Two more days in Brussels: October 14 & 15

 October 14 - A rainy day in Brussels

   We have been on the road for a month and a half and have had few rainy days. Today was rainy, but no downpours. 

Grand Place Square with old guild halls

Yummy Bowl

More guild halls

   Most museums on Brussels close on Mondays, so we had not planned a busy day anyhow. So, we walked out this morning in the drizzle just to explore. We went through a covered gallery of expensive stores and then got coffee in the Grand Place.

   Later we had lunch at La Boussole, a restaurant recommended by Meaghan Lynch who is living here. (She happens to be back in the States while we are here which is too bad.) It was excellent, very local, with neighbors eating there. Barbara had seafood bouillabaisse and Mark had cod in a mustardy cream sauce. Both were excellent.

    We walked a bit more, got some snacks for the hotel and had a nice quiet day of reading and catching up with things.

October 15 Visit to Musical Instruments Museum

   We started out chilly, but the clouds cleared and we had sun and it got into the low 60s. Wow - it felt warm. 

    We walked about 4+ miles. First, we headed to the Musical Instruments Museum near the Royal Palace area. It was an interesting museum and critical to use headphones. It was just the right size for us and we were able to linger over the many instruments. The building itself was beautiful, too.

My Day, Iraqi restaurant

    After that, we walked to My Day, an small Iraqi restaurant recommended by Meaghan. And, again, her recommendation did not disappoint. It was delicious. Barbara had an eggplant stew which warmed the stomach. Mark had a veal shwarma plate with other appetizers around it such as hummus, tabouleh etc. All so good.

     From there, we walked "home" exploring. We came across an old "Halles" which seemed like a community meeting place. There were people playing chess and two young people playing the piano that was available. Not much else was going on at the time, but it is clearly a space used for events in the community.

    Later, we walked back out to get a baguette etc for dinner and strolled the Grand Place Square with the guild halls, Hotel de Ville and the former Royal Palace, not the Museum of Brussels. People were out and about strolling. It was a nice way to end our trip to Brussels.

In Grand Place Square

  

Huge gutted building which was amazing