Took the opportunity offered by the early finish of the conference today to have a look around Brussels, along with a few thousand other tourists.
Incidentally, I’ve discovered why no one wears high heels here. It’s not (only) because Belgian women lack the style and panache of their French counterparts – it’s (also) because of all the cobblestones.
Manneken pis – the fountain of the little boy peeing – a famous local landmark. Underwhelming. No wonder it only got three stars on TripAdvisor. Still popular though.
The big celebration of the festive season here is St Nicholas’ Day on December 6th. That’s when they do the food and presents and chocolate and stuff. Doesn’t stop them very cynically producing advent calendars for the rest of us, though. They’re quite expensive, but I’ve been buying up large, in a desperate and naked attempt to buy my way back into my children’s affections after abandoning them for so long. I’m quietly confident.
This is described as a “working” palace for the royal family. So, I guess that means this is where they issue proclamations, chop off people’s heads, and plan their trips to plunder the colonies I suppose?
Although, this guy does look like he means business.
Everything looks better at night.