Beautiful but Brisk - Brussels, Belgium

A couple Saturdays ago Clayton and I decided on taking a USO trip to Brussels. . . I have wanted to go to this wonderful city in Belgium since we moved here and just haven't gotten up and gone.  The USO (United Service Organizations) on base here in Germany offers a variety of trips every weekend to service members and their families and we have gone on several of these trips before (Strasbourg, Wewelsburg Castle, Paris).  The bus ride is horrid . . . but the result of being dropped off downtown without having to find/pay for parking and usually having a tour guide is worth the 5-6 hour bus ride.  It also offers the traveler some much needed sleep roundtrip (not very restful sleep I might add) as the trips usually leave around 1 am and do not return back until 1 am the following morning.

Our latest USO trip took us to Brussels . . . the city of waffles, beautiful buildings and the all-too-famous fountain of Mannequin Pis.





The day was bitter cold . . . my feet were freezing through my not so insulated rain boots.  It was neither snowing or raining but the wind chill was biting! I have to admit, the first part of the day was utter misery.  We first stopped at the Atomium, a structure built for the 1958 World's Fair that took place in Brussels, to take some quick pictures before heading into the city.  Supposedly it was built to rival the Eiffel Tower in Paris which was built for the 1889 World's Fair . . . in my opinion they utterly failed . . but it still is pretty cool.  The Atomium is 335 feet tall and is made up of nine stainless steel spheres that are connected to form the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal . . . magnified 165 billion times of course!

We then continued on into the heart of the city . . . our guide took us on a walking tour (the miserable part of the day) and we were grateful to finally make it to the Grand Place, or central market square, in Brussels.  From there we were given the rest of the day to enjoy in our own way (the fun and enjoyable part of the day).  Our first order of business  . . obtaining a delicious waffle to eat!  We found one first thing outside of the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula.  The Cathedral itself was pretty amazing with a neat history in that it is used for weddings/funerals of both the common man and of royalty . . . but the waffle was our main priority :-) 

Having settled the first order of business we then took our time strolling through the streets around the Grand Place.  We enjoyed looking at the beautiful tapestry shops, window shopping the fantastic displays of the chocolatier shops, browsing through a leather goods store that was completely out of our price range and hit up the Tin Tin store as well.  Throw all of that in with a couple more delicious Belgian Waffles and we had ourselves a time!  One street in particular beckoned to us with the delicious smells of chocolate and waffely goodness . . it was as if our noses arrived in their own personal heaven . . . Oh yes . . we also found the shopping district and enjoyed several expensive hours in it's depths.

Mannequin Pis . . . . what can I say about this little guy . . . he is the mascot of the city and one can find mugs, t-shirts, figurines, etc. etc. displaying this fellow.  I am sure most people have seen a picture of him and he has become a crucial piece of culture in Brussels . . . what I wasn't expecting was how small he actually is!  The fountain is tucked away in an alley way surrounding the Grand Place and if you weren't looking for him (and ignored the throngs of people surrounding him) you could very well miss him altogether.  Created and put into place in the early 1600's this sculpture of just over 24 inches tall has been repeatedly stolen throughout the years.  There are many tales and legends told about this fountain, thus adding to the mystery and intrigue behind him.  He is dressed in costumes several times a week and his wardrobe consists of over three hundred of these costumes.  He just so happened to be dressed as some sort of archer/robin hood on the day we met his acquaintance.

A few things about the Grand Place . . . first of all it is absolutely beautiful!!  It is the most important tourist destination and landmark in Brussels and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  In 2010 it was voted as the most beautiful square in Europe.  It is unique in that all of the buildings that line this market square are all decorated/designed in the different styles of Gothic, Baroque and Louis XIV.  I couldn't take enough panoramic pictures with my Iphone to capture the beauty, but I sure tried!

Bruges, Belgium

Ahhhh Bruges . . . how beautiful, quaint and relaxing you are!  I have been told by several people that you were the "favorite" . . . I had to experience you for myself :-)

Located on the upper coast of Belgium this tiny, medieval city captured my heart! From the cobblestone roadways to the quaint Bed and Breakfasts, chocolatier shops, to the beautiful "Church of Our Lady" (with an incredibly high bell tower), this little port city had proven to be a jewel in a foreign land.

(Church of our Lady as seen from the belfry)

 . . . and the waffles . . . did I mention the waffles?!?? . . . oh my!!  I am fortunate to live close enough for a overnight trip to Belgium but far enough away not to make eating the delectable waffles a habit.  My waffle was an original (powdered sugar as the only topping) and did not disappoint me in any way, shape or form.  Clayton. Beth and Range tried the chocolate and caramel and reported that they were equally as delectable.

The tallest structure of the city was the Church of our Lady with it's tower over 400 feet in height.  The inside of the church was beautifully decorated and incorporated many famous works of art, the most famous being the white marble sculpture of Madonna and Child by Michelangelo.

The Church of Our Lady was beautiful however the main attraction seemed to the be bell tower (belfry).  At just over 270 feet, this tower was a beast . . . yes beast . . . to climb!  The "beast-icity" of the tower not only came from the height but also the fact that the stairwells were so narrow as to only allow one way traffic and the stairs were very small, yet greatly inclined . . and there were 366 of them!  At the top of the bell tower we were met with a wonderful view of the city and market square.  We were also met with rain, winds, pigeons, and frightening loud bells.

As a final farewell. Bruges presented us with large pellets of hail. . . that hurt! As we scurried to find shelter we also found ourselves laughing at the ridiculousness of the ordeal . . 10 minutes later there was sunshine.

WWII history weekend

(Mardasson Memorial)

 

Along with the walk in the steps of the 82nd Airborne Division we also visited several sites of WWII history that weekend.  One such site was in Bastogne, Belgium.  Bastogne was critical to the success of the American forces in the Battle of the Bulge and it was here that the 101st division (famous in the Band of Brothers series) held off the advances of the German Army until relieved by General Patton.  There is a memorial set up in Bastogne (Mardasson Memorial) in honor the 76,890 American soldiers who were hurt or killed during the Battle of the Bulge. 

 (Sherman Tank "Thunderbolt" at the Mardasson Memorial)

We also found a memorial in honor of the 101st Airborne and more specifically "E" company. 

We then visited the forest on the outskirts of Foy where "E" company was camped and withstood the bombings of the German forces.  Many foxholes that were dug during the war are still present today and we heard if you take a metal detector you can even find some shrapnel left over. . . . we did not have a metal detector however, so Clayton took to digging with his hands . . hehe. . . the only bit of metal we were able to find was a can of Red Bull.

 

 

 

 (trees blow apart at Foy. . . not sure how much was original and how much was created for tourists) 

 (foxhole in the forest outside of Foy)

 

 

(our trek into the forest . . . you can tell we weren't the only ones to visit the site)

 

(another large foxhole we found)

In the footsteps of the 82nd Airborne Division

On February 23rd Clayton and I decided to undertake a 13.6 mile walk through snow, mud, ice and treacherous terrain in retracing the steps of the 82nd Airborne during the Battle of the Bulge (more specifically the 505th parachute infantry regiment and the 551st parachute infantry battalion). Boy, what an experience it was!! The path we took lead us through the villages of Basse-Bodeux, Fosse, Grand-Halleux, Rochelinval, Dairomont and Reharmont. With nothing more than a few snacks packed in a backpack and a cup of vegetable soup for lunch, we proceeded to cover the same ground that these parachute infantries covered in a span of 4 days . . . only we did it in a total of 6 hours (of course we were not fighting for our lives at the time).

One of the highlights of the trip was a remembrance ceremony that took place in Fosse where we were able to meet two veterans of the 505th parachute infantry regiment who fought there.

The battle in Rochelinval cost the 551st more than half of its remaining men as the 551st were ordered to attack the village over open ground ant without artillery support. After this battle the 551st was absorbed into the 82nd Airborne Division as out of the initial strength of 800 officers and enlisted only 110 were left. The battalion was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation in 2001 recognizing its accomplishment. According to paratrooper Don Garrigues their first days in the Battle of the Bulge were miserable: "no sleep, frozen feet, trench foot, knee deep snot, cold food and hallucinations." The frozen feet and knee deep snow we were first hand witness to.

 

Arriving back to the mini we were thoroughly soaked, freezing, exhausted and convinced that we did not wish to experience any more "steps" in anyone’s division.

 

(Special thank you to my co-worker Ann Shields for posting the announcement at work and for the many handouts/books she gave me on the subject.  You Rock!!)