Belgium

ENGLAND TO BELGIUM - DAY EIGHT - NINE
Previous Blogs: Day 1-3 Queen Mary 2 \| Day 4-7 Queen Mary 2 \| Day 8-9 To Belgium \| Day 10 Brussels \| Day 11-12 Gent \| Day 13-14 Amsterdam \| Day 15 Amsterdam Click on pictures for larger version

	It's our last evening on the ship we bid adieu to our table mates. It's often hit or miss with total strangers, but in our case, we became good friends with all and exchanged contact details. "DING" -- Oh - there's another friend request from our new mates in England and California!
We arrived in Southampton to pouring rain and chilly air. Welcome to the UK in Winter!
	The car and driver we hired was waiting for us and the company gave us a free upgrade to a top of the line Mercedes!! It was extremely comfortable and had double sun roofs. Not that we saw the sun!! Wendy was in pig heaven over the seat warmers (OK - I have to admit, it was a well needed and welcomed bonus! Our first stop was Stonehenge.


We had a cup of hot cocoa in their cafe as it was FREEZING and we needed to warm up before braving the elements. We then scored the shuttle and short walk in the rain and freezing wind to get these pictures of the 4500 year old structure. It has been facetiously named one of the Top 10 Most Disappointing Tourist Attractions, however, we were quite pleased and in awe of the history.
	We then headed off to Windsor where we had lunch in a local pub. Steak and Kidney Pie was fantastic! Wendy had something disgusting with cucumber. Bully for her - she liked it. We landed up having to buy an umbrella because the rain just would not let up! It was miserable walking around the famous and cute town of Windsor.
The goal was to Explore Windsor Castle home to the Queen and many other Royals before her for almost 1000 years. And yes, shamedly, I must admit I was longing for a sneak peak of Meghan, too. Windsor Castle is the largest occupied castle in the world. But the rain got heavier and the weather more miserable so we decided to just get to our hotel in London.
	You know the saying not enough room to swing a cat? Well, that accurately describes London hotel rooms, they are tiny (not unless you want to pay a fortune for a bigger room!). And was up 6 flights of stairs without an elevator! It included a full English Breakfast and the shower water was hot. No complaints here (except no lift!).
We went on a pub crawl for dinner, there is of course a pub on every corner in this part of London. Our hotel was right outside St. Pancreas / Kings Cross Railway Station as we were catching the train to Brussels the next day.
	Next morning we embark on achieving the next wonder of the world: The Chunnel! This is the Eurostar a train that goes from London to France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands via a tunnel built under the English channel. The trip from London to Brussels only takes 2 hours including 2 stops. The train runs at 186 MPH!

	And to surprise us, here's our Belgium family who traveled especially from their home in Ghent to greet us at the Brussels station. Didier, An and our Godson son Lewis!

Also greeting us right outside the station was most the Brussels Police force! There is major protesting going on in the city and all over France so the Belgian government and police are being extra cautious. Wendy and An felt exposing little Lewis to protests was an educational moment. Kindly direct me to the closest pub sans tear gas thank you very much!
No trip to Belgium is complete without eating Belgium Fries with beer! Note the forks provided for the fries and complemented with "meat on a stick".	We rented an AirBnB right in the heart of the city (AND out of the legal protest zone!). Only $107/night.
	Very modern, simple and comfortable 1 bed 1 bath apartment with a balcony. You can just see the City Hall tower from the Grand Place. It has everything we need, kitchen, shops nearby, towel warmer in the loo!
	Then it was time for a walk around Grand Place Absolutely Gorgeous!! More on the magnificent medieval architecture next blog.
And finally...
	Wendy is in chocolate and waffle heaven! Bet you haven't seen Belgian waffles like this before! YUMMMMMMMMMMM!
The REAL thing (Manneken Pis statue)	Or just get it in chocolate, the color of your choice!
To read more about this iconic statue and what a national treasure this little piss pot actually is to the nation, visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manneken_Pis And yes, I thought it would be bigger. (The statue dammit - get your mind out of the gutter!!)
	The statue of Everard t'Serclaes brings luck and grants the wishes of all who touch it. Many tourists touch (or rather rub) the statue, particularly the arm, because legend has it that rubbing the arm will ensure one's return to Brussels.
	Didier on the other hand, decided to get to second base with the lady! That's a WHOLE lot of luck!