The floral carpet is one of those things that most visitors to Belgium see on every single…read morepostcard, but rarely get to experience live. It takes a certain degree of planning - first of all, you have to go in an even year (there was one this year, the next is in 2010), then there are the exact dates of the carpet as it only lasts for two weeks. And just when you've cracked all that, turning up to Grand Place and looking at a sea of petals from ground level isn't particularly impressive, so you need to go the final mile and pay EUR3 or so to get into the Town Hall, queue up patiently, climb the steps to the tower and view it from above on the balconies (though to be fair, you pass some excellent and interesting rooms in the Town Hall as you wait to get to a balcony). It's worth it though. The 2006 carpet had rotating flowerbeds on, and when you consider just how many thousands of flowerheads have been diligently pressed into moss, it makes Derbyshire well dressing look like child's play.

É lindo da mais !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!read more

Really quiet park. Great to just find some peace and quiet, I think. We wandered through here for…read moreawhile. Mostly the cut through, but ended up just kinda looking around. There were quite a few people out walking their dogs, and also I believe there are some art studios or classes/community buildings farther in that didn't seem to mind us snooping around. Otherwise, really pretty place to relax and picnic. Can get rather soggy in the rain so you could get kinda muddy when walking/running in some areas. Lots of geometrical topiary.

A beautiful place for a walk, at any time of day. A pity that there's so much graffiti in some…read moreareas. Lovely to walk in or have a little picnic. Luckily most people are quite considerate about their noise and their pets, as well as picking up after their picnics; this means the Abbaye is almost always very clean.

Another large and beautiful church we saw on our visit to Brussels…read more The church was massive and magnificent! The stained glass windows were beautiful. We came at the perfect time to see some light peeking through the glass into the pews. It was an amazing part of our journey. This is why we stop into churches and take a moment to look around.

Just a gorgeous well kept church that must visit while in town. They also have a small section of…read moreart exhibition that cost 3 euro.

16th Sep. 2012 is a CAR FREE DAY. Let's run the Avenue!!read more

If one wants to visit a UNESCO heritage site and be surrounded by historical buildings (town hall,…read moreguild halls to name a couple), museum (inside the King's House), restaurants and lots of Belgian chocolate shops (Neuhaus was my fav) then this is the place. Of course the Grand Place offers more than what I've listed as it's the heart of Brussels and the bee hive of visitors and activity was constant all day. The Grand Place most popular photo backdrop was the Hotel De Ville, town hall, as it dominated the square. In summer one had to wait until late (after 10pm) before the sunlight faded from the sky and the lights in the Grand Place started to turn on (versus 6pm during my first winter visit in February). As one spins around 360 from the town hall, the different styles of the surrounding guild houses added a lot of character with their elaborate, unique facades and statues and even the darker King's House. It was nice to just stand around and not be bothered by any random person coming up to beg or sell something. From here it was an easy stroll to the Manneken Pis statue, the TinTin shop and mural, Royal Gallery of St Hubert and more.

This historic central square is probably one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. What an amazing…read moreplace to feel what it must have been like centuries ago, eat lunch, or people watch. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site that's pedestrian only. We've hung out and strolled through in the early morning, afternoon, late evening, and even after dark well after midnight. Every two years in August, a floral carpet is installed in the middle of the centre. It's a ginormous arrangement of breathtaking flowers. A Christmas tree and lights go up every year. The neo-gothic architecture is outstanding from the kings's house to the town hall. Such an amazing piece of history that should be on everyone's sightseeing list.

The people of Brussels really love their toilet humor!…read more This is the "pissing dog". One of the trio of peeing statues around the city. In typical dog fashion, he has a leg high ready to go. Going to all of the statues is a pretty common tourist attraction. It's good for a laugh!

Brussels has a sculpture of a pissing boy and a sculpture of a pissing girl, so it's no surprise…read morethere's a sculpture of a pissing dog! Erected in 1999, Zinneke Pis, by artist Tom Frantzen, is the third pissing sculpture in Brussels. (Per Wikipedia, Zinneke means "mutt" or "bastard".) Even though I don't like dogs, this is my favourite of the pissing sculptures -- it's whimsical but not gross. The bronze sculpture depicts a dog with its leg held up against a bollard and it was not far from the laundromat and my hotel. [Yelp collections: Europe 2024; Brussels, Belgium; Public Art]

Lovely old 'Art Deco' pool. Clean water. Not much lane discipline. You need speedo type swimwear…read moreand a hat (lifeguards lent me the latter). €3.50 good value for a visiting Londoner.