...Thats how my tour book summarised the city of Brussels in Belgium.
Last weekend we took advantage of the cheapo Eurostar promotion thats currently running...How great to be able to travel to Belgium in 2 hours without the hassle of airport security.
It was my first visit to the city and for once was able to put my very basic french to good use..."How much for the waffle?", " I'm lost, but I'd like to go to the station" and "I'm sorry madame, I have lost my black hand clothes" were all verbal highlights you missed.
A must see for 50s enthusiasts is the 1958 worlds fair ATOMIUM... Sadly we were a bit early for the anniversary celebrations
But picked up a cool replica brochure
... And some postcards!
*Linzie's advice: if you visit, book in ADVANCE! And go when the Mini-Europe model village next door is actually open...
One of the things I most love when visiting other European cities is going shopping - first port of call was a kids book shop.
Beautiful French and Belgian books illustrated by Marc Boutavant, Benjamin Chaud, Oliver Latyk and Gwen Keraval
And then a quick visit to the famous flea market at Place du Jeau de Balle when I did my best to haggle in french.
One problem about starting a conversation in another language is that the person then assumes you can actually undertand what they are saying in return... Much of my haggling included the "happy face" and "very sad face" technique.
I left with an Interesting box of french letters and postcards from the 50s and 60s...
and too tatty old chidrens books for €1... The one with the creepy squirrel king actually has some really nice illustrations inside.
I did take a lot of photos of nice buildings like these in the Grand Place but sadly my camera is broken and I've lost most of them now... oh well
So instead, heres a tatty old resturant sign I liked!
One things Brussels is famous for is all the street art and murals on the sides of buildings.. they are everywhere!
And the best way to end any trip (or blog post) with a couple of beers at Cafe Novo
Until the end of the March Cafe Novo is hosting a nice exhibition of screenprints by Brussels artist Oreli and is well worth a visit if you find yourself in that neck of the woods!
