Brussels in 48 hours

The Atomium

I was doubtful at first whether two days was enough for a stay in Brussels. It is. Between indulging in some of the national foods - chips, waffles and chocolate - seriously courting heart disease and obesity at the same time; we found time to do the hop-on hop-off bus tour, visit Mini Europe and go up the Atomium. We skipped the Museum of Chocolate but did the comic strip Walk. I would have loved to have gone to the Hokusai exhibition which is currently on at the Museum of Japanese Art, but between the diverse family interests and a lack of time, I settled for the extensive street art to be found in this city. I started photographing all the chocolatiers' display windows, thinking it would make for a delicious-looking photo montage- I gave up after the fifth shop window. How many chocolatiers can one small city have? Did not mind tasting the products of these artists though.

The many photos of a shutter-happy tourist here and here.

Amazing views from the Arc de Triomphe

Spring break and the weather has actually felt like spring. My children had never been up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, after almost two years in Paris. Mainly it's been that same old reasoning; We live Paris, it'll always be there. Yesterday though we decided that a visit to the top of the Arch was long overdue; so we made like tourists and made our way to the most photographed monument in Paris.
We climbed the two hundred and seventy odd steps to the top, up a narrow spiral staircase and views from the terrace were incredible. All of Paris lay in every which direction we looked - the famous étoile giving us splendid views of the city below.
Admission for children under 17 is free and the adult fee is 8 euros. It's well worth the climb to the top.