The capital of Belgium was on our travel itinerary in spring 2013.
Tintin and Asterix, waffles and fries, the “little” Manneken Pis and the majestic Grand Place made our trip a memorable one.
Grand Place:
If you have time for just one place in Brussels, the Grand Place it would be :). Also known as the Grote Markt, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is among the most popular tourist attractions in the city. Beautiful guildhalls and the City Hall with a statue of St. Michael slaying a dragon surround the square.**
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Manneken Pis
A short walk away from the Grand Place, at the corner of Rue de l’Étuve and Rue du Chêne, is a “little” statue of a “little” boy. One that attracts a great deal of attention and a large number of visitors. The Manneken Pis.
The existence of this fountain statuette, a symbol of the city of Brussels, is explained by various legends.
We had the opportunity to view a ‘dressed-up’ version of the Manneken Pis! 🙂
Mont des Arts
A walk in this area promises beautiful views of Brussels. Various museums, including the Museum of Musical Instruments, are situated nearby.
While we gazed at the city vistas, Junior jumped with joy at the sight of green areas.
A short stroll led us to the Royal Palace and the nearby Park of Brussels.
Comic Strip Walk
From our favorites Tintin, Asterix & Obelix, to the next-gen (read Junior)’s much-loved Smurfs, this is the land of comic strips!
My personal recommendation, if you visit Brussels and love exploring a city by foot, is to follow the Comic Strip Walk route – we had a blast! The whole experience was similar to a game of Treasure Hunt – we explored several areas of Brussels, in search of comic strip murals, and comic strip characters. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day.
One of the highlights of our walk was the visit to the MOOF Museum – an absolute hit with our family.
Atomium
We squeezed in a visit to the popular attraction, the Atomium, built for the Expo in 1958. Although we did not go up the various levels of the structure, we had a fun time marveling at its unique structure. Some tranquil family time at the beautiful Osseghem Park nearby was a welcome bonus.
Waffles and Fries
What we could not and you should not resist :). Gaufres (waffles) and frites (fries).
Well, all that walking around does bring down your energy levels and what better way to raise them again – waffles with one of a host of topping options (my favorite – strawberries and cream) … umm, and an order of irresistible fries.
Perfect!