My favourite artists are Peter Brueghel the younger and Jan Brueghel the elder. There is a room dedicated to them and it was just fantastic to see the originals of their work. They were far better than any prints I have seen and just brilliant in real life.

All the art in these two wonderful gallery was beautiful and very well displayed. We enjoyed every section we saw and spent many hours looking at all the works of art.