Our First Tram Ride

We took our first tram ride today, the #81 from Merode toward Marius Renard. After a 15 to 20 minute ride through some new-to-us areas of Brussels, we exited at the Janson stop and walked a couple blocks to the Horta Museum. Not so much a museum as the restored home of architect Victor Horta who helped to establish the Art Nouveau style of architecture, I particularly enjoyed the light fixtures, the ornate door handles, the decorative wood throughout the house, and especially the stained glass roof at the top of the multi-story home. Needing a little snack, we stopped by a patisserie, run by a lovely, generous Portuguese man who shared some of his very special "grandma's cake" with Lucy and sold two of the very best pastries to me (vanilla with milk) and Julia (lemon with cream). Oh my, we might have to go back for more of those pasteis nata "belem" and more stories of his late grandmother, whom he said was smiling from above due to Lucy's love of her cake.

We wandered down a few more little streets, trying to follow a small map provided by the Horta Museum, and found a private home also designed by Victor Horta, the Maison Sander Pierron. The girls were confused why we walked all that way (it was not that far, mind you) to see just the outside of the house. Regardless, we took some nice pictures of the Art Nouveau elements on the exterior.

I was pleased to find a tram stop on the proper line that was different than the one we'd gotten off at previously and we got home just as some light showers were starting. Turns out that Harry Potter 7 Part 2 is opening here in Brussels today (12 July) with some previews and tomorrow officially (13 July) so we could have seen it before most in the States. Note the key word "could" - all the tickets are sold out for today and tomorrow. Of course. So now we'll see it after most die-hard fans in the U.S. much to Lucy's dismay. Sigh - maybe going out for pizza for dinner will heal the broken hearts.