Brussels

After the cuteness of Bruges, Brussels was a bit of a shock to my system. Gone were the winding streets and cobblestones, and in their place were hulking office buildings and vast boulevards. I think from the beginning I was predisposed to dislike Brussels. It was probably a combination of the fact that I was sort of tired of traveling, and that we stayed in an out-of-the-way Best Western surrounded by empty office buildings. On the whole I didn't exactly fall in love with the city but it did have its bright spots. The first was the imposing market square (pictured below) with its ornate buildings and slack-jawed tourists. I have come to know and appreciate market squares, and the one in Brussels was every bit as nice (although curiously smaller) as the one in Bruges.

I also enjoyed the art museum, which had both modern and ancient art (although ancient seemed to include anything before 1500). The museum seemed to specialize in medieval paintings staring a creepy malnourished version of the baby Jesus. It made me wonder if any of the painters had ever actually seen a baby before, because if they had, why were they so convinced Jesus looked like a little alien? However strange the paintings were, though, people must have liked them because there were rooms full of them.

The real highlight of Brussels, however, was the amazing chocolate shop Manon. It was the kind of place that you stumble upon, fall in love with, and then find yourself wondering if it is worth moving to Brussels just to be closer to the chocolate. By my second trip to Manon I was already trying to image opening my own branch in Seattle, oh how the people would love me!






No this isn't Notre Dame, its the Cathedral in Brussels.