As the UK took one of its most momentous steps in decades there was very little to see in the home of the EU's insitutions.
After three years of late night wrangling, last minute decisions and angsty summits all was finally calm in Brussels - a city which is synonymous with the buildings it houses.
Earlier in the week a group of British MEPs had shed tears and joined arms to sing Auld Lang Syne after the European Parliament ratified the Withdrawal Agreement making the separation official.
On Friday morning the Brexit Party decided one last time to bemuse onlookers with its surreal procession out of the parliament led by Ann Widdecombe who waved a Union Flag fringed with gold as a piper played them on their way.
In the European Parliament on a typically quiet Friday staff lamented the departure of the Brits.
One Italian proudly displayed his Union flag socks in the cafe: “It’s to say that we will always be friends,” he explained.
While another woman handed out chocolate to anyone speaking with a British accent - “you need it today,” she said.
After darkness fell a few tens of people turned out for a Leaving a Light on vigil holding candles and making heartfelt speeches in the Place du Luxembourg in solidarity with the much bigger affair outside Holyrood
Later in the same square the drinks flowed at a F*** Brexit party in one of the bars as those remaining British staff decided to drown their sorrows.
The city itself did its thing on the 30th January - thanking Brits for their friendship by illuminating the iconic Grand Place in the colours of the union flag.
Elsewhere the city dressed its most famous resident the Manneken Pis up as John Bull.
While the Brussels public transit authority STIB-MIVB tweeted out a video highlighting all its British-inspired metro stops including war general Montgomery, Churchill, Darwin, Lancaster and Engeland and the advice to “Mind the gap when leaving”.
Outside the European Parliament a silent crowd watched as the UK's flag was lowered to be replaced by the stars of the EU.
It took all of four minutes and then it was just as if the UK had never been there at all.
The institutions have made a concerted effort to make this as low key as possible - perhaps believing the Brits have had quite enough attention over the last three years.
Now it is treated like an embarrassing relative who it's best to ignore - lest someone else gets the same idea.
No doubt the EU and the Bruxellois are sad the UK is going but as they largely ignored the historic moment itself they paid Britain the greatest compliment - adopting our characteristic stiff upper lip.
