When I was here with Bushy in 2017, we didn’t realize how lucky we were with the weather. I don’t remember any rain days at all, cool, maybe cold at times and windy but no rain.
Fast forward to 2024 and so far, Saturday/rain, Sunday/rain, Monday/rain, Tuesday/overcast, Wed./rain, I may be a bit ahead of myself as this is a little bit about Tuesday as we subbed inn a Brussels mostly museum day instead of rail to Ghent with me riding a bike back in the wind, cool and rain for 80 kilometers.
We will need to figure a different means to get to Ghent while we are staying in Lillie and have a car.
I’m writing these blog posts as fast as I can fit them in, today is Friday and tomorrow we leave Brussels for Lillie and Paris Roubaix and Brabants Pijl and I’m finally getting around to what we did 4 days ago.
Also, I have a ton of pictures and video that I will post but might not be until I get home, as everywhere we turn is another amazing photo op.
We are getting quite comfortable with our short little walk to the Flegey area only 8-10 blocks away from our lodging and where we pick up the 71-bus to the central part of the city, where the museums are located. This is also the location of the busy Café Belga where we had brekky on Saturday and where we have a redo today, Monday before boarding the bus for the 4-5 k trip. Oh, how easy it is to say short, painless trip now when just a few days ago we were struggling with luggage on our way to our first check in. I’m glad we can put that memory behind us.
The Brussels Fine Arts museum and Margritt Museum are next to each other. I have a mission to accomplish at Margritt, done and now move into the Fine Arts Museum, filled with an overwhelming display of grand masters of Belgium. I don’t remember the last time I spent significant time in an arts museum, I think I need to adjust my life some. The inside of the building is an amazing artistic creation and then there is room after room filled with an impressive array of mostly paintings but some sculpture as well.
I was a bit wary about taking pictures but soon I am taking tons of photos only capturing a minor selection of what’s on offer and no one seems to mind, others are as well.
We spent over 3 hours inside, warm, and dry and happy but my mind is overwhelmed and I’m feeling a tiny bit like a sore throat coming on, like in the start of a cold virus. Fingers crossed, no please.
Out into the drizzle and looking for a 71 bus, and just like that one appears. Off we go towards this week’s home. We travel through a spot that Paul mentioned as his office and spy a fun café, pub, bar, coffee shop, all the above, and decide to stop for dinner. Great casual choice, vege-burgers that were wonderful and a side of frites and mayo to split, oh and a beer, a Kwaremont please.
Easy back on the bus, the cafe was 20 meters from the bus stop. A walk up the hill after getting off the bus and a stop at a local grocery mart. No, not a Cum and Go, this is a local, private run market full of all mostly fresh, healthy, and mother earth sensitive products. Another reason to love this place.
Tucked in and cozy, tomorrow is another big adventure day, down to the rail station and off to Antwerpen to source out the start of Schelderpris, the oldest of the Classics, started in 1907. Another chance to challenge our travel expertise.
Another great day