We have a saying, “back in time when we were young, all these lands were farms.” The land on which Brussels is situated was a swamp. It was drained in order for the city to be built. In fact, the name of the city means “the place on the swamp.” Now, that swamp is the capital city of Europe; a fascinating history.
Brussels is an interesting city. Some people may adore it while others may say “don’t waste your time visiting there.” My feelings are neutral. It’s the capital city of Europe, and the Headquarters of NATO. It would be inappropriate not to visit there. 🙂
I see similarities between Ankara and Brussels: both are organized and bureaucratic. Brussels is also the city that contains the most embassies in the world. Naturally, many of the places of interest are bureaucratic in function.
Usually the first place to be visited by every tourist that sets foot in Brussels, the Grand Place is really an entertaining spot. Many people enjoy themselves in the cafes during the day. And when the night comes, you can witness the magical ambiance created with music and light shows over this spectacular setting.
This area was badly damaged as a result of the French army’s bombing at the end of 1600s upon the orders of King Louis XIV. Now, all these years later, all you hear in the Grand Place is people speaking French. That’s the way the world turns…
While you are at the Grand Place, you can visit many museums. Museum of Cocoa and Chocolate is of course the most interesting one for me, being a chocolate lover… City of Brussels Museum and Brussels Museum of Costume and Lace are also located in the Grand Place, which offers a compact area of museums.
All points of interest in Brussels are man-made and the city is full of sculptures. It feels like there is a sculpture for everyone and everything. The most famous of them is Manneken Pis, which means “Urinating Little Boy,” which is located in the Grand Place. It still makes me smile when I remember the story that our guide told us. The myth says that this sculpture represents something that happened during World War II. A bomb’s fuse was lit but a little boy came by, urinated on the bomb, putting the fuse out and ending the war in Brussels. After this, they built a sculpture in memory of him. There are many other stories told all around the city as to the origins of the statue. You can believe whichever you want. It is in fact a very small sculpture but it holds a record: it’s been stolen 5 times. The little bronze boy is dressed in costumes on special days and festivals. This sculpture has almost 700 different outfits. The abovementioned Museum of Costume houses an exhibition containing many of them.
If you visit this city, there is another myth to bear in mind. If you touch the hand of Everard t’Serclaes, the brass sculpture of a woman sleeping with a dog right next to the Town Hall, then you are guaranteed to come back to Belgium. I’m not sure whether this is followed by a place in heaven. 🙂 Belgium has a very good geographic location: only 2 hours from Amsterdam and 1.5 hours from Paris. This makes it worth visiting the city even just once. Or, you may plan a wider journey starting from or ending at Brussels.
Speaking of the Town Hall… The story goes that when the architect finished the building, he noticed one side was narrower than the other, and was so upset that he jumped off the tower.
Atomium is another iconic Brussels landmark. Like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it was built for a World’s Fair (in 1958). There’s no chance of missing this incredible structure.
I prefer to experience a city like a local rather than a tourist. For this, I try to visit market places, hospitals, schools, universities etc. If you want to experience something like this in Brussels, the places to go for fruit and vegetables are the markets at Gare Du Midi, Marolles and Sablon. Here you can shop like a local and also get much cheaper food.
While the characters may be too old for our children to know, there is a museum here that took me back to my childhood with a smile on my face. Centre of Comic Strip Art museum contains many childhood heroes such as Lucky Luke and Tintin.
St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral is also another popular attraction for tourists.
Heading away from the center you see another city around the outskirts of Brussels. This is like a small Emirdağ… Our fellow Turks moved from Afyon and built a new city in Brussels. Everybody from the greengrocer and butcher to the cafe customers are Turks. Of course, we greeted them and started a conversation right away. Then, we invited one of the young guys to join us as we continued our journey. The Turkish population are happy living there. Being together makes it easy for everyone. For me, they seemed luckier than Turks living in other countries.
If you have visited Istanbul, you’d know about Miniatürk miniature park. I enjoy Miniatürk, and there is a similar one in Brussels. I wanted to know which was built first, and after some research, I found out that we built Miniatürk around 10 years later. Mini Europe park offers a fun visit where you can see around 350 miniatures from all over Europe.
There is no need to set aside too much time for Brussels; even a weekend would suffice to fully discover the city.
All you need is a good weather and a good mood…
