Brussels sprouts part two

Brussels highlights range from the obvious to the pleasantly surprising. The beer was varied and delicious, served in wood-panelled bars that haven't changed in a century, by aproned waiters (some even with the full-length Trappist-monk style apron) who seem pleased to see and serve you. At a place called A La Becasse, waiters as above serve your draught lambic in earthenware pitchers, and you're seated at long wooden tables. Very rustic! Here's Andrew enjoying a Kriek at La Falstaff:



The food in Brussels was tasty - winter is a great time of year for this kind of food - all mashed potatoes and hearty sausages and tasty stews. No Brussel sprouts, but that's OK, I had my annual quotient at Christmas-time. The Doherty Christmas. That's a whole other story... back to Belgian food for now... The street food was excellent - waffles, of course, and a great find at the Christmas Market were croustillons (sp?), deep fried dough balls with an amazing texture, served dredged with icing sugar in a paper cone. yum.

The Christmas market was a great discovery, 10 mins from our hotel. In the pretty Place Ste Catherine, you could skate, ride bicycles with oval wheels (well, Belgium is the home of surrealism), ride ostriches and flying machines and dinosaurs and other fantastical birds/beasts/machines on the gorgeous merry-go-rounds, ride the big wheel and enjoy spectacular views over the city (we did this at night - the christmas lights looked so cool), eat (and eat, and eat, all manner of tempting treats), drink (mulled wine, gluhwine, hot wine and other variations on the theme) and if you're bored of all that, shop. I could have spent hours there soaking up the festive atmosphere (actually, we might have spent a couple of hours there).

The Atomium was a place that had been recommended to Andrew, and with a name like that, a visit was obligatory (science is fun, he keeps telling me). Actually, it was a very cool place, quite unlike any other building I've seen, with a very fast lift that takes you up to the top sphere, and then skinny escalators taking you between the other spheres. It was all very retro, very 50's - captured the spirit of the age, I think. Up close it's a bit rusty and leaky, but apparently they are working to restore and renovate it to its former fifties' shine. Check out the Atomium website for lots of great pics.

Another surreal moment in Brussels (there were a few!) - the huge nativity scene in the Grand'Place, complete with neon-lit cows (pink, orange, purple) and real grazing sheep. Decidedly weird.

Andrew has a colleague who visited Brussels twice last year, and is going again soon. I can now see why - I would happily visit again (although maybe not with Ryanair!).