May 11-12, 2013
Brussels, Belgium
We enjoyed an amazing weekend in Brussels, despite the rain! It was a quick trip over Mother’s Day
weekend, and I spent it with my dear hubby and daughter doing all the things
one should do in Belgium. We tried the
waffles, the French fries, the CHOCOLATE, and of course, the beer. The other main thing is oysters… but I passed
on those.
Here’s some photos from our weekend.
The Grand Place
Gilt statues and trade symbols adorn the square’s elegant
guildhalls that were rebuilt shortly after the originals were bombarded by
French forces in 1695. One older
survivor is the splendidly spired Gothic-style Hotel de Ville (city hall) –
ironic, as that was the main French target.
A market was held on this site as early as the 11th century.
The Galeries St-Hubert
This was Europe’s first covered shopping arcade. It also makes a great place to escape the rain and let toddlers run amok!
Here are some more shots of Grand Place and some of the delicious eats and treats!
Mannekin Pis
This fountain in the form of a little boy cheerfully taking
a leak into a fountain pool. The
original statue was first placed in 1619.
After it was stolen and damaged by a former convict in 1817, a replica
was made and returned to its revered site.
One interesting fun fact… visiting heads of state donate miniature
versions of their national costume for the boy, and now a collection of 815
outfits, including an Elvis suit, now reside and can be seen in the Musee de la
Ville.
Fontaine de Jeanneke Pis
This is Mannekin Pis’s lesser known squatting sister. This fountain was created in 1985. She is hard to find and it was an adventure just
looking for her. After traversing many
alleyways, we finally discovered her tucked at the end of a dead end between
two bars. This fountain was built in
honor of loyalty.
Atomium
This is a space-age leftover from the 1958 World Fair. It consists of nine gigantic gleaming balls
representing an iron crystal lattice enlarged 165 billion times. The structure has a viewing platform and a
restaurant at the top. It rises 100 m
(325 ft) over the Bruparck.
