Au Revoir, Belgium!

Although it was sad to leave, we were still able to enjoy our last few days in Belgium. It was a blessing to experience the several snowfalls that blanketed the city (which by the way, is not common in Belgium!)...

In between taking care of last minute details in preparation for our move, here are a few of the things we did during our last week in Brussels.

A snow stop to Parc du Cinquanteniere...

Hanging out at the Grand Place (pre-snow)

And post-snow...

Meals at old favorites like Chez Leon...

And new ones such as La Kahbaz, where we enjoyed an excellent Moroccan meal...

Browsing the Brussels Christmas Markets...

PS & DS riding the Le Manege Magique and La Manege d'Andrea Carousels...

The Shinozaki Girls enjoying another round of ice skating (even after it started snowing)...

Posing in front of the Bourse (directly across the street from the Marriott)...

Enjoying yummy Liege Waffles at Elisabeth and LaFunambule...

And one last visit to "Santa" Manneken Pis (until we visit again, that is!)

We even managed to squeeze in a visit to Musée de la Ville. Here the girls got a kick out of seeing all of Manneken Pis' outfits which have been donated by several different countries. Amazingly, he is said to have more than 800!

Au Revoir, Belgium! We are definitely going to miss you!!

Now onwards to London for the holidays!!

A "Going-Away-Do" in Brussels...

On Wednesday night, some of my girlie friends got together for a night out on the town! It was not only a chance to spend time with a great bunch of gals, but also a chance to experience some of the local hang-outs here in Brussels...

First stop was at L'Archiduc, a trendy watering hole where we enjoyed a cocktail and lots of fun chat...

Rasika, Jane, Jo, Amy, Tracy & Tori at L'Archiduc

Then, after a brief stroll through the Grand Place, we stopped at the Delirium Cafe Bar, which boasts a beer menu over an inch thick and holds the Guiness Book of World Records as the most beers sold at an establishment -- the count: 2004!

Tor, Jo, Jane, Rasika, Amy & Tracy at Delirium Cafe...

Exterior of Delirium Cafe -- Brussels, Belgium

The impressive and lengthly beer menu...

Our yummy fruit beers...

Later, we stopped at a local frites shop for some yummy frites before saying good-bye to most of the group. But, since Tor and I were staying at the Brussels Marriott for the evening, we made one more stop to Le Corbeau before calling it a night.

Tori insisted that I try a Belgium Kwak before I left. What is this, you ask?! The Kwak is a beer of a deep bright amber color, a fruity and malty aroma, a slightly spicy character with hints of caramelized bananas, and a pleasant bitterness to it. (I didn't come up with that on my own, of course!). Interestingly, during Napoleon's time, Belgium brewer Paul Kwak owned the De Hoorn Inn in Dendermonde. Mail coaches stopped there every day but were not allowed to leave their coaches while the passengers enjoyed some brew. As such, Mr. Kwak invented a glass which could be easily hung on the coach! In fact, you can see actual footage on the link above!

Jo & Tor enjoying a nice chat and Belgium Kwak's at Le Corbeau...

The historic glass invented by Pauwel Kwak


It was a fun, FAB evening with good friends and loads of laughs. And a little history lesson, to boot!

Casino Night in Belgium!

Ray and I recently spent a Saturday night out with friends and checked out the Grand Casino of Brussels, right in the heart of town...

Walking to the Grand Casino Brussels...

To get into the casino was quite strict. First we had to go through the formality of checking in at the front desk, present our identification, take a picture, and sign a form stating we understood the rules of the gaming establishment (including no camera, drats!). Then, we had to check in our coats (mandatory) before passing security where we showed our new membership cards to pass through the doors to the actual casino!

After browsing the casino to see what it had to offer (no worries, Vegas!), we enjoyed some nice conversation at one of the bars before trying out our luck.

But as luck would have it, Ray and I unfortunately didn't have any! However, we were pleased that we were "good luck charms" as the others did very well at the Roulette and card tables! And we were glad to finally see what a European Casino was like.

Pete, Anne, Dirk, Tor & Jo (Ray's taking the picture!)

After the others cashed in their winnings, we took a stroll through town and stopped for some yummy frites, or shall we say chips (since a few of us were visiting from the UK) before heading over to the Grand Place. The Grand Place is such an awesome place, no matter how many times you go there -- especially on a cool clear night like this!

The Town Hall at the Grand Place...

It's still one of my favorites spots in Belgium!!

A beach in Brussels?!

We spent an enjoyable day at the "beach" yesterday right in the heart of Brussels. Well, sort of. Brussels Beach, or Bruxelles Les Bains is a summer festival held for a few weeks each summer set alongside the Brussels channel. It is set up as a simulated beach with lots of food, cocktail stands, and snack shacks set along the walkway. There's also a stage which hosts several concerts or entertainment during the event.

Tasha and I were able to enjoy a refreshing drink while watching the girls play to their hearts content in the sand and water play areas. This was a great new "Belgian" thing to do while enjoying the beautiful warm weather now upon us here in Belgium.

After we got our fill of the beach, we drove a short distance away to the Royal Park, which is located directly across from the Royal Palace. They have a nice play area for the children and the park itself is lovely with lots of green grassy areas, trees, fountains, and interesting statues. The girls were even treated to see part of a marionette show which just so happened to be playing right there at the park.

And it's always nice to see the Royal Palace -- it's such a beautiful building...

Mojitos, Caipirinha's, and Margaritas...

Just had a girls' night out a few nights ago. Three of us went to the heart of Brussels and stopped off at a few of the city's trendy watering holes...

Tor, Jo, Tracy & Mojito's

Two of us have never had a Mojito before so that was what we started off with. Turns out that a litre of Mojito's at 29euro's was a better deal than three Mojito's at 7euro's each! After we finished we headed over to art-deco bar, L'Archiduc, where we capped off the night with Caipirnha's and Margarita's.

For me, the girls' night outs lately have been going to dinner or to the movies, so this was something I haven't done in quite some time! And by gosh, it was A LOT of fun!!!

Caipirinha
1 lime (remove both ends and slice into 4 pieces
2 full tablespoons sugar
1 dose (50 ml) of Cachasa (Brazilian sugar cane spirit)
crushed ice

Press sliced limes and sugar with a wood stick. Add cachasa and complete with ice.