Day 5 Brussels, Belgium

Our first port to visit was Zeebrugge, Belgium. It's a sea channel to Bruges. We wanted to visit Brussels so we loaded onto a bus with other NCL passengers and took a 2 1/2 hour ride through the Belgium countryside to Brussels. The countryside was lush and green. Our guide was native Belgium who spoke English with a Flemish accent. He probably also spoke French and German. It was hard for us to understand things he named or pointed out as we went by. I found I could figure out some of the signs due to knowing a little French. Of course, everyone speaks English. Our first stop was at a convenience store for a restroom break. Welcome to Europe and pay toilets and typical American fast food venues. LOL
We drove around the Atomium, a structure erected for the 1958 Expo depicting an iron atom magnified 165 billion times. I could only get pictures from inside the bus and would have enjoyed exploring this museum. On we went to central Brussels.
From the bus we saw the "Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula" and other famous landmarks. We walked to the Grand Place, a large open square enclosed by various old and important buildings, shops, and restaurants. Belgium is known for its Brussels waffles. I researched before the trip for Gluten free waffles in this area. There was a little place just off the square called The Sister which was totally gluten free. Had a good waffle there for lunch.
We walked to the famous Manneken Pis and looked for Belgium chocolate. The weather was warm at 26-28 C. (78-82.4 F) and mostly sunny. Back at the harbor our guide points out all the new cars parked in lots. This is a major entry port for automobiles coming into Europe.
We couldn't help snoozing on our bus ride back to the ship. The ship left port for Amsterdam. We found good food in the Commodore restaurant then enjoyed entertainment at the Penrose Atrium and bar. We have the Beverage package which means we can drink all the alcoholic and other beverages we want on board during the cruise. I found myself averaging 3 drinks a day with wine at dinner.
At one point we look out our balcony and see a wind turbine farm in the sea! We had no idea which country owned them but it was a cool sight to see.Leer más