Brussels: The Good, The Very Good and The Odd

I've decided to not use the Good, Bad and the Ugly because nothing on this trip was every truly bad or ugly.  The entire trip was awesome!  But there were a few things that were better than others.  

The Good: First let me say, I loved Brussels!  The city had absolutely gorgeous architecture. Just like everything in Europe, the buildings and palaces were just so old and so beautiful. The Grand Place was enormous, and gilded and so full of life.  People milling around taking pictures and eating and laughing - it was just such a great place to be and people watch.

Speaking of people, everyone we met were so genuinely kind and helpful.  Most everyone spoke English but even those that didn't tried to get out a few words.  We most definitely did not speak Flemish but we could understand a few important words in French.  As long as we tried, with please or thank you, they were more than willing to meet us halfway.  Not to mention, everything just sounds so much better in French!

The Very Good: Chocolate & Waffles - Have I mentioned the chocolate and waffles?  I mean it's fairly cliche to go to Belgium and pig out on chocolate and waffles.  But actually knowing how good they are now, I completely understand why everyone does it.  So very delicious!  I honestly believe if I could (and not gain a million pounds) half at least one of those waffles and some of that chocolate every week, I'd be a much happier individual.

Speaking of chocolate, the chocolate tour was also all kinds of fabulous as I said before.  I can definitely see why they win the best of Viator so often.  They had that tour down to a science.  I was able to taste test chocolate, make chocolate, see the sites of the city and walk off all the waffles in one single fantastic tour.  What's not to love!?

The Odd:  Atomium is by far the strangest attraction I've ever been to.  After about 2 hours in the thing, I still have absolutely NO idea what it's for and why it's there.  We stood in line for about 20 minutes, then had lunch (a fairly decent tomato mozz salad with the most expensive bottle of water I've ever drank) then went down a floor looked out the windows, then left.  And all of this required a train ride to the outskirts of the city.  I still have no idea why we did it...Don't get me wrong, it wasn't terrible.  I was able to get some artsy shots of it, I just don't know exactly what I have the artsy shots of : )