Independence.

Monday was our first official Belgium holiday. Its the day they celebrate their independence from Holland. We had been downtown on Sunday and saw the setup of the events that would follow on Monday. Thankfully, our friend Vibeke (a lady from the church we attended in Denmark) decided to stop by and see us, so we decided to see if we could catch some of the action.

Unfortunately, the weather was awful... misty rain and COLD! ( nothing new from Belgium)Well, we went anyways and were quite entertained by the parades they had going on. There were so many people in weird customs and on stilts. It was definitely a culture experience that we hadn't experienced in Denmark before. I was able to go get some very-very good red cherries. They were kind of expensive, but worth it. ;) Since the weather was gloomy and bits of rain, we found a cozy little cafe to warm up in until the fireworks would start at 11. The first place we walked into was too packed, but I was excited for the atmosphere, since we always went to cafes in Copenhagen, I wasn't sure if we would find any cool places here in Brussels. We ended up to the cafe right next store, and it ended up being perfect!

The fireworks were by far the best we have ever seen. It seemed like for 20 minutes you were treated to a never ending finale from start to finish. What was unique was the touch of music put to the show they put on. It truly was a sight to see. So, for those traveling to Brussels, come July 21st and make sure to catch the festivities in downtown! The evening was fabulous and well worth the cold we had to endure. Seriously, we could see our breath and it is the middle of summer. Something isn't right with that. :)