The mystery of Owen Noel Lloyd unraveled, time in Brussels with Sandra and Adele, visiting Puigdemont's house and Waterloo, International Women's day, chocolate tasting and other stories.

Sunday 10th March.

Le Grand Place, "la nuit" in Brussels on Friday night. It was raining and I went local with Sandra's pashimina:-)

Dear all.

It's a nice change for me to be publishing this week's blog post from "abroad". As you will have gathered from the title I am in Brussels. I came on Wednesday to stay with my great friend Sandra and later we would be joined by our other friend Adele. Sandra, Adele and I are University friends from our time at Nottingham University.  They both studied French and I, as you know, studied Spanish. Sandra lives here outside the capital in a lovely area called Ford Jaco near the Soignes Forest.  She is a communications consultant, a bit like me but specialises more on public speaking. Adele lives in Orleans where she is a University lecturer in English. We were the greatest of friends at University and this friendship has continued some 40 years later. That's what I call real friendship. In the last few years we have met up once or twice a year with and without our partners. This time was to be for the girls only and what a time we are having; much more fun than last Sunday I can tell you.

Last Sunday was busy. While my friend and editor Amanda was restructuring my biography, I was once again adding to it after quizzing my father a bit more on his life. I wonder whether it will ever be ready. I had to rush that morning as at 11 am I had my French lesson and also had to have lunch on the table  by 2 pm for 5 people as Oli and Miguel would be joining us. The cupboards were a bit bare so I had to rush out to buy some provisions, come home, start on lunch preparations and then be ready for my French lesson. Both Oli and I had done our homework on the subjunctive quite well. As soon as the lesson ended I had to rush out again on a mission to help a young girl, Elisa.

That morning her mother and my new found friend, Joanne, had texted me to say that Elisa's iPhone had been stolen from her handbag at a discotheque in town and could I help her with going and making a police report.  The robbery of mobile phones is rife all around the world. She would need this for the insurance of the phone. I picked up Elisa from her house nearby and off we went to Boadilla del Monte. We got the wrong police station and were sent on foot to the Civil Guard (Guardia Civil). Here we were treated very well but oh my was the process long. I think we sat in the office there for 1.5h but finally came out with the necessary report. I drove Elisa home and got home myself just after 2.30. Thankfully Zena and Oli had come to the rescue about lunch and all was ready when I arrived.

We hadn't seen Olivia since our trip to Santa Pola and when she left that afternoon I wouldn't see her until I get back from Brussels. We spent some time together, not much, as they went out running in the sun. I preferred to wait for it to cool down. As I waited I added more to the biography after sitting for a while with my father and quizzing him on his favourite books, TV series and films. His favourite Russian author by the way is Chekov and his favourite British author Charlotte Brontë. As to films we didn't get very far as he was never very much into films. His favourite composer is Johan Strauss. He loves his waltzes and so do I.

As I was updating the biography I got a sudden Airbnb reservation.  A chap from South Carolina but with a Chinese name, Jian Li, had made a reservation for 4 for that night. They were already on their way to our house. That meant we had to wait and would have to skip our walk which was quite annoying. The group, Jian, a young  boy and 2 girls in their 20's arrived shortly afterwards in a great big car with a German number place. Jian was relieved to know I was British and that he wouldn't have any language problems. They all spoke good English but his was American so communication was easy.  He explained he runs a company that sells industrial torches and that the rest of his group were from his team in the company he owns that is based in China. They were on a tour of Europe seeing clients. The girls were very excited as it was their first time in Europe. I settled them in to their rooms and later heard and saw the two men playing on the ping pong table outside. Well, of course they would. I felt a bit bad the table was dusty and the bats and balls rather old. We must invest in some new ones. We didn't see much of them as later they went out to dinner nearby.

That afternoon, Susan, the Canadian lady who is a friend of my father's long lost cousin, Angela, who my friend Joanne had found for us, sent me an email. It was to enclose a photo of Aunty Angela as I have always called her and who is now approaching 95. I showed the photo to my father without telling him who she was and he said "oh that is Angela!". Isn't that sweet?  Here she is by the way.

My father's long lost cousin, Angela Benson, alive and well in Cwmbran Wales. 

The day ended with dinner in the kitchen with Andy our Scottish guest who Eladio chatted to until quite late. I must say we do get on with him. He had been out hiking that day in the mountains outside Madrid. Later we watched our favourite programme of the week "Salvados" where the astute journalist, Jordi Evolé, interviewed the Baroness Thyssen whose real name is Carmen Cervera and who is commonly known as "Tita".  She was once Miss Spain and became the 5th wife of Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Borenmisza, who was one of the biggest art collectors in the world. The interview took place in the Thyssen Museum in Madrid where both Tita and Heinrich had donated their respective collections, more or less free, to the Spanish Government. She is quite a character and we enjoyed the interview.

Monday came and I had lots to do before leaving for Brussels on Wednesday.  Before I could get on with my day I had to see to my group of 4 Airbnb guests from China. I even gave them breakfast. Later I was rewarded with a 5 star review which I reciprocated.

My biggest task that day was to prepare the master class I have to give to a group of communication managers who work for a big Spanish bank. The date is 13th March, just 2 days after  I will be back from Belgium, thus I had to prepare it before my trip. It took a lot of the morning and a couple of hours in the afternoon. Now I understand teachers. It's not just the hour or so of lessons they have to give, it's all the preparation.  I reckon I took 3 hours to do the work, not counting rehearsing it.  Add an hour to drive to the venue, an hour and a half for the lecture, another hour home and in the end 1.5h turns into more than 7 or 8  hours of one's time. Poor teachers and lecturers. The subject this time was how to  pitch a press release to the media and information vs. publicity. It's a subject which is  right up my street. By about 5.30 pm, I was finished. I had done the power point and all my notes. I felt so relieved and went off with Eladio for our walk with the dogs feeling pleased without that burden on my shoulders.

There's not much else to report about Monday. On the international scene, Juan Guaido managed to return to Caracas and was not arrested. What's happening in Venezuela is dominating the international news this week.

Tuesday came, the last day at home before heading off to Brussels on Wednesday.  I was up early as usual. With the biography manuscript in my editor Amanda's good hands, I am now working with my friend Andy on the family tree which will also be turned into a book. As we do research on my father's family and ancestry, both the tree and the biography have to be updated. That day, we came up trumps. Via a site called "Find a Grave", Andy found my father's brother, Raymond William Lloyd's grave who died aged 16 of polio.  We were fairly sure it would be at the family church St. Nicholas in Uphill. And yes it is there. But what we didn't know is that my grandfather, my father's father, Revd. John Collins Lloyd, is buried there too. What an amazing find. And how lovely to know they are together. We are now researching to see whether Raymond's mother and Revd. John Collins Lloyd's wife, my grandmother, Dorothy Gertrude Lloyd, née Scull is there too. She has to be. This is the grave which I promise you all I shall visit at the earliest opportunity.

Raymond's grave and his father's too 

I wasn't sure whether to tell my father as I know the death of his brother was and is such a big thing for him. However, I did tell him, as I never hide anything from him.

We still had the mystery of my grandfather's 5th sibling, Owen Noel Lloyd to unravel. We knew from records he existed and was born in 1900 and died in 1916. But that's all we knew. It seemed so strange that my grandfather had  a brother my father never knew of. Later in the week I had a eureka moment. During all my research we had come across a man who lives in the village of Valley in Anglesey, Barry H who is a trustee of the Holyhead Maritime Museum and a journalist.  He had already helped us fill quite a few blanks. Well, blow me, he found Owen's burial and baptism certificates and later the cause of death.  This is young Owen's burial certificate which for me proved the fact that this young boy did once walk on the face of this earth. I am so happy to have discovered his existence.

Burial certificate of Owen Noel Lloyd

Barry sent me the wording from the death certificate. What chilling words they are:

Owen Noel Lloyd

Died 24/10/1916, aged 16.

At 19 Alderley Terrace, Holyhead 

Engine Fitter Apprentice

Cause of death - Pulmonary Tuberculosis 

Informant - J Collins Lloyd, brother of 27 Coton Crescent, Shrewsbury

It was my grandfather who had registered his death. So I now know he died of TB. What a sad coincidence that my grandfather lost his brother aged 16 and then his son , Raymond at the same age. I still cannot understand why Owen Noel has never been mentioned in my father’s family. It does not make sense. But what a find for my biography and for the family tree. 

Dear Barry also helped us this week find more ancestors. We knew one of my other grandfather's siblings, William Fox Lloyd had married a woman called Gwendolyn and they had had two girls, Blodwyn and Gwendolyn and that they had lived in Glasgow. My father always talked about his cousins in Glasgow but he hadn't had contact for years and I had never met them. Now Barry has found their surnames and enough details to hopefully find their offspring who would be my second or third cousins. Oh what wonderful research findings. 

Although I was so absorbed in the research and findings, I had to come back from the past to my real life and had to go and do something so mundane as the food shopping. It's funny but on this journey of mine into the past, the present seems to be of little interest to me. But I went and made my way through the motions, came back and made lunch too. Life continues of course and later in the day we went on our walk. My body was on the walk, my mind was in the past. But I came back to the present to watch my darling daughter Oli on the TV. 

That day she was reporting on the return of a very big herd of sheep in the big park outside Madrid called "La Casa del Campo". It was  lovely story. She loved it too. Later she would tell us all about it when she joined us for dinner that night.

Oli on TV on Tuesday night.

Later I packed for Brussels. I also had to pack for Eladio who would be off to Montrondo to be with his brother while I was away. 

I was up at 5 am on Wednesday morning, in exciting anticipation of my trip to Brussels for a break with Sandra and Adele. Eladio drove me to the airport and my was there a lot of traffic at 7 in the morning. How awful it must be to have to face that traffic everyday going to work. I'm so lucky I can work from home. 

On our way we had a message from Suzy, as we often do on the family whatsapp group. But this one was rather different. She was writing to tell us not to worry if she wasn't available on Thursday. She told us Thursday was "Silent Day" in Bali. Not available means apparently, no internet, no partying, no reveling, no talking loud, no shops  open, etc. People stay at home to quietly respect the Gods and meditate. This is a Balinese Hindu practice which Suzy and her friends would be respecting on Thursday. Good for them.

I travelled with Ryan Air or should I say Ryan Dare. Flying is not pleasant  these days and even worse with budget airlines. Oh for the days of corporate travel when I used to fly business class. Well never mind, the important thing is the flight was smooth and I landed on time at Brussels airport. My dear dear friend Sandra was there with her dog Barney to pick me up. To be picked up at an airport is very special for me as all my life I have done it alone when arriving from a trip. It was raining when I got there but I didn't give a damn. I was looking forward to 5 days of sheer quality time with my great friends Sandra and Adele and it didn't matter where we were or what the weather was like.

We were soon back at her gorgeous flat in Fort Jaco in the posh area of Uccle just outside Brussels which is surrounded by a divine forest. And soon we were in her newly refurbished kitchen making a lovely lunch which we had with a glass or red wine. Luckily it didn't give me a headache. In the afternoon she took me to the fruit and veg market in a lovely area called Le Chatlain in the Ixelles district where she first lived when she came to live in Belgium.  Being Carnaval week the centre was not too crowded and we were able to park. It was raining though but I didn't care. I loved the market and we bought lots of fruit at amazing prizes  - like 3 huge mangoes for 5 euros or 10 passion fruit for 3 euros or a kilo of monkey bananas for 2 euros. And the fruit was good. I wanted to buy flowers for Sandra, my host and her dear mother, Magda. This I did at a flower stall where they were selling beautiful tulips. Oh I do love tulips. 

At the Chatlain Market

It was rather cold and rainy and after exploring the shops where we didn't buy anything, we headed home. We put our feet up, had some wine and some "nibbles" until Magda came to join us for dinner. Sandra made a great pasta dish and we spent a long time after dinner talking about my father and mother's past and then I quizzed Magda on her past, as a survivor of the holocaust in WW2 in Budapest. I really think Magda has to tell her story. She is only 93 and can still be taped. If Sandra doesn't do it, I will one day. What an amazing woman she is.

Later Sandra and I crashed out on the sofa and watched episode one of a new series on the BBC called Mother Father Son. My friend is so lucky to be able to get the BBC in Brussels. 

By about 11 or so, I was in bed. I had a headache from the damned wine which I have to be careful about. I didn't sleep too well, despite the amazing memory foam mattress on my bed  here. 

On Thursday morning, Silent Day in Bali, I woke up in silence too and far too early at around 4 then 5 and finally I got up at 6.15 in complete darkness.  I made coffee on Sandra's nespresso machine and was soon at my PC updating all the new findings on my father's ancestors in a separate document to be added to  the manuscript Amanda is now editing.

We had a lovely quiet breakfast and the day was ours for the taking. I felt great with no house running responsibilities to worry about. It was cold, windy and raining and damned freezing outside. Sandra needed to go to Waterloo, yes the place where the famous battle took place but also now an  upmarket suburb of Brussels. Waterloo is where the ex Catalan President, Carlos Puigdemont lives after fleeing justice in Spain. He broke the law by organising a referendum and other crimes such as the using of public funds to hold it, the encouragement of violence and a long etcetera. He and some of his cronies escaped to Belgium the night after declaring Catalonia a Republic which of course it cannot become unless the whole nation votes. Knowing he would face arrest, he and a few others fled to Belgium where they knew justice is far more lenient while his fellow partners in crime remained in Spain to face the music. Those facing the music in Spain despise his actions. He led them into the mess they are in always telling them there would be no criminal consequences. Well there were and he fled. He went to Belgium where he is now represented by a lawyer who once defended Basque ETA terrorists who had killed people but whom the Belgian law let stay here and refused to extradite them to Spain. Puigdemont who lives off the support of fellow fanatics lives in a splendid 500 square metre mansion which costs 4.400 euros a month. And that's where Sandra drove me to on Thursday morning. I was hoping he would be in and that I could have a chat with the deluded man but I'm afraid he wasn't in. The photo below is of me outside his splendid house which he calls "La Casa de la República" or the House of the Republic. Puigdemont calls it the exiled centre of the Catalan Republic abroad. There is even a plaque that says it. 

I went to visit the house of the Catalan fugitive ex Catalan President, Puidgemont's 4.400 euro house per month where he lives in Waterloo outside Brussels where he lives after fleeing justice in Spain. No one was in I'm afraid. 

There was no one there. It's funny to think Inés Arrimadas, the Spanish politician had been there just one week before protesting outside his house. I wish I had been there too. What a hoot it would have been.

Instead we spent the morning walking up and down the lovely high street in Waterloo, very similar to high streets in British towns really. It was here that Wellington had his HQ during the famous battle. 

Sandra and her dog Barney walking past Wellington's HQ in Waterloo

I loved the shops on that street, in fact I loved the whole area. We went into quite a lot and I came across a budget Belgian clothes shop called Camaïeu. It was one of those shops you come across and simply seem to like everything. I couldn't buy much as I have very little room in my suitcase. But I did invest in a lovely pair of trousers ("jogpants" here)in a Prince of Wales pattern, a black jumper to wear with them and of course I could not resist a blue and white striped French type nautical jumper once again, as if I didn't already have a huge collection of striped jumpers hahaha. Happy with my purchases, we carried on looking in other shops. I was in search of yellow canvas shoes or trainers to go with a recently purchased yellow puffer jacket I bought in Santa Pola. Yellow is much in fashion now but trainers, called "basket" in French in yellow are not easy to find. But, I found some, a sort of imitation Converse type and I love them. In the shops I was using my now more refreshed French and you know what? I really feel it has come on and I am loving using my French here.

 I later used it when we stopped for a coffee and delicious cake. Oh I am bowled over by the cakes and pastries in Belgium. 

Coffee and cake in Waterloo on Thursday morning - divine. 

It's not just the chocolate. Like the French, their patisseries are the best in the world and the Belgians are spoiled for choice. It was hard to choose and in the end we went for lemon meringue pie and a cherry tart which we shared. 

What a lovely morning we had but with all our ambling and shopping the morning was going by fast and soon we had to return home to have lunch and then go out again to pick up Adele who was arriving by train from Paris at 4.45. The traffic was awful in the afternoon and it was raining cats and dogs but we were on time. It was lovely to see Adele. Now our group was complete. On the way back to Fort Jaco, Adele spotted the Joe Malone shop and we stopped to get her favourite perfume; life basil and mandarin. It's not my favourite. I would have got mine; mint and jasmine except that they no longer make it. It's perhaps a good job they don't as a bottle of 100ml costs 112 euros! Sandra was waiting outside with Barney and I just had to have a photo of my two dear friends together. Here they are, these lovely ladies who I have known since I was 18 in my first term at Nottingham University when we began there in 1976, 43 years ago. But you know what?  When we are together, we feel like young girls again, just less poor hahaha. 

My dear friends, Sandra and Adele outside Joe Malone in Brussels on Thursday evening

On our way back, at my insistence, we stopped at a patisserie to get more cakes and some bread to take home for dinner.

It was lovely to be back in the flat, our group now complete. We chilled out, gave each other our little presents, started on the chardonnay wine and Sandra started cooking dinner. She made the most delicious green Thai curry. I do love curry. Magda joined us for dinner and wow did we eat a lot. We had focaccia bread with it - naughty but nice and of course we had the cakes after dinner and chocolates too. The wine and chocolate is generally a dynamite combination but I took my alcohol and headache antidote pills and they worked. These were the divine cakes by the way.

Belgian cakes and pastries are out of this world. We get nothing like them in Spain or England. 

We later lay on Sandra's multiple sofas, catching up on our lives or the lives of our children and chatted until late.

It had been a great day. I think we retired at about 11.30 to our bedrooms. I read for quite a while and again found it difficult to sleep. I had to take two sleeping tablets that night. Even so, I was awake at 5.30 on Friday morning. Oh I think I need an anaesthetist to put me to sleep. Wouldn't that be lovely?

Getting up at the crack of dawn does have its advantages though. I have time for myself as you know and I also use that time to write a little of my blog every day so that on Sunday mornings it's almost ready for publishing. 

I had finished writing when my dear friends got up at around 7.30. Adele and I went out to buy Belgian croissants and pastries for our breakfast from a lovely Belgian bakery I'm sure you are familiar with: "Le Pain Quotidien". Oh, I do adore the place. We stocked up on more cakes too hahaha. We were in need of a walk afterwards, as was Barney, Sandra's little terrier who is the centre of attention and an adorable little dog. My friend is so lucky to live on the doorstep of the lovely "Foret de Soignes", a huge forest surrounding parts of the outskirts of the city. I have been on walks there on all of our visits here and love the place. 

Enjoying the walk in the forest in the sun on Friday

We were lucky too in that on Friday the sun shone most of the day. 

Sandra, Barney and Adele in the forest on Friday

We walked around 7km and then returned home to leave Barney with Magda, grab our stuff and head to Sandra's exclusive David Lloyd sport and gym club. What a club my friends, housed in a beautiful old chateau with everything anyone would ever want in a club.

The David Lloyd sport and gym in Uccle where we went on Friday

Sandra took us to her weekly "stretching" class.  I don't really like doing gym as my exercise is walking. Thus my expectations were low. But you know what? I ended up loving every minute. It was a slow relaxing hour of gentle stretching to beautiful Indian music. I couldn't believe the hour was up when everyone stood up. Feeling great afterwards, we headed to the hammam area, the spa part of the gym which is a paradise if you like spas as I do. There is a great big jacuzzi with the most tremendously strong jets of water where we sat in warm water relaxing and feeling pampered. Pampered was the word to describe our next activity. We went into a silent room where we lay on hot stone beds. That was the most wonderful experience. Me, Masha, the hyperactive and rather exhausted person I am recently because of all this work on my father's 100th, was finally able to wind down and just enjoy the heat and stillness of the place. I fell asleep and when I woke up I wondered if I might invest in a similar hot stone bed for my room in Madrid. From there I wondered to the giant saunas and steam baths. You could choose to go to a 70 or 80 degree one and I chose the latter. It was a huge beautiful sauna room and reminded me of my times with Nokia when I visited Finland a lot and went to sauna as often as I could. From the very hot sauna we went to swim in heated water in the outdoor pool in brilliant sunshine. It's a pity my phone was in the locker and I couldn't take photos of my time at Sandra's most wonderful sports' centre. If I had a place like that near where I live, I think I would be going every day. We came out 3 hours later feeling great. The time there had done me the world of good.

We walked back to Sandra's luxury flat - everything in Sandra's life is luxurious (haha), even the name of the complex she lives in, "Villa Hermes", to make what we said would be a "quick lunch", or just a bite. Of course it wasn't. It was 3 pm and we were hungry and then there were the Belgian cakes to eat afterwards. The plan for the afternoon was to visit a museum but in the end the three of us decided to stay at home, relax and enjoy being together. Later I crashed out on the sofa and amazingly slept for about 2 hours. I woke up feeling so good. I needed the sleep.  When I woke up and after a cup of decaf tea, I rang Oli who was with the girls' bosom friend from childhood, Copi. I wished them a happy women's day. It was lovely to talk to the two of them. I wanted to ring Suzy too but of course by that time it was too late to call Bali as it's 7 hours ahead. I was wondering how her "silent day" had gone. 

That night Sandra had a table booked at a Lebanese restaurant in the city near the famous Grand Place. Called Al Barmaki, it was a very authentic place. We did as most people do when they eat Middle Eastern food and that is to  order the "mezze", a little bit of everything on the menu. It would end up being too much of course.

The Lebanese "mezze" starters at the restaurant on Friday night

It was here we finally got one a photo of the three of us together.

The three of us at dinner on Saturday night.

Saturday of course was International Women's Day and we toasted to it when the wine arrived. It was rather fitting that I spent women's day in the company of my two best women friends. In Madrid for the 2nd year in a row there was a strike with large demonstrations in  Madrid and Barcelona. Even nuns took part - good for them. There is still much to strike about my friends, starting with equal pay and of course violence to women, the scourge of our times. We have it better than our grandmothers and mothers but there is still a long way to reach equality with men. There is I promise you and I have experienced it as I worked as a woman in the corporate world which is still totally male dominated. So yes, we toasted to Women's Day and of course to our friendship.

It was raining when we went outside and feeling rather full after our delicious Lebanese meal. We were very near the Grand Place, the heart of Brussels and it's most famous landmark. Thus we walked there to see it at night which is quite special. 

The Gran Place at night  is spectacular

I first remember seeing the Grand Place with my parents and Aunty Masha when I was about 12 on one of our long and famous road trips with my charismatic Aunt around Europe. I was stunned then and it never fails to impress. What a beautiful place. We bumped into some friendly Indians from Kerala and Sandra being Indian born immediately agreed to take their photo in the square. They then took ours. Of course afterwards we spent quite a while talking to them. They were a lovely group of people. We later remarked what lovely people the Indians are in general, most possibly because of their family values.

The 3 of us in the Grand Place on Friday night. 

It's always nice to meet people when you travel and have spontaneous chit chat with them. In that I take after my mother who used to talk to everyone, from prince to pauper haha. Sandra is like that too and I love that about her.

We drove home for my dear girlfriends to have some champagne - I couldn't as it would probably have killed me. Soon, I, at least was in my pyjamas and the three of us were in front of the "telly" watching the BBC with a bowl of delicious Belgian chocolates in front of me. The chocolates would kill me too but I couldn't resist. We watched part of a film called "Made in Dagenham". It was quite fitting for it to be broadcast on Women's Day as it was about the women's strike at a Ford factory in the 60's for equal pay for women. I watched it and dozed off, watched a bit again and it was just my sort of film. I must see it in its entirety. 

I flaked out after a wonderful day and just had to go to bed at around 11.30 or so. I actually slept well until 6.15 when I got up to a quiet flat. Everyone else was sleeping.  

Saturday was to be a full day and ours for the taking. How lovely to be with my friends and with no domestic duties. Breakfast was a leisurely event after which I rang my dear daughter Suzy in Indonesia. Her so called "Silent Day" was over and she was now reachable. I wanted to talk to her to try and make her come for my father's 100th birthday. She was coming originally in June to stay a few months. She agreed immediately so now his day will be made even more special by her presence. I could not envisage that day without her. 

We were to spend the day in Brussels and left the flat at around 11 am. On our way to the tram, we looked in the boutiques on Sandra's very swanky street and my friends were taken with a little Italian boutique  called IT. I was not into clothes shopping that day. I had had my fill of course in Waterloo. Here Adele and Sandra tried on lots of tops such as these.

Clothes shopping in Fort Jaco on Saturday

It was rather quaint to take the tram into the city and I loved the views on the way, as we passed places like Le Sablon. We got off at the Place Royale and it was very cold and windy. My dear friends who are much more into art, culture and theatre than I am were very keen to visit an exhibition taking place at the big church in the square called Revolutions. It's about the Swinging Sixties and ends today. I think I was put off by all the pop culture around that time as I was influenced by my father's dislike of it. I also felt very trapped inside as I often do in places like Ikea so I  left and went outside to kick my heels while my friends enjoyed the exhibition. It was cold and wet and I had spied the MIM (Museum of Musical Instruments) across the square,  a lovely art deco building which has a roof terrace restaurant on the top floor with a panoramic view of Brussels. It had been recommended to me by my friend Joanne. I loved the views and I loved the place.

The MIM building and the views from the top in the previous photo

When they had had their fill of seeing exhibits on things like the Woodstock festival, my friends joined me and we got a table for lunch. Here is Sandra pondering over the menu.

Inside the MIM restaurant on the top floor with panoramic views of the city

When I saw fish and chips on the menu I didn't ponder  at all. It was to be the choice of the three of us. I must say fish and chips is one of my favourite meals. Obviously it wouldn't be as good as in England but the chips (les frites) are the Belgians' speciality, so all round it was a good choice.

Fish and chips at the MIM on Saturday

The next item on our agenda was to be a demonstration on the origin of chocolate and how it is made. Sandra had made a reservation for us at the Planet Chocolate in the centre of town at 4 p.m. So we ambled there in the rain and cold and soon reached the crowded streets near the Grand Place. Everywhere there seemed to be either chocolate or waffle establishments. Being a huge chocolate fan, I was in my element.

Waffles were everywhere

Chocolate was everywhere too

We also had time to spy the Mannekin Pis although there were throngs of people around it and actually it is quite small. I did not get to see the female equivalent which I think was a bit further away.

A visit to Brussels is not complete without seeing the Mannekin Pis

Just before 4 pm we were sitting and ready to watch the chocolate demonstration at Planet Chocolate. I had never been to one and being a great chocolate fan would enjoy the session. Here are my friends about to enjoy the experience too.

At the chocolate demonstration

It was a very touristy thing to do but I didn't care. We had a sort of showman chocolate expert to entertain us and entertain us he did. It was like being back at school but studying your favourite subject hahaha. Here is the guy showing us the pods where the cocoa beans grow inside something called pulp which is what contains the "drug" in chocolate called "theobromine".

Our chocolate expert at Planet Chocolate yesterday

He explained that it was this ingredient which makes one feel happy. Now i know why I love chocolate so much as it is supposed to make one happy. It always makes me happy and most women too I suspect. We got to sample some of the pralines, etc and even a new type of chocolate that has just come into the market, "ruby chocolate". It was all delicious. Later I would buy a few slabs and boxes for an extortionate tourist price, silly me.

The session went on for far too long and we had to go. Sandra had to be back to make sure her mother was alright and to take the dog for a walk. On our way back, Adele wanted to visit the Japanese Zara like store called Uniqlo. I was sort of interested but not as much as her. However, l did buy two lovely long sleeved tops, one yellow and one striped - my trademark. It was cold and dark as we left and difficult to find a taxi. In the end we walked and walked and walked until we finally found a tram to take us home. The three of us were tired but the day hadn't ended. 

Once back in Sandra's area of Uccle, she rushed off to get the dog while Adele and I went into her local supermarket, "Delhaize" to get some things for dinner. I love that supermarket but then I suppose most people like other countries' supermarkets. Here we stocked up mostly on wine and more chocolate hahaha. Thank goodness i am going home tomorrow and from Tuesday onward I shall be back to my normal eating regime.

We had a lovely girly buffet type dinner where we were joined by Magda who I know enjoys our company. Well, we enjoy hers too. Here she is with Sandra her loving daughter. They are great company for each other.

Sandra and her 93 year old mother Magda, an extraordinary woman, after dinner last night

When Magda left - she lives in the flat above Sandra's - we lay on the sofas to watch the end of the film we had started the night before, "Made in Dagenham". I would have loved to watch it to the end but I'm afraid I fell asleep. I was shattered and so was Adele. Thus I was in bed by about 11 pm and slept soundly until this morning at 5.15. Yes my friends I got up today at the unearthly hour of 5.15!

Sunday is my last day here. Adele will be leaving at midday and I will be leaving tomorrow afternoon. We've had a splendid time here together which was the objective. I do so love my dear Uni friends and only wish I could see them more often.

Now my friends, I have come to the end of the tales of this week. Thus I shall leave you now as the sun is rising and it is raining outside. In Madrid it is sunny and the temperature will reach 20'c. What a difference. 

I hope you have  enjoyed the tales of this week. Until next week, cheers

Masha.