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One autumn, I was in Brussels. Yesterday, the photos reminded me of that. Yellow and copper leaves scattered on the sidewalks in the city centre, beige and grey tenement houses, sceneries with an admixture of orange and burgundy – they are colours of Brussels.

On the roofs

I remember that time I was in love with Maciek, my current husband. How crazy we were. The room we stayed in had an exit to the roof from which we could climb onto other roofs. They were multi-levelled. So, we were walking up onto ladders, were laying on crimson ivy. We loved the roguish Belgian October which became our month, because after many years we got married exactly in October.

Gardens and prehistoric creatures

In the botanical garden we found a mixture of French, Italian and English style. The sun was gold when we were climbing on the wide stairs. At their end we met there a aquamarine crocodile with an open mouth, in which he held his tail, and I gladly put my head in his mouth, too. Our friend Marian, who was also there with us, was wandering through all the time with the dinosaur he called Brussels. In the greenhouse, faces from the photo exhibition watched us. But we could hide in the tall grasses which were climbing to the middle of sky building behind us. Because this blissful corner is located in the heart of the financial district. Today, the former Botanical Garden of Brussels is just an interesting urban park. BTW, in the city you can find so many beautiful and quite parks. But near Brussels is also Meise Botanic Garden. 

Kitchen dresser and timeless flavor

The walls of the Carpe Diem – nice restaurant on the corner were covered with many photographs and the piano we found the laminated maps of Belgium. Or maybe they were table mats? I do not remember exactly. But with sure we sat by the window on the yellow chairs and we ate the most delicious waffles in the world. I was wearing a striped sweater and an orange blouse instead of a scarf on my neck. That is how people worn in Paris – my friend Barbara assured me before travel.

Bazaar by the viaduct & terry cat

We rolled into the crowd in the funky beat. There people stood at high tables sipping canned bears. At one stall, we met a girl who sold hand-made cycling vests and promoted them to wear on the bike. Nice pansies sewn onto one of them looked alive. I liked the most the one with a terry cat (read a Lika’s cat). I remember there were a lot of bicycles in Brussels and I saw exactly how cars let the bike pass on the busy streets. Anyway, bicycles in Belgium are considered vehicles and for the most part must follow the same traffic rules as motored vehicles.

On the kerb

There was a big renovation in the historic centre. Voted landmarks were behind the curtains of scaffolding. But  it did not change the fact that there was a queue to join them. Me and Maciek sat down on the kerbstone in front of the statue of the Manneken Pis / Little Pissing Man. Belgian chocolates were sold across this street. Not much later I left the store with a Brussels Cat which had a spiky fur in the steel blue. I remembered Brussels as a buddy with whom I will wander once again.

P.S. Brussels sometimes reminded me of Wrocław and other time Paris. However, it is very cozy and full of parks city. You could also find amazing baguette sandwiches in old tenement house.

Have you ever wandered in Brussels? Do you want to go there? 🙂