Bruxelles # 1

It's about a 3 hour train ride from Amsterdam to Brussels. My hotel was near the Gare de Midi (which, oddly, is called the Zuidstation, or south station, in Flemish - see why the Wallons and the Flamische can't get along? They can't even agree on directions!). Let's just say that this is not the loveliest part of Brussels. Let's just say that the encouragingly-named "Hotel de France" was less encouraging upon discovery. A monk-like cell, with the addition of a television - but clean (aside from the carpet - I never took my shoes off!), and with a bathroom in the room.

Even though I wasn't in the center of town, Brussels is small enough that it only took about 15 minutes to get to the Grande Place. In order to get there, however, I had to walk through a rather dodgy area - dodgy mainly because everyone was North African, as in Algerian, Egyptian, Morroccan, or any other Arabian-type country you can think of, and everyone was male! I walked up two main avenues - Avenue de Stalingrad or Boulevard Maurice Lemonnier, and the broad sidewalks were chock a block with outdoor cafes where men sat smoking and drinking tea or coffee. Only men! I never saw a woman sitting at any of these cafes. The only women I saw in this neighborhood had their faces covered. The cafes are laid out so that pedestrians walk through the tables....so it was like walking the gauntlet, again and again. I got many disapproving looks. I was not welcome. Why didn't I pack my burka?

Brussels is so different from Amsterdam! For one thing, it's hilly, so you get some great views over the metropolis. For another, Leopold wanted it to be grand, grander, grandest, and it really is! While there are lots of small, winding streets, there are also lots of avenues, parks, statues, and huge, ornate buildings. After wandering around for a bit and recognizing a few places (more later), it started to rain - REALLY rain - and I got down to the important business of the day: finding Aux Armes de Bruxelles! It is on "Restaurant Row", Rue de Boucher: