Postcard from Brussels, Belgium
Brussels, Belgium
Arrived in: Brussels from a 1.5-hour plane ride from Milan, Italy
My first impression is: the city is cosmopolitan, artistic and modern with lovely green space/ parks sprinkled in.
I'm most excited about:
- Being able to unpack my bag and be in one place for multiple days.
- Testing the chocolate and seeing if it's really worth all the hype!
- Learning and seeing different types of Belgian architecture (specifically gothic & art nouveau)
I'm surprised that: the cities mascot is a bronze fountain statue of a little boy peeing! "Manneken-Pis" is only 61 cm tall and is often dressed up in different costumes/outfits. His array of outfits is on display in the City Museum on La Grand Place. Unfortunately when I visited him today he wasn't wearing anything special.
I learned:
- There are two main communities living in the city; the expats that work for the EU and the locals.
- The dominant language is French, followed by Flemish Dutch and English.
The best thing is that: my friend Carole is native and has set me up with maps and ideas for what to do see and do. I'm staying in the Chatelain neighborhood which is lively with little boutiques, restaurants and a third wave coffee shop, Parlor Coffee Roasters a short walk away.