the Beauty of Brussels

"Parlez-vous français ? Or English? I'm sorry... we just passed each other in the galerie and I had to tell you... you're beautiful." He went on to ask where we were from, how long we'd be in Brussels, and what we had planned for the rest of the day. This kind of encounter doesn't actually happen in real life. Well, it doesn't unless you're an American visiting from Paris who'd just gotten a fab haircut at Style Pixie. Or so I hear. It was the most genuinely flattering "hit on" (I really dislike that term) experience I've ever had.
And, gosh, the city of Brussels is beautiful, too. I'd always heard it was boring and not necessarily worth the stop, but the Belgian capital hasn't gotten enough credit. It's so much more than waffles, chocolate, and comic books! Take a look for yourself:
Although Lara and I did spend a fair share of our relaxing weekend in Ixelles, we made it into the center to enjoy a few contemporary gems: Pistolet for a quick breakfast, Mont des Arts for cultural entertainment, the Brussels Palace gardens, Delirium café for a mid-afternoon beer, the Musical Instruments Museum (even just for the exterior architecture), Pierre Marcolini for modern artisanal chocolate, Le Roy d'Espagne for an aperitif, and Monk bar for late night live music. I heard Pixel was a nice wine bar and Wittamer had divine chocolate chaud, too. Maybe next time? Until then, one last Brussels post to come with the classic main attraction...