Brussels 4

Trip Day 12 - November 10th - Brussels Day 4

Another walking tour - Brussels Chocolate Walking Tour and Workshop with Mark, a native Brussels guy. We had French and Flemish folks, so got to hear all the languages. There was a group of 12 folks. We went to quite a few places and tried quite a few chocolates then got to make our own. Mark said we were getting 20 to 30 Euros worth of chocolate and I believe it. The tour was about $75, one of the more expensive tours.

The first stop was Mary Chocolate, one of the first women to open a chocolate shop in Brussels. We got 3 samples there. The second stop was Galler with 3 samples. We went to the Belgium Beer World Experience but it was only to describe the building and the exhibition (phew - I would have had to explain that I was weird because I don't like beer). We next went to the chocolate making place, where we got a ramekin of chocolate and got to dip things and then make other things (I will not call mine works of art, but my co-tourists made some pretty stuff). 

We passed by the Zinnekin Pis, a statue of a dog urinating on a hydrant. Wait for it, there is also a girl urinating, Jeanneke Pis. Brussels? Do you have a urination fixation? Perhaps it's the water. On Monday, I passed by Mannequin Pis again in a different outfit for Armistice Day, November 11.  

We then went to the second best chocolate shop - Sainte Catherine. The best, per the site world-ratings.com, is Witammer, which we did NOT visit. Why? And now I'm leaving (it's Monday night and my train is at 7:30 AM, so no way I can visit it - oh well, next time).

Here's the link to the ratings: https://world-ratings.com/best-chocolate-shops-in-brussels/

We stopped at a fairly new shop, BS40, which had some very innovative pralines. Unfortunately, the name seems to keep people out, because it was empty considering it was just off of Grand-Place. Really, really good!

That was the end of the tour because I had booked another tour at Choco-Story. It is the history of chocolate, with chocolate making demonstrations. I got so bored with the audio guide, I just rushed through. Plus, I had to get to my next stop, which was the Brussels Pinball Museum.

I had booked a 3 hour session (but not paid for it). Apparently, it's open all the time. It cost 5 Euros an hour and all games upstairs were on free play. Downstairs were about 10 machines at about a Euro each. There were a number of machines I had never seen, but obviously, I'm not a pinball master so what's new? Also, I only photographed one bank of machines. There were 3 banks of machines. 

I talked to one fellow for a while and we played on Indiana Jones on the paid version for a while. Then he left and I chatted with Victoria and Damian for about an hour. Victoria didn't like pinball, but they lived just down the street and this was their hang-out. I told them about Belles and Chimes and how the women really support each other. She actually seemed interested. I told her there was more to pinball than just banging a ball around. 

That's right, right? That there's more to it? 

Just kidding. I love the community and the camaraderie, but then you guys know me.