Miscellaneous Brussels...

Over the five nights in Brussels, we visited the Grand Place several times, including during the day...

…and at night.

The Cinquantenaire Arch. built in 1905, was especially impressive at night.

We rented an apartment in the shopping district with Carla, who we know from London. We brought our own drinks up to the rooftop of City Hall for happy hour...

..and enjoyed great views over the city.

Luckily our apartment was nicer than the gate to the small alley to our front door.

No trip to Brussels is complete with spotting some street art.

 

Best of Brussels...

That Sunday was Higgins 1000th Hash with Brussels Manneke Piss H3 and he hosted a special circle after a great trail. Afterwards a bunch of us went out for dinner. 

On Monday, Jimmy had to work, but I enjoyed going on Higgins’ Best of Brussels Walk. 

It was fun for our group to see the renovations of the site where the big Brussels 2014 Hash Weekend was hosted.

While I had been there several times over the past decade, this was the first time many of our group had been back since that incredible event.

We covered a lot of ground.

Rather than seeing lots of horse-drawn carriages carrying tourists around the city, we spotted old-fashioned looking electric vehicles. 

Jimmy met up with me later and we found a small restaurant off the beaten path for a dinner of mussels before catching the Eurostar home. 
 

Unique Architectural Perspectives...

Quite incredible to see this massive construction site.

As you can see, the façade is being held up in order to preserve it...

…while the building behind it is being demolished. Clearly this will be a multiple year project. It will be interesting to see how much progress they’ve made when I return in June 2025.

Also being renovated is the Church of St Catherine. Here you can see the stark difference in the color of the bricks as they’re being deep cleaned.

The front of the church looked spectacular during golden hour...

…and at night.

As always, I like reflections.
 

Spotted Around Brussels...

I came across several large murals, likely commissioned by the city...

…plus some random street art.

Also came across these birds...

…and these silly ducks.

Definitely the most shocking thing I saw in Brussels was this giant ad outside of an eyeglass store. 

 

Exploring Brussels...

Cool Art Deco Building

While Jimmy and Gerlof worked, I enjoyed taking long walks around the city. 

Parc du Bruxelles (Brussels Park) is the largest and first urban public park in Central Brussels, opening in 1783. It was previously known as the Royal Park.

Kunstberg Gardens

Grand Place