Breeze through Brussels

6fartsinacart
Sep 5, 2017
4 min read

17 August 2017, Thursday: We want to do Brussels today. Therefore we finish up as soon as we can and leave our quiet stop at the Schulensmeer at 9.30am. Along the road we are kept up by road-works and have to make a wide detour. We make various attempts at different camper-stops at filling up with water and dumping. By the time we reach Brussels we are sorted… and ready for our excursion. After a quick lunch we start our walk from between the two museums where we’ve parked, Musée royal de l’Armée et d’ Histoire (Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History) and Musée du Cinquantenaire. This takes us through the Parc du Cinquantenaire. We pass a displayed piece of the Berlin Wall at Berlaymont EU, the European Union buildings and offices. Emile leads us towards the Palais Royal where we enter. What a grandiose place! We’ve never seen so much gold and crystal in one place. After a jaw-dropping wander through this splendid building we head off to Eglise Notre-Dame du Sablon. On our way we pass the Saint Jacques sur Coudenberg Church and the statue of Godefroid de Bouillon situated in front of it. We then make our way to Notre-Dame de la Chapelle. Here we treat ourselves to ice-cream in the rain. After waiting for it to lighten up we set off again. En-route to the Grand Place (a humongous square) we pass the Waffle Factory.

At the Grand Place Mum has an absolute feast with her camera. The Grand Place or Grote Markt is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by opulent guildhalls and two larger edifices, the city's Town Hall, and the Breadhouse building containing the Museum of the City of Brussels. The square is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels. We struggle to get her moving in the direction of St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral. Before reaching the cathedral we stroll through Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert. Consisting of three connected pedestrian streets (Galerie du Roi, Galerie de la Reine and Galerie du Prince) the Saint Hubert passages are lined with boutiques, cafes, and chocolate shops. Mum and Genève are lured into one of these shops by a display of chocolate in the window. Due to their curiosity they are rewarded with a chocolate truffle taster. Lucky fish! At St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral some of us make use of the opportunity and have a look inside. From there we start making our way back to Merzy. We walk up Rue de la Loi passing Palais de la Nation.

We reach Merzy at 6pm just as it starts raining and leave Brussels city centre, heading for a park4night stop in Puurs. A lot of the roads in Belgium seem to be undergoing road-works and a simple journey of an hour quite easily turns into an hour and a half. Since there is no rush we decide to enjoy the extended drive. Our parking is located next to a cemetery which is always a sign of a peaceful sleep (which it turns out to be). We have supper and get ourselves in bed as Mum has another big day planned for us tomorrow… sneaking Antwerpen in, as a last minute surprise.

Arcade du Cinquantenaire

It's a triumphal monumental triple arch in the centre of the Parc du Cinquantenaire

Flanked by its hemicycle

A piece of the Berlin Wall on display at Berlaymont EU (European buildings and offices)

Palais Royal

Starting our royal tour

Grandiose chandeliers

Imposing ceiling rose decorated with gold

Decorated ceiling

Massive... and one is not enough

Gold decorated gates (Main Gate) in front of the Palais Royal

Statue of Godefroid de Bouillon at St. Jacques sur Coudenberg Church

Eglise Notre-Dame du Sablon

The Sablon’s large, flamboyantly Gothic church started life as the 1304 archers’ guild chapel. A century later it had to be massively enlarged to cope with droves of pilgrims attracted by the supposed healing powers of its Madonna statue

Making our way to the next church

Eglise Notre-Dame de la Chapelle

Make-over for Dad

No thanks, I'm colourful enough

A 1902 statue of city hero Everard ‘t Serclaes depicts his reclining corpse. A fairly contemporary ‘tradition’ claims that rubbing the statue will bring you good luck

Brussels’ magnificent Grand Place is one of the world’s most unforgettable urban ensembles

Oddly hidden, the enclosed cobblestone square is only revealed as you enter on foot from one of six narrow side alleys

Nearly 40 Baroque guildhalls surround Grand Place

Maison du Roi (the King’s House), also known as the Bread Hall - this 19th century reconstruction served as the bread market hall during the Middle Ages and is currently the Musée de la Ville

Each of the antique guildhalls (mostly 1697–1705) has a charm of its own. Most are unashamed exhibitionists, with fine baroque gables, gilded statues and elaborate guild symbols

Maison des Ducs de Brabant (House of the Dukes of Brabant) - this property consists of seven individual houses behind one facade. The unified facade features gold crests depicting the symbols of trades associated with the houses: stock traders/money lenders, sculptors, bricklayers, and stone/slate masons, carpenters and wheelwrights, millers, and tanners

The focal point of Grand Place is the spired 15th-century city hall

Brussels Town Hall is one of Belgium's finest civic buildings. Not only because of the numerous sculptures adorning its walls, but also because of its perfect proportions and the incomparable beauty of its tower, the spire of which is topped by the archangel Saint-Michael

Galerie du Roi - Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

The beautiful Gothic Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula

Belgium Cardinal Mercier statue, at the Cathedral

The Cathedral is the national church of Belgium and it is here that royal weddings and funerals take place

Stained glass window inside Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula

Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in the Parc du Cinquantenaire

Aviation Hall - 170 metres long, 70 metres wide and no less than 40 metres high, this immense glass and iron construction started a new life as an air museum in 1972, becoming the splendid aviation museum it is today