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| they learned how to load and fire a cannon from the Waterloo movies |
In 1880, Belgium celebrated their 50th anniversary of independence. They held a National Exhibition and built a huge complex of buildings around the old parade square, renaming it the Parc du Cinquantenaire. Inside the complex there are many museums, some free, so we spent an afternoon touring a selection. The Musée du Cinquantenaire features objets d'art such as tapestries and china, as well as exhibits on ancient Rome and Egypt, Native America and Oceania (including two actual statues from Easter Island), etc. Having missed Lascaux on our way down (because it was too busy), we managed to catch the "Lascaux III" traveling exhibit, featuring 3-D movies and models as well as recreations of the ancient cave paintings. Finally, the three boys took a spin around the Musée Royal de l’Armée et d’Histoire Militaire. The permanent exhibit's crowning glory is an overwhelming array of 19th-century weaponry and uniforms, packed into dozens of display cases each containing a dozen or more rifles, swords, or hats.
We also took in the small but interesting Aquarium Public de Bruxelles (it's theme is sustainability and biodiversity; there is also another newer and larger aquarium in town). It is kid friendly, and Andrew enjoyed writing down the names of his favourite fish species on his clipboard. On the way home, we stopped to wash the car, which, judging by the gales of laughter from the back seat, was the highlight of our trip to Brussels.
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