I feel kind of disconnected from Belgian culture since so much was cancelled during covid, and once things reopened we’ve been exploring other countries before moving this fall. Oops. We course corrected a bit this weekend by going to see Brussels’s famous flower carpet with friends from church. Despite the 92 degree weather, we also made time for a rather warm lunch on a terrace at Le Paon in the Grand Place.
The ice in my iced tea melted immediately, but the tomatoes stuffed with Belgium’s famous tiny grey shrimp were very refreshing and of course came with frites! I mean, if your lunch doesn’t come with frites, are you even in Belgium?
The flower carpet started in 1971 and helped pave the way to pedestrianize Brussels’s historic quarter. The city does it every couple of years for three days in August. I thought it was a carpet of potted plants, but they actually roll a huge outline out across the square and fill it in with dahlia blooms, petals, etc.
Unsurprisingly, by Sunday afternoon some of the color was looking a little peaked and some of the petals were in the process of being switched out for more vibrant ones. This was fun to watch. I reserved tickets to go up through the town hall and see the carpet from the balcony, and it was absolutely delightful to watch families and couples weaving through the square, with many lovely, colorful dresses floating and swishing in the slight breeze.
Isaac looks totally normal here
We said goodbye to our church friends and immediately ran into school friends who were also on their way to get some ice cream en route to the metro! With one week left until school starts, this seemed like an absolutely perfect way to spend the day!
Autumn at the Market
Do You Run From Moose?
Liechtenstein Wanderweg
Royal Summer Nights in Brussels