Blogs from Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium, Europe - page 8

While out walking today we found the widely viewed and most photographed statue in Brussels. It's called Manneken Pis. It is a statue on a fountain of a small boy going pee. You can buy copies of this statue in varying sizes and colors all over the place. This is a bronze statue made in about 1619. Since that time the statue has often been dressed up in a costume on special occasions. We saw some of the 700+ plus costumes on display in the city museum. There are two modern day bronze statues called Zinneken Pis (dog) and Jebbeke Pis (girl). We found these as well. The one of the dog is just a block from our hotel. The other is down a dead end alley in an area of expensive restaurants that cater to ... read more

Tonight we went to a place for dinner that was more frequented by locals and less by tourists. The menu was in French as far as we could tell. And the only French we know comes from singing the Toast Song and watching old Pe Pe la Pew cartoons. The fun part was that the wait staff's command of English was only slightly better than our command of French. We debated what to order and both decided on steak. In part because that was one of the few things on the menu we were sure we knew and also because it sounded good. There was some initial confusion when Brendan asked a few questions about the menu. It would have gone smoother if either one of us knew the French or Dutch word for horse. The ... read more

Hi Everyone! This weekend was in Brussels, but with a Cuban themed hotel room. It was odd, but very nice. Instead of flying out, I jumped on a train this time. I even splurged the extra 7 euros to go first class (totally worth it). I was running solo this time as well, so there's a lot more photos this time. For the military buffs who read, this most of the photos are from the Royal Museum of Military History. If my Dad went in there, we'd probably never find him again... I'd highly recommend Belgium for people on short trips. With a good guide, you can see most of the city in a single day. That's about it. Cheers, Joel P.S. I'm switching my routine to start earlier in the day, so there'll be less ... read more

Brussels, with its untidy streets and messy construction sites, reminded me a lot of home. I was nevertheless disappointed by the shabby state of the city's public places. 'Had I made a mistake in coming here?' - the question rang through my head for the first few hours of a bleak saturday morning. But soon, the question was forgotten as I was immersed in the city's unique traditions, monumental tourist attractions and its addictive food. First off, I went straight to the jewel of Brussels, its Eiffel equivalent - the Atomium. Or so I thought. One thing I found very different and unhelpful in Brussels was the lack of tourist signage and in some places, the lack of simply any signs. It is almost impossible to find your way, even to a major tourist spot, without ... read more

We awoke about 7am and immediately went out to see the city. We walked up towards the Jardin, and then past the Royal Palace, and finally on to the Cinquantenaire Park. We passed by the buzzing EU complexes, including the Parliament. There were protests going on, and I also saw a security issue with an unattended bag. I am sure it is always busy here and it was fun to see it. I loved seeing Cinquantenaire Park early in the morning. After an hour so we went back and had a waffle breakfast, before heading to the Musical Instrument Museum. The museum was fantastic, and I recommend it as a must see in Brussels. We wandered the museum for at least 3 hours and then had a nice lunch at the rooftop cafe. The meal was ... read more