Brussels-an under-rated city in an under-rated country
I first visited Belgium in 1969 when my Manchester flatmate Eli Harari and I set off on our European travels. We took the ferry from Dover to Ostend, and I'll never forget our arrival since as we got off the ship the brakes on our NSU Prinz 30 failed. Fortunately, we found a pamphlet in the glove box with the addresses of NSU dealerships and repair shops throughout Europe. The next morning, we drove to the Ostend location, only to discover the site had been redeveloped many years earlier with an office building. It was a very old car, and pamphlet!
| The Grand Place, one of the most impressive public spaces in the world. |
While I don't remember anything else about Ostend, I vividly remember our arrival in Brussels, especially the Grand Place https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Place. It was the most magnificent public space I had ever seen. I also enjoyed discovering other parts of the city and museums built by King Leopold, financed by Belgium's colonial activities in Africa.
I returned to Belgium in 2009 with Sally when we participated in a house exchange in a small town called Zomergem. https://gellersworldtravel.blogspot.com/2009/09/goodbye-zomergem-goodbye-belgium.html I wrote about our trip to Brussels here https://gellersworldtravel.blogspot.com/2009/09/brussels-capital-of-europe.html
| The congress was held at a facility with the unusual name of Tour and Taxi, a renovated complex |
https://isocarp.org/58th-wpc-brussels-2022/ https://competitions.org/2021/06/sakhalin-region-development-competition/
| The artworks on the elevator doors were continued into the inside of the elevators |
https://jguideeurope.org/en/region/belgium/antwerp/ However, after a brief online search I discovered there was an English language progressive synagogue in Brussels. https://www.ijc.be/
| Avenue Louise, a beautiful grand street lined with trams, parking, and beautiful buildings and expensive shops |
While I worried it might be difficult to get to, as it turned out it was a direct 25-minute tram ride from my hotel, along Avenue Louise, one of the most prestigious streets in Brussels. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenue_Louise. When I arrived at the service held in an office building, I was surprised to see a heavy police presence. I subsequently learned this was quite common at High Holiday services in Europe, but there was extra security because both the US Ambassador to Belgium and US Ambassador to the European Union were in attendance.
Below are a few more photos taken around the city.
| Scooters are a popular form of transportation around the city |
| Unlike Vancouver, there are many pedestrian streets |
| Brussels is famous for its gastronomic delights. Dinner at Chez Leon, one of the city's oldest and popular restaurants, famous for its moules |
| I was surprised to find this bicycle repair shop in one of the Metro subway stations |
| The city offers a mix of heritage and contemporary architecture |
| While I often associate Holland with the sale of soft drugs, the aroma of weed permeated the city. |
| I went here for a beer! |
| When I arrived at the Grand Place, it was full of cheering people and music |
| I subsequently learned the celebration was in honour of a cyclist who had just won a major bicycle race in Australia. |
| Like Paris and other European cities, a comfortable scale of buildings can be found throughout much of the city |
| However, some areas are now being developed with the sort of buildings we are accustomed to in Vancouver |
| One of the grand shopping arcades |
| I was saddened to find many people sleeping in the subway stations, with an attendant odour of urine. Each morning, there are asked to leave by security. |
| I was saddened by the extensive graffiti found throughout the city. |