Brussels!!

We just returned from a wonderful four-day trip to Belgium.  This trip was in celebration of our four-year anniversary which is next week!!  We spent one and a half days in Bruges and two and a half days in Brussels.  For pictures and description of Bruges, see the post below!  Brussels was wonderful!  We stayed in a hotel in the European Quarter where the European Union has its headquarters.  What I didn't realize when I planned our trip for Belgium is that Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolate truly are a HUGE deal in Belgium.  Shops all over the city were filled with chocolate eggs, bunnies, and everything chocolate you could imagine for Easter.  Being somewhat of a chocoholic this was a pleasant surprise. :)  Scroll through the pictures and read more about our great trip!

The Cinquantenaire (erected in 1905) in the Parc du Cinquantenaire.

We visited Autoworld, a museum on the history of cars.  Here are Stephen and Tyson in a racing car.

A view of Autoworld.

We also visited the Royal Military Museum.

We happened upon the Cathedral of Notre Dame du Sablon.  It was stunning inside!

But Tyson slept through it.

A view from outside the cathedral.

We happened upon this restaurant that I had read about online and got scrumptious pitas.

We visited the famous Mannekin Pis (means peeing boy LOL).  It is a famous statue in Brussels.  The statue has over 200 outfits which are changed throughout the year.

During our stay in Belgium, I devoured three REAL Belgian waffles.  American-Belgian waffles don't even begin to compare to the deliciousness of a real Belgian waffle covered in Nutella, strawberries, and whipped cream.

We visited the city square of Brussels, known to be one of the loveliest city squares in Europe.

Here's another picture from the main square.

And another.  The buildings are so amazing.

We visited the cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula.

It was lovely inside.

We stopped to rest at the Parc du Bruxelles, a nice park in the city.

We got a look at the royal palace.

And happened upon these neat gardens.

We really enjoyed the street performers.

We visited the Royal Galleries of St. Hubert.  They are filled with chocolate shops.

Another picture in the city square.

Here's a view from our hotel at night.

We went to Mini Europe, a park with miniature versions of famous buildings in Europe.  Here's a mini version of the central square of Brussels.

Here's a miniature version of the Parliament and Big Ben in London.

We got a view of the Atomium, the symbol of Brussels, which was constructed for the World's Fair in 1958.

It is huge at 335 feet tall.

We visited the stunning Royal Greenhouses which are only open to the public for a few weeks a year and we lucked out.

We waited in line forever but it was worth it.

The flowers were amazing.

Public transportation in Europe is the best.  We took the metro everywhere.

As mentioned above, we stayed in the European Quarter where the European Union is headquartered.

We celebrated Tyson's first Easter complete with an Easter egg hunt.

The eggs were empty but Tyson loved it all the same. :)