Third day with the family in Brussels
Our chocolate morning in Brussels
Today is Henry's birthday. To celebrate the occasion, we're having breakfast at the Cocoa and Chocolate Museum, on rue de la Tête d’Or, a stone's throw from the Grand Place, and from there we'll set off on our visit.
© WBT - ThomasBlairon.be
The museum is housed in a former Brussels townhouse with a cosy air about it. The quality of Belgian chocolate is know worldwide, and we go on a journey through the world of pralines and chocolate tablets, from ingredients to the final product.
Posters, explanatory panels, statues and a variety of objects tell us where cocoa comes from and the methods used to process it.
A master chocolatier gives us a demonstration of how he makes pralines, that we are then allowed to taste. The children are beyond themselves with pleasure as they dip speculoos buiscuits into a bowl of chocolate! And it's pouring eveywhere! Delight is guaranteed, but don't forget some napkins...
When we leave we decide to go shopping for chocolate and purchase a few boxes of pralines for the grandparents and colleagues (Galler, Laurent Gerbaud, Planète Chocolat, Jean-Philippe Darcis: there is a huge choice).
© WBT - ThomasBlairon.be
We also buy a little Manneken Pis that will stand proudly on the children's shelf as a souvenir of our trip.
We stroll along the rue Marché aux Charbons and Henry simply can't resist the sweetshops, so we fill his pockets with two little bags of the coloured sugary treats bought at Papabubble, where you can even customise your sweets!
The quest for mediaeval Brussels begins in a green setting
We promised Henry, following the advice of a couple of friends who recently visited Brussels, that for his birthday we would take him on the Sortilège adventure, an outdoor game that transports you to another world.
© www.sortilege.be
Questions, riddles, magical characters, witches, knights and suspension bridges are all part of the fun with this great activity.
After all the excitement is over, someone suggests we eat a sandwich made with the best organic produce at the nos Pilifs Farm.
We then hop onto bus 47 to go and get our luggage, not forgetting the rocket, and get our train at Brussels Midi Station (Zuidstation) where we wave good-bye to Tintin for the last time (Tintin fresco at Midi Station).
The little reporter was with us throughout this unforgettable family weekend.
