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6 June : Chocolate, Waffles, & Fries

En route to Amsterdam from London

Trippin'.
NATO's headquarters resides in Brussels, as in the European Union, but Brussels is known for a few more things-- delicious Belgium waffles, decadent chocolates and crispy cut fries.

A must to see Manneken Pis-- the peeing boy! He has an outfit for everyday of the year. Impressive.

Brussels is a great side trip if you're on your way to Amsterdam from London or Paris. For us, Brussels was not part of the plan, but when Eurostar tickets to Paris were sold out (apparently booking two days before is considered late), we had to take a detour and reroute the entire trip.
Not to sweat, having been to Brussels before, I knew it would be a great side trip whilst en route to Amsterdam. We had a wonderful afternoon hanging out in and around the Grote Markt (Market Square)-- a picturesque town square with charming 14th century stone buildings.

The only damper on our perfect afternoon in Brussels was a bad case of allergies. We had to dine inside which was too bad. Bad enough that I had to run to a nearby Pharmacy because our sinus was preventing us from enjoying anything. Brussels, as a matter of fact Europe as a whole, were not having it with our Claratin, Zyrtec or any other meds from the States. But we didn't let that stop us from having all things Belgium-- chocolates, waffles and fries. In Belgium, locals enjoy their fries with, get this, mayo! It's a no no to ask for ketchup so, when in Belgium. However, after a taste of fries and mayo, we opted to have it plain and not offend anyone by asking for ketchup. Fries with mayo-- it's definitely an acquired taste.

Looking back, had it not been for some less than thorough planning, we wouldn't have had the fortunate opportunity to enjoy some authentic Belgian classics.

Attraction & Destination Checklist:
Manneken Pis
Grote Markt
Tips: From Brussels Midi train station, store your luggage in a locker and catch either a tram or an ordinary train a few stops north to get to the Grand Place (Grote Markt).

More Photos.