Europe 2017 - Day 2. A day in Belgium

I couldn’t resist. Brussels is only 100 km from Lille, and I have not been there in 30 years, before the European Union had crystallized and brought the European parliament to this city. I thus woke up early and headed for the border. Once in Belgium I took to the streets, greatly enjoying the countryside and the small towns I went through.

No sooner had I entered the city when the road disappeared in a long twisting tunnel that totally disoriented me. I emerged near a canal (later I learned that it had been the main commerce route between Brussels and the port of Antwerp) and thought it was best to park in one of the small streets and tackle the city on foot. Fortunately I was but a few blocks from the old downtown and I was soon immersed in the streets of this quintessential European city. My plan was to get on the tourist Hop On Hop Off bus, to visit the city in full comfort.

Line 1 took me to the north half of the city, past some of the old commercial districts, and parallel to the Antwerp canal (a masterpiece of engineering completed in the mid 1500’s, way long before canals became the rage in other parts of Europe in the late 1700’s), and into the royal gardens. Belgium became independent of the Netherlands in 1830, at which time the old Dutch king was evicted of the royal palace, and Leopold 1 was crowned king of Belgium. Unfortunately the gardens and the palace are the residence of the current king (Phillip, I think) and are out of limits to the rabble. At the edge of the gardens is the Atomium, a giant representation of the crystalline structure of iron, built as part of one of the World Fairs. From there we headed back to the city center, past some of the beautiful old landmarks of the city, such as the Fish Market or the Marolles Flea Market.

Line 2 took me to the south portion of the city, past the Avenue Louise, which is Brussels answer to Les Champs Elise, El Paseo de la Castellana, and the other grand boulevards of Europe. Our route wove through the Art Nouveau portions of the city, slowly climbing toward the hill where the very impressive buildings of the European parliament are located. I learned that the talks behind the European Union went back to the 1950’s, and that in the 1990’s Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Luxembourg agreed to form the union, followed at a later date by England, Ireland, and Denmark, and even later by the 17 additional countries that are now part of the European Union. Note that Belgium is listed in first place, an innocent delusion that goes well with the Belgian spirit that has led them to claim the invention of the praline (that delicious shell of hard chocolate filled with a different type of soft chocolate), the saxophone, beer, and French Belgian Fries.

After I concluded my tour I stopped at a small shop to buy a most delicious baguette with chorizo, bummed on foot through the city center and the Grand Place, paid my respects to the Mannekin Pis, and treated myself to a waffle with Nutella (both invented in Belgium, you know).

Honestly, I had but a vague recollection of Brussels and must confess that I am very impressed by its beauty and cosmopolitan flavor. I wouldn’t mind at all living here!