Things to do and see in Brussels

It occurred to me the other day that other than some pictures I took the week we arrived and a description of our "Car Free Sunday" outing, I haven't really described what kinds of things there are to attract visitors to Brussels. We've been living here as "locals" and haven't had any visitors of our own yet, so I'm embarrassed to admit that there are quite a few attractions we have yet to see. Despite that, I'm going to give a run-down of what's on offer for visitors.

The obvious attractions which most people are familiar with are the Grand Place and the Mannekin Pis, both of which I've photographed and put onto the blog. Beyond that however, the attractions aren't quite as familiar. So to give you an idea, here's a little list:

1-The Atomium is a gigantic space-age looking structure that was built for the 1958 World's Fair, and replicates the atomic structure of an iron crystal, magnified 165 billion times! This is one of the things I have to admit I haven't seen yet, but I'll try to get there soon and get some pictures for you!

2-Museums: there are quite a few of course, but the best-known are the Royal Museum of Central Africa (the Belgians have a rather brutal colonial legacy in the Congo) and the Royal Museum of Fine Arts. There are also a few non-traditional museums of course - one is the Belgian Center for Comic Strip Art. That's not it of course; all told, there are more than 75 museums in the city according to Arthur Frommer's website. Oh, and of course we've been to NONE of these places!

3-The European Quarter and Parliament: there aren't any museums or beautiful old buildings here (although the huge Triumphal Arch is nearby with some great views), just modern skyscrapers erected to house the various offices of the European Parliament and related organizations. It is kind of neat to walk through this area though, and as one might expect the neighborhood is also home to a few excellent Irish pubs - remember how much we like those! :-)

4-Bars and beer...I've commented on this one before, but I have to reiterate that Belgium is truly a beer country! With names like "A la Morte Subite" ("Sudden Death"), and "Le Bier Circus" (I assume that needs no translation?), the pub culture in Brussels is unique, fun and most of all VARIED! There is also a museum dedicated to beer, the Belgian Brewers Museum. Their website is www.beerparadise.be - gotta love that!

5-Dining: again I have a confession for you - we haven't been to very many "Belgian" restaurants, but I can tell you that whatever the cuisine, Belgians know how to do good food! Thank goodness we do a lot of walking and have been busy training for the marathon, because otherwise I would think that we might have gained instead of lost weight since arriving here!

6-Shopping: given our current employment status we of course have been unable to indulge in this visitor's pastime, but believe me when I say that a shopaholic of just about any kind would have a field day in this city! The Avenue Louise shopping district just south of the city center has a plethora of designer stores (if you have to ask how much, you can't afford it!), and the city center has an interesting mix of kitschy souvenir stores, elegant boutiques, shops selling traditional Belgian goods such as lace, and of course dozens of CHOCOLATE shops! You can spend a fortune or a pittance (well maybe not exactly thanks to the belaguered US dollar), but spend you can!!

Well there you have it, a brief introduction to the city we've called home for the past several months. Overall I would sum it up by saying that it may not be full of famous sites like Paris or Rome, but Brussels has its own distinctive charm, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to explore and discover its treasures!