The Kurtz family takes Europe - Part I

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Mom & Dad are in Europe! It was a long flight from Philadelphia to Brussels, but they made it here safe & sound (aside from the jetlag). It's their first time in Europe, so I was very excited to see what all struck them as odd about life here. Luckily, nothing was really all that different, apart from the language issue. It's actually quite funny because I'm so used to family vacations meaning that my parents take charge of the money/hotels/food; however, this time around they were totally dependent on me in terms of ordering things & getting around. It was quite a break from the norm, but it all worked out.

Brussels is a fantastic city. Its architecture alone is something that everyone must see at least once in his lifetime. The Grote Markt/Grand Place is beautiful & definitely a sight to behold. Of course we hit up the city center & all that it has to offer - Mannequin Pis, Belgian waffles, & beautiful buildings. Mannequin Pis is a kitschy tourist spot, but it's awesome. There are several different legends about Mannequin Pis. One says that at one point when the enemy was laying siege to the city of Brussels, only one little boy noticed, & in order to prevent the enemy's army from firing on the city, he peed on the canons so that the wicks wouldn't light. My favorite is the story that there was once a witch that lived in the quartier where the statue currently stands. A little boy, on a dare from his friends, peed on the witch's front door step, & in order to punish him for his behavior, she froze him in time doing the act. A nice old man in the neighborhood wanted to commemorate the little boy, so he erected the monument to showcase him as the statue. Regardless, it's still very funny. Periodically they change Mannequin Pis's clothing. The city museum showcases all of the various costumes that he has worn throughout the years. It's really fantastic.

We joked that during this trip we had become the tourists that we've always made fun of - you know, the ones with cameras around their necks taking photos of anything that even remotely looks important & taking a guided city tour with headphones set to their native language. Well, needless to say, that was us. We took a city bus tour where you could get on & off as you pleased to further explore the various areas. The nice part of the tour was that it took us out to the Atomium. I had never been out there, so it was nice to see. The Atomium was built for the 1958 World's Fair that was held in Brussels. It's the structure of the atom magnified 165 billion times. At the time, it served as a symbol pressing for the peaceful use of atomic energy for scientific purposes. It's quite something to see.

The hotel we stayed at was quite literally 2 blocks away from the European Parliament building. The beauty of Brussels is that it doubles as the capital of Belgium & the capital of Europe. The European Parliament, European Council, & European Commission are all housed in the city, so it offers a pretty diverse crowd beyond strictly Belgians. It's awesome that we were in the epicenter of European governance. (Sorry, I'm a dorky law student so it's almost my prerogative to say things like that).

All in all, Brussels is a beautiful city with good food, nice people, & awesome things to see & do. It's a must-see for any American traveling to Europe.

For all the photos from our trip, see this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2024142&id=68800099&l=e8bf607c49

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Photos

Royal Palace
The residence of the monarch of Belgium.

Mannequin Pis
The tiny statue with a large history.

Atomium
Created for the 1958 World's Fair, also known as "Expo 58".

Guided city tour
Dad being the ultimate tourist.

Guided city tour
Mom & me being the ultimate tourists.