There was some festival going on at the Grand Place. An orchestra playing songs. A marching band performing in the middle of the plaza. People on stilts. Large crowds. To this day, we're not really sure what was going on. But it was fun to watch.
We went to the Grand Place/Grote Markt, one of the most popular locations in Brussels, to sightsee. If you've ever seen the Flower Carpet, this is the place, but it wasn't on display while we were there. It had been a disappointing day. Our suitcase wheel broke on the walk from the crappy metro station to our hotel, a walk which went straight uphill. We waited forever in our hotel lobby to check in while one family monopolized guest services. We tried to see Mini Europe and failed because it was already closed. Then we tried to see the Atomium but didn't want to pay the expensive fees for an inadequate amount of time in the exhibit. We were not really liking Brussels and then we got to the Grand Place, hoping things would get better. But it was crowded, people were pushing and shoving, it really felt like we were back in NYC, and then we decided to have dinner, thinking that would be the turning point to the day. Sitting outside in the middle of the square was absolutely wonderful but the service (spilled beer, neglect, forgotten fries) made us feel like second class citizens. Brussels was not our favorite place when I took this picture.
But, damn, that is one photogenic city.
Looking at our photos from Brussels, the city looks gorgeous. The streets that frustrated us or that looked not-so-nice when we were there turned out really good-looking on camera. The buildings of the Grand Place, which we thought were amazing in person, were absolutely incredible in photographic form.
We stayed at the Grand Place through dinner, listening to the marching band and taking in the sights and the setting sun, and if we ignored our rude and unhelpful waiter, it was actually pretty nice. After dinner, the sun was gone and the sky turned the most amazing shade of blue for blue hour, and I got some of my favorite photos from our entire trip. The contrast of the old ornate lit buildings with the deep blue sky was striking. We may not have been the hugest fans of Brussels on that day, but the city sure knew how to look good.
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