Brussels

Through my (Cindy) volunteer work at EDYN, I had the opportunity to go to Brussels this past weekend. All expenses were covered by the European Union, since I was a part of an EU Alliance working group. I was filling in for my colleague from EDYN who was on her honeymoon and couldn't attend this 4th working group session of the year. Because 2011 is the European Year of the Volunteer, there has been a heavy emphasis on recognizing and promoting international policies that will benefit volunteering. The committee that I was involved in consisted of ten people (many lawyers) that were representative of the volunteer sector from Greece, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic, Netherlands and Hungary. Our goal was to develop policies that advocate for improvement of the legal status of volunteers. It was an interesting couple of days, to say the least. When the meetings concluded I was able to take in an evening and morning of sight-seeing in Brussels before my flight home. The trip was very helpful in giving more insight into my work for EDYN.

Below are a variety of sights in Brussels. It's a beautiful city and very enjoyable to walk around. The weather was near 80 degrees and sunny. There was a half marathon going on, closing most streets near the royal palace, cathedral and museums. This made for a very enjoyable stroll after the crowds had left and the streets were not yet open to vehicles. After taking seven years of French during my years of school, it was wonderful to hear it all around me and to actually understand quite a bit. Fortunately English is understood by almost everyone, so that all of our meetings and any time I needed directions, English was spoken.

I hope you enjoy seeing Brussels through my camera lens.


The Jubilee Park near where our meetings were held. This monument was constructed for the "Grand International Show of the Sciences and Industry" inaugurated by Leopold ll in June, 1880.


There was actually a major roadway going under the middle of the park that you could hear but not see until you looked over the bushes. The road actually tunneled under the monument.


The buildings in the Grand Plaza were beautiful! Many had lots of gold trimmings, as you can see in the next several pictures.






Of course there were Belgian chocolate shops everywhere.

The following morning I walked to see the royal palace and the parks, monuments and buildings surrounding it.







The exterior of the Cathedral.



The interior where a service was being held in French.