A good friend of ours suggested that we check out Belgium when we had a chance. This sparked our curiosity, for several reasons. Tom, our friend, spoke very highly of the country and its people, and we were interested in investigating the base for the European Union. Of course, there's the chocolate and the waffles . . . Anyway, we decided to make a long (five day) layover in Brussels on our way to Cornwall. We weren't disappointed!

Brussels Street Band

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​For a quick overview:

Our apartment was a stone's throw from the Grande Place, with a great view of the Brussels Town Hall from our balcony.

The Atomium was constructed for the 1958 World's Fair. It's a replica of a crystal of iron, magnified 165 billion times. 335 feet tall, with nine 60-foot diameter spheres. It's like something out of science fiction!

The Parc du Cinquantenaire (Park of the 50th Anniversary) had a cart with the best waffles.

A bit of whimsy in a city park.

We capped off our stay by visiting probably the most iconic representative of Brussels . . . the Manneken Pis . . . (we almost missed him)

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Our apartment was a stone's throw from the Grande Place, with a great view of the Brussels Town Hall from our balcony . . .

. . . not to mention a bird's-eye view of the city life below.

We found a very comfortable place; the owner had an eye for style and comfort . . .

. . . and quite possibly the most comfortable bed we found on our travels to date!

We arrived in Brussels in the middle of January, and found the city lively, filled with music and activity.

MIM, or the Musical Instruments Museum, is a jazzy tribute to music of all ages.

Belgian architecture, at least in Brussels, has a sense of mass and strength . . .

. . . and a solidity that seems to ignore the passage of time.

We had never heard of the Atomium before we went to Brussels. The Atomium was constructed for the 1958 World's Fair.

It's a replica of a crystal of iron, magnified 165 billion times. 335 feet tall, with nine 60-foot diameter spheres. It's like something out of science fiction!

This is the Place de Belgique, the site of the 1958 Expo, and now home to several museums.

Not to mention Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.

A bit of whimsy in a city park. We were on a sojourn to find . . .

. . . the Parc du Cinquantenaire (Park of the 50th Anniversary) . . .

. . . built in 1880 to celebrate 50 years of Belgian independence from The Netherlands. (We celebrated with yummy Belgian waffles.)

The Parc included a triumphal arch . . .

. . . which didn't actually get completed in time for the 50th anniversary. There are also museums of the military, arts and sciences, and vintage autos (?).

We walked past Le Berlaymont, the headquarters of the EU, and got a rush . . .

. . . contemplating the enormity of the accomplishment in bringing all these disparate countries together . . .

. . . as a unified expression of European thought and commerce.

We capped off our stay by visiting probably the most iconic representative of Brussels . . .

. . . the Manneken Pis . . . (we almost missed him)