Mussels in Brussels–a quick weekend in Belgium

After a fabulous few days in Paris, we took an early morning train to Bruges, Belgium to meet up with Happy Meal–a dear friend from university!  He was living in Brussels for a few months, so we opted to explore Bruges one day and head to Brussels for a couple of nights.  We walked around Bruges for the better part of the morning and found the Beer Wall before settling down for a delicious lunch in one of the squares.

So happy to see Happy Meal!!!

The Beer Wall!

Love this guy!

Sampler

Celebrating John’s birthday at lunch.  Yum!

After lunch, we walked around a few of the shops–my favourite:  the cookies!

My dream store–a cookie shop!

Next, we took a cruise along the canals.  I was completely charmed by the beauty of Bruges, but when I looked over, both of the boys were asleep!!!

All aboard!

Beautiful canals

Gorgeous.

Looks like a fairy tale…

After a lovely day exploring Bruges, we hopped the train to Brussels, had a delicious dinner and headed to Happy Meal’s apartment for a good night’s rest.

The next morning, we set out to explore Brussels, Happy Meal’s new city and seeing as he had only been there for three days, we got to discover it together!  Our first stop:  Brussels’ famous fountain–Manneken Pis.

Manneken-Pis

Not impressed…

Brussels also has some great examples of Art Nouveau architecture.

Old England Building–a beautiful example of art nouveau architecture in Brussels.

And of course we had to visit the Grand Place.

Grand Place

Grand Place

We ended our final day together with a low key dinner at Chez Leon on Rue de Bouchers and a nightcap in the Grand Place.

rue des Bouchers

Mussels in Brussels–escargot style!

Grand Place at twilight…so beautiful!

Some live music to enjoy in the Plaza.

I loved this tower!

Love these guys!

We can’t wait to get back to Brussels, explore some of the awesome museums, and soak up more of the Belgian culture (chocolate, beer, mussels, etc.).   And…Happy Meal…can’t wait to see you again 🙂