I stayed three night in Brussels, because I wanted to have two full days to explore. In case you haven’t figured it out, I hate staying for just one night in places. Moving every day is just stressful, and – for me – takes all the fun out of traveling.
One my first day in Brussels, I went on a walking tour. This was another Airbnb Experience, run by a Brazilian ex-pat, Carlos. He is quite a character and I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We saw SO MANY STATUES. They really like statues in Brussels. Mannekin Pis is smaller than I had expected, but it is still super cute. Carlos told us about the Musical Instruments Museum, which sounded fun, so I put it on my list of things to do on my second day. I didn’t do much after the walking tour. I wandered back to my hotel and relaxed, which made my feet happy. Besides, I needed to be ready for my second day!
One my second day in Brussels, I took part in a chocolate-making workshop. This was FUN. We learned how to temper chocolate, make ganache, and used these skills to make pralines (truffles, as we call them in the States). We also made mondials, which are basically discs of tempered chocolate with pieces of dried fruits and nuts on top. I walked away from this experience with a crazy amount of chocolate, which made me very happy.
After the chocolate workshop, I went to the Musical Instruments Museum. I am very glad that I did this, because so many musical instruments are, quite frankly, ridiculous. Bagpipes, for instance. I had no idea there are so many variations on the bagpipe. Also, the German word for “bagpipe” is apparently “douedelzak,” which is kind of perfect. I can’t really describe the over-the-top nature of some of these instruments, like the early pianos with naked baby cupids romping around the sides of them, so I’m going to just post some pictures.
I ended my second day in Brussels with Moules Frites, which I had been looking forward to since I arrived. I am so glad that I did, too. Moules Frites, by the way, are just mussels with fries. Sounds simple, but oh so tasty. I regret nothing about that decision.