BITWRATHPLOOB World Tour

Pis and Mayonnaise
simon posted in Detours on July 2nd, 2008

Yesterday I very generously sacrificed my lunch hour(s) to show ‘Ploob a couple of the main tourist atractions in the centre of Brussels.

First up was the Grand Place. Some say that this is one of the most beautiful squares in Europe. It was hard to tell that day, as about a quarter of it was covered in scaffolding for renovation work, and the centre was a mess of cranes and trucks and seating stands as preparations were made for the upcoming annual Ommegang event. Still, I managed to get shots of ‘Ploob in front of the town hall…

 

…the City Museum…

 

and a selection of guildhalls.

 

We turned the corner and paid homage to one of Brussels’ most famous residents, the Manneken Pis. He’s disappointingly small, and although he’s often dressed in some sort of costume, usually donated by visiting foreign dignitaries, on this day he was au naturel.

 

Personally I prefer the little girl version, Jeanneke Pis, to be found a few streets away in the crowded tourist restaurant district. At least she has a smile on her face (plus she’s life-sized).

 

A stop for lunch, and ‘Ploob insisted on trying some more Belgian beer. I opted for a Hoegaarden, which is popular during summer for its lightness and refreshing taste.

 

We shared a cornet of frites, and ‘Ploob ended up with a mayostache.

 

He then drained the rest of the beer. Despite his well-documented love of this type of beverage, ‘Ploob has a tragically low tolerance for alcohol, and after one glass of blanche he was telling me that I was his “besht mate”, and asking to borrow my mobile phone so that he could call up all his old girlfriends.