Afternoon in Mechelen

We drove next to another little town, Mechelen. On the way, we talked about how people in Belgium do not tend to smile much. In the US, if you pass someone on the street, or bump into them by accident, there is a good chance that one of you will just smile a little in passing as sort of an acknowledgement. Certainly the shopkeepers smile at you when you come into the store, and waiters usually smile at you while they're helping you. Here, though, none of that happens. It is sort of depressing when no one smiles at you, especially if you pick up on people's emotions like Ashley and I do. It is a little hard to stay cheerful when people are so somber. We drove into Mechelen and parked near the Gross Markt. Allison went shopping for food for dinner, and Ashley and Alex and I explored Mechelen. So far, this was my favorite town. The guildhalls around the square are really interesting and beautiful -- lots of different colors and shapes of windows, and the sun was shining so brightly that it lit everything up. One of the guildhalls has a big pig on top, and another has a bear on the front and now houses a bistro called The Bear. We went into the cathedral in the center of town and walked around inside. There was beautiful stained glass that was spectacular on such a sunny day. We also visited the chapels around the back of the altar. Each one represented a different guild: silverworkers, merchants, grocers...and also both crossbowmen AND handbowmen. Interesting! The cathedral had a big carved wooden pulpit with lots of animals that Alex pointed out to us. After the cathedral, we walked over to the town hall, which has a beautiful courtyard full of flowers in hanging baskets. Then we went and got some Homemade Australian ice cream, i.e. gelato, which was fantastic.

After the gelato, we met Allison at the car and headed back to Brussels. We got lost a few times (the road signs are less than helpful, and the traffic is crazy), but we made it back. Alex fell asleep while we were driving, so once we got home, Ashley read in the car and talked to Joe and I went for another run around the neighborhood. I wanted to go to the park, which Larry recommended, but let me tell you, Brussels is not a city for runners. The sidewalk totally ended in the middle of my run. I found out later that I should have crossed the avenue and run up the middle of the street, but let me tell you: Not obvious. After my run, I got showered and played with Alex and Ashley. Ashley and I had a castle-building contest that I clearly won. We had roasted chicken, couscous, and green beans for dinner, and we had green bean races with Alex. Ashley, Allison, and Alex went upstairs early, and Larry and I talked for a while until we realized that Alex was nearby. Turns out she'd gotten out of her pack 'n play and come down 3 flights of steps, looking for people. Augh! We all went to bed after that, because Ashley and I have to be up early tomorrow to go to Paris! Exciting!!!

The guildhalls around the square are really interesting and beautiful -- lots of different colors and shapes of windows, and the sun was shining so brightly that it lit everything up.