Europe 2014

Brussels, 12-13 May

		Arriving in Brussels, we took a taxi to our B&B. With hindsight, it was not a good choice as it was about 20 minutes from the centre of Brussels by tram. Undaunted, we worked out how the tram ticket machines worked and set off. After getting off the tram, we went through the Galeries Royale St Hubert. *
		The arcade from the other direction. *
		It was filled with gorgeous shops, including this patisserie. *
		And chocolates galore. *
		Not to mention biscuits and pastries. *
		Then down a street full of restaurants aimed at tourists, all selling moules frites for €12, much less than we found elsewhere. *
		And suddenly we were in the Grand Place, home of the Town Hall and Cathedral. *
		Not the cathedral but the Town Hall. *
		*
		Town Hall tympanium. †
		Another modest building on Grand Place. *
		†
		It got cold and wet outside, so we went into a cafe for drink. *
		We went back to the B&B, intending to return to central Brussels for our evening meal. But the weather was so nasty that we looked for somewhere nearby. We had the unusual experience of eating in an Italian restaurant where the staff spoke only French. *
		The next day, the weather was still unpleasant and Nick had a really bad cold. He stayed in bed, heavily dosed with vitamin C, while Lynn did the washing and updated her blog. That evening, we looked for somewhere local to eat, and ended up at an Irish Pub. *
		One of the other patrons was an Irishman who had worked in Blacktown in Sydney. Irish beef pies may be a strange food to have in Belgium, but it worked for us that night. *

The next morning, Nick felt much better and we set off in a taxi to catch a train to Brugge.