Brussels

The very last town we visited was Brussels, Belgium.

I liked Brussels, it was an interesting place. I was surprised to see what a big, sprawling city it actually is. I guess I should have figured that, considering that it is the home of the NATO and the European Union.

The first thing we did was hop on one of those double decker tour buses and see the sights. We were handed headphones so we could listen to the tour, but we didn't bother. I know, totally lazy on our parts, but to tell you the truth, the thrill was pretty much gone. Statues, monuments, town squares, palaces, churches.... they all just blend together in my brain. Still very nice to look at though. I knew by this point I wasn't gonna remember what everything was anyway, so I just snapped pictures.

A few things did stand out- this giant model of a molecule- The Atomium. I think it's a science museum. (we didn't go in, and like I said- the details are getting fuzzy) John and I decided it was a perfect place to take Nick and Christopher. Nick could check out the exhibits in the balls, and Christopher could ride all the escalators connecting them.

And the very first ever indoor shopping mall.

There was also the very underwhelming statue of Mannekin Pis. It's like their National Monument. The symbol of Belgium if you will. Remember I did that blog post awhile back? Paris has the Eiffel Tower, London has Big Ben, New York has the Statue of Liberty, and Brussels has a statue of a little boy relieving himself.

But my experience has shown me that the people of Brussels have quite the sense of humor about such things. (maybe it's all that beer- it's the national beverage)

Another example of their irreverent sense of humor is their town square itself. At first glance it is a magnificent town square. My favorite by far. It's been their town square for over 1000 years, but was rebuilt around 300 years ago, after the French leveled it. It looks as though everyone was trying to out do each other with the rebuild, and they are all adorned with carvings and statuary and the like.

Supposedly each building and the statues adorning them have their own uninteresting stories, but the people of Brussels will tell you another one. (I just read about it in my travel books)

"What's that smell?" say the statues on the Swan House. "Yeah, it stinks. Somebody farted."

"It was that guy over there!" Says the statue next door as he points across the square. "It wasn't me! It was St. Nicholas!" And he points across the square to where St. Nicholas hangs his head in shame. We spent far too much time trying to figure out which one was the alleged farter, but couldn't.