🍂 Day 6 – Where Water Reflects the Sky

 After several full days of travel and movement, today felt like a breath, a slower rhythm, a chance to simply be in Brussels. My wife had planned to visit a Japanese hair salon in the city that morning, and since she would be there for a while, I decided to take my camera and wander.

The morning light was soft and cool as I made my way toward the Jardin Botanique de Bruxelles. The garden was quiet, leaves drifting gently across the paths, the colors of autumn deepening into gold and rust. There’s something calming about walking alone with a camera, noticing how light filters through branches, how reflections shimmer on still water. It felt like a quiet conversation between the city and the season.

From there, I continued toward Parc du Cinquantenaire, one of my favorite places in Brussels. The arches and open spaces held a kind of grandeur, yet the autumn colors softened everything, reds and oranges glowing against stone and sky. I spent nearly an hour there, photographing the light shifting between clouds, people strolling under the trees, the subtle hum of life moving at its own pace.

By the time I met my wife for lunch, the city had fully come alive. She was glowing from her salon visit and had a recommendation from them, a place called Terracotta Pizze & Tapas. It turned out to be perfect. The food was delicious, full of warmth and flavor, and the atmosphere felt instantly welcoming. It was one of those meals where everything just fits, good company, good food, good timing.

In the evening, we went looking for seafood and stumbled upon Restaurant François, a historic spot dating back to 1922. The staff were kind and full of charm, making us feel right at home. The food was fresh and beautifully prepared, and by the end of the meal we both agreed it was one of the highlights of the trip.

To close out our last night in Brussels, we followed another recommendation from the hair salon, À l’Imaige Nostre-Dame, a cozy bar tucked away with a relaxed atmosphere and an excellent beer selection. We spent our final hours there talking, laughing, and savoring the moment, that gentle, bittersweet awareness that the trip was coming to an end.

Walking back through the quiet streets, I looked up at the lights reflected in puddles from a light drizzle earlier that evening. Brussels felt different now, not like a place we were visiting, but like one we had come to know.