King Albert surveys Brussels from his horse
Belgium held elections yesterday, and it's a real possibility the country could split into two distinct nations—the Flemish Dutch speaking region, and the Francophone Wallonia region.
I like Belgium. I'd hate to see it split in two—which country would I root for in the World Cup?
Bruges is only an hour's drive from Calais; Brussels another hour or so from there. So last week we spent a couple of days touring both, since Daughter Number One is in town and hasn't been to Belgium yet. We wandered around Bruges for the afternoon, then headed for Brussels. Unfortunately, rain marred our visit, but a trip to the new Rene Magritte Museum in Brussels gave us a whole new appreciation for umbrellas and other everyday objects.
We also toured the Victor Horta museum, housed in his Art Nouveau-style home which he designed—including the furnishings, which, if you don't already have an appreciation of Art Nouveau, will endear you to the late Victorian style. No photos were allowed, in fact, we had to check our bags and jackets before we could even enter the museum. Check out some of the photos online, if you're interested.
Meanwhile, here are some of my photos—possibly the last photos I'll ever take of a united Belgium—beginning with Bruges, a medieval city in Flanders.
A map of Bruges, made of lace, is located in one of the squares, in case you get lost.
Alternatively, you could just wander around, peeking in windows across canals...
Watching tourists on boats...
Peeking through doorways...
And when it rains, you can pop into a church and spy on Michaelangelo's Madonna, one of his few pieces to be found outside of Italy.
In Brussels, little Mannekin Pis was wearing one of his outfits given to him by the Latvians. (It is customary for visiting dignitaries to donate an outfit to poor little Mannekin Pis, otherwise he's naked.)
The Hotel du Ville tower in the Grand Place, seen from one of the side streets.
This really is a hotel. We stayed in the corner room, on the first (second) floor.
The doorway of the Victor Horta Museum.
This clock indicates it's just about time for the bell ringer on the roof to ring the chimes...which he did right on time.
More photos here.
