We made it out of the house by 11:30 am today! Score! I think we beat yesterday by 30 minutes to an hour.
I tried to walk is to Galerie de la Reine by Gina on the plane's recommendation.
Louis was like a stubborn mule. We were holding hands but he kept stopping in his tracks and panting and saying he was scared. I was trying to coax him up the street, which I had to agree was seedy looking, when I just decided we'd go with Plan B (which I made since lightning and rain were forecast): There was a little bookshop around the corner from our place called Le wolf. Caroline the owner suggested it in her book. So we started wondering back.
Le Wolf was cute: first of all, I liked it because it's a little haven for kids and moms. You don't find many of those. It has a cozy little back room down some steps with books for reading. The front sells books. You can drink tea and maybe a little cake on the weekdays or have lunch on the weekends.
I would recommend a visit to Le Wolf for a mom who is traveling alone with her kids and looking to get out without going out, who is staying very close by. It's not worth seeking out, but it is a wonderful little neighborhood place to some of you're in the neighborhood.
As soon as we walked in, Louis asked for lunch. We ended up leaving with every intention to return, but never made it back. Maybe tomorrow...
So off we set in search of food. I found several good sandwich shops which served eat in or takeaway just outside the Royal Galleries. I popped into one called Exki. I spotted a little table with in the back with toys on it. That was all I needed to stay!
The food was great! I had a really nice salad, L chose a ham sandwich with soft good-for-kids bread, and I got pasta for M.
The girl at the counter was sweet and carried my tray the table, which she didn't have to do. After lunch, the kids had fun at the toy table, and L played there while M ate for an eternity... (Keeping a hungry one-year-old fed is its own adventure). All the food was pre made and you just pick it off the shelf. Instant gratification is always great with hungry impatient kids. They also have free WiFi.
After lunch, I let Louis chase the pigeons to burn of steam. Marcelle laughs and talks watching him.
The we wondered into the Royal Galleries. (This is what I was trying to find in the morning when Louis turned into a mule. I just have been reading the map wrong. Good thing I ditched that plan.) Royal Galleries are a glass covered mall with nice chocolate shops, etc. Going here was part of my rain plan. (Did I mention it never rained?)
Anyway, L was hilarious. He marched next to me and sang a staccato song in his loudest voice, "Pop. Pop. Pop. Poppity poppity pop." I think he liked the way his voice echoed. Everyone in the cafes was watching and laughing. I was holding his hand and walking next to him laughing too. I was just along for the ride as he paraded through. The song morphed into "The wheels on the bus." He was singing, "The. Wheels. On. The. Bus. Go. Round. And. Round." He sang all the way up and down the Galleries.
Everyone was tired so we headed home. But L wanted ice cream, so we popped in and he chose a bowl of pistachio.
Home for naps from 3 to 5. Gwenael was home and we went to dinner.
Caroline recommended a seafood restaurant called Chez Francois in an area I hadn't seen yet called St. Catherine. We thought we'd try it to see a new area and since we love seafood. We made a booking and headed over.
I cringed when we walked in. This was a *nice* place. All of the tables were tightly seated as they are in cities and Europe, and already set with multiple knives and glassware. Very posh. I would have loved a place like this pre-kids!
Our servers were surprisingly very kind to us and sweet with the kids. But we got dirty looks from the other diners.
For us, we'd rather go casual and just be able to relax and eat, then feel uncomfortable for the sake of having a really nice meal.
Takeaway for Traveling Moms in Brussels:
- Exki is awesome! Highly recommend. They are a chain and all over the city. Kid friendly. Free wifi. My location had a toy table.
- Chez Francois = very nice seafood, but not kid-friendly
- Royal Galleries - not crowded, close to grand place, just a good place to stroll or let the kids play and it's fresh air but covered. A few cafes and places to eat too. There are shops but none interested me except the Longchamp.
Takeaway for Traveling Mom:
- Read tripadvisor reviews on dinner restaurants before you go, so you don't end up somewhere fancy and paying for an expensive meal that you didn't really get to enjoy because you were trying to control your kids.
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