Day 17: Rest Day
Nau mai
Yesterday we enjoyed a day off in Brussels.
The morning was a chance to catch up on sleep, and we didn’t waste this opportunity. I left the hotel in the early afternoon and made my way to a spot that called itself Damn Good Café, a sandwich and coffee shop on a quiet backstreet away from the bustle of the city centre. Soon I was sitting at a table out on the cobbled footpath with a hot meal in front of me, a long, toasted bread roll filled with spiced tofu, pickled onions, red cabbage, parsley, harissa, and sesame sauce, and a small green side salad splashed with a sharp vinaigrette.
Tristan had gone for a run in the morning, and I had slept through the call time so I went out by myself after I had eaten. It turned out that coincidentally we had run almost the same route but seen quite different sights, so I will share both sets of photos. There were many impressive structures to appreciate in and around Laeken Park, the most spectacular of which was of course the 102 metre Atomium, a collection of stainless-steel spheres constructed for the 1958 World’s Fair.
The author’s photos.
Tristan’s photos.
Later in the afternoon I had the pleasure of an outing with Jonathan and Gabe which had us visiting the Musical Instruments Museum. This was a great tourist attraction, reasonably priced, skilfully curated, and utterly fascinating. Upon entry you don a pair of headphones attached to a small electronic device packed with recordings of this amazing collection of strange and innovative instruments. From the early instruments constructed of branch, bone and skin, to the innovative mechanical creations of those skilful 19th century inventors, it was beautiful to see and hear these diverse, handmade, non-standardised musical treasures.
The author looks out from the enjoys the lookout in front of the Congress Column. As Google reviewer Winston Lee says “It's not the best view point in Brussels, but still acceptable. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐”
It was a beautiful evening in Brussels and we walked into the city centre for dinner. We were lucky enough to be joined by the impeccable members of the band Dateline and for a few hours we enjoyed their company along with a good selection of Belgian beers.
I’ll leave you with a brand new tour vlog, fresh from the cutting room of Tristan Deck.