Day 4 - Brussels

First post overseas.  I arrived in Brussels safe and sound on Sunday, June 5.  It was a pretty good flight (with free alcohol! - my first on a plane), and the Brussels airport was ridiculously easy to get through.  There was hardly anyone around, and I felt like a minor celebrity as I walked through the exit doors alone and was greeted by a crowd of people waiting for the arrivals.  It was very odd.  My aunt and uncle were also there, waiting for me.  Traveling doesn't get much easier than that!  It's nice to know the locals.

Brussels is amazing!  And in only 4 days, we've managed to pack in a lot: the Grand Place, Manneken Pis, Royal Palace, Palais de Justice, Military museum, EU parliament, local flea market, the Cinematek, parks, churches, frites, waffles, and, of course, many different kinds of beer (my favourite so far is probably the trappist beer Westmalle Dubbel, although it's so hard to choose).  One thing I'm realizing though, is that I'm not much of a picture taker.  My aunt had to keep reminding me to take them!  I will get better, I promise.

Palais Royal de Bruxelles



Guided Tour of Cantillon Brewery, the last lambic brewery in Brussels (the beer is produced by spontaneous fermentation from air-born yeast - the gueze version of it tastes kind of like beer-flavoured sparking wine)



Grand Place - it's hard to capture in a picture how magnificent the square really is



More Grand Place, this time with menacing storm clouds above



Where the EU Parliament sits



Arc at Parc du Cinquantenaire.  On the right at the top there is a free view of the city.  On the left at the top you can eat at "The Cube", a tacky restaurant that will be moving around to various landmarks in Europe, first stop Brussels.



Military museum - a free museum with an overwhelmingly large collection, including a warehouse full of planes

Also at the Military museum  - I thought this was a rather disturbing/confusing display.



Obligatory shot of Manneken Pis, who's looking quite dapper in his flower-print vest.