Belgium Day 1: Brussels - Part 1

Thursday night Grace's parents took Grace, Caitlin and me out to dinner at a restaurant called the The Cornstore. We had a great time, and because our bus to the airport was later that night we brought all of our bags to the restaurant, and just talked until the three of us had to go.

At 11pm the girls and I said goodbye to the Hallinan's and got on the bus to leave for Belgium; I was so excited!

Itinerary: 

11pm- Bus from Cork to Dublin airport
6:20am- Flight from Dublin to Brussels Charleroi
9:00am- Arrive at Brussels Charleroi airport
10:00am- Bus from Brussels Charleroi airport to Brussels city center
11:15am- Arrive at our hotel in Brussels

Our hotel was very nice. It was located slightly outside of the main plaza in the city so it was quiet at night but less than a 10 minute walk each morning to get to the main area.  It was a private room with three incredibly comfortable beds (we were so exhausted almost anything would have worked for us, but it really was a nice room).

Caitlin and Grace in our room 

Upon arrival we could not check into our room just yet so we headed down to Brussels' main plaza to start checking things out.

 On our way we ran into our first chocolate shop, Mary's. Because we were in the land of chocolate we HAD to stop and get our first piece! Mine was a chocolate praline, which was delicious but this was only the first of many more to come.

Chocolate #1

Brussel's main plaza is called the Grand Place, and it is very clear why. When you stand in the center you are surrounded on all four sides by the some of the most beautiful, and elaborate buildings I have ever seen.

Near the plaza is an infinite number of chocolate and waffle shops. We were walking in every one just in awe of the amount of chocolate in front of us. Eventually, we made it to the Waffle factory where we got our first Belgian waffles. 

My first waffle: liege waffle topped with nutella

(clarification: the liege is a belgian waffle with sugar on the inside so it is twice as delicious) 

 The Waffle Factory

Waffles lining the streets 

Just one of the thousands of chocolate shops

Our next stop was to the Manneken Pis. This is a fountain is a landmark in Brussels that is a small naked boy peeing into the fountain. Supposedly it is supposed to depict the whimsical side of the city, however, I found it a little inappropriate.

Manneken Pis (he is dressed up because people find it funny to clothe him sometimes)

This cathedral was on our way to the Grand Place, and although we never went inside, it was beautiful to walk by every day. 

In the afternoon the girls and I went back to the hotel to check in and get some rest. At this point, with the exception of a few hours here and there on various means of transportation, we had not had any sleep since Wednesday night