Tony and I started a tradition when we went to Germany. We take the city bike tours whenever possible. We took them in Munich and Berlin, so it seemed natural to take one in Brussels.
The nice thing about taking a bike tour is that it allows you to get between sights quickly, but it also allows you to linger a little more than if you were on a tour bus.
Jessi and Justin had arranged to have a baby seat connected to one of their bikes of little baby Jules could ride along with us. He looked very cute riding along in it, and he was terrific. He didn't cry the whole way. I think he slept through most of it.
We met in the main square in front of town hall. From there we picked up our bikes and rode through the city.
We rode past the capitol and then the palace where the Belgium King still presides. It turns out there was some political upheaval at the moment in that the non-king brother was going to be removed from receiving any allowance. Tough break being number 2.
The capitol and the palace face each other. One might see this as the classic opposition of a parliamentary government and a royalty based government.
The weather cooperated, and it was warm and comfortable for almost the entire 5 hour tour. They gave us these great yellow safety vests to wear.
About halfway through the tour, we stopped at a place known for having the best Frites in town. They fry them in real LARD. All I can say is that they were some of the best fries I've ever had. The Belgians pride themselves on having invented the fries (not the French). We got them with two different types of dipping sauce. We got a Garlic Aioli Mayonaise and another mayonaisse mixed with Herbs de Provence. Both were very, very tasty. And just in case you were wondering, a good Belgian Biere goes great with Frites.
After our break, we rode past the European Union Trade Center. It is an amazing building with lots of metal, stone, and glass. It also has some very Art Deco (borderline soviet) sculpture in front of it.
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