Brussels – First Impressions

I hit a home run when I booked our room for our three day stay in Brussels at the Ibis Brussels.  It was the perfect location to stay in Brussels, in the heart of the Old City and within easy walking distance of everything.

It was a block from the Brussels Chapelle train station down a lovely cobblestone street that led to the picturesque Agora Square, right outside the front door of our faux-historic, red brick hotel, where street musicians played by a bronze statue of an old guy and his dog who used to live in the neighborhood and local craftspeople sold their jewelry and household wares from makeshift market stalls.

And we were only a short par four from Europe’s most spectacular public square, The Grand Place (Grote Markt) is in the touron-mobbed City Center.

The Town Hall (Hotel de Ville)  was built in the 1400s, and commands the square, its 300-foot-tall tower adorned with spike-like minarets climbing into the blue sky and topped by a golden statue of St. Michael slaying a devil.

Across from the Town Hall sits the King’s House (Maison du Roi) which is home to the City Museum.  As with many of the really old buildings in the city, the King’s House has gone through many face lifts, the most recent taking place in the 1800s, when it got the Gothic lace curtain makeover.

And on both sides of the two main buildings in the middle of the square are the ornate guild halls crowned with their golden rooftop hats.  The guild halls are now mostly shops and restaurants with outdoor cafes. The Old City is always evolving while maintaining its essence.

Behind the Town Hall about three blocks away is one of Brussels’ most famous monuments, the Mannekin-Pis, which consists of a little boy (two feet tall) who is perpetually whizzing into a marble basin.   The statue was erected in 1619, to provide drinking water to the people living in the neighborhood, and therein lies a window into the character of the people of Brussels.  They are funny, distrustful of authority, and have adopted a freedom-loving mentality.  The statue has a rich and storied history.   King Louis the XV knighted the little boy and his troops thus had to salute it in passing.  They often dress the pissing boy in a much anticipated costume for special events, like Elvis’ birthday in January, when he dons an Elvis outfit.  And there’s a museum filled with his costumes from over the years.  He was naked on the day we visited the site, and to be honest, I was like, “THAT’s the Mannekin-Pis?  That little hole-in-the-wall statue?”

We always like to start our visit to a new town with the Hop On – Hop Off Bus.  The Blue Line tour around the outskirts of the city began right behind our hotel next to the train station.

On the way to catch the bus, we passed the Don Quixote Statue in the plaza right behind our hotel room.  I’m not sure why, but this was a popular hangout for the immigrant population.

The bus wasn’t leaving for thirty minutes, so we did a quick burn-run up the hill to check out the glowing white stone Notre-Dame De La Chapelle Church on the hill, leading to the Upper Town.  Inna and I are total suckers when it comes to churches.  We aren’t religious, but we are big fans of architecture and the serenity of a majestic church’s magnificent interior.  The twin-towered church featured some amazing tapestries depicting historic events from Brussels’ rich and often bloody past.

We took our seats in the open-air top deck on a beautiful sunny day as the bus cruised past the Rogier Botanique, the city’s once expansive botanical gardens that were drastically diminished in order to build more modern infrastructure during the last century.  We turned onto the shiny glass and steel Gare du Nord Boulevard and rode through what is referred to as New Brussels, lined with sleek modern skyscrapers. When they were first erected, the people of Brussels pitched a fit, feeling they were not in harmony with the grand historic structures of the ohld city.  But over time, they grew on the populace and now everyone thinks they are great.  The Rue Neuve Shopping Center is a big draw with the locals these days. and has its own Metro stop.

We were now heading north past the white stone St. Michael’s Cathedral where the Belgian nobility are married and buried.

Suddenly we were passing through the lush woodlands of Parc Royal that encircled the Chateau de Laeken (Royal Palace) where nobody lives most of the time, and which is not open to the public.  The Royals only use it for special occasions, like Presidential visits.  More on that later.

The grounds are heavily guarded with barbed wire and cameras.

The stunning Royal Green Houses covered several acres of the property, but they too are closed to the great unwashed.

Scattered around the area were all sorts of odd structures like the Japanese Tower and the Chinese Pavilion and the Serres Royales.  There didn’t seem to be any real theme to any of it, but they were all quite attractive. We especially liked the white-steepled Gothic Monument Leopold.

On the east side of the Parc D’Osseghem sits the Atomium which was built as the center of attention for the 1958 World’s Fair to welcome in the Atomic Age.  I have never seen anything quite like it.  We got off the bus and paid our 15 euros to roam around inside the steel spheres.

From the observation deck, we could see the whole city, including the Stade Roi Baudouin where they hold their big football matches.

The other attraction on the grounds was Mini Europe, a hokey theme park featuring cardboard and wooden models of 350 of Europe’s most famous landmarks, like the Eiffel Tower.   Somehow, we managed to steer clear of such a bewitching attraction, but I will say that the view of it from the cafe at the top of the Atomium was captivating.

We also had a great view of the Brussels Design Museum.

And Brussels’ Central Park, the Parc D’Osseghem Laeken.

The inside of the spheres was filled with the 1950s Jetsons photos and storyboards showing the wonderful world of the future.

We decided to scratch the bus and walk through the parts of town not often visited by tourists.  From our bird’s eye vantage point, we noticed a magnificent, straight-shot walking route down the tree-lined Boulevard Leopold II back into town (2 miles).

Our first stop was the Art-Deco Basilique Nationale du Sacre-Coeur a Koekelberg (The National Basilica of the Sacred Heart), a Roman Catholic Minor Basilica and parish church. The church was dedicated to the Sacred Heart, inspired by the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur in Paris.

Inside the ginormous Basilica there were endless treasures, and we were the only people in the whole place. It appeared to have been abandoned.

We headed south through the lush Parc Elizabeth which is laid out in King Leopold’s coat of arms.

Then we came to several Arab neighborhoods lined with impressive Christian churches, making for a very odd mix.  For about thirty minutes, we were the only white people around.  And from the curious looks we received from the old Arab men sitting at the small outdoor cafes, drinking tea and smoking, they don’t see many tourists of the white variety.  But everyone was friendly and many nods were exchanged as we walked thorough the somewhat shabby streets.

We eventually came to the bridge over the La Senne River shipping canal that has played such a crucial role in the economic prosperity of Brussels, linking it to the rest of Europe.  This area goes by the curious, though accurate name, Tours and Taxis, and is where many of the boat tours leave.  Most of the old warehouses are being converted into stores, offices and apartments and it is fast becoming the hippest area to live and play in Brussels.

We headed south toward the oddly named Marche au Porcs (On the Pigs) lined with small parks, impressive monuments, and restaurants.

We soon came to the Quai aux Briques fountain and pools where I was tempted to take a swim because the temperature was hovering in the mid-eighties.  It was downright hot!  But the water was a funky brown and looked gross.

The pools ended at the soot-stained St. Catherine Church, a Victorian Catholic behemoth.

We never really got used to the Belgian army patrolling the streets day and night in groups of three, each soldier carrying an automatic weapon and on full alert.  On the morning of 22 March 2016, three coordinated suicide bombings occurred: two at Brussels Airport, and one at the Maalbeek metro station in central Brussels.  Thirty-two civilians and three terrorists were killed, and more than 300 people were injured. Another bomb was found during a search of the airport.  Islamic State of Iraq (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the attacks.  Since that horrific terrorist attack, Belgium has essentially been on a war footing.  And with its huge Arab population, it’s a tricky dance indeed.

We decided to catch an early dinner after our long walk at a shady cafe in the Place Sainte-Catherine where some of the city’s finest seafood restaurants can be found.

While Inna posted pictures on Facebook and drank her tasty red wine after our meal, I walked around the plaza checking out the interesting mix of shops and people.  It was mostly locals.

I stumbled upon a strange Cuban cocktail truck, complete with painted tables, serving exotic Cuban boat drinks and pumping out catchy Caribbean tunes.

And I got a chuckle when I came upon a very popular seafood joint named Mer Du Nord (North Sea) that reminded me of the Fish A’GoGo in Antwerp.

We returned to our hotel and then went for a walk around the Grand Place.  It didn’t get dark until after ten. They light up the buildings in the Grand Place at night and it turns into a completely different vision of delight.  It reminded me of Las Vegas –  except ancient and real.

Later that evening, I had a vision involving Chess Pieces as I sat at a cafe on the Grand Place, sipping yet another tasty Belgian beer.

The Town Hall suddenly reminded me of the king chess piece and facing it across the bustling square (the chess board) the King’s House looked like the queen.  And the surrounding guild halls were all of the other chess pieces.  Did I mention that Belgian beer is 9% alcohol?

And there was very weird art on the buildings in the Grand Place, like Romulus & Remus sucking the wolf tits.

Speaking of beer, each Belgian beer comes in its own special glass designed to bring out the best possible flavor.  It has something to do with the gasses in the beer.

We had a great first day in Brussels.  And the next day was going to be one that we would never forget.  In fact, it was the highlight of our entire trip.