June 8 - The day starts at 3:30 a.m. with a taxi ride ($170) to Keflavik International Airport for our 6:00 flight. It is already light at this hour, with the sun reflecting off the higher-altitude clouds. It is too early to change our Icelandic króna, so head to the gate for our budget flight on Play Airlines (where they charge even for water!).
Land in Brussels at 11:00, with a two-hour time difference and an end to bone-chilling wind. I had originally thought to fly from Iceland to Copenhagen and travel south, as this would be a more continuous cultural progression, but we only have a few months and I wanted to reduce the hours spent on transport. As it stands, we will have to move quickly. Case in point: Brussels is the only city we visit in Belgium. I was last here with my parents in 1980, so I have virtually no memory of the city.
Belgium is an odd country. It is hard to place it in one cultural category or another. There are three official languages: French, Dutch, and German, though the latter represents only about 1% of the population. The Dutch spoken here is a slight variation on that of The Netherlands, and locally is known as Flemish. Brussels is majority French-speaking, though it sits right on the northern edge of the culturally French part of the country.
This is the land of Tintin, or more specifically Georges Prosper Remi (known as Hergé), creator of the Tintin series. I am reminded of this in the airport terminal, where a mock-up of the rocket in Destination Moon stands.
I am finally able to change the Icelandic króna, though the exchange place takes a long time to verify the bills (they must not see many of them), and I take a 15% loss.
Transport is straightforward here, as I suspect it will be for the rest of the trip. Train from airport to the Zuidstation, then a walk in the cool cloudy afternoon to the Anderlecht district where our apartment is located. Stop so Odette can swing on a play structure in Parc Crickx and bide our time until check-in time at 15:00.
Anderlecht is a heavily Middle Eastern area, with plenty of Turkish corner stores, women with hair coverings, and cafes with mint tea.
Dump bags in apartment and back to the downtown area for a look around. Start out at Parc de Bruxelles.
The above building is no longer where the King and Queen of the Belgians conduct their kingly and queenly work. This happens at another residence in the north of the city.
What do the king and queen do here anyway? The civil government of Belgium is headed by a Prime Minister and a Cabinet. However, the PM is appointed by the king.
Since the king is bound by the Constitution (above all other ideological and religious considerations, political opinions, debates, and economic interests), he is intended to act as an arbiter and guardian of Belgian national unity and independence. His wishes are made known to the PM, who may or may not choose to countersign them.
This part of town is lively today, many younger people sauntering around, and a party of sorts is forming on the steps leading down to the Garden of the Kunstberg. There is very much an inclusive vibe going on here.
Walk for a bit through Matonge, the famed African district. I am looking for an African restaurant here, but the mix is more just general international, and we end up eating in a Lebanese place. Stop by Saint Boniface Church, at the end of a street swarming with cafes and expensive eateries.
Last stop is Grand Place, a square surrounded by ornate buildings, some dating back to the 14th century. Difficult to see anything, however, as some big event is going on with a spectator stand, loads of police, and military bands belting out various tunes.
From the internet site I found regarding this event, called the Belgian Defence International Tatoo 2024:
In the first half of 2024, Belgium will assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union. We are also celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Both NATO and the EU, as international organisations since their founding in 1948 and in 1957, have demonstrated that international collaboration is an essential and fundamental element for ensuring peace and freedom among partners. Consequently, the theme of the 2024 BeDIT edition 'International cooperation, essential for Liberty' was a logical choice.
It is starting to get dark (22:00), so we retreat to the apartment.