Day 6 was also a Brussels day, but it was the day we went home. The first thing we did was get off at this one stop and take pictures because they had these creepy statue things on the walls.
We then went to find some gardens that I wanted to see if we could find, and we found some, but they weren’t really what I was expecting.
There was one stop though that not only had what we were looking for (it was a big gate-like thing) but there was also a festival going on! I loved running into that. But we had all our bags with us...so we didn't walk through it (too many people).
We also went back to where the market was on Saturday, but sadly, it was only a Saturday market, because it was gone on Sunday. We found us some food and just kind of hung out and then made our way back to where our bus stop was. My bus was leaving at 4 and Ryan’s wasn’t leaving until 11 PM that night (he was headed to Germany, while I was going back to Amsterdam). So, 4 o’clock came and we said our goodbyes =[
I got on my bus and off I was. I learned when we were going to Belgium that I could have gotten on the bus at The Hague instead of having to go all the way to Amsterdam, and then taking another train to Amstel station where the bus was leaving from. So going home, I asked if the bus was stopping at The Hague and if it was, if I could get off there instead of Amsterdam and they said yes! So when I got off in The Hague, I knew which bus I needed to take, but couldn’t find it (or so I thought…dumb me). So I get on bus 45 (I wanted 43) and was just going to Leiden and then catch 43 home and I still would get home earlier. So I get on 45, and as we pull out of the station, I see bus 43…and I’m like crap. So I get off at the first stop and walk back to the station, but of course, the bus has already left….so I wait the 30 minutes and get on, and make it home at 7:30 PM, which was the time my bus would have made it into Amsterdam, so that was really nice! My friends had already eaten, but had left overs, so I had some great food and was off to bed to finish off my Netherlands adventure =]
This is the metro stop we got off at (just in case you ever go to Brussels!)
They were like full-sized statues!
Children
There were probably 5 or 6 more!
Edited to add: My aunt googled the stop and found out this: There are several groups of statues in terracotta in white and brown shades which refer to Queen Elisabeth's last residence, the Stuyvenbergh castle. It is a homage to the queen's love of art but also to the royal family. The artist, who normally works from living models, based the 25 statues on photographic material. They were partly coloured with engobes and partly enamelled. The artist represents Queen Elisabeth in different periods of her life, with her children and grandchildren, and other people who were close to her, such as Albert Einstein, Emile Verhaeren and Jules Bordet.
Edited to add: My aunt googled the stop and found out this: There are several groups of statues in terracotta in white and brown shades which refer to Queen Elisabeth's last residence, the Stuyvenbergh castle. It is a homage to the queen's love of art but also to the royal family. The artist, who normally works from living models, based the 25 statues on photographic material. They were partly coloured with engobes and partly enamelled. The artist represents Queen Elisabeth in different periods of her life, with her children and grandchildren, and other people who were close to her, such as Albert Einstein, Emile Verhaeren and Jules Bordet.
We then went to find some gardens that I wanted to see if we could find, and we found some, but they weren’t really what I was expecting.
From one of the gardens
More of the garden
This was near the garden. Not sure what it was though, but still neat looking
There was one stop though that not only had what we were looking for (it was a big gate-like thing) but there was also a festival going on! I loved running into that. But we had all our bags with us...so we didn't walk through it (too many people).
The "gate"...I don't remember what it was called ETA: It is the Arc du Cinquantenaire (thanks Aunt Sandy!)
The other side of it
There was this little band that was playing in a small parade
The kids were all dressed up (complete with wooden shoes) and there were adults in the back playing instruments. So neat!
We also went back to where the market was on Saturday, but sadly, it was only a Saturday market, because it was gone on Sunday. We found us some food and just kind of hung out and then made our way back to where our bus stop was. My bus was leaving at 4 and Ryan’s wasn’t leaving until 11 PM that night (he was headed to Germany, while I was going back to Amsterdam). So, 4 o’clock came and we said our goodbyes =[
Our last picture together =[
I got on my bus and off I was. I learned when we were going to Belgium that I could have gotten on the bus at The Hague instead of having to go all the way to Amsterdam, and then taking another train to Amstel station where the bus was leaving from. So going home, I asked if the bus was stopping at The Hague and if it was, if I could get off there instead of Amsterdam and they said yes! So when I got off in The Hague, I knew which bus I needed to take, but couldn’t find it (or so I thought…dumb me). So I get on bus 45 (I wanted 43) and was just going to Leiden and then catch 43 home and I still would get home earlier. So I get on 45, and as we pull out of the station, I see bus 43…and I’m like crap. So I get off at the first stop and walk back to the station, but of course, the bus has already left….so I wait the 30 minutes and get on, and make it home at 7:30 PM, which was the time my bus would have made it into Amsterdam, so that was really nice! My friends had already eaten, but had left overs, so I had some great food and was off to bed to finish off my Netherlands adventure =]
I googled the Stuyvenbergh metro: There are several groups of statues in terracotta in white and brown shades which refer to Queen Elisabeth's last residence, the Stuyvenbergh castle. It is a homage to the queen's love of art but also to the royal family. The artist, who normally works from living models, based the 25 statues on photographic material. They were partly coloured with engobes and partly enamelled. The artist represents Queen Elisabeth in different periods of her life, with her children and grandchildren, and other people who were close to her, such as Albert Einstein, Emile Verhaeren and Jules Bordet.
ReplyDeleteThe arch is "Arc du Cinquantenaire" - triumphal arch for your record