Exploring Brussels

A Sunday with no plans on the agenda doesn't come up too often, so I decided to take full advantage and head out to explore the city.

First, I ditched my Prius for public transportation. For 4 Euros ($6), you can get an unlimited day pass for trams, buses and subways within Brussels. I started from the Tervuren tram station and headed towards the city. "Central Station" sounded like a good place to start, so I got off the subway and headed upstairs.

First thing I came upon was "The Mercedes House", a combination boutique shop, museum, showroom and cafeteria all in one. I checked out their displays, including a rare C111, which was a show car from the 70's that used to be state-of-the-art and something I used to drool over... Looking at it now, it almost looks like something you could put together in your garage with hardware bought at Home Depot. What a letdown! :(

Stopped at a brasserie (cafe), sat at an outside table and did what the other Belgians were doing: order a beer and people watch.

I started to get hungry, so I looked at the menu, flagged down a waitress, and with my 3 months of French lessons behind me, I POINTED at something on the menu!!!

Luckily, what showed up was a Belgian version of a Cobb salad. And it was probably one of the best meals I have had since my arrival here. A cold Stella Artois beer, freshly baked rolls, a tasty salad and a beautiful afternoon.

All that was missing were my girls, and it would have been perfect.