The Purple Penguin

Written by Joe, edited by Kathleen

After arriving Friday night on Eurostar and successfully negotiating the mini metro system or underground trams to the hotel, we collapsed for the night. It is very warm and sticky at the moment so a shower and bed.

Today 🙂

Up and breakfast (coffee, juices and hotdogs, with boiled egg and mushrooms). [editor: that was Joe, I had coffee and bread, cause let’s face it, his was gross!] Left around tenish to get the metro to Heysel for the famous Brussels atom (Atomium). That’s the balls building you see on every thing, a representation off an iron atom. [editor: or as the guide book says “an iron atom on steroids”.] The digital camera is playing up again so I don’t know how the picture will look but we have some. After getting out and just following the crowds past the Art Nouveau buildings from the 1958 world fair the sun is bright and the newly refurbished atom is shining resplendent in the morning sun. [editor: Art Deco from 1935 were the ones I noticed but Joe saw the 1958 buildings which I missed until I was in the atom; but then I would note the Deco ones and ignore the Nouveau!]

The tour bus are starting to arrive but we pay 9 euros each and make our way in. First we walk around four of the balls with a few escalators then joined the queue for the top. Had a look around and you can see all the preparations for the next day which included rigging an aerial slide from the top of the atom to the ground. This we will learn later appears to all be part of a fete or celebration which is going on all weekend.

After leaving the atom we walk though some gardens and got a bit lost so cutting our losses head back to the metro. We ended up in a metro station we had passed on the way which had 3d reliefs of people on the walls. One we particularly liked looked like a woman being boiled in a large pot :). [editor: we got a photo. She looked surprisingly calm, though a bit worried, so they probably hadn’t lit the fire yet.]

To town and just a general wander the Brussels chocolate and biscuit shops being our main aims. [editor: well the chocolate one was my main aim. Can’t come to Brussels and not get chocolate!]

Close to the chocy shop we stopped for lunch at a small place called Cap Sablon [editor: we were in the expensive part of town. Yes I like expensive chocolate.] I had brain failure [editor: as did I, it was just good to sit down! We had done a lot of walking by that point in the sun during a rather sticky sort of day] and was totally unable to read the menu but managed to order spaghetti carbonara and a beer. Kathleen ended up with chicken liver salad and some fruit juice. It was very nice and very cheap with coffee and hot chocolate to finish. [editor: Guess who had the hot chocolate!]

The chocolate shop was full but we managed to sneak in our order and get out quickly. We then worked our way to the main square (Grand Place in English) where more of the fete was in full swing, loud bands and manikins [editor: puppets, masks, costumes, all sorts] all over the place coming from one direction going round the square then out again.

Got our biscuits and had an ice cream, watch more of the little bands and dances come through, then start our walk back to the hotel. To collapse and cool down before the evening meal.

[editor again: we’re going out to a really nice place that we went to the first time we were in Brussels so I’m looking forward to a good meal tonight! Shower and meal.]