Breezing through Brussels

What does one do if you get up one early morning in Bonn, the sky is clear and the road is wide open ..... well you go on a long drive of course, the old girl needs a few high revvs and top speed on occasion to stretch her legs a bit. Obviously, you can go in a big circle and arrive exactly where you began; but on the other hand you can mix it up a bit and you have caught the traveling bug - you simply head out West like the pioneers of yore. That's exactly what my good friend Bernd and I did one morning and landed up in Brussels - the capital of Belgium.

First, lets get the name straight - although Brussels may be the English nomenclature, I certainly think that Bruxelles (thats what the French call it) sounds a tad bit more chic - what do you think?

The journey from Bonn to Brussels is unremarkable apart from the fact that on occasion when traveling at 200 kmph and feeling a bit pleased with yourself you are overtaken by a train zipping past you at perhaps 300 kmph; and oh yes the fact that you know that you have left Germany when the signs appear all in English and the speed limits force you to potter around at 120 kmph!
By the time we arrived it was still quite early in the morning with most of the places shuttered up forcing us to walk around a bit to orient ourselves. Walking around from one 'Rue' to the other we chanced upon the evangelical church of St Catherine which seemed to possibly be the only place open at that hour.

The church of St. Catherine

Although potentially a remarkable piece of construction in its day and still very functional it seemed to wallowing in a state of neglect and disrepair. However the time spent around the church (which is also the location of a fish market) gave an opportunity to read a bit about the history of Brussels - on how it is a pretty young country having been annexed throughout history by one large kingdom after the other.
We pottered around a bit through one tiny alley after another trying to find a nice spot to grab some breakfast, and with some assistance from a guidebook headed towards the Großmarkt which was in the heart of the city. On the way we passed through the glass canopied Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert which was the world's first shopping mall when it opened in 1847. It would be the equivalent of 5th Avenue in NYC or Mayfair in London - filled with boutiques showcasing the best in designer goods. I couldn't afford to shop, but well definitely stopped to look around and admire the architecture of this glass and wrought iron marvel.

Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert

Next was definitely a breakfast at one of the cafe's that lined the market. Very French indeed, just a basic croissant and coffee. I think that is one of the key to the French lithe figure - minimalistic food; just that they are excellent in the marketing department - so that same food becomes gourmet cuisine that costs a bomb!

Breakfast at Großmarkt

But now we had our fill and the city was starting to wake up it was time to explore our environs. First stop was the Grand Palace. If there was any place in Brussels which could be considered as ground zero this was it. Typical of all the big plazas that time this courtyard too had the Rathaus where city councilors would meet to discuss the affairs of the state. However what I did find a bit unique was the absence of any prominent religious structures; I was quite acquainted in finding a cathedral in and around the main plaza, but in this case it seemed to be absent. However the gilded Rathaus and the Grand Palace were no less in pomp and circumstance, adorned with ornate sculptures of the royalty and important citizens of the period. Another interesting observation was that some of the figures appeared to have been decapitated - perhaps the flesh and blood version had fallen out of favor with the powers who ruled....
But one thing was for sure, the merchant nobles who ruled this place were anything but poor; it was now becoming clearer why this small piece of territory had been hotly contested through the centuries. The wealth concentrated in this region from trading had attracted whoever had been in the hot-seat of European power during the time making this the proverbial 'golden goose'.

Grand Palace

Wandering through its maze of alley's brought us to past the magnificent bourse (I would not have expected anything less) to the Church of St. Nicholas (patron saint of traders) sitting askew in the corner of a street. One of the oldest churches in Brussels it is the resting place of the relics of the 'martyrs of Gorkhum' from the 16th century during the tribulations between the Catholics and Protestants in the region. Although being nearly destroyed several times over it still retains a air of it's proud and ancient past when it held sway over life in the city.

one of the martyr's of Gorkhum

Now it was on to one of the favorite tourist haunts - that of 'Manneken Pis'. For such a small statue with uncertain origins, it sure does demand a large audience. Well, if out of curiosity if not anything else we too did the customary trip to see this odd curio - and since he wasn't being 'dressed up' on that day..... well there is only that much one can be fascinated about a statue of a urinating toddler!

The famous 'Manneken Pis'

Now the stomach was rumbling a bit and it was high time to grab some good food. And in this sea faring state that meant a delicious meal of mussels with some fries. As a quick side note - French fries were invented in Belgium, and for sure the Belgians got it spot on, even till this date. The numerous outdoor cafe's and nice balmy weather made grabbing a nice cozy spot in one of the numerous bustling cobbled streets contributed to the ever so interesting sport of people watching while digging in through the mussels which had been prepared in wine.

a Bucket of Mussels and fries - washed down with some wine...

After a leisurely lunch and some coffee we finally coaxed ourselves to get out of our reverie and head back out to do some more exploring. Moving from the inner heart of the city we moved toward the other side where the royal palace was situated. But first we stopped to see the St. Michael and st. Gudula Cathedral which sat on higher ground and commanded quite a view of the city. The cathedral itself is one of the prettiest I have seen, both inside and out. The towering columns along with ample use of stained glass results in a cacophony of light all around the interiors. As for the exterior, beautiful as it is - on first glance it did remind me of Castle Grayskull from the 'He-man' series!

Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula

By now it was close to 16:00 and we kept pace with our small itinerary, strolling along the palace gardens, the royal palace and the court. A bit of rain kept pace with us which prevented the luxury of trying some good photo shots; however on the positive side - played a role in getting us moving on. However, a visitor to Brussels cannot leave without one thing - and that is to pick up a box of chocolate; cause chocolate is to Brussels what high fashion is to Milan. You cannot say you have been there done that if you do not cater to this basic of all indulgences - and it does not get much better than Pierre Marcolini. Expensive... maybe so, but well - how many times does one visit Brussels!
We had one more stop before we headed home - and that was at the Atomium. Absolutely cool design - seemingly out of place amidst the old town feeling of Brussels - but interesting none the less.

Atomium

As we sped back, I tried to look back over the sights and spots that we had seen. Here was a place not too far from Bonn, yet so different in culture, architecture and tradition. It had been - quite an interesting experience; and thanks Bernd - I do owe you one for that!