Trains Trains Trains.....

...or if this is Monday it must be Brussels! 

 Morning came with a mix of cloud and sun to Luxembourg.  After arranging to keep our room until noon, we set off for the centre of the older part of city.  The information centre provided a walking tour map, which we tried to follow!  With a few hits and misses, we found the Grand Palace and other points of interest.

A street idea for Vancouver?

On the away to the Grund...Fortress walls and an aquaduct

This was a sign over a store front???????????

One small street offers magnificent views of the existing walls and the Grund area below and outside the walls.  As the sun was shining we were able to take many photos as we strolled this street.  Leading down from the street were stone paths and steps right to the Grund area.  Small gardens, homes, fortress walls and an aquaduct were part of scenery.  A large square offers concerts and exhibits throughout the year.  It was surreal how much of the original walls are still intact.  The elevator once again took us back to the upper streets. 

As we made our way back to the hotel, we spied a bakery with fresh salads as well as pastries.  Lunch procured, picked up our packs from the hotel and proceeded to the train station. Another cache was found before boarding our train.

Several kilometres out of Luxembourg, the rolling hills gave way to a flatter terrain once again.  Quaint villages appeared all along the route amid the large agricultural fields. Arrival time in Brussels was about 3 pm.

Our hotel was in North Brussels which is more of a business and shopping area.  Knowing we had limited time and the size of Brussels, we chose to take another hop on/off bus pass.  There were 2 parts to the tour so we opted to do part A today and part B tomorrow.  The tour began at Centra station which necessitated a walk through a myriad of curving streets.  The main shopping street was nuts...people everywhere carrying multiple bags of purchases.  Food vendors in cafes, small stalls and wagons were everywhere!

Brussels head offices of the European Union

Between a map, the GPS and a few street signs we found the bus stop.  Hopping on what was the last run of the day, we settled in for our tour.  Normally, the tour is 75 minutes long.....because of very congested traffic, it took 2 hours (and a frustrated driver at the end) to complete.  The sections of the city we saw were so diverse and in and out of small streets, we would never have seen a quarter of it on our own.  As the last stop on the bus was Central station, purchasing tickets for tomorrow was accomplished.

By now we dinner was calling and we had Belgian waffles in mind.  Back to that morning street that was so busy was our plan.  Unlike the previous cities which had been 'alive' with people until at least 11pm, Brussels shut down at 6pm in the shopping area....the street that was so busy a couple of hours earlier was now nearly abandoned.  We did manage to find a take out stand for Belgian waffles that was still open, so purchase one each and wandered back to the hotel, noting that even small cafes and restaurants were closed.

At the hotel we rested for a bit, then set off to find a cache in the park just a block away.  The park gates had closed at 8pm so it would have to wait until tomorrow morning.  The waffle had not been enough of a meal.  An open Pizza Hut satisfied our need and judging by the number of occupants, others had not realized how early eating establishments closed.