Brussels w/o the Mussels

Last week, I started headed off to Brussels for some meetings with external consultants that we were to receive some sales pitches from. We're opening up a new representation office for EU affairs, and these folks were to help out with getting our office up and running. This trip was virtually exactly 10 years after I last visited Brussels, when I came after college graduation on a big European backpacking trip. This time, I had distinctly better hotel accommodations, and instead of a backpack, I carried around a work bag.

Brussels was kind of a Jekyl and Hyde city - some parts, like the old city center, and the EU Parliament and Commission side, were very nice. The other parts...bleh. Dirty, kind of run down. And, they all spoke French.

Here's a Coke machine I saw at the airport. In Brussels, the Manneken Pis statue - a little boy peeing - is a beloved symbol. You see it everywhere, on postcards, trinkets, even candy. Here, I wonder if Coke means that tasting "the Coke side of Belgium" means tasting Coke that somebody has peed into. Yum.

Royal Palace. One of these places everywhere I go.

On the way down to the old city center.
The European Commission. We didn't have any meetings there, but it was still cool to see.

Touristy part of the old city center with all the restaurants. We found a great locals steak restaurant for a 100 euro meal (on the company!). Turns out mussels were out of season, so this restaurant refused to serve them, even though many of the touristy places still were.