Brussels

Brussels is the home of the European Parliament. It has a reputation for being stodgy, boring, and full of bureaucrats - like Ottawa, only much older and much bigger. But if you ignore that and just concentrate on the culture, well, it has something for everyone. We had just two days so we decided to see if we could capture our own taste of Brussels. There was funky street art and oodles of shops and cafes. We wandered into Brusel - a bookshop extraodinaire. It had comic books from several generations in several languages, a real trip down memory lane for anyone looking for comics like Asterix and Tintin as well as the latest in Manga and cartoon strips.

Window shopping was fun near the Galleries Royales St. Hubert. Sitting and enjoying coffee and cake, we noticed one local who was most definitely a regular (see photo). Both myself and my husband love the Art Nouveau period and Brussels is a haven for that style. A must for us was the Horta Museum, located at 25 Rue Americaine. The gorgeous interior is a work of art. The attention to detail is everywhere. As soon as you walk in, everything has a fluid flow. The staircase with its twisting and winding wrought iron railings swirl like ivy entwined pulling your gaze upwards to a splendid skylight. Each of the rooms has every feature meticulously crafted from the fitted cupboards to the masterful carpentry in the doors and around the windows. Even the lighting and fixtures have the stylized details crafted with such exquisite care. Some of the furniture is not original to the house but enough has been retained to give an overall effect of luxury, opulence and style. The only disappointing feature was the untended gardens in the back and the sunroom on the second floor. The plants were dried out and some even dying. It detracted from the rest of the property and really would not have taken much to put right.

What trip to Brussels would not be complete without the trudge to that little statuette, Manneken Pis. It was disappointing and bizarre to see flocks of tourists herded to this unremarkable little figure. So many were photographing it and themselves in front of it, then they quickly were moved on to the next regulated site by their tour guides. Yet all around them on this street corner were several wonderful stone carved images over doorways, like this devilish fellow: and beautiful buildings with intricate designs, going largely unnoticed by these visitors. While it is fun to see many of these famous tourist attractions, it is also no great effort to look just a bit beyond the guide books in order to find your own memorable landmarks.

The statues on the beautiful baroque and gothic buildings in the Grand Place were a personal favorite for me. There was so much character and individuality in each and every one of the carvings. I was particularly interested in the female figures and found two beautiful and fashionable ladies placed side by side. I am not sure if they depict saints or wealthy women of the court. The lively and delicate features of the young woman touching the bird on her shoulder along with her casual and animated pose made her a striking figure. I could have spent several hours gazing up at all of these characters. Fortunately for my dear husband, there were several cafes in the area offering that other necessary taste of Belgium - beer. We rested awhile and enjoyed a triple (9.6% alcohol) and watched the world go by. Recognizing a familiar accent nearby, we smiled at each other as we noticed a flag on one of their knapsacks. No matter how far away from home you are, isn't it funny how small the world can be.