Brussels & Belgium

part two

another restful interlude

:: May 3 - 8 ::

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A familiar kilometer walk from Kristin's house, on the little square that is the historic center of Anderlecht (once a detached suburb of Brussels), we found excellent Lebanese "crepes". We hope to return there for another late breakfast on a Brussels morning.

Bob had a pleasant birthday on May 4, capped off with a dinner at one of Kristin and Benny's favorite Ethiopian restaurants.

We had not been to the Grand Place in six years. One evening we took the Metro with Kristin to this heart of Brussels. Automobiles have been removed from nearby streets making the area even more pleasant. 

One of the buildings that fronts on the Grand Place is now a local history museum. Among the displays that occupy three floors was a room with a current display devoted to The Manequin Pis--the city's famous statue of a urinating boy. It is something like a mascot to Brussels.The statue has worn many costumes--some official, some pranks.

More sobering and important in these times, we drove out one afternoon to Fort Breendonk, a fort constructed just prior to WWI, which was a gruesome, Nazi concentration camp during WWII.

  

 

Sunday, May 8, we visited Benny's mother, Lidia, and his father, Fernand. Being Mothers' Day, we spent the afternoon in Roeselare celebrating three mothers.

Two of the mothers having fun.

Lidia had prepared a healthy, tasty lunch; she presented it beautifully

Before we headed back to Brussels we walked around downtown with Lidia. It appears to be thriving. Pedestrianizing of several streets since we were last here appears to be working well for pedestrians, cyclists, and businesses. 

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