Quiet Day in Mons

and a monkey too!

From Lille we headed to the last destination of our Christmas holiday. Instead of spending the final day in Charleroi, we stopped in at the smaller Belgian town of Mons. It was New Year’s Day so the shops were closed and the streets were quiet. That was just fine with me. It’s much easier to adjust to the realization that holiday is over when the sightseeing slows down.

We spent the day walking up and down the cute streets and made sure to visit the lucky monkey outside City Hall. Tradition states that if you pet the monkey’s head with your left hand, a wish will come true. If I was better at keeping track of wishes, I’d be able to let you know if it worked or not.

For lunch we stopped in at one of the only open restaurants. Our fellow patrons were a lively pair who alternated between shouting at each other and shouting across to us. I was actually thankful for the language barrier because it felt easier to politely ignore their drunken banter. The sympathetic looks from the waitress helped too.

A pop culture nativity scene.

After a comfortable night’s rest we were back on the train headed to the Charleroi airport and then onwards to Marrakech.

xo, jill