Up an out early – we went through security fairly quickly. It means we had extra time in the lounge before our 9am flight to Brussels.

The flight was easy, good weather and fairly clear skies as we waved goodbye to Switzerland.  Arriving on time, our driver was there to pick us up relatively quickly, whisking us away to the Mas Europe by Sweet apartmenthotel in no time.  As it is way before noon, our room is not ready, but we are able to drop our bags for storage and head out to explore the area. 

We have tickets purchased for the Royal Palace of Brussels at 1:30, giving us plenty of time to walk along the large avenues filled with EU offices and over to the Parc de Bruxelles opposite the palace, where we stumble upon a great restaurant, The Woodpecker, in the middle of the park.  A perfect find as we are in need of lunch and were trying to figure out a place close by to the Palace.  Luckily, it is fairly early and not that busy, so we are able to grab a good table under an umbrella (it definitely looks like rain) after we order our Croque Monsieur and Cheese Croquettes for lunch. 

Perfect nibbles to fuel us for our explorations.  Done by 12:30, we wander over to the Palace to get the lay of the land, and then ask the gate guards there if we can go in now.  Nope.  Not until 1:15 they tell us. Ok – we’ll just meander around a bit, finding a little café in the back of the Musee BELvue (a kid’s museum) where we can order coffee (for Ed), water (for me) and a delicious chocolate stuffed waffle to share (although we are debating on whether or not they gave us the chocolate one or the regular, unstuffed one – they were a bit harried when we were there!).

Returning to the Palace at our appointed (ok, still a little early) time, the guards let us in and we begin our explorations.  The Palace is only open a very limited time in the summer – from July 3 to August 16 – and we are lucky enough to be here during that brief window to visit.  Inside we follow the downloaded pdf guide in through the entry vestibule and Grand Staircase with the imposing statue of the Goddess Minerva, signifying Peace.   Then onto the Square Room – better known as the “Il Pensieroso” (The Thinker) Room for the mantlepiece clock with the bronze reproduction of Michelangelo’s sculpture of the same name – which is used as drawing room.

That’s about when the tour goes a little haywire.  There are exhibits and displays set up in most of the other rooms, completely obliterating any viewing opportunities of the original décor and architecture.  The first exhibit set up in the normally impressive (from the pictures online anyway) Hall of Mirrors (where foreign ambassadors come to present their credentials to the King) is on Dementia, and while a very worthwhile cause, the huge displays distract from the mirrored walls and completely block the splendid long view of the gold and copper décor.  You can barely even see the “Heaven of Delight” chandelier.  Very distracting.

Same with the Long Gallery, used for receptions and dinners, and its beautiful cream and gold décor.  We can get some nice views of the ceiling paintings and chandeliers, but little else.

At least they have left most of the Throne room alone!  Here you can almost get the full impact of the massive room and the low hanging chandeliers with the bust of King Leopold I by the fireplace. 

The Pillar Room (originally an anteroom for audience with the King, now a dining room for court dignitaries) is next.  Understated elegance describes the this room, with it’s portrait of King Leopold I and a harp that was played by Queen Louise-Marie. Then we move onto the Louis XVI Room and the Empire Room, the latter used as a ballroom during the Austrian Period. And finally the Coburg Room, a sitting room with paintings of the King and his parents.

Moving on, we pass the Venice Staircase, so named for the oil paintings of Venice on the walls.   Then into the Small and Large White Drawing rooms, the oldest parts of the palace, adorned with in 18th-century decorative glory. 

Then we are back to the Grand Staircase and outside, traversing the Ceremonial Courtyard to the Audience Entrance, where people coming for an audience with the King are welcomed.  Inside is a semicircular gallery containing various statues from the 1800s.

And that was that.  We meander our way back through the Parc, down lovely gravel lanes with fountains and pretty trees, back along the boulevards to the Mas Europe, stopping at the smallest Carrefour Express we have ever seen.  The aisle (yes, only one, and you have to go a certain direction – you can’t walk around a different way) was so narrow, I had to walk sideways in a couple places.  But, they did have beer and wine, so what more can we want at this point?  Arriving at the hotel, our top floor room is ready – and lovely, with, yes, A/C and a fully equipped kitchen and a nice little terrace overlooking the green roofs and gardens of the surrounding buildings.  Lovely!

Then there is plenty of down time for us to we hang out, organize and relax before heading out to Grand Place for dinner at Brasserie Auguste – our pre-chosen and pre-reserved dining spot.  A nice long walk brings us to the craziness of Grand Place. Ay yi yi.  We are so glad we are staying in the peaceful and quiet EU area. Seriously, this place is a complete zoo.  At the restaurant, the outdoor tables are so crammed together, and right up on the pedestrian walk that they don’t even look comfortable for a nice dinner – thus we choose the indoor option and settle into a nice table on the side.  We order our drinks and an appetizer, then our dinner – which may or may not have been a tactical error as things are a little hurdy gurdy here and slow, but we have no where to be.  The app arrives in the form of Croquettes de Crevette, Shrimp croquettes reputed to be among the 3 best in all of Brussels.   They are very good – and quite huge – but as we have nothing to compare them with, we’ll have to go with their claim of the best.

Dinner finally arrives – Moules Marinieres for Ed and Vol-au-vent for me.  The Mussels are massive – both in quantity and size. As is my Vol-au-vent, but unfortunately it is rather on the cold side.  After trying in vain to flag down our waiter, we finally find someone else to ask if this should be served hot (we were being polite), and he whisks it away, to bring back another somewhat warm plate.  I’m just eating it – not bothering to try again.  The taste is excellent, just needs more heat. Everything else was great – even our harried waiter.  Oh, and the ad video monitor attached to the Urinal was definitely a first!

After dinner, Grand Place had calmed down a bit…ok, well, sort of a little bit.  The buildings are all still so magnificent, and if you just ignore the crowds and shoot over their heads, it makes for a fabulous atmosphere and photos.

Back at the apartment, we have our evening drinks on the terrace watching a beautiful sunset, then happily hang out on the sofa, watching Netflix until it is time for bed.  Tomorrow – a full day of Brussels adventures.