Somebody's Just Got to Do It - Part III

Once again we preceded our Motab team to the next destination, Brussels, and had some time there to ourselves.  We were too late for the Hop On/Hop Off bus tour, so we were on our own.  A great introduction to entering this beautiful city was the arch below.

And whatever this building was, we liked it!

And, believe it or not, here is the most famed icon of the city, little Manneken Pis, the peeing kid!  Seriously, according to Wikipedia "this infamous statue serves as a symbol of the spirit and humor of Brussels."  Honestly, his likeness is found everywhere--from guide books, to maps, to advertisements, to chocolate creations!  Frankly, we found it a disappointment in person since the statue is so small.  Nevertheless, we still took pictures along with every other tourist!

The information plaque stated that the original statue was erected at the end of the Middle Ages when the city of Brussels was in the midst of developing a public water supply network.  Until the middle of the 19th century, this fountain played a vital role in the city's drinking water supply system.

I find the statue and its commemoration a weird combination!

Even the statue in this crepe bakery is larger than the original!

Now, do you believe me as to how popular this little guy is!

My first peek of the amazing La Grand-Place, the beautiful square
 of public and private buildings dating from the 15th century.

The Town Hall, with its bell tower, is the most famous landmark at the Grand-Place, 

built in the early 15th century.  A number of the buildings are now museums.  It's interesting that this town square lacks a church or any other place of worship, which emphasizes Brussels mercantile and administrative functions in early history.

It looked as though the buildings were decorated in gold!  And you know what:  they were!  

Brussels was a very wealthy political and commercial center in its day.  Although it was destroyed by Louis XIV in 1695, it was restored to its former glory rather than rebuilt in a contemporary style.

There are two things Belgium is quite famous for:  beautiful lace... 

...and amazing chocolate.  The streets were lined with shops galore
providing more choices than one could ever imagine!

Even chocolate tools!!!

And here was the shop for the famous Godiva Chocolates.

Almost as plentiful as the chocolate shops were the crepe and waffle shops.  

They were totally awesome!

Me, a great crepe, and Manneken Pis, to boot!  What else could I wish for!

Look closely at this display.  The eleven circles in this "work of art"

each represent different religions of the world.

According to the chart, supposedly being happy ("Smiley") is a religion?

Just as we were ready to leave, we saw this sign. Almdudler (sort of like a ginger ale) was our grandson, Josten's, favorite drink while he was here visiting us in Europe this winter!  That brought back fond memories and was a good way to end a wonderful visit!  

We will forever be grateful to our Tabernacle Choir friends and our Public Affairs team here in Frankfurt who necessitated our "schlepping" their luggage across Europe to such amazing destinations!  Somebody just had to do it, right?!