Jude had a tough coughing session at about 5 am. He got back to sleep though – it was cool and better sleep. European pillows are very squishy though.
Up for our last free breakfast. Becky had a rough night. Zane is not feeling great, Jude is on the mend.
Got our bags and caught our train to Brussels. Very nice, very full train. My seat is broken. Jude is starting his college math course on the train. Only a 2 hour journey.
Arrived in Brussels and made our way to the hotel. We had to go thru a bit of a dodgy area, it wasn’t too bad, but it was a strange first impression of Brussels. Arrived at the hotel and it was glorious! It smelled so good when we walked in and the decor was amazing. Very floral. It is a true boutique hotel and it is absolutely lovely.
Our room was delightful, clean, cool, and had an interactive mural. Big windows overlooking the square. After settling in, we set off looking for food. Colin got grumpy about spending money on food and we had a thing. We went in search of different food and ended up at a kebab place. We had a nice meal and went to leave only to discover that the owner’s card reader was broken and we needed to pay cash which, of course, none of us had enough to cover the meal. So he loaned Graeme his electric scooter and sent him off in search of an ATM. Graeme basically went all the way into the center of town to find an ATM (turns out there was one just around the corner). In the meantime, the owner made us sweet mint tea which was so kind and yummy. Becky was quite concerned for Graeme’s safety as the scooter wasn’t in particularly good knick. The situations we get ourselves into!
We thought we might just have a quiet afternoon, but we decided to wander a bit and went into the center of town. We went to St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral, Brussels, and then to the Grand Place. So much gold! The Cathedral was beautiful!
Brussels was a surprise. It is a lovely mix of old and new buildings and architecture. Very multicultural.
Bought a few things at the supermarket and went back to the hotel. Lovely AC. We relaxed, and I had a wonderful shower. Went to bed and slept really well for the most part – under the duvet! Jude had a coughing fit early in the morning, but we all went back to sleep.
Lamppostings 