Today we are venturing way out of the city to visit the Botanical Gardens in the morning.  We can use the Metro to get close but then will need another bus service to get the final miles to the gardens.  Instead, we opt for an Uber – easier and faster – and arrive at the Gardens as they open.  A very helpful attendant at the gate gives us a brochure and tells us the best route to take for the flowering plants – and we are released into the 230 square acres of Gardens.

Heading directly to the Bouchout Castle, the former home of King Leopold II’s sister, Empress Charlotte, with its beautiful formal gardens out front and surrounding lake. 

Following our “helper’s” advice, we circumnavigate the park, working our way out to the Rose Gardens, that contain some lovely arbors and plenty of different roses and flowering shrubs. 

Turning back toward the front of the park, we wander around the lake and end up at the Hout Wood Lab – ok, this was one of the most fascinating places we have seen.  First of all there is an entire long wall filled with wood drawers. Each drawer face is made of a different wood, and inside the drawer examples and explanations of how the wood can be used.   

Then there is a section of a giant Sequoyah where you can clearly see the rings, and another area with a totally cool dissection of palm and bamboo trees.  We finish with a giant tinder funghi that grows larger every year.  Cool.

Completing our circle route, we end up back at the castle and then at the Pachthof restaurant right outside the castle grounds for a lovely lunch of Charcuterie (huge plate, along with some extraordinarily tasty seed flatbread) and a bowl of zucchini soup to go along with Ed’s favorite beer – Cantillon Gueze!  At least he can have some, as the brewery is closed this weekend (bummer on that timing!).

Before we leave, we go explore the castle, which now open with displays and information on the history of the gardens, with photos from the 1800s, a lovely little chapel and a weird display of some sort of electrical creation (not sure what it represented). 

Last, but not least, is a visit up to the roof of the castle, where we have lovely views out over the lake and the park.

Making our way back to the entrance, we order an Uber back to the metro, then hop on the train that takes us into the city for our final afternoon of Museum visits: onto the Museum of Fine Arts and the Magritte Museum.

First, Fine Arts, with its weird exhibit in the entry hall of a sculpture that looks like it is climbing out of its clay mold.  A little creepy if you really think about it as are the hands that are all over the body and make up its face.

And on we go…into the world of interesting, yet bizarre art.  Actually, some of it is quite good and humorous – Return to Nature (candles that look like snakes), The Cut Glass Bath (a giraffe in a goblet), Prince Charming (a Chicken with a castle on its head), etc.  There is also the weird pipe. No comment necessary.

Moving onto the Magritte section (we walk over there through an underground hallway) there are great explanations of his life, his art, how he moved from Impressionism to what he calls his “vache” period (it means cow, so not sure what exactly he meant!).  He was interesting and his paintings are as well!

Back in other sections, there is an incredibly detailed painting of Brussels around 1665 and other intriguing works, plus a terribly weird wooden statue called Rua de amor – something to do with an exhibition called Art x Gender, which explores the influence of gender stereotypes on art and this bizarre landscape that is actually a person’s head.  It’s art!

And that concludes our Brussels explorations!

For dinner, we do something we absolutely never do: Return to Vester, where we ate the other night!  There really isn’t all that much else to choose from over here, and they have a very diverse menu, so, off we go.  And they don’t disappoint:  A goat cheese and honey salad (so good!) and Beef stew in Belgium brown beer.  Excellent meal to end our stay in Brussels.