Nothing beats a fantastic night's sleep in a big hotel bed. We stayed in the Sandton Pillows Hotel in the old town, a nine month old boutique hotel and it was delightful; perfect for a girls weekend away. After a quick breakfast in a local cafe on the square we decided that the aim of the day was to investigate Belgian chocolates, after all, that is what Belgium is famous for. Now when I say investigate, I mean track down every chocolate shop, test every chocolate cafe and even a trip to the chocolate museum. There was even a wheel of melted chocolate that you could dip shortbread biscuits into, MW and I thought we had found heaven and cheekily went back for several dips!
We then headed over to the Royal Palace and on the way found a beautiful garden and water fountain so stopped for a break and took some photos of the scenery. The gardener was so friendly and quickly offered us a quick tour and a brief history of the garden, what a lovely man.
We spent the rest of the afternoon leisurely wandering around the city, stopping to read about the history of famous buildings and to buy postcards. It was so nice to have time just to walk, with no sense of directions or needing to keep to a time schedule but just to truly enjoy soaking up the sights of a new place. Particularly interesting was the Manneken Pis statue. The fountain was much smaller than I had expected it to be but it was fascinating to hear all the different folk stories about its origin, no Belgian seemed to tell the same history. I think there is something quite unique and special about a statue that holds a different significance for each person who sees it.
My camera sadly decided to die on me just as we arrived at the Manneken Pis and therefore I have no photos, however I do have a picture of several statues of the little man that are sold in tourist shops all over Brussels. I decided that I probably didn't need to buy one as a souvenir.
After several hours of visiting the sights we ended up at the Cathedral which sits at what seems like the highest point of the city as the views from the top were amazing.
There was just time for a quick visit to another friterie and then for a waffle before we headed back to Paris. Waffles are very famous in Brussels and can be found all over the city, sold from street vendors and cooked freshly while you wait. I decided to go for the classic topping of icing sugar but MW opted for melted dark chocolate while also looked delicious. The perfect end to a fantastic weekend.
Mood- Spoilt and satisfyingly full
