In my previous opus I mentioned that the Brussels leg of our recent trip to Europe didn’t turn out anywhere near as wonderfully as my wife Sandy and I had expected. But, shit, that’s the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. Life ain’t perfect, that’s for damn sure. Though I’d do anything but complain if it were.
We fully were expecting to dig Brussels, the capital of Belgium, a lot. Advance research had indicated to me there were quite a few museums, parks and neighborhoods worth investigating, and that the chances were good that we’d attend one or two concerts during the four full days of our stay.
Alas, we attended no concerts and didn’t see all that much of the city. Basically, we were thrown off our game. The bad cold that Sandy came down with had plenty to do with that. It bummed both of us out. And the on-and-off rain showers we encountered on several days were not exactly spirits-boosters.
In the end, then, our explorations were limited substantially to the old, tourist-thronged, cobblestone-streets section of Brussels, whose hub is Grand Place, an imposing plaza. That old section looks similar to how it did long, long ago, and at times we had fun taking in the sights there. On one of its many narrow streets sits Choco Story museum, a place we’d put near the top of our things-we-want-to-see-in-Brussels list. So, after paying the admission fees, we embarked on a self-guided tour of the museum’s galleries.
Choco Story’s unpretentious layout appealed to me. Its exhibits explain the history of chocolate, a product first developed and enjoyed, as a beverage, by the Mayans and Aztecs. Solid chocolate, a European creation, made its appearance in the 1800s. I found all of this pretty interesting. And I became especially interested when I reached the end of the exhibits. For, lo and behold, I noticed a sign that said a chocolate-making demonstration was about to begin in the room just beyond the sign. Sandy and I wasted little time in sitting down on a bench in that room. Moments later, a chocolatier walked in.
Speaking in heavily French-accented English — though French, Dutch and German are Belgium’s official languages, I imagine he used English for the benefit of the museum’s largely non-Belgian clientele — the gentleman explained to the 20 or so folks in the audience the processes required to produce solid chocolates. Temperature control plays a big part. And, while talking a mile a minute with wit and confidence, he demonstrated each step of the operation. Voila! At the end of the show everyone lined up and grabbed a praline (the pralines he offered to us had been prepared earlier, to allow them to solidify properly). Belgium is famed for its chocolates. And, I’m pleased to say, the chocolatier’s creations didn’t let his nation down.
Choco Story wasn’t the best of the two museums we visited in Brussels, as it turned out. Not even close. That honor belongs to Musical Instruments Museum, commonly known as MIM. What a place! And not in the old part of town, either. I’d never seen anything like it. From the moment I began touring the premises, I was certain I was in a truly great museum.
Hundreds and hundreds — thousands? — of instruments fill MIM’s several floors of gallery space. They come from every corner of Planet Earth. Most, it seemed to me, date from the 16th to 20th centuries. And two are from 14,000 or more years ago: pierced animal bones used as whistles by our ancient relatives.
MIM’s cornucopia is meant to please more than our eyes. Our ears are blessed at the museum too, because recorded music performed on a goodly percentage of the instruments can be heard by entering designated code numbers on the headset device given to each museum visitor. Simply put, I was blown away. I listened to saxophone pieces, harmonica pieces, sitar pieces, you-name-it pieces. MIM, on its own, is not reason enough to pay a visit to Brussels. But it almost is.
I hate to be remiss. Which is why I’m going to mention one other aspect of the Brussels vacation that agreed with me well. I’m a bit of a beer geek. And, through reading, I’ve known for years that Belgium produces fine beers, most of which (save for beers made by Leffe, Stella Artois and a couple of other breweries) do not find their way to the USA, the nation I call home.
I’m happy to report that I downed delicious brews in Brussels, each of which I’d never heard of before. The majority of them entered my system at Bier Central, a cozy, handsome tavern whose food is very good. More to the point, its beer selection is out of this world. 366 beers, all of them from Belgium! If you’re a beer lover and ever find yourself in Bier Central, I recommend trying, among others, Floreffe Dubbel (made by Brasserie Lefebvre). It put a contented smile on my frigging face.
In conclusion, I regret not seeing more of Brussels than I did, and never getting a feel for the city. I had a good enough time there, though, to consider the visit a reasonably enjoyable one. And, here in the States, I’m now going to make it my mission to try and find some elusive Belgian beers. Cheers, skoal, bottoms up!
Yeah, Another Blogger 
It sounds like you made the best of a less-than-ideal situation and had a few good experiences. Being able to hear what those instruments sound like is a brilliant feature of the museum.
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Hi there. It really is a fantastic museum. Very unique, and beautifully presented.
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The monks and their 9 or 10% alcohol beers were heavenly!
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My tolerance for alcohol is lower than yours. I try not to go above 6.5%
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My tolerance is definitely not what it used to be. I think that’s why they give you those high alcohol beers in small glasses so you don’t go stumbling down the road when you leave, Neil. ;0)
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Wow! Pretty potent beers.
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It’s the less than stellar trips that make us appreciate the good ones even more. As a fellow beer geek, I appreciated learning this about you.
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The Belgian beer I liked best is Orval Trappist Ale. Rich and delicious!
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I was last in Brussels for the start of 2019 Tour de France, where I made a point of walking everywhere to admire the city’s architecture, particularly the Art Nouveau of Victor Horta and the museum dedicated to him. Glad you enjoyed the beer which I’ll be honest didn’t feature at all on my trip. Hope you’ve both recovered from your colds. It’s a real downer being ill on vacation.
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Hi Sheree. I would have liked to walk all over the place in Brussels, and really get a feel for the city. But, it wasn’t to be.
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Next time…..
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The beer and the chocolate are absolutely stellar! I also find that the food is wonderful, too. It’s really too bad that colds affected your holiday; that’s such a total downer. But you made the best of it which is all you can do.
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Right, it wasn’t a total washout by any means. We had a good bit of fun.
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I love beer too, Neil; I would have had a ball there, and at the chocolate museum as well: I’m a devotee of dark chocolate esp Lindt. Bummer about the cold though: ‘some days are diamonds, some days are stone ….’
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Bier Central (the place I write about) has a big, thick book on every table. In it are descriptions and photos of every beer they carry. All 366 of them!
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wow! me and my mates would go crazy in there 🙂
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Belgian chocolates are my absolute favourite, a real treat. We do get them here, but it feels too decadent to indulge too often!
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We saw quite a few chocolate shops. I don’t know how they all stay in business, but they do.
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You cannot go wrong in a city that features chocolate and music. I’m glad you made the best of Brussels regardless of circumstances.
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And don’t forget the beers — It was cool to have available so many brands of beer I’d never heard of before.
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😃
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Hi Neil, Good hearing. I missed the first one…Shame about the cold and weather, BUT the musical and choc venues sounded most interesting to me… Music and choc. are high on my list. . .We ‘did’ Paris and part of Holland, but missed Brussels. I’m so glad we travelled a lot when younger: UK and many parts of europe, the Bahamas, New York and a few other parts of USA, also more of Canada. (I can recommend Prague too.) Now we are in our nineties, the memories are wonderful! ‘Your feet are made for walking…’ Cheers. Joy x
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Hi Joy. You and your husband have seen a good bit of the world. The two of you know how to live.
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We’d visited Brussels long back and I suppose the chocolates there are to die for! We didn’t see much as it was a group tour and had visited about 5 Scandinavian countries then. Anyways cherish the memories and happy to have set foot over there.. Btw, the photos are nice and glad you’d a good time.
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I’d have liked to have visited the European Union headquarters, which is in Brussels. I’m sorry to have missed that. By the way, I don’t know who you are — you’re listed as Anonymous.
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Sorry that Sandy had a bad cold! A bummer, for sure. On the other hand, you were able to witness the birth of chocolate. Holy cats, what a thrill that must have been. And that museum of musical instruments sounds like a treasure. Then there was the beer. All in all, Brussels sounds as though it was in the plus column in the great ledger of life (to borrow from my blogging pal Mr. Tootlepedal).
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We were off our game there. But we did a number of fun things, nevertheless.
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Darn!
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That street in the old section of Brussels looks enchanting and the museum of musical instruments sounds fascinating as well. I enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing!
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Hi. That museum is a very special place. It captivated me right from the start. It’s one of the best museums I’ve been in.
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Both of the museums sounds like a must to visit. I have never been there and not sure if l will. I do like Belgium beers. Did you bring a few back that you can’t get here? I also love Belgium chocolate..yummy.
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I didn’t bring back any beers. I never thought of that. I could have brought back some that are packaged in cans, so they wouldn’t have broken in transit. Rats!
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Oh well at least you enjoyed them there. Hopefully you are home safe . Dark can’t see outside.
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We’re back!
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Great!!!!
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Ah, well now, that was far from a flop of a visit. You had chocolate, music and beer – what more could you want! LOL I find Belgian chocolates very rich and love them with a strong coffee, but a maximum of three at a sitting (well, maybe four or five!) On the beer story, my son told me yesterday that he was drinking a pint of Guinness in a Belgian bar in Tokyo – now, there’s an international mix for you. I hope Sandy’s cold has cleared. In case it has not, I recommend the well-tried Irish treatment of whiskey, a spoon of sugar, a slice of lemon and hot water – to be consumed freely until symptoms disappear.
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She’s over the cold. But I’ll suggest to her that she try your remedy anyway!
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It cures a multitude of ills and improves even the best situations!
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Belgium is on my bucket list; even more so after reading about the MIM. I could spend hours in there. Hopefully the city also has good shopping, so my wife can go and do that while I look at and listen to all those wonderful instruments.
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Dave, MIM is absolutely astounding. That place blew my mind!
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Beer chocolate and music. That sounds pretty good. I would have loved the music museum. Like you I would have been blown away. My husband would have enjoyed the beer.
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I should have drunk more of the beer than I did!
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I’ve spent time in Belgium – never been one of my favorites…But that musical instrument museum sounds wonderful!!
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It’s a fantastic museum. The individuals that started it were inspired. Who is this, by the way? You’re listed as Anonymous.
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The music museum sounds like the one that’s in Phoenix. Sounds like you made good use of your time in Belgium!
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Hi. We wanted to see much more of the city than we did. Oh well.
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Two museums in four days–that might be about my speed. They both sound wonderful.
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I recommend them!
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It’s always such a bummer to be sick on vacation – especially if it’s raining. I’ve only driven through Brussels but i have friends who rave on about the lace and chocolate.
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This was the first vacation during which I didn’t get a pretty good sense of what a place is like. I wanted to explore much more of Brussels than we did. But, such is life.
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Reading about your Brussels jaunt makes me want to go there! The music museum sounds fabulous, and Belgian chocolates and wheat beer are delicious—not to mention Belgian waffles and Brussels sprouts! A place with so many foods named after it is intriguing!
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You’d love MIM, Cindy. Such a great and unique museum. I could hardly believe how amazing it is.
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A shame about your wife’s cold…that could put a damper on anything! You needed a native guide, I think….I enjoyed the antique shops round the Place du Grand Sablon, the flea markets, and, of course…the beer!
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We’ve always been very competent independent travelers. But, in Brussels we could have used a native guide!
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Tell me they have a chocolate beer. Come on, it’s Belgium! You know they must.
Paz
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Hey there, Paz. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if chocolate beer is brewed in Belgium. On a similar note: Have you had pumpkin beer? I’m not a big fan of it.
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Pumpkin works in very few things, people don’t get that.
Leave it to the pies.
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Tagging on to Pazo, I absolutely agree – a chocolate beer would be fabulous too!
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Here’s one Belgian beer that uses chocolate:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/641/380422/
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Rain and having a cold could definitely ruin one’s vacation 😦 I love Belgium chocolate, so being able to watch a chocolate-making demonstration would be a must-see for me. Lucky you! Add the beer to that and I’d say that all was not lost 🙂
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All definitely was not lost. I’d never been off my game during a vacation before, though. Still, we saw and did some fun things.
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Thanks for including us in your travels, if only vicariously. As a side note (no pun intended), there is also a MIM in Phoenix, Arizona, and it’s huge and wonderful. I wonder if one served as the model for the other.
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My guess is that the Brussels MIM came first. By the way, I don’t know who this is. You’re listed as Anonymous.
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Getting sick on holiday is such a rip-off; you still got to see what I would term, the essentials. Our trip to Brussels was fleeting – enroute to Bruges – but the one thing that struck us all was how lovely the people were.
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Right — music, chocolates and good beers count for a lot.
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AHA! Now, I see what happened. I’ll also add that we did a food tour in Brussels, so we ate real Belgium waffles, drank a flight of beer, and ate chocolate. That may be why I loved it so lol
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Hi Kathy. Did you have shrimp croquettes in Brussels? We had some at Bier Central. Delicious.
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I did not! That sounds really good.
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Museums, restaurants, music, chocolate, beer– it all sounds pretty sweet from my vantage point, but I know how crowds & sickness & other soul-sucking experiences can put a spin on things. I’ve never really enjoyed Belgian-styled beers (export or domestically produced) but I’ll bet an engagement at Bier Central would have plenty of tasty alternatives.
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Bier Central is unbelievable. They truly take beers seriously. They place on each table a huge book that describes every one of the 366 beers they carry, and also includes photos of the beers.
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I’m glad you were able to enjoy at least s one of your trip to Belgium despite your wife’s cold. I’m not sure which museum I would have enjoyed more, as I’m a fan of both music and chocolate. And if you pair them, then you’re pretty much in heaven!
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Hi. The music museum is the better of the two. It’s a wonder. A person could spend a few hours in there easily. They have instruments I was totally unfamiliar with.
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Sounds like chocolate, beer and music saved the visit. Rain just about never helps when traveling.
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Hi Denise. We had a nice amount of fun in Brussels, but quite a bit less than we were expecting. No big deal, really. We were fortunate to be there at all.
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It sounded like you and Sandy made the best of it. Since Belgium is known for its chocolate and beer, I wondered did you come across any product that combined the two?
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Some googling a few minutes ago showed me that there are beers in which chocolate is an ingredient. i didn’t realize that when I was in Brussels. Who is this, by the way? You’re listed as Anonymous.
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I’ll be searching for more chocolate than beer. I’ve concluded that no matter how long we stay in a new city, there is never enough time to see everything.
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Very true. I’ve lived in or near Philadelphia for the last 50 years, and there are major sites/sights (not to mention less-famous ones) I’ve yet to see.
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How fun! I actually like beer and chocolate together. I would probably do well there.
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Brussels awaits your visit!
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Illness and bad weather are the banes of travel. Sorry you suffered from both.
But I have to say that both museums you visited sound absolutely fascinating and worth one’s time. My only wish would be to get to sample more than one measly praline. 😊
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We had chocolates from a few places, but not as much as we should have eaten!
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You should be able to find some Belgian chocolates in Philadelphia and make up for it. 🙂
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It is hard to go wrong in a place with beer, chocolate and music! I loved the photos!
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Various websites recommended the Musical Instruments Museum very highly. That’s why we went there, and I’m glad we did.
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Despite your misgivings, it sounds like a pretty nice place to visit. My wife was there as a G7 staffer years ago, but if I were to go, that beer garden would be a must-visit.
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366 beers are available in Bier Central. That’s mind-boggling.
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You went, you saw, and you conquered what you could. Sorry Sandi was not feeling her best. I hate when that happens on vacation. The timing of feeling under the weather is never convenient. You made the best of it!
Welcome home.
Velva
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Hi Velva. We had some bursts of fun. But, heavy colds are a drag, especially if you come down with one when you’re away from home. Thanks for stopping by. Take care.
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So much to see and do in a relatively short amount of time. You do a good job of sampling when you are on an adventure at home or abroad.
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I’m definitely a sampler!
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Beer geek and chocolate/cigar guy are going to meet one day and figure it all out or better yet just relax and have a few laughs. Chocolate? You had me there fella. I could have toodled around MIM for a few hours.
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CB, the instruments museum is something else. All kinds of instruments from all over the world. One of Toots Thieleman’s harmonicas is there. Early versions of saxophones. Instruments from China, southeast Asia, Africa, etc.
It’s an amazing place.
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I watched a doc on the ‘Devils Horn’ about Aldolphe Sax a few years ago. He must have been all over that museum.
“Amazing place” I believe you.
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Heck if I were with you, I’d have gained ten pounds eating their famous chocolate. I’ve never been there but am grateful for all the travel I did when I was able. Enjoy each day, Muriel
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Hi Muriel. Belgian chocolates are dee-lish!
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You may have enjoyed Brussels more if the weather had been better, although you did get to experience two of its wonderful delights, the beer and chocolate. There is no better chocolate! A while back when my husband was teaching at a university nearby, I jumped on the train to Brussels, to visit the art museum I had missed one other time – the Magritte Museum. (it was a Monday and closed!). Magritte was an interesting painter and I loved looking at his work. I enjoyed a stroll around the park too, and made it back to the train station. This, in a time where electronic devices didn’t control our every move. I enjoyed your post. Thanks.
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Is this Vivienne? (you’re listed as Anonymous).
I’d have liked to go to one of the art museums in Brussels. Maybe Magritte. Maybe the Old Masters. But . . . things didn’t work out as well as I was expecting!
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Although it didn’t quite go to plan it sounds like the sights you did see were definitely worth experiencing.
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Hello, Andrea. Right, even though we never got into a comfortable groove, we had some good times anyway.
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A shame about the cold and the rain. My son and I were only there for a day years ago, but enjoyed the architecture, a boat ride along the canals, and lots of chocolate. Sorry to have missed that musical instruments museum, sounds fascinating.
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You would love that museum. It’s a special place.
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Sorry about Sandys bad cold and the rainy weather but still looks like you maximised whatever you had with those museum visits and the beer exploration! ‘Hundreds and hundreds — thousands? — of instruments fill MIM’s several floors of gallery space. They come from every corner of Planet Earth. Most, it seemed to me, date from the 16th to 20th centuries. And two are from 14,000 or more years ago: pierced animal bones used as whistles by our ancient relatives.’ Definitely a museum worth a visit and am putting that in my list should I ever visit!
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MIM definitely is a must, for anyone who visits Brussels. It’s unique and extremely well-organized and conceived.
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Thanks to its unfortunate pairing with a certain vegetable which I irrationally abhor, Brussels never has appealed to me. Now that I’ve read your report, my view has shifted substantially. Music and chocolate museums would be total delights; I suspect each would be worth a day rather than hours. I’m glad you found them (and the beer!) to make up for the illness and weather. I was especially fascinated by the music museum; their addition of sound to the exhibits is genius.
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We had read about MIM before visiting Brussels, and had put it at the top of our list of things to see and do in that city. MIM was even better than I had expected it to be.
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I’m glad you and Sandy ended up finding some interesting things to explore in Brussels!
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I was expecting to see much more of the city than I ended up seeing. But, that’s life. I was fortunate to be there at all.
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Yes, very lucky:)
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It’s a shame the weather was bad and your wife was unwell during your trip, but I’m glad you got to see some of Brussels’ sights. The Musical Instruments Museum sounds wonderful. If I make it to Brussels one day, I’ll be sure to add it to my list of places to visit.
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Hi. I’d say that MIM was the highlight of our visit. It’s a remarkable institution.
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Sadly, I don’t drink beer so I couldn’t enjoy the Belgian beer – I know, I know, I’m a heathen! But I did enjoy the scrumptious mussels, smooth delicate chocolate, wonderful ice cream, and delicious waffles. The coffee was pretty good also and I’m a coffee snob! 😉
Another great post!
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Hi. We stayed in a hotel that included a terrific breakfast buffet in the price. The coffee was excellent! (I’m a coffee snob too.)
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That doesn’t sound so bad: chocolate, alcohol and musical instruments!
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Yeah, we did some fun and interesting things. But, we didn’t connect with Brussels on a satisfying level.
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Sheesh! You start off by saying Brussels wasn’t as wonderful as you expected, then go on to describe enjoying Belgian chocolates and Belgian beer. And a musical instrument museum with sound samples? That sounds extra cool.
If that ain’t wonderful, I wonder what is?
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Hi. There were highlights during the trip, but there were too many less-than-interesting hours too. If Sandy hadn’t been sick, and if there had been fewer rain showers, we would have explored Brussels quite a bit more than we did. But, there’s no doubt I was fortunate to be there at all.
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