Thursday, May 16, 2013

Homecoming!

Thanks to some strange routing, I ended up with an overnight in Brussels. I lived there as an exchange student and returned many years with students for spring break. The late-afternoon was pleasantly warm, and it felt so strange to be walking around without coat, backpack, or my tour group! Without time for even a stop at a museum, I headed to the Grand' Place to soak up the atmosphere and buy chocolate. Then a traditional mussels-and-frites dinner left me feeling bittersweet. So good to be back, yet so frustrating to have to leave again so soon...
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9 comments:

  1. AliciaMay 28, 2013 at 10:31 AM

    Short but sweet! Well, at least it was better than no visit at all. Question: what's with the "please do not eat your waffles in front of the window"?

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  2. PatMay 28, 2013 at 11:44 AM

    No idea. That's why I took the photo. Too much drooling or.....?

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  3. AliciaMay 28, 2013 at 12:02 PM

    Interesting... Meanwhile, the statue shows more of what people should definitely NOT do in front of the windows! LOL!

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  4. PatMay 28, 2013 at 6:34 PM

    That's the Mannekin Pis, the city's icon, for better or worse...

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  5. AliciaMay 28, 2013 at 6:52 PM

    Yes! I've seen numerous versions of it but I definitely like it with the waffle!
    P.S. I like the way you put it: "for better or worse"...

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  6. AliciaMay 28, 2013 at 7:18 PM

    BTW, after you told me the name of it (I don't think I ever knew it), I had to look it up, since I was curious to find out how it came to be a landmark for Brussels. I was surprised to find this in Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manneken_Pis regarding one of its replicas, here in Florida:

    "In September 2002, a Belgian-born waffle-maker in Florida, named Assayag, set up a replica in front of his waffle stand in the Orlando Fashion Square mall in Orlando, Florida. He recalled the legend as 'the boy who saved Brussels from fire by extinguishing it with his urine' (confusing the legend with an incident in Gulliver's Travels perhaps). Some shocked shoppers made a formal complaint. Mall officials said that the waffle-shop owner did not follow procedures when he put up the statue and was therefore in violation of his lease."

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  7. PatMay 29, 2013 at 6:18 PM

    LOL! If you know the heart of Brussels well, you can find the Janneke Pis, a young, pig-tailed female version in full squat, grinning impishly.

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  8. AliciaMay 29, 2013 at 9:10 PM

    OMG! I didn't know about that one! I'd give a replica of it less than 3 minutes in a mall in FL! LOL!

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  9. AliciaMay 29, 2013 at 9:19 PM

    Now, how about this one? http://www.brusselspictures.com/2007/12/30/zinneke-pis/

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