Sunday July 26I got up after an okay sleep and headed downstairs for the free breakfast. There was the typical bread, jam, cereal and thin slices of meat and cheese. The food quality wasn’t great but I had enough to get full. I took a shower which had pretty good water pressure before heading out into town. I remembered which way I’d come past the church and was able to find that shortcut again. This time the church was open and it was a Sunday so there was mass. I slipped quietly into the back, in awe of the massive insides of the building. Everything was so decorated, so ornate. The main aisle was closed to the public because after all, the people were having a church service. It felt odd taking pictures as people were quietly lining up in the pews. They all stood and started singing. Wow, that organ certainly filled the air with amazing notes. I walked out feeling refreshed and inspired on this lovely Sunday morning. I had a list of places I wanted to go and things I wanted to do but was in no hurry.
I wandered my way through the city center, passing a few random pockets of little markets. I was heading towards the mannekin pis, which is the famous statue of a peeing boy. I don’t know why a peeing boy is so famous but he’s certainly on all of the tour guides must see list, as well as his sister, and his dog. I was going to find all three even though the other two were supposedly pretty difficult to find. I turned the corner and there he was! Peeing out a water fountain. There was a crowd of people taking selfies in front of him which I thought was super weird. Why would you want a picture of yourself in front of a peeing child? I took a snapshot of the statue and turned onto the road he was on. This street looked like it had tons of waffle shops, chocolate shops and a few others scattered within. I made a note of the waffle shops and headed down chocolate lane.
At first I was just going to look at all the different kinds of chocolate, admiring the designs of each chocolatier. But of course I had to buy some from each shop! I tried to only buy 2 bars from each shop. I wanted to try different flavors too. One of the ones I chose was flavored white cinnamon cookie. Others were caramel, orange or dark chocolate. Each shop had an intensely sweet scent that hit you instantly when you pushed the door open. I don’t know how the shop keepers stayed trim with all that sugar laying around. After I’d bought at least 6 bars of chocolate, I found a souvenir shop. I bought a tshirt that had a peace symbol out of many flags. I thought it was a pretty neat shirt design. It was nearing 3 so I figured I’d better get to the music museum because it closed at 5.
The museum was up the Main Street, at the top of all the stairs. I was pretty excited for this museum of musical instruments. I’d never been to such a specific exhibit and this was finally a museum that piqued my interest.
I entered and received an audio guide and was ushered in. I followed others through a thick wooden door and was met with the dark ambient light that museums often have. There were glass cases of instruments grouped together by culture and place or by type of instrument. There were logos on the floor where you would stand near to and the music would start playing from your guide based on the type of instruments you were standing in front of. This was so neat! I was looking at very old instruments from different cultures and hearing what each sounded like, in a style from that culture. I moved through the exhibits slowly, letting each song play to it’s 2-3 minute length. I got to a machinist and the music wouldn’t start so I pressed a button on the guide. I guess I messed it up because it wouldn’t play anything anymore. I went back to the entrance and got a new audio guide, this one in Spanish and grabbed a set of headphones as well. I found my place again and happily swayed along to each song. This was the best museum ever! I couldn’t quite capture the essence just in pictures so I videoed the instruments with my phone up against the earphones. They were plenty of instruments I’d never heard of and some that I couldn’t even figure out how you would play it. Some looked complicated and tough to learn while others looked like a toddler could play it. There were many types of drums, each with their own unique sound.
I wandered to another room, up a giant staircase and through another heavy wooden door. This room still had the instruments and songs but was all about who would play it and where. Many more well off peasants, or middle class, would learn to play instruments and the rich would pay to have them entertain them and their guests. Other cultures simply played music for the fun of it or tradition, as a means of worship or reflection. Th next room had decorated and painted instruments, some of which were just placed in rich peoples homes for the looks. There were a few that were made to be playable and reserved for only the very wealthy. The next room had more modern music, electronic sounds, radios, clock chimes and bell tower music. There was a gift shop, complete with very expensive gifts, and a restaurant on top. The entrance was immediately into the cooks and waitstaff area and a waiter tried to seat me. I stared back confused, until I stuttered out, English, and just pointed to the deck. I just wanted to see the rooftop view. I wouldn’t have minded eating there with a view but it was way too pricey for me. I took a few rooftop pictures as it began to rain. I was glad I’d come now because the museum had taken me almost 2 hours. I’d enjoyed every inch of it, reveling in the sounds of everywhere. Music is the only universal language and I was overjoyed at being able to experience some of it.
It was a little past 5 and raining so I knew by the time I got back up to the military museum it would be closed. So I set off in search of the peeing dog and the peeing girl. It was full out raining so I’d walk a street and duck into a shop for a minute, look around, and figure out my next turn. I was just about done with trying to find the dog when I turned the corner and there he was! A statue of a male dog lifting it’s leg onto a pole. Well, wasn’t gat just something. I went to go find the girl and she was easier to find as there was a gaggle of people crowding around her as well. She was crouching down, locked behind a gate to protect her from vandals, water coming out her bottom a she peered into the distance. Brussels had some strange famous statues. I never did quite catch the story to these peeing figures. I was a little turned around but I made my way back to the boy who was next to all the waffle shops. I bought a waffle with strawberries and cream, drizzled with chocolate syrup. I stood in the shop, savoring each bite of this sweet treat. All the waffle shops were packed, with people trying to get out of the rain, and ordering deluxe waffles or chocolate packages. I walked back to the hostel, still without phone service or a way to charge my phone. I tried to sit downstairs in the lounge near the bar but the music was so loud and someone kept opening the doors even though it was cold. I needed to plan the next few days before getting to Vienna on august 2. My mom had a hiking friend who’s best friends daughter was located near the Black Forest area which I wanted to go through. Another friend had a girlfriend in Munich so those were two of my stops. But I’d heard about Echternach, Luxembourg being called the little Switzerland so that was also on my list. I left my phone at the desk again while I got ready to cook dinner. The kitchen was super tiny with one table and 8 chairs for well over 100 beds. There were very few pots and pans, dishes or silverware. I made do and ate my pasta dinner alone in the kitchen before heading up to bed.
KraezFernweh 