the heart of the EU: Brussels

After a very successful work trip to Paris, Matt and I hopped a train and headed to Brussels.  Belgium was a new country that neither of us had visited previously, so we were excited to navigate the city together for the first time.  One of my favorite sales managers works in Brussels and advised us of the main attractions, the best cheap eats, and all the fun day trips.  We loved the international feel of the city (the capital city of the European Union) and especially loved the food:  Belgium waffles, Belgium chocolate, muscles, Belgium beers.  Everywhere we turned, a new tasty treat was begging to be eaten.

Compared to major European cities like London, Rome and Paris, Brussels felt small, but that made the city the perfect destination for a work trip add-on.   We enjoyed strolling the cobblestone streets, wandering through the parks, and admiring the architecture.

The main square, La Grand Place, has so many interesting buildings and we marveled at the architecture for hours.  It doesn't hurt that there are numerous chocolate and waffle cone ice cream shops nearby as well.  

I am a sucker for a good tourist attraction.  I absolutely love the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  The recognizable tourist attraction in Brussels is the Atomium.  Originally built for the 1958 World's Fair Exhibition, it's now one of the most famous attractions in Belgium.  

The food in Belgium was some of my favorite in Europe.  We could not get enough of the waffle cones.  The entire city of Brussels smells amazing.  There were so many good restaurants on the trip and as usual, we ate way more than normal travelers and didn't have one ounce of guilt about the calories or the expense.  To know a city is to eat all it's delicacies!

 

Much of Brussels was old and dirty, and I don't say that in a negative manor.  Brussels (at least back in 2006), was not flashy like it's neighboring cities.  It feels a bit medieval and old world and makes for a more unique city.

 

In my opinion, one of the craziest tourist attractions in the world is located in Brussels.  Manneken Pis is a fountain in the center of the city that may or may not be, a statue of a little boy, Julien, who peed on a burning fuse and saved the city.  As someone who lived in Chicago for years and is very familiar with the folklore of the Chicago fire and Mrs. O'Leary's cow, I can get behind this legend more than the other odd explanations :)

Brussels is a vibrant city with prodigious food, noteable beer, and grand architecture.  Add a few odd tourist attractions, some gothic churches, and a little piece of each member of the European Union, and you have a cool city that deserves your time and your tourist dollars.  

Stay tuned for our day trip from Brussels, to the cutest city in all of Belgium, Brugge!