Day 7: Brussels

 An early morning ride to the train station was first on the plan.  We were taking the Eurostar to Brussels, Belguim! It was pretty cool to ride under the English Channel. Before our train left we found a chocolate Big Ben as well as some breakfast. 

The train emerges from the channel in France, so we had some views of the French countryside before arriving in Brussels. 

She's like a heat sinking missile when it comes to water. 

After dropping our bags at the hotel we headed to a Belgium waffle making class for a late lunch.

So many options for toppings, and we had fun trying some new things. 

Brooke was so excited for this experience.  She's a big fan of waffles. 

Starting with the usual, but she tried some new things after this one. 

Kayla was able to find some yummy options that didn't involve fruit.

Brooke loves nutella, strawberries, and whipped cream on her waffles and nothing was going to get her to try something different. 

So good.

Kiwi, Strawberry, and Banana sauce

Like I said... heat sinking missile.

The Black Tower - one of the earliest fortifications for the city built in the 13th century.

St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral

There was a small choir practicing in the cathedral. The acoustics were amazing, and it's even more amazing when you think about when the cathedral was constructed.

Cathedrals are so beautiful and ornate.

We headed to the Royal Palace of Brussels next.  The girls enjoyed the exercise equipment in the park. 

Brussels was not kept as clean as London.  The fountains were dirty, and the landscaping wasn't well kept up. I wasn't super impressed with the city at this point. 

The palace had a "facade" on part of it, which we assume was due to construction.

Mont des Artes Park

Our last stop of the day was the Grand-Place. This is central square of the city.  We really enjoyed walking around this area of town.  We ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. We figured their menu was safe.  We were translating menus from many restaurants around, but we just make a safe call tonight.

I'm not sure what this statue was, but as a tour group was walking by everyone was touching it. Maybe it's some sort of good luck charm.

Manneken Pis - Legend has it that the boy saved the city from destruction by peeing on the lit fuse that was connected to explosives set by enemies.

So many waffles.

We all really enjoyed the hotel. It was clean and spacious.  The beds were very comfortable and each girl had their own "pod" to sleep in. 

It was a different experience for the girls being in a country that didn't speak English as their primary language.  They were translating many signs, and Macy was making connections between the Spanish she knows and some of the French signage. It was a fun day exploring.