Everyone was on time at the welcome reception in Novotel “la tour noire” in the heart of Brussels. After a few local beers, everyone got acquainted and the mood was set for of what was going to be an unforgettable week : happy faces and a warm atmosphere!

At 5 PM the coach picked us up at the hotel, for a tour of Brussels .We had picked the right moment because all traffic was banned out of the city centre due to a special European Car-free Sunday. Luckily, coaches and taxis were allowed to drive. As a result, Brussels gave us a somewhat unreal impression : there were bikes everywhere, people walking in the middle of the street, horses!!, skaters . Patrick, the driver, who did an excellent job throughout the whole week, told us that it was even harder for him to drive then when the traffic was normal (and congested as usual) . We saw the ‘Atomium’, a giant reproduction of an iron molecule built specially for the 1958 World Exposition, we drove under it and halted for some nice pictures.

Atononium

We drove along the Chinese and Japanese pavilions (also for the’58 expo) , the Royal Palace of Laken and the church of Laken, and then headed towards the Cinquantenaire or Jubelpark,
a Triumph Arch built in the 1880’s for the fiftieth anniversary of the Kingdom of Belgium.
Then the bus brought us to the Royal Palace in the city centre (there are two palaces, one in Laken where the Royal family resides, and the other one in the city centre where the king holds his office, opposite the Warande park and the Parliament. The weather was splendid and as a result, we got some beautiful pictures!

Royal Palace

We were getting thirsty and stomachs were starting to groan, so it was time for dinner : “Au Stekker Lapate” , a nice and spacious restaurant in a folksy neighbourhood , served us an exquisite dinner .
The food was great, the beers were great, so what could be better then a nice evening walk in the heart of the city ?

Menu Two croquettes of melted Emmenthaler and Parmesan, deep-fried parsley and lemon. Roasted rooster, sauce with mushrooms, bacon, little white onions and pan-fried potatoes Floreffe Blonde & Brune Homemade chocolate mousse Espresso, tea and infusion (like a tea, but the herbal extract is put directly into hot water and then filtered).

The bus took us to avenue Anspach, just off Grand Place, and we walked to it, saw the brewers house and all the other splendid guild houses , we saw “Manneke Pis” and then later some of us also got to see “Jeanneke Pis”. The walk ended at Mort Subite, one of the oldest and very typical bars in Brussels: time to sample a gueuze or a trappist and discuss the tour that was lying ahead of us, time for a nightcap too, and then a good nights’ rest which, I think, we had all well deserved.

Day II