BRUSSELS!!!!

Our train to Brussels was pretty quick. It was like we were there in no time at all!!! The train took us to Brussels Midi Station where we had to take the metro to the De Brouckere station stop. From there, we took a bus to get to the Marriott Courtyard we were staying in. At first we got off at the wrong stop, we had kind of a crazy driver who decided to pass a lot of stops. But eventually we got to where we needed to be and after a little walking I spotted the green Courtyard sign! We checked into the hotel and dropped our stuff off in our room then wandered back downstairs to see about the WiFi. We found out it wasn't free, it was actually 6 Euros/hour. We decided against that and checked out the gym and sauna instead since that WAS free and opened all night. In the morning after we showered and got ready we headed into town (the Courtyard was outside the city center so the bus ride in was about 30 minutes or so. We also skipped the 30 Euro continental breakfast that was being served!!!! Marriotts over here are not like at home). When we got to the city center, we walked to Grand Place. The little street we were on before entering Grand Place had a ton of chocolate shops!!! We picked up our first Belgian waffle for breakfast :) sooooooooo yummy!!!!! Way better than any waffle at home. Grand Place was really pretty. The first picture is of the 6 guildhalls that are on one side of the place. Guilds are an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. Grand Place was built by the guilds of Brussels. Brussels Town Hall is also in Grand Place. It was pretty quiet when we got there which was nice. We wandered around to find the Palais Royal de Bruxelles or the Royal Palace of Brussels. We walked through Parc de Bruxelles Warandepark (3rd picture) which was really pretty, lots of trees and people walking everywhere. The palace was across from one side of the park, with a wide road set between it. It was a traditional palace, kind of like Buckingham. From there we walked to Sablon which is the antique center of Brussels with cute cafes. We wandered around there, looking in windows at the shops and galleries. We bought our first Belgian chocolate there too!!! Finally we found a cafe to have some lunch. We both had really good sandwiches and our first beers in Belgium!!! I tried Rodenbach, which had a cidery taste to it. Chelsea had Kwak. After lunch we wanted to find the Manneken Pis statue (the last photo). Unfortunately he was not dressed in one of his many, many costumes but it was still funny to see. We wandered back to Grand Place and just walked around in and out of all the different shops. We found out the accessories brand Kipling is a Belgian brand. We had to take the bus back to the Courtyard to get our luggage and take the bus back into the city to the Brussels Central Station. We headed back and it took forever!!! There was so much traffic. Finally we got to the hotel, grabbed our luggage, and hopped back on the bus for the Central Station. Fortunately, Eurostar tickets are good in Belgium for up to 24 hours upon departure or arrival so we got the train to Bruges for free!!!