A hustle through Brussels

What comes to your mind when you hear Belgium? Well the answer depends on the person. For a football fan names like Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Kevin debruyne, Fellaini, Coutois etc bursts out within seconds. A foodie will immediately answer waffles and Belgium chocolates. Throw the same question at a teenager or any bibliophile he will say it is the home of Tintin and the greatest detective on the planet, the one who always relied upon psychological deductions, but more famous for his egg shaped head and moustache, Hercule Poirot! Whereas a business man will reply coldly that it is the headquarter of European Union. Not only that it also serves as the headquarter of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation). If you are into interior decorations or love glassware then needless to say you will point out to the world renowned Belgium Glass. All of the above testifies the vastness of the country, not in geographic terms but measured by diverse portfolio of assortments. The country is one of the smaller ones in Europe, with a population of about 11 million.

Brussels is the capital of Belgium and today let me take you on tour of this grand city. By the way do you know that Brussels is the place where “French Fries” was actually invented!! Yes, you read that right and those fries that you are munching on, are not definitely French! What more? You guys like shopping right? So you should know that, opened in 1847, the Galleries St Hubert in Brussels is the oldest shopping arcade in Europe.

So lets start our excursion from the Grand Place, which is actually the central square of the city and is definitely grand! One will find opulent guildhalls all around the squares along-with two other iconic structures, namely the city’s town hall, and the King’s House or Breadhouse which is where the museum is located. Tread carefully as the city is one of the UNESCO’s world heritage site. The gothic structure will mesmerise you and out of all the squares I have visited, this still remains the most beautiful one!! So walk slowly, grasp each and every bit of it.

Once you are done, you will see a small lane, take that lane and after you start walking you realise that the walls are lined up with figurines of Tintin and snowy. Then you realise that the small lane actually houses many shops on either side of it. What are they selling? Come, let us go and have a peep. The shops like any confectionary displays its products but you will soon realise that all the shops sell just one type of product with many options for personalisation. Yes we are talking about waffles!! The options are endless with creams, whipped creams, chocolates, berries, fruits and many more varieties of toppings. You will have a hard time deciding which one to have. Keep some space in your tummy because little way down the lane you will find chocolate shops. Belgium is actually famous for dark chocolates whereas Switzerland still holds the numero uno position when it comes to milk/white chocolates. Again the options are endless but I urge you to try out the praline. Praline is native of Belgium and is a class of chocolate which has a hard outer shell with a soft centre. Do you guys know that Belgium is famous for beers as well? over 800 brands are sold in the city which can give cities like Berlin or Dublin a run for their money.

With your tummy filled, let’s walk down the lane and we will find a crossing. Go straight into the other lane ahead and keeping walking. Nothing has changed, the lane is still lined with the same confectionaries selling waffles and chocolates. Now we have reached another crossing, look on your left!! Don’t see it? Look closely!! Yes its the Manneken Pis, the statue is really small and easy to miss out on first glance. There are many unconfirmed legends as to why anyone would build a fountain depicting a urinating small child. My favourite one is the one, often told to tourists. The guide tell about a wealthy merchant who, during a visit to the city with his family, had his beloved young son gone missing. The merchant hastily formed a search party, which scoured all corners of the city, until the boy was found happily urinating in a small garden. The merchant, as a gift of gratitude to the locals who helped out during the search, had the fountain built. Believe it or not but the statue is unique, to put it mildly!

After that let us visit the iron crystal. Yes you guessed it right, we are talking about Antomium, the building designed in the shape of a unit of iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. The city sure has its fair share or quirky designs. The top sphere houses a restaurant that will give a panoramic view of the city. The architectural execution along-with the colour of the building is quite striking and feels so realistic that one would be tempted to think that it is indeed an iron crystal enlarged due to mutation caused by unexplained radiation. Well guys that was Brussels for you. There is a theme park called mini Europe which houses miniature models of the famous places in Europe, but personally I don’t think its worth the effort!