Brussels

Brussels' main square

 Something about the way Rick Steves refers to Brussels as having the best square in Europe appealed to us. Something about the way he acknowledged that enjoying a snack on the square might be the best way to spend your time in Brussels clued us in to the concept of just staying for a few hours in the city. It made a decent stopover between Bruges and home.

We saw the essential sights, including the original Godiva shop:

However, we bought a box of Galler's chocolates. They don't export, so they're less well-known, but still great. Daisy loved taking little nibbles and passing them around to share.

Belgian lace is a traditional commodity.

Tapestry is, too. I fell in love with this one, of Holland's Keukenhof.

This little Mannekin Pis fountain is one of the tragic highlights of the city. There's even a whole museum of costumes he's squirted through. We didn't go.

 The Belgian royal family's palace:

 I loved this lion's startled expression.

Finally, I figured that there was no better way to end a visit to Brussels than by eating my first ever bucket of mussels.

It's rare that Chris and I go somewhere that we'd really prefer to never see again, but Brussels was one of those places. Maybe if we'd gone to the Mannekin Pis museum, we'd feel more invested in the city culture... Our recommendation: skip Brussels!