Emerson said: "Life
is a journey, not a destination.” With jet travel, it is the
destination that counts—the journey by aircraft is wearing.
The flight to Toronto and then on to
Brussels took 12 hours. The trans-Atlantic flight was at night. I
hoped for some sleep. Not a chance. There must have been 30 kids
under 6. At least two could be counted on to be howling in close
proximity at any moment. The narrow isles are not designed for an
increasing weight-gaining populace. Many people cannot walk the
aisles—and someone was always walking—without brushing against
people in the aisle seats, like me.
So I arrived in Brussels a bit of a
Zombie—not unusual for the day after Halloween—and took the
train into the city and my hotel. I arrived at 9 AM local time, 4 AM
home time. Fortunately, I could check in immediately. I napped for
four hours.
Refreshed, I walked 2 km to the Grand
Place, a pedestrian only central square and surrounding streets full
of old buildings, shops and eateries. I had a Belgian beer and a sandwich at the Roy d' Espagne, an 1697 building that several friends
recommended on the Grand Place.
Here's a few pictures of the Grand Place:
I leave tomorrow morning for Mumbai,
India—a long flight followed by a 10-hour layover before the leg to
Kathmandu. My journey to Brussels was just training for the next two
days. Yikes!
Now if this was the 60's this art school grad would think he was hearing from an aging hippie heading east. However, an extended stop in Amsterdam would be required before proceeding just to mellow the rest of the journey. We are truly jealous and will become even more so when Ankor Wat come into view!!! TEK&BC
ReplyDeletegorgeous architecture! the pictures look familiar, probably for 2 reasons - I was there a long time ago, but also there's some resemblance to Marienplatz in Munich, no?
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