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Bruxelles (Brussels)

"Some have a heart so big that they are always on a journey." - Jacques Brel

This is such an international city with two official languages: French and Flemish (Dutch). It has loads of streets in which you can easily get lost unless you can read your map accurately. What is there to do? Lots! There are plenty of museums, plenty of counters to take out waffles or sit down and eat some Greek or Arab cuisine, loads of art nouveau all around you. And who can forget The Grand'Place? It is indeed as beautiful as people claim it is. However, the Manneken-Pis is cute, but not that great... except when dressed in a Latvian hockey player costume! What could I have done without? Rainy weather again... and some fake charity girls wanting to take money away from me. They said I was signing a petition, not a donation form! The best advice I can give you is: resist, be angry and resist! Don't give them a measly dime.

Gaston Lagaffe (Gomer Goof) - This is a well-known comic strip character in the French-speaking world. I was surprised to see this huge monument to him a couple of blocks off the Belgian Comic Strip Centre. Lunar Rocket - This odd-looking rocket, was used for a trip to the moon in the comic strip Tintin. It is now a very popular icon! And J.M., enough with the innuendo about this picture, haha! Comic Strip Books - Can you recognize some of the names of famous Belgian cartoonists? You might notice Peyo, Hergé, Roba, Franquin for instance. Grand'Place - The weather is cloudy, but the good attitude is high. A German woman living in Spain was kind enough to take a picture of me, and I returned the favor. Galeries Saint-Hubert - Luxury shopping just minutes away from the Grand'Place, and not just waffles and chocolate. Atomium - I was lucky enough to be in Brussels after the Atomium reopened in February 2006, following extensive renovations. This was originally a monument only for the 1958 World Fair, but it stayed there afterwards. It represents an iron crystal unit cell, magnified 165 billion times. Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower - Only in Mini Europe could you take a picture of London and Paris at the same time! Mini Europe is a giant park featuring miniatures of most of Europe's landmarks, in a very pro-European Union spirit. Grand'Place Miniature - Since one cannot take a picture of the whole Grand'Place, might as well do it in Mini Europe. Solo and the Leaning Tower of Pisa - Solo had been to Italy before, but until now, he only dreamed of posing in front of this monument that keeps sinking in real life. Its miniature counterpart however is still solidly in place. Grenadier Guard - And you never thought Sergio could pose as a guard? Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts (Royal Museums of Fine Arts) - I love taking pictures like these, in an almost perfect symetry. My main mission to this museum was simply... to buy a catalogue for my friend Geneviève. Musical Instruments Museum - The picture is blurry because it was taken with a mirror. I am wearing headphones because whenever you stand in front of an instrument, the headphones play its music. It's a very interesting experience! Place des Congrès (Congress Place) - This is the view from the top of the Musical Instruments Museum. On the distance, you can see the tower of the City Hall. Manneken-Pis - This is the best picture I could take, considering there are hords of tourists perpetually in front of this funny statue. Sometimes, the baby is naked. Sometimes, he wears costumes, like this Latvian Hockey Player suit, in honor of a hockey championship going on at the same time. No hotel room picture? I stayed at an Etap Hotel near Brussels National Airport, just like in Amsterdam. So, the hotel room was a clone of the one in Amsterdam. Same bedspread color, same layout, same everything. Only difference was: the air filters and walls were dirty. 55.00 EUR for the one night I stayed, breakfast not included. If you can find someplace closer to downtown, then take it!

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© 2006, Sergio Ortega. Last update: 2006/06/24.
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