We have a full day ahead planned for our last night in Brussels before we head to Amsterdam.
Our first stop is Egmont Park and Palace. Egmont Park and Palace is hidden so you'll have to go through an alley to get to the park. There is a Peter Pan statue in the park along with a mansion that was built in the 16th century. It was quite busy with people sitting and eating their lunches.
In the park is a cute cafe called La Fabrique en Ville. The ambiance of the place really fits with the park of having this fairy tale feel to it. There is a second floor for seating and the staff does speak English. The menu is not in English but you can pretty much make out what they are serving.
I ordered the Eggs Benedict with salmon and their house salad. I also ordered a mimosa to drink with my lunch. E ordered fish and chips with the house salad. He also ordered a Belgian beer. The bread was complimentary and came with Belgian butter. The food was very tasty and filled us up. In Europe, you'll need to ask for your bill and pay at the counter.
We were headed to Place Fernand COQ but unfortunately it was under construction. Place Fernand is a square outside the shopping area of Chausee d'Ixelles. However we did walk along the shopping area in Ixelles and started to head towards the Royal Palace of Brussels. Right outside the Palace was a protest so there was a lot of police presence blocking the streets. We went around the protest to get to the front of the palace.
The Royal Palace of Brussels is huge and stunning! It's such a beautiful view and the gold and black gates really compliment the entire palace. There were military and police walking around the palace and a lot of tourists taking pictures at the gate.
We stopped by the Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula. It was absolutely stunning. This place looked really similar to Notre Dame.
We went to Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert which is a shopping mall. There were a lot of chocolate shops, cafe and glove shops here. We bought some chocolates and macarons from one of the shops.
After the shopping mall, we went to the Grand Palace which is in the center of Brussels. There were a lot of panhandlers here so be careful when you're taking pictures.
We stopped for some Belgian waffles at Los Churros & Waffles. Belgian waffles are so delicious. There were so many kinds to try but we got strawberries, whipped cream and macarons.
The Manneken Pis is very popular in Brussels. Mannekin Pis is a statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain. There are stores that sell items of it and there's a cafe dedicated to the statue as well.
Lastly for dinner, we went to Chez Leon. One thing we told ourselves was that we wanted to try something new. So I decided to get this platter which had lobster, oysters, clams, shrimp and snails. E decided to get Horse fillet. YES...HORSE!! He had it well-done and in mushroom sauce. He said it was a bit tough and it was something outside his comfort zone but he probably wouldn't get it again.
Overall, it was a nice last day in Brussels. We wish we stayed another night or two to get the full Brussels experience but tomorrow we head to Amsterdam!
Link to vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ogVIa8CIuE&t=25s