The Atomium – one of the Brussels’ best-known landmark. It’s located in Heysel Park on the West of the city (we get here by car, but you can take a tram too). The Atomium is 102 meter-high steel and aluminum structure. Designed by the architect André Waterkeyn for the 1958 Brussels World Fair. It’s a molecule of iron magnified 165 million times:) Four of the nine spheres are now opened for visitors! There are exhibition space, restaurant and a place for Belgian school kids to rest 🙂
This giant structure still symbolize a firm belief in the scientific process.
Probably everyone has association Brussels with the statue of little naked boy pissing in a fountain 🙂 Yes, everyone knows about city’s trademark statue Manneken Pis! The current bronze sculpture is work of Jerome Duquesnoy (17th century). However, there was a similar much older stone sculpture, dating back to at least 1388. The original boy was stolen several times and finally lost ;(
You can find the quirky peeing boy statue in the heart of old town. No one is quite sure how and why this sculpture became so famous 🙂
There are a lot of legends, but we like this one: a legend says, that the statue represents a little boy, famous from a war. Allegedly sometime in 14th century Brussels was under the siege. Enemy soldiers tried to blow up the city walls by placing a bomb near its foundations. Unknown to them they were spied upon by a little boy. When soldiers moved away, he simply urinated on the fuse and thus saved the city from impending doom :)))
Hundreds of people visit Manneken Pis every day, but there are not so many tourists near Jeanneke Pis – a girl sculpture:)
This statue represents a small girl with her knees spread while happily urinating 😉
There is very atmospheric and popular beer cafe close to the girl statue. A place you must visit at night! 🙂 or at least in the evening:) The delirium cafe, with it’s fantastic fun vibes and more than 2000 types of beer!
Probably one more thing almost everybody knows about Brussels – it has the comic culture, very popular is Tin Tin and his dog 🙂 Walking through the city you’ll find gorgeous murals displaying characters from comics and you feel yourself like going on the treasure hunt, to find them! If you are 100% comics fan you must visit a Comic-book museum with original artworks and reading room Google maps
There is a small street with graffiti by ROA and others 🙂 by the way ROA is world known graffiti and street artist from Ghent. He has created works on the streets of cities across Europe US, Asia, Australia, Africa. He generally paints wild or urban animals and birds that are native to the area being painted 🙂
“La Cycliste”, this hot pink cycling spandex kitty on her bicycle is standing just in front of the Galeries Royales Saint Hubert 🙂
Very similar to Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, these galleries are an excellent place to check out some shops, buy some chocolate, jewelry and designer clothing.
Architecturally worth visiting! Very impressive! These are one of the first shopping arcades in Europe!
Off cause for breathtaking architecture in Brussels you need to visit it’s main square – the Grand Place. Where you’ll find it’s a wonderful hotch-potch of Gothic, baroque, neoclassical and neogothic. Beautiful 15th Century city hall. The tower is more or less 96 meters tall.
If you are visiting Brussels in August, don’t miss the flower carpet! It’s a huge event that take place once every 2 years! A huge carpet from begonias is installed on the Grand Place! I believe it’s so amazing!
One more true hidden medieval treasure is right in the middle of the modern city. It’s the black tower, that was built at the beginning of the 13th century. It’s somehow survived centuries of redevelopment in the area around Saint Catherine’s Church, It’s remnants of the first wall circling Brussels.
We are heading now the Triumphal arch and there is a perfect place – the area of the Mont des Arts (mount of the arts) to enjoy and take a fine shoot of the lower part of the city 🙂
It’s time to rest, to sit on a grass, locals do enjoy their picnic here 🙂 We are in a big city park – the Parc Du Cinquantenaire.
One more reason to be here is – to see a massive triumphal arch!
The gorgeous triple arch, just look at this!!! Here you can also visit the Royal Art and History Museum and the Belgian Army Museum and Museum of Military History.
Fantastic views, fountains, park and museums, it’s really is a great place to be!
The European parliament is our last stop for today :), but unfortunately the parliament was closed for tourists at that moment, but we took a photo near it 🙂 so we came to the airport a bit earlier than we planed. So, we consumed one more extra waffle before our flight 😉
It was a great journey!
Tomorrow will be new day and new emotions:)
See you tomorrow 🙂
Don’t sit at home. Travel! Travel with me! 🙂 Meaww!
Previous day…Day 2. Bruges.
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