J had taken the time to print out a few places of interest that we hadn't previously visited. Knowing that I was reluctant to travel, J set out to induce me to go by suggesting 'super fun' sites! Firstly, he recommended Atomium, a structure that looks like an iron atom that was erected for a world's fair. Secondly, J suggested that we visit Mini-Europe, in part because of its proximity to Atomium. Lastly, J discovered that a King Tutenkhamun exhibit was within walking distance. I felt certain that, despite the heat, the kiddos and I would have a fun-filled day! The day that ensued has caused me to doubt that I will ever travel to Belgium again.
After a long, hot day, we ended up eating dinner in one of the only restaurants on the outskirts of Brussels that was open...Chi Chi's. As we approached, there was a caucasian gentleman wearing traditional African garb smoking on the stoop. As the hostess led us to our table, she looked at us somewhat apologetically as she seated us behind the gentleman (who had finished smoking and was now seated again) and his rather large party. Throughout dinner, the gentleman loudly announced that he was the President of Uganda again and again. He claimed to be in Belgium so that he could enjoy the fruits of Belgian women. One of his party sure enjoyed the fruits as he repeatedly placed his face between the bosoms of a woman? feminine man? The Ugandan 'president' spoke with a British accent and at one point told a Jewish member of his party that he was also a Nazi who would bake her in his oven. At one point, the dog crouching beneath his table began howling as his party erupted into Billy Joel. All while we sat under an upside flag of Wisconsin (what does Wisconsin have to do with Tex-Mex food?) eating our quesadillas.
After driving to work at NATO headquarters, J pointed out a nearby bus stop to me, and the kids and I were off to explore (do you see a pattern here? J frequently deposits the kids and me at various spots in foreign countries and leaves us to a) fend for ourselves and b) hopefully remember how to find our way back to him).
J and kiddos in front of NATO headquarters
Silly me thought that Atomium would be something of a science center; after all, it boasted a 'kids room'. I thought the kids might be able to touch a Van de Graaff generator and play with magnets and the like. Turns out, the current exhibit running at Atomium had nothing to do with science, wasn't geared toward children, had everything to do with immigration to Belgium, and featured a few odd art exhibits (and this is saying something as I usually enjoy art exhibits).
Kiddos in front of Atomium. Log, when told we would be visiting each of the 'pods', expressed concern that the structure didn't look stable.
After paying a somewhat steep entry fee, one enters the Atomium, takes one of the world's fastest elevators to the top, and goes down again in order to enter all of the pods. Below, you'll see the first thing one sees when entering the Atomium: Elizabeth Taylor. I found myself saying, "What does Liz have to do with a science museum?" Nothing, it turns out, only that she was shown a scale model of the proposed structure prior to its construction. Her expression should have been a tip-off.
In between reading all about Belgian immigration, we enjoyed waffles!
Moving pod to pod
Art installation
Going down to 'kids room' pod which doesn't house any exhibits but can be rented for a sleep over at an exorbitant price.
View of Mini-Europe: a theme park with scale models of European landmarks.
The saving grace of the day was the Tut exhibit which the kiddos LOVED! There were reproductions of his tomb and artifacts found within the tomb.
Here's one of the exhibits in Atomium; listen carefully and you'll hear Log laughing hysterically (probably not the reaction for which the artist was aiming).
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