Brussels Round Two

Some things to note about Brussels:

17.09.2010 - 18.09.2010
View Europe in September 2010 on cara-mia's travel map.

1. Drivers are either careening at top speed through the tiny cobble squares or they are patiently waiting for pedestrians or another car to complete a "Brussels U-turn" which takes up the entire intersection usually. There is really no in between, and there is no knowing if a car is going to hit you or screech to a halt at the last possible second. There is a bit of adventure at every crosswalk.

2. The skyline is a bit hideous, in charming way. There are gorgeous art nouveau buildings crammed in next to giant blocks of glass and steel, with no regard to how it looks.

3. Belgians can be extremely rude, especially on public transportation and in the tourist sections of the city. I saw a women shove a 4-year-old child to get to a seat on a tram. Once you get away from these areas, they are warm and friendly and give you free things

4. Art nouveau architecture is wonderful. We went to the Horta Museum, which is the home of Victor Horta, the "father" of Art Nouveau and drooled over the light fixtures and stair cases. Then we took a little self-guided tour through the area to see some more examples of the style done by Horta and some of his contemporaries.

Posted by cara-mia 24.09.2010 00:49 Archived in Belgium