Brussels, Belgium March 2001
Eurostar train Waterloo Station, London
This was our first time on Eurostar and we were excited about going through the channel tunnel!
Grand Place

Brussels hasn't got a great deal to offer in comparison to say Paris but the Grand Place was exceptionally pretty.

Of course the best part were the plenty of bars in the square to sample a few of the hundred varieties of beers from Belgium! We failed to try them all but we had a jolly good try!

Sunday Flower Market

On the Sunday morning there was a small flower market in the Grand Place. It wasn't much to look at but apparently there is an annual flower festival where the entire floor of the square is covered in flowers!

Now that would be worth seeing.

Anyway, we had just been joking about "Brussel Scouts" (a pun on the sprouts!) when these three scouts, (well, girl guides technically) asked us to photograph them?

... isn't coincidence a peculiar phenomenon!

Brussel Scouts !!!
The Manekin Pis
Manneken Pis

This little pissing boy is undoubtedly the city's most recognisable attraction and is easily found just a short walk from the Grand Place. We had been told not to expect a statue of grand proportion, but when we saw the Manekin Pis we couldn't believe how small he was !

 

On the day of our visit he was apparently wearing the national costume of Thailand. There are over 600 hundred costumes made for him, quite a few are on display in the Musee Ville de Bruxelles.

We went to have a look and saw some very peculiar ones. The Elvis Presley suit was probably the best!

The Architecture
The beautiful architecture of Brussels

There were some incredible architecture in Brussels as we walked around. Art Noveau in style (apparently). Certain areas are listed UNESCO's World Heritage list.

The shopping mall of Galleries St.Hubert was particularly stunning. The shops inside however were far too pretentious for my tastes. (I suppose by pretentious I mean excruciatingly expensive!)

We walked around Parc Royal and Place du Petit Sablon, but soon returned to the Grand Place as nowhere could beat it for its atmosphere.

Musee des instruments de musique

Galleries St.Hubert
One of many bars ! Place du Petit Sablon Armless Merman in Parc Royal

 

The Atomium
The Atomium I had been to the Atomium before, in 1983, with my school football team. I had no strong desire to go inside again which was fortunate as Julie was refusing to go because they only had the option of a lift to take you up into the central atom chamber!
 

The Atomium - close up

The Beer
Musee Ville de Bruxelles Belgium beer is wonderful !

The most enjoyable part of our visit to Brusslels was the beer! Hoegaarden, Jupiler, Chimay, Duval, and of course Stella Artois to name but a few!

Hotel de Ville, Grand Place

The Grand Place looked even more wonderful all illuminated in the evening.

We picked an italian restaurant from a guide book and walked quite a distance only to find it shut!

We returned to just behind our hotel (Royal Windsor) and found a very nice italian amongst a street of neon signed eateries. The food was delicious, and it wasn't far to stagger back!

Night Life behind the Grand Place

 

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