Monday June 27th – Brussels, Belgium

Another day with overcast skies…could it be rain? Again?

I had a leisurely cup of coffee here at the hostel only to find out that checkout time is 10:00 am.

So I packed and checked out and the kind young lady behind the desk was extremely helpful.

I wondered if I should have spent another night there because the hostel was quiet and clean.

Not to mention the fact that I slept peacefully throughout the night, and was not surprised by roommates showing up in the middle of the night.

Arles, the beautiful young girl behind the front desk, was just wonderful and helped me out. She said she would hold two spots for me if I should change my mind and decide to spend another night at the same hostel. (The gentleman at the front desk the night before was certain they were booked.)

Anyway, I told her I was going out to the Art Nouveau Museum and if I could leave my backpack at the hostel while I went looking at art. Yes, she gladly replied, and showed me to a room where I could stow my backpack for safekeeping.

She went back to her desk and I was ready to say goodbye when she surprised me by saying, “I was having a terrible morning till I saw your face and it brightened me up!” Wow!

I thought, that is so sweet, see we never really know how we change the energy of a room. I just loved her, honestly, so important in life.

I reviewed my map for the morning and headed towards that Art Nouveau Museum called “The Hora Museum.”

After walking for about 10 city blocks in the light morning rain I found it. I’m not sure when it happened, but I discovered suddenly that everyone speaks  French here…by what I can tell. Mon français n’est pas bien.

The Hora Museum turned out to be closed–a lot of museums close on Mondays I guess. So I just sat down and said to myself, “Guess I will spend another night here.” Like it was so hard to decide. Besides, Arles, the beautiful girl at the hostel had been so nice to me and said she would hold me a couple of spots. (Van Gogh painted a picture titled “Bedroom In Arles.” I wonder if that is where she got her name…)

I left and started to think about wild smoked salmon and blueberries, for some reason. That would be great food to eat this day.

It started to sprinkle so I found my way into a cute neighborhood coffee shop.

There I ordered an Americano and a French croissant. I picked up the European version of The New York Times and just started to read it because it’s the first newspaper I’ve seen in days.

Afterwards I started to head north towards the Grand-Place Grote Market.

I passed a yoga place called “The Yoga Room” it had very creative sign and that read, “Creativity is Maximized when you are living in the moment. Also, Freedom is the god of yoga.”

I trudged north–the rain was pretty heavy and the outdoor temperature seemed to be getting hotter.

I need to close my eyes for a few…

After resting a bit, I came across a very upscale shopping area like you would find in any rich big city. In San Francisco we have Union Square–it was like that.

I was looking for gloves because my hands were so cold, but I found none, anywhere. The rain was pouring down hard at this point. So I kept on walking, stopped at a Tesla dealership, and went inside to touched my dream car, silly me. Someday…

Afterwards I continued my walk, found a very splendid and grand refined city park with water fountains and statues gracing the grounds.

Water is not an issue here, as it is in California…love it.

I continued walking, surrounded by art museums, and headed towards the Grote Market like where I was yesterday before I got to Brussels. I was just enjoying the sight and this young lady whose job it is to “sell you” makeup wanted to show me some samples.

So, I let her put some cream on my face and give me her sales pitch. Inside I’m laughing there is no way I’m going to buy something that I need to carry. Everything I have in the world is inside my 15-pound (probably now 20-pound) knapsack. I thanked her and left…then, three doors down was my search come true…

A leather gloves shop (Italian, of course).

Just what I was looking for perfect colors and designs. The more simplicity the better.

The exquisite young lady named Zoe Nameche helped me and I ended up buying an orange pair. A treat to myself to keep my hands warm when these days get cold. We had a delightful time and exchanged business cards. Before leaving she told me about the spin on the famous status of the little boy peeing. (Manneken-P is the name of the little boy peeing in the fountain.) There is a statue of a little girl doing it her way, too. I found both with the help of everyone in Brussels, knowing that I would not give up. Thank you to everyone who helped me, for your kindness!

Roaming back here to the hostel I stopped for cheese and nuts for energy this early evening and also for tomorrow’s walk.

It’s very near 10pm and I need to go to sleep.