June 23: Brussels

It was a travel day for us — we were up super early to catch a 4:45 am bus to Leonardo Da’ Vinci airport.  It was another uneventful flight from Rome to Brussels — we didn’t even have to show our vaccine cards.  

Upon arriving at the airport, we grabbed our luggage and caught a short train ride to our hotel (Pullman).  We dropped off the luggage and headed out for a forgetful lunch at a bistro and then walked around the downtown area.  We were immediately struck by the diversity as we noticed Muslims, Middle Easterners and Africans in the streets.  There were all types of ethnic markets and restaurants.  The highlight of the walk was a visit to the Grand Place of Brussels, which was littered with locals and tourists.  The gothic architecture was pretty cool although I imagine it would be even more beautiful in the early morning or at night.