We took the train from Antwerp into Brussels on Friday and arrived in the middle of a thunderstorm. Our plans to walk to the hotel were quickly doused in cold water – well, cold rain actually, but you get my point. We grabbed a taxi which was an adventure in itself, but I’ll save that for another day. By the time we checked in and unpacked the rain had stopped and headed out for a walk through the center of Brussels to Sablon. Along the way we spotted a bit of street art – a sand sculpture. The artist was still working on it when we returned over an hour later.

In the heart of the old city we came across a “Biertempel” so of course I had to go in for a look.

Our primary objective for the afternoon was the Square du Petit Sablon. Like so many places in Brussels (in Europe, to be honest) it was within sight of a Gothic cathedral.

The inside of the square had a small, well kept garden, a fountain, and … a sculpture of two nobles looking very cheerful on their way to be executed. This happened in the 16th century and their crime was “resisting Spanish tyranny”.

Around the outside of the square are 48 bronze statues illustrating typical trades in 16th century Brussels. I’ll show two examples here: a clock-maker (because I’ve worked in techie things all my life) and the cooper (because … beer and wine…).

I’ll leave you with a picture of a snail on a holly bush in the square. I like it because it’s a great picture and because after nearly two weeks of travel we are moving about the same speed as that snail.