The Grand Place, Manneken Pis, and Beer

Brussels is a compact city; the center is completely walkable.  Yesterday when we left the train station and went to the taxi stand for a lift to the Marriott, the driver was disinclined to take us on such a short drive, so we lugged our luggage (likely why it's called that) through the center to the hotel.  During this trek, we passed through a sizeable plaza that I thought was the Grand Place (Grohn Plahce)...silly me.

This is the Grand Place:







It is huge!  It's been a UNESCO site since 1998,  It's ornate!  And Gothic!  And Neo-Gothic!  And glittering!  And loud!  And, well, grand!  The town hall, the King's house, and several guild houses populate the square. 


We made the loop around the square and then headed down a side street towards Brussels' most famous statue, the Manneken Pis.  Designed and put in place in 1618/1619, this little pisser is said to reflect Brussels' sense of humor and independence of mind.  Throngs of folks were snapping pictures...it was like visiting the Rosetta Stone.  


Apparently he's been stolen several times, and though always located and returned, the city of Brussels installed a replica in 1965...the original is now housed securely in the City Museum.  I was a little surprised he was not dressed up - there's a shop not too far from the statue displaying over 900 of his custom costumes.

Time for a beer!  Just across the street from the MP, we found a beer cafe - a nice respite from the selfie-stick crowds.  

We walked for a bit, did some shopping, ate lunch - the usual - before going back to the hotel for an afternoon nap.  Nothing says vacation like indulging in a nap!

I was not prepared for the number of people here in town.  Not once did I read that Brussels would be jam-packed with tourists.  But I guess because it's the holidays, it's not snowing or terribly cold, and we are right in the middle of town, we are surrounded by crowds.  We hit three restaurants that were full to the brim with more than an hour's wait.  SMDH.  We ended up eating at the Christmas market - delicious, quick, and cheap!  We'll just eat a little earlier tomorrow.  Live and learn!

We ended the day finishing off the box of chocolates we bought in Brugge.  Nothing sadder than this sight:


Thinking I know where we can get some more!

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