Today is our last day in Belgium. We aim to see as much as we can. We want to enjoy just being here.

Our day started with a visit to the Royal Library of Belgium. This would be a perfect start to the day for me. Sadly, entry was only open to people paying an annual membership fee. So, there was no access for the interloping international tourist. I would have known this if I had taken the time to visit the website. Instead, we just rocked up there. Ugh. So, here’s a useful tip: Research before you head off excitedly in the morning. Don’t expect every library across the world to be available for your viewing.

The Library has more than four million bound volumes spanning over 150 kilometres. As well as maps, manuscripts and even coins. A truly amazing place I am sure to visit, with a history that goes back to the Dukes of Burgundy. Yes I am a tad disappointed.

Like the excellent tourists we are, we’re not discouraged. You can see the aforementioned Library in the left corner of the photo above. Up some steps and look at this view. The Mont des Arts meaning Hill/Mount of the Arts. It is a historic site in Brussels. It includes the Royal Library of Brussels and the National Archives of Belgium. It also includes the Square – Brussels Meeting Centre and a public garden.

Keep heading up the hill. We come to the Official Palace of the Queen and King of Belgium. It is gorgeous. It’s not the Royal residence. The Royal family lives in the Royal Palace of Laeken, which is north of Brussels. This Palace is known as the King’s administrative residence. It is the place where he works. It is also where he receives foreign guests.

You can tour the Palace and its gardens every summer after 21 July to the end of September. We are here in October. It appears that they are taking advantage of the timing. You can see at the edge of the photo that there is some scaffolding. The website says that there are renovations afoot.

We cross the road to the Parc de Bruxelles and this is where our luck changes. This park holds an incredible surprise for us, one of the highlights of the day. I’ll come back to that, as we have a date in the Park at 2.00pm.

The Park sits between the Royal Palace and the Federal Parliament. It’s beautiful, with ponds, Greco-Roman statues and wide spaces. Let your imagination run free. You might envision a mad dash from the Royal Palace to the Houses of Parliament. There are lots of different paths to explore and places to sit to let the world go by.

We leave the Park and head to Cathedrale des Sainte-Michel et Sainte-Gudula, the Cathedral of St Michael and Saint Gudula. This is one of Brussels most important landmarks. It was built in the beginning of the eleventh century and took 300 years to complete.

The Cathedral was originally called the Church of St Michael. In 1047, the relics of the martyr Saint Gudula were brought to the Church. Saint Gudula died in the eighth century.

This Church was only given Cathedral status in 1962 and it doesn’t disappoint.

It’s time for our return to the Park for our 2.00 pm date. We are here to watch a free concert performed by the Korean Air Force. So what’s this all about? We have now learned that each year Brussels hosts the Bruges Taptoe. Never heard of this before – neither had we. The Bruges Taptoe gathers big band performers from different parts of the world. They perform an exciting two and a half hour concert extravaganza. It’s described as a dazzling musical spectacle of show and marching bands, composed of light, sound and colour.

Many countries who attend Bruges Taptoe also organise small concerts themselves. So how did come across this event? Earlier, when we’d been strolling through the park, we’d come past the bandstand. The Korean team were setting up there. One of the young artists approached us to let us know that they’d be performing. We couldn’t resist the invitation to watch this concert called a “Korean thank you to Brussels concert”.

It was a fantastic way to spend just over an hour, even though not a word was spoken in English. The band started with the Rocky Theme song to get the crowd going. Then they played a few Jazz and some Belgian favourites. The crowd was loving every second. There were classical opera as well as Jazz and K Pop singers. A couple of incredible drumming sessions as well. Such fun and the crowd that continued to gather really got into it. I have no idea if this was advertised. It was a classic right time, right place moment. We received a gift!

On our way back to the hotel we pass this beautiful Carillon du Mont Des Arts.

It was built in 1964 by the Belgian architect Jules Ghobert during the construction of Mont des Arts.

If, like me, you have never heard of the Jacquemart or his bell here’s the tea. The Jacquemart is a bronze clockwork figure that stands 2.8 metres high and shows a top hat sporting bourgeois from Bruxelles. The Carillon has 24 bells. 12 bells are hidden behind 12 figurines. These figurines represent important historic and folkloric figures in Brussels. The sculpture is by Henri Albada. The tenor bell weighs a whopping 1750 kg. Both are perched at the top of the Mont des Arts carillon.

They have only just been restored after being vandalised. Unfortunately as we weren’t here at the top of the hour so don’t get to see them in action today.

Tonight we are doing a free walking tour of this wonderful city called The Dark side of Brussels. I can’t wait. We are having a meal at one of the city’s most talked about restaurants. After a disappointing start to the day – it’s been an unexpectedly fun day all round.