Comet's Illustrated Guide - My Favourite Capital City:-)

[Comet]

This is a guide to my absolute favourite capital city anywhere! It is based almost entirely upon my own experiences, and so it is not a complete guide but I will show some of my favourite places.

We first visited Brussels in July 2000, we spent a week there and it rained every day! Not the greatest start to a place you're new to, but it didn't stop us enjoying the place. When we've been to belgium since, we've stayed in Brugge and Mechelen, but we always have a trip to Brussels while we are there.

Brussels does several things better than any other capital city in the world. These are restaurants - the eating out and the standard of food is superb, beer (which other country brews 1000+ brands of beer from around 700 breweries?), chocolate - Belgian chocolate is wonderful, lovely, rich and creamy taste.

One of my favourite places in Brussels is the Grand Place (Grote Markt). This is a square lined on each side bu some of the most ornate buildings you can imagine. There is a chocolate museum on here, a brewing museum (we've been in both!) the city museum, which houses all 600+ costumes of the little Manneken, many overpriced bars and a regular market. In September there is also a beer festival held on here, with representatives from major breweries. We caught it on Interbrew day, narrowly missed Roman/Duvel/everyone else interesting day.



The Grand Place on beer festival day.


The Grand Place.

Close to the Grand Place is the most famous icon of Brussels - the little Manneken Pis. This is a famous fountain, with a massive wardrobe of clothes which you can see in the Brussels Museum. He never seems to wear anything on a Monday, so avoid going to see him on this day.


The Manneken Pis in military uniform (4th September 2003).

There are many streets in Brussels which are lined with restaurants (as befits the greatest eating city in Europe). The most famous is Rue des Bouchers. We always like to look at the seafood displays on this street, and we have eaten on here, in Chez Leon.


This is a restaurant lined street (not Rue des Bouchers).

The best Brussels land mark is the Atomium. This is near heysel, in the Bruparck area. It is easily seen from the train 9and don't I just love seeing the Atomium when I'm going to Brussels from the airport!) It is a scale model of an iron atom, built for the 1958 trade fair in Brussels. It is possible to go up inside the balls of the Atomium, for some very good views.


The Atomium from Mini Europe.

Near the Atomium is Mini Europe, a display featuring scale models of famous landmarks from the European Union countries. Some models work, such as a big wheel, trains and aircraft. The models are very detailed and it is well worth a visit.


Mini Europe.


Mini Europe again.

In the Bruparck area there is also an eating village, a cinema (Kineopolis) and a water park.

Last time we went to Brussels, there were plastic cows all over, with different designs on.


A cow advertising London.


The cathedral.

My favourite eating place in Brussels is Falstaff (Rue Henri Maus - I think!) I have been there a few times, click on this link for the review:
https://www.aviation24.be/postt805.html
Here are other reviews about Brussels eateries:
https://www.aviation24.be/postt1279.html
https://www.aviation24.be/postt3412.html

Seriously top end you get Comme Chez Soi, where booking is essential. The pub which seems to have one of the best ranges, from what I have read, is Chez Moeder Lambic, but I haven't tried it myself, yet!

This year, when we went to kortenberg, we had time to wait at Brussels Noord station, so we had a walk around in the vicinity. there were alot of modern, high buildings and office blocks. The following photos show this area.


The Belgacom balloon is reflected in this glass building.











Another place worth looking at is the Galeries Saint Huberts, an old and ornate shopping arcade in central Brussels.

I hope that anyone reading this who has not had the pleasure of visiting this gem of a city will take my advice and go there, and those who live there please realise how lucky you are! Enjoy...

[Jense]

Wow, what a nice repport Brussels is a very nice city, but the most people don't know the best places in Brussels very well...

greettzzz

[vliegtuigfreak]

I was there in summer 2002, and than on the grand place there was a horse festival (very spectacular). For all the not belgians here, take a visit in Brussels, you will be pride of it!

Greetingzz
Sonny

[Avro]

Thanks for this very nice report Louise.

It's funny to read a report about a city that is only a few km away from your home

Chris
8)

[JetB]

I like your travel guides Louise, so don't be disappointed when so little people are interested, your doing a great job.

Personally I don't like the tourist crap anymore, but maybe thats because I have to show my clients the same places over and over.......
About Belgian city's, I prefer Gent and Hasselt over Brussels, but thats a personal choice.

[sn26567]

Thanks for your excellent report, Louise. It is ironic that it is a Brit that makes the City Guide on Brussels.

The pub which seems to have one of the best ranges, from what I have read, is Chez Moeder Lambic, but I haven't tried it myself, yet!

I went there a couple of times. It is little out of the regular tourist paths. It does not have the largest selection of beers (that honour belonged to the Bier Circus, near the Royal Circus, rue de l'Enseignement), but it has a very nice special atmosphere.

Chez Moeder Lambic
rue de Savoie 68 - 1060 Bru
Tel.: 02 539 14 19

Bier Circus
Rue de l'Enseignement 89 - 1000 Bru
Tel.: 02 218 00 34

I also heard that the new "Delirium Café" that was just opened by the owner of Moeder Lambic, will have 2,000 beers and 500 genevers! (Near Jeanneke Pis, Impasse de la Fidélité, not far from the Rue des Bouchers).

Still to try that one!

[Comet]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I know I have missed out alot about Brussels, but I have so much more of it to see!

Another nice way to see the city is to go on the open topped bus, which you can get on and off all day. We used this to visit the Mini Europe, and also saw areas we would not otherwise have seen, like Laeken and the EU bit.

Andre - those bars sound very nice, especially the "Delirium" one, that is one to visit in September if we can tear ourselves from Falstaff I just had to do one on Brussels, to write about it from the point of view of a visitor, and I am happy to hear more suggestions about where to visit, eat, drink etc.

Bob - I've never visited Hasselt, but I've seen pictures of it and it looks nice. This year we shall be visiting Kortrijk as well, it looks a nice place and we've only seen a very small area of it while we were waiting to catch a train to Oudenaarde.

[SN30952]

Believe or not, I lived* in this Korte Beenhouwerssraat. in the very early '70.
Next time you walk in that street, stop in front of 'Armes de Bruxelles' then rotate 180degree, now you face a place called then 'Au petit bedon', look in the frontagetop, its AD1500-something. That was my place. At the back there was a nice balcony, some 4m deep over the whole width of the frontage, overlooking Toone's theatre with a view on the townhouse. No lights needed during summer eveinings...
In that time there were still Belgians living overthere... People like Viteske... and the mailman could read Dutch, now he probably reads Arab....

Times change....


That was close to the AT : Sabena Air Terminal.... Only the Sabena housekeeper lived closer to his workplace! I walked thru the underground parking to the lift in the garage, and that lift stopped at 6m from my office... after Mr Dieu unlocked his key to his floor. As we were often together on the same morning-journey.

[VC10]

Those eateries and bars certainly sound brilliant!!

From another very committed Belgophile living in the UK I always refer to our visits to Brussels as "Pilgrimages".

Can't wait for our trip in September.

Lucky Louise, having an extra short "pilgrimage" next month, whilst I'll be stuck here in jolly Scarborough having to work and see to the finches!!

[Comet]

Believe or not, I lived* in this Korte Beenhouwerssraat. in the very early '70.
Next time you walk in that street, stop in front of 'Armes de Bruxelles' then rotate 180degree, now you face a place called then 'Au petit bedon', look in the frontagetop, its AD1500-something. That was my place. At the back there was a nice balcony, some 4m deep over the whole width of the frontage, overlooking Toone's theatre with a view on the townhouse. No lights needed during summer eveinings...
In that time there were still Belgians living overthere... People like Viteske... and the mailman could read Dutch, now he probably reads Arab....

Times change....


That was close to the AT : Sabena Air Terminal.... Only the Sabena housekeeper lived closer to his workplace! I walked thru the underground parking to the lift in the garage, and that lift stopped at 6m from my office... after Mr Dieu unlocked his key to his floor. As we were often together on the same morning-journey.

That's an interesting story Fons, I never knew the name of the street, we just took the photo to show the eateries. What a coincidence that the Brussels city guide shows the place where you lived!

As I said, I have loads more of the city to see, the problem with Brussels is that you tend to head for your favourite places and ignore things you have yet to see (we still haven't seen the female version of the Manneken!)

[Comet]

After reading Advisor's post about Murphy's Law in aviation, I thought I would update this guide to tell of Murphy's Law in relation to visits to Brussels!

Back in 2004, on 11th September, we made one of our visits to Brussels. We visit Brussels each year when we holiday in Belgium (and other occasions in between!) On this occasion, we thought that, as we had photographed and video-ed many places in Brussels, we could leave the photo and video gear at the hotel then we wouldn't be carting them round all day. Bad move!

First we made a visit to the Manneken to see what he was wearing. We have a book about the Manneken and his costumes, and we have seen many in the City Museum. But on the only occasion when I have had neither camera nor video camera with me in Brussels, the Manneken has been unveiled with a new costume! There had been costumed dancers, and curtains opened to reveal the new costume in place on the statue - but I had missed all this and couldn't get a photo

We had been toying with the idea to visit the magnificent Atomium before it clsoed for renovations. VC10 bought a small disposble camera, but I missed out on capturing those superb views from the top on video And the Atomium won't be open again until 2006.

:dammit: :dammit: :dammit:

And those are holiday-related Murphy's Laws.

[Stoney]

must have missed this report...

You say "the belgacom balloon is reflected in this glass building"...
That glass building is the Belgacom building, where I work by the way... Very nice pic...

[Comet]

Thanks for that piece of info Stoney. I didn't know that was the Belgacom building.

[CN-RAM]

what a fantastic guide - well done! now do the same for scarborough! you must!

[Comet]

Thanks CN-RAM! Are you sure you want a Scarborough guide?

[CN-RAM]

no not really! in actual fact, from where i am in london it's probably quicker to go to brussels than to scarborough!

i have been to scarboro and i think it's ok, brussels is nice too, and so different from amsterdam, they're so much cleaner than london.

[Comet]

Brussels beats the sh*t out of Scarborough and then rubs its nose into the crap - I know where I would rather live

I had a day in Amsterdam back in 2000 and I was glad to get on the bus and go back to Brussels. I detested the place. I have always enjoyed my visits to London, we had our main holiday there for a few years running. I love the museums and the choice of restaurants you get in London.