Beautiful Brussels

There are still several place in Europe we visited that we have yet to blog about, and we've been looking forward to sharing about Brussels, Belgium, since we left the place! Before we left for Brussels, we had read that if you only have a few days in Belgium you shout hit Brugges or Ghent for their Middle Ages charm, but we disagree! We found Brussels to be clean, multi-cultural, charming, and full of great places and historical sites.

Brussels is the capital of Europe, and hosts the main institutions of the EU and NATO, so you are bound to see people from all across Europe there, even if they are just working. You will also hear many languages when you are there! Even the locals can't decide, and both Dutch and French are needed to get by (mainly French according to our friend from Brussels, David).

Architecture

Brussels, like most major cities in Europe, has seen its fair share of destruction and war. In 1695, French troops bombarded Brussels with artillery. Together with the resulting fire, it was most destructive event in the entire history of Brussels. The Grand Place was destroyed, along with 4,000 buildings. The reconstruction of the city center, effected during subsequent years, profoundly changed the appearance of the city and left numerous traces still visible today. It was also bombed by the German Luftwaffe between 1940 and 1945.

It has obviously rebuilt some extremely wonderful buildings, and we enjoyed the wide span of design the buildings represented. From medieval to modern, we loved this city!

Grand Place (above)
Guild Houses
and the city center


The King's House (above)
Het Broodhuis


Hotel de Ville (above)
Town Hall
Stadhuis


St. Michael and Gudula Cathedral


Royal Palace


Cinquantenaire triumphal arc


A view from the top of the arc


Cinquantenaire park
We loved this picturesque park


Atomium
built for the 1958 World Fair
We didn't make it to this site in person, but it was visible from the top of the Arch

EU Headquarters

Food 'n Fun

Manneken Pis
A whimsical symbol of the city

Of course our stop in Brussels was not just for its superb art museums, parks, and other field-trip-friendly qualities (which we cannot say enough about! Brussels was right up our alley in terms of art, history, and culture). Brussels is also known for its local waffle, its chocolate, its french fries and its numerous types of beers. As you can probably guess, the Brussel sprout was first cultivated in Brussels, hence its name.

Between my love of quality chocolate and James' love of quality beer, as we were admiring all of these gorgeous sites we did it with chocolate in mouth or beer in hand! Warning: Brussels is not a tourist destination for those looking to lose weight--or maintain it--and they will suffer immensely should they visit this haven of gastronomical delights. Luckily our goal was to gain weight, because that meant we were getting our fill of chocolate or beer. Or waffles. Or fries.

This must be what heaven looks like

It is worth mentioning that Délirium Café is located in Brussels. The signature beer is the Delirium Tremens, which is where the bar derived its name. The Délirium Café is notable because it offers a beer list of over 2,000 beers, a Guiness world record! We were not disappointed. When we visited, the place was packed and there was a local band rocking out -- in French! It was a great cultural moment--smoky, but cultural.


Of all the traditional and unique Belgian-style beers, I also discovered the kriek ("creek") beer. It's fermented with sour cherries, and it is (warning, pun ahead) berry beery!

A Framboise Beer
Similar to the kriek, but with raspberries