Bruxelles

Ahhh, Europe!
Our flight went really well and we arrived early this morning (it was 2am North Carolina time, 8am Bruxelles time) and met Nick and little James at the airport. After a long rest, my Aunt Jennifer took us to see and experience the sites of Brussels. First, we drove by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) and then we got to walk around Grand Place, the historic town square of Bruxelles. Since arriving in Europe, I have been waiting for the imminent feeling that hits me every time I travel. It only occurs once and it signals the start of my journey. When I stepped out from underneath the parking deck and into the sunny square in Brussels, I knew my trip in Europe was real and well on its way.

People were everywhere, dining along the streets, resting in the grass of the park, popping in and around chocolate shops and waffle stands. It's so entertaining to walk down the cobblestone streets, gazing up at the intricate architecture like that of the Brussels Town Hall.

The four of us grabbed a table inside of The Golden Boot, a restaurant that is freakishly similar to my mental image of The Three Broomsticks. We ordered waffles and drinks.. Mom ordered strawberry and the rest of us ordered chocolate. The waiter looked at Dad in a funny way when he ordered milk. Minutes later, a sweet scent wafted to our table and our hot waffles were soon to follow. Mom and I were served "still" water, Aunt Jen "sparkling" water and Dad got milk that was the consistency of coffee creamer. Yum. Our waffles were incredible. So incredibly delicious.

We walked around Brussels some more, taking time to visit the Manneken Pis statue. Manneken Pis translates to "little man peeing." For such a small sculpture, the Manneken Pis sure did have quite a crowd of onlookers and photographers.
There are chocolate shops everywhere in Brussels. One everywhere we turned. Which, I mean, really...that's no surprise. It is Belgium, after all.

Our first visit in historic Brussels concluded with a walk down Butchers' Street. Butchers' Street used to be a place where tons of butchers would set up shop to sell their products. These days it is lined with restaurants serving traditional Belgian dishes. I tried moules (mussels) and frites (fries) and I had my very first beer. I felt so grown up.
Back with the Davis/Harris household, we celebrated Aunt Jennifer's birthday (Happy 29th Birthday, Jen!) and had fun dancing and taking PhotoBooth pictures with the boys.

I'm having so much fun, and so are Mom and Dad. Tomorrow we're visiting the Ardennes Forest, the site of the Battle of the Bulge.

Yay! Go Europe!




SO ready for our adventure...


Enjoying a late lunch in Bruxelles


Mom and her first Belgian Waffle with fraises (strawberry)


Exploring Grand Place with Aunt Jen


Having my first beer (drinking age is 16!) with moules (mussels) and frites (fries)