Brussels has a nice feel to it, despite being the centre of European government. It has obviously seen a lot of money spent over a couple of centuries, which is slightly surprising, as Belgium hasn't been a country in its own right for too long.
It's interesting contrasting this with Vienna. In that city there was a sense of it once having been intensely powerful and extremely wealthy, with a long and busy history. Yet it is now a city apparently reduced to scraping a living from tourism, still being proud and elegant yet so poor. Brussels looked like a city that had been poor, yet had become well off and comfortable recently, and was relaxed and enjoying the idea of doing well.
The market wasn't too much like the Vienna market. Few stalls seemed to carry hand crafted goods or amazing decorations. It WAS good to visit, but with a much more modern and commercial feel to it.
We also spent time with Richard and Anna (and Joel). They send their love back to all who know them from Bicester and Oxford. They're doing well, and Richard hopes to set up his own language business next year.
With no more ado, here's a small selection of pics. Sorry if you're on dialup.
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