A bit Boring in Brussels

A band playing in the Grand Place in Brussels. This is the one main square where I spent most of my time.
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Okay, so I know I have been to some pretty amazing places already so it might be hard to impress me, but I thought at least Brussels would have something to see.  I was wrong.  Val and I arrived by train, and called our hotel for their free shuttle service.  While I had seen this hotel online, and it appeared nice, it was not!  We both felt like we were staying at a Motel 6 by an airport.  Despite the bit sketchy hotel, we knew we werent going to be there long, so we just dealt.  The room did have a shower and a tv though.  We watched Patch Adams in French that night.  Sorry guys, I was desperate.

Buildings surrounding the Grand Place. Sorry it is crooked.
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We left the hotel to explore the city.  According to my Lets Go Europe book and the map the hotel gave us, we needed to head to the Grand Place.  We walked down a questionable street to get to a very small square.  While it is pretty in its building facades and golden statues, that is about it.  There were local performers scattered throughout the square juggling, playing tubas, and walking on stilts.  After we saw the unimpressive central square, we had dinner at a cafe and then returned to the hotel.

More performers on the square. They were juggling and riding unicycles and everything.
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Val left early the next morning to catch her flight home, and I enjoyed the breakfast at the hotel.  I met members of a Russian rugby team that were in Brussels for a tournament.  They were all in high school, and pretty much stuck in the hotel when not playing, so they were a bit bored.  I later found out why.  I left the hotel to find an internet cafe, and had to walk all the way down to the central square again.  I ended up wandering around the same streets over and over around the square.  They were the only some what interesting areas to see!  I came across the famous Mannequin de Pis by accident.  This statue is in the book of 1000 Things to See Before You Die.  I am not quite sure why.  It is just a bronze statue of a little boy peeing!  Anyway, as I strolled back to the square one last time, I came across a wedding party out taking pictures.  It was very pretty.  The bride and groom looked very happy, and there doting family was snapping a million pictures!  A group of performers moved in to entertain the crowd with juggling and music again.  I headed to an Italian cafe for lunch, and ended up entertained watching the local older ladies come and go gossiping with their friends over lunch.  As each of them walked into this particular cafe, the waiters would shake their hands and say, Bonjour Madam.  It was sweet.  I picked up some groceries on the way back to the hotel, and enjoyed some tv over a picnic dinner.

More buildings from the square.
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My last day in Brussels I tried to find something to do.  I ended up emailing, and then reading in a coffeehouse.  I had to be to the airport by 4pm, so I headed to the hotel to get the shuttle to the train station.  I had reserved the shuttle the day before, but when I asked at the front desk, they had no record of it!  Ahhh!  I panicked for a second, and then the guy at the reception desk asked the maid who was leaving to give me a lift.  Can you imagine?!  She was a very sweet Italian lady who was listening to Andrea Bocelli in her small sedan.  She gladly took me right to the station to catch my train.  I easily made it to the Brussels airport, and then took my short flight into Berlin.  I was able to navigate my way to my friend, Johns apartment, and I plan to be in Berlin a week.  More updates to come!