Thursday August 1

Aalst, Music Museum, Royal Palace, Brussels Park

We got up this morning and went to the north of the city, where we caught a bus out to Aalst.  We were on a mission to take a photograph in the same spot where Megan's Aunt Margaret had been photographed in 1959.  We got that accomplished, and headed back into Brussels.

Megan in Aalst

After a late lunch we headed out to visit the Music Museum.  I had great hopes on the top floor, as all the exhibit descriptions were in French, Dutch and English, but the next floors didn't have a lot of English signage.  We also made the mistake of not paying for audio guides.  Yesterday I spoke of the castle in Ghent with the excellent audio guide.  It was intrinsic to the tour, so included.  They didn't take your money for entrance and then say, 'would you like to spend more money for an audio guide' because they knew that the guide should be included as it was so important.  The Music Museum hasn't learned that.  I rant.

Music Museum-A Really Interesting Building Inside and Out

After this we crossed the street and went around the corner to go through the Royal Palace.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the tour was free.  Very nice.  This palace, like Madrid, featured obvious attempts to look a lot like Versailles.  Alas, in Belgium, there's the whole uncomfortable thing with Leopold II, hugely responsible for inflicting genocide of, by some accounts, over ten million people in the Congo.  I think of statues being quietly removed and arguments over that type of thing in North America, but when I see streets named after this guy, and large statues of the fellow on horseback (I didn't take that picture) I think, 'here is a country not quite yet grappling with a troublesome history'.

Royal Palace

High Ceilings, Low Floors

After our tour of the palace we retired across the street to have a beer in the park.  This was quite a nice treat, and yet another conversation.  I know that Vancouver has been working on getting some situations like this up and running in, for example, waterfront parks.  Make it happen!  It was all very nice!  We had a chance to try a local brewery's wares at a nice little outdoor table in the park!  After dinner we went back out to a pub about 1.5 km away, then walked back and sat on the steps at Mont des Arts listening to some street music. 

I Look Like I'm On To Something

Total today =14.74 km